Seizing the secret vault, Wood Release Charts

"Don't stop."

Sasuke's voice came from the operating table, the hum of the Sealing Lamps drowning out half the last syllable.

Fugaku moved his knife hand forward half an inch. "Your three tomoe just awakened, and chakra is still surging through your meridians. Keep pumping it in, and your arm will give out first."

"Then cut it off." Sasuke stared at the sealing array overhead, the three tomoe in his eyes spinning more steadily by the moment. "Keep going."

Kakashi tracked the chakra flow with his Sharingan, sweat seeping from his temples. "The Wood Release chakra is eating away at your ocular power, but your ocular power is pushing it back. Sasuke, how are you holding on?"

Sasuke lifted his fingers slightly, and the culture fluid in the sealed trough dropped another notch.

Hiashi swept his Byakugan over Sasuke's chest, his expression tightening. "The meridians around his heart are intact. The backlash is contained in his left arm. Neji, seal the Jianjing, Tianzong, and Quchi points."

Neji immediately came in from outside the door and pressed two fingers against several acupuncture points on Sasuke's arm.

The green markings stopped at his forearm instead of creeping farther toward his heart.

Inoichi held his hand above Sasuke's forehead, his brows tightly knitted. "His mental fluctuations are still rising. The three tomoe have stabilized, but if this goes any further, I can't guarantee I'll be able to pull him back."

Sasuke glanced sideways at him. "Do I need you to?"

Inoichi's face darkened. "Being eight doesn't mean I'll coddle you like a patient."

"Then treat me as the clan head." Sasuke exhaled a stale breath. "Record it."

Yamada Naoto stood nearby, the Image Scroll in his hands aimed at the operating table. "Clan head, we've recorded the entire process. The culture fluid batch, sealing reactions, and chakra curves are all there."

Fugaku said quietly, "These records must not get out."

"Of course not." Sasuke looked at Kakashi. "The ANBU files will record only the seized supplies, not the surgical details."

Kakashi rolled his scroll halfway shut. "What I saw tonight was the Konoha Military Police Force sealing away illicit goods involving Hashirama cells, and the Uchiha Clan Head receiving emergency medical treatment after exposure to contaminants."

A trace of cold amusement crossed Sasuke's lips. "You're learning how to write."

The red light of the Sealing Lamps turned green one by one.

The green markings on Sasuke's arm began to recede, and the chakra pulsing beneath his skin was forced into his meridians little by little.

Hiashi deactivated his Byakugan. "The devouring backlash has stopped."

Sweat covered Neji's forehead as he stared at Sasuke's eyes. "The three tomoe haven't dispersed."

Kakashi watched for several breaths before pulling his forehead protector back down. "And they haven't gone out of control."

Only then did Fugaku loosen his grip on his knife, though he still did not sheath it. "Sasuke, that's enough for tonight."

Sasuke sat up, green markings still tracing the skin of his left arm. He casually gripped the edge of the operating table, leaving a dent in its metal frame.

The room fell silent for a moment.

Yamada Naoto swallowed. "Is... is that even a hand anymore?"

Sasuke released the metal and glanced down at his palm. "It's more useful than Danzo's rotten arm."

Kakashi walked over to the operating table. "Your chakra reserves have increased. If someone came to seize the Cultivation Pod now, could you stop them?"

"Even if I can't stop them, I have to keep them out." Sasuke got off the table and draped his outer robe over his shoulders. "Until the Second Vault is emptied, the Third Hokage won't give up."

Fugaku immediately said, "I'll take people back to the mining district."

"Go now." Sasuke tossed him the prepared inventory of sealed evidence. "Dismantle the Final Cultivation Pod and transport it in sections. Seal the culture fluid separately. Number the Wood Release Charts, the experimental death records, and the sealing maintenance ledgers. Anyone who hides so much as a page will be treated as a Root accomplice."

Hiashi took another copy of the inventory. "The Hyuga will send a Byakugan team to watch the crates."

Kakashi glanced outside. "The Hokage Building probably already knows you brought the Cultivation Pod back to the clan grounds. The Third Hokage will send ANBU."

"Good." Sasuke straightened his collar. "Let them stand at the mine entrance and watch. Let's see whether Konoha's rules actually recognize the Hokage's private orders."

Outside the Northwest Abandoned Mine, dawn had yet to fully break.

Members of the Konoha Military Police Force carried crates of scrolls out of the mine tunnels. Sealing strips covered the old Root insignias, while Hyuga ninja stood on high ground, sweeping every dirt road with their Byakugan.

Fugaku personally guarded the Final Cultivation Pod. Kishimoto Masashi sat bound beside a rock, his head lowered without a word.

Neji emerged from the mine. "The third underground level is cleared. There's another secret room containing Wood Release Induction Charts. They detail the causes of rejection in Danzo's right arm."

Sasuke took the charts and flipped through several pages.

The notes were brutally blunt: Hashirama cells forcibly devoured the Sharingan's ocular power. Multiple Sharingan had to supply energy in rotation, or the host would turn to wood.

Sasuke's eyes grew colder. "No wonder he dug out so many eyes."

Fugaku looked at the charts, his voice edged like a blade. "Take these lists of the dead, too."

"Take everything." Sasuke rolled up the scroll. "For every eye Danzo used, there's a debt he has to repay."

Yamada Naoto ran over. "Clan head, ANBU have arrived outside the mine. Dog Face is leading them. He says Lord Hokage ordered them to take over the remaining supplies."

Sasuke placed the charts in a sealed evidence box. "Let's go."

At the mine entrance, the Konoha Military Police Force had blocked the Dog-Masked ANBU outside.

He held up a scroll. "Lord Hokage's written order. All supplies involving Hashirama cells are to be escorted back to the Hokage Building by ANBU."

Yamada Naoto stood in front of him with his blade held across his path. "Let me see the order."

Dog Face said coldly, "You have no authority to inspect the Hokage's orders."

Yamada Naoto nudged the sealing strip on the ground with his foot. "Then you have no authority to cross the Konoha Military Police Force's cordon either."

Seeing Sasuke emerge, Dog Face immediately turned toward him. "Sasuke Uchiha, Lord Hokage already knows you made unauthorized contact with the Cultivation Pod. It is dangerous and must be handed over."

Sasuke did not take the written order. "Where are the Council of Elders' countersignatures?"

Dog Face's breathing grew heavier beneath his mask. "In an emergency, the Hokage has the authority to act."

"An emergency?" Sasuke took a copy of Root's ledgers from his sleeve and spread it open before everyone. "Danzo secretly established the Second Vault. The Hokage Building Logistics Administration Seal assisted with transport. Morita Osamu from the ANBU logistics team delivered messages. An abbreviated defensive layout came out of the Old Well beneath the Hokage Building. Tell me, who created this emergency?"

Dog Face tightened his grip on the written order. "That isn't for you to determine."

"Then let the evidence determine it." Sasuke handed the ledgers to Hiashi. "The Hyuga will bear witness."

Hiashi glanced over them and said coldly, "The ledgers are authentic. The Byakugan team has confirmed that the supplies in the Second Vault were never registered by ANBU."

Kakashi stepped out from behind them. "For the ANBU record: this written order lacks the Council of Elders' countersignatures and cannot authorize the seizure of evidence in a treason case."

Dog Face turned his head. "Captain Kakashi, do you represent ANBU or the Uchiha?"

Kakashi unrolled his scroll. "I represent the New Law. If you force your way in, I'll record your name."

Sasuke lifted his eyes. "Your name."

Dog Face did not answer.

Yamada Naoto rapped his sword hilt. "The clan head asked for your name."

The ANBU formation behind Dog Face shifted, but after seeing Fugaku and the Hyuga Byakugan Squad, none of them stepped forward.

Sasuke walked up to Dog Face, reached out, and pulled the Hokage's order from his hand. He glanced at it, then tossed it into the evidence box.

Dog Face snapped, "You dare confiscate the Hokage's order?"

"This order will serve as proof that the Hokage Building attempted to transfer evidence from the Second Vault." Sasuke looked at him. "Go back and tell the Third Hokage that if he wants the supplies, he needs the Council of Elders' countersignatures, an official document from the Daimyo's Residence, and consent forms from the families of every person who died."

Dog Face pressed his hand against his kunai.

Fugaku's blade was already resting against his wrist bone.

Sasuke did not even blink. "Draw it. The moment you do, I'll open a case against you as an accomplice to treason. Your family will receive notice tonight."

Dog Face's hand remained on his kunai for a long moment before he let go.

The ANBU withdrew.

Yamada Naoto cursed at their retreating backs. "Have you no shame? Last night you let Root send a map out from the Hokage Building Underground, and this morning you come to steal the chamber."

Sasuke looked toward the supply wagons. "Don't bother cursing. Curses can't go into evidence. Proof can."

On the way back to the village, the convoy bypassed the main street and went straight into the Uchiha's underground secret chamber.

Once three layers of seals were in place, the Final Cultivation Pod was placed in the deepest section, while the Wood Release Charts and experimental ledgers were arranged on separate shelves.

Shikaku hurried over, still holding a half-rolled document with wet ink. "The Third Hokage smashed a teacup in the Hokage Building."

Yamada Naoto grinned. "What good does smashing a cup do? Why doesn't he smash Danzo's head instead?"

Shikaku glanced at Sasuke. "He's realized that both military resources and secret supplies are flowing toward the Konoha Military Police Force."

Sasuke opened the charts detailing the rejection defect in Danzo's right arm, his fingertip stopping on a line.

High concentrations of Hashirama cells required continuous suppression through ocular power. In hosts with inadequate constitutions, the right arm would form an independent devouring core.

Kakashi leaned closer. "What does that mean?"

Sasuke turned the charts for everyone to see. "Danzo never truly controlled his right arm. The more Sharingan he has, the worse the backlash gets. He isn't strong. He's relying on the dead to keep him alive."

Killing intent surged in Fugaku's eyes. "So if we force him to use Izanagi again, that arm will drag him to his death sooner or later."

Sasuke closed the charts and straightened his collar until it was immaculate. "No rush. Danzo's life still has its uses."

Shikaku was about to speak when hurried footsteps sounded outside the door.

Neji pushed the door open, his Byakugan still active. "Clan head, word has come from the Hokage Building. The Third Hokage is gathering the old ANBU squads. He plans to demand that the Uchiha secret chamber be sealed off, claiming that the First's relics have been leaked."

Sasuke raised his head, a cold smile spreading across his face.

At that same moment, the sound of shattering porcelain rang out inside the Hokage Building.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at the returned written order on his desk, his palm pressed against the broken shards. Blood ran along the creases of his hand.

"The Second Vault has been emptied?" he asked.

An ANBU knelt on the floor. "Yes. The Cultivation Pod, the charts, the ledgers—not a single item was left."

The Third Hokage closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, only exhaustion and fury remained. "Notify all the old ANBU squads. At tomorrow's Council of Elders meeting, I will personally ask Sasuke Uchiha whose village he intends to turn Konoha into."

Outside the window, a black crow landed on the eaves, a small slip of paper bearing a red cloud hanging beneath its claws.