Chapter 198

The desire for the Sharingan was not exclusive to Orochimaru.

Another old classmate of Orochimaru, who was also a scientist and viewed Gensou as his idol since childhood, had made it his life goal to become someone like him.

This rogue ninja, formerly of Konoha, had been fascinated with the various Kekkei Genkai and aspired to collect them as Gensou did.

In the mountains on the border between the Lands of Earth and Grass, Hiruko was conducting experiments on synthetic creatures on his operating table.

When he heard reports from his subordinates regarding the explosive news from the outside world, his bloodstained hands trembled as he gripped the shoulder of the messenger, his eyes burning with intensity as he demanded the information be repeated.

His subordinate complied and detailed the events once again.

After listening, Hiruko's mood visibly improved as he remarked, "I thought the only remaining Sharingan users were Kakashi, Sasuke, and Itachi. Who would have thought so many more would suddenly emerge? What a pleasant surprise."

To complete his Chimera Technique, Hiruko had selected five specific Kekkei Genkai, one of which was the Sharingan. He had secretly implanted a puppet technique on young Kakashi and had been targeting him ever since.

The reason he hadn't gone after the two true Uchiha was simple.

Itachi, who had wiped out his entire clan, was a terrifying force. Hiruko didn't dare provoke him.

As for Sasuke, Hiruko had considered it, but two years ago, Sasuke had aligned himself with Gensou.

And there was no way he was going to cross his childhood idol.

It's always best to pick the weakest target, and Kakashi was the softest option available.

But now, Hiruko had plenty more options.

Although these new Uchiha had also joined Gensou's faction, Gensou couldn't possibly protect all of them at once.

Hiruko could take one, relieve his idol of some of the burden—what more could a dedicated fan do?

"Just thinking about it makes me so happy!"

With so many fresh candidates, Hiruko's excitement grew as he resolved to accelerate the progress of his Chimera Technique.

Once he perfected it, he would proudly present his work to Gensou, hoping for his admiration. And if, by some chance, he could absorb Gensou himself into the Chimera, it would be the ultimate form of success.

Not everyone was as ambitious in their pursuit of the Sharingan.

Those without Uchiha blood who transplanted the Sharingan couldn't deactivate it, meaning their chakra was constantly being drained.

Even a genius like Kakashi, after implanting a single Sharingan, had to adjust his fighting style, becoming the infamous "50-50" Kakashi, with his limited chakra capacity becoming a unit of measurement.

For others, the cost was even greater.

In contrast, the Byakugan, which stood on par with the Sharingan, had no such limitations. Anyone could implant it and use it freely, just like the members of the Hyuga Clan.

It was because of this difference that the Hyuga Clan developed the Caged Bird Seal and divided the clan into the Main and Branch families, a practice that continues to this day.

That said...

While Orochimaru and Hiruko were focused on obtaining the Sharingan itself, most of the shinobi world's factions were more concerned with the growing power behind it: the influence of Gensou.

"Three Mangekyou Sharingan, twelve Three-Tomoe Sharingan, and the long-hidden strength of the Hagoromo Clan... The combination of Uchiha and Hagoromo is now reminiscent of the days when the Uchiha and Senju jointly founded Konoha. Without realizing it, Gensou's power has grown this immense," said Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage, frowning as he reviewed intelligence reports from Konoha in his office.

After the Five Kage Summit, they had all agreed, in appearance, to unite against Gensou. But in reality, Ōnoki—and likely others—had privately entertained the idea of forming secret alliances with Gensou to use him to their own advantage.

However, they had never found Gensou's whereabouts and had thus remained inactive.

Until now...

"This situation makes that impossible now," Ōnoki muttered, shaking his head.

If it were just Gensou alone, it wouldn't be a problem, no matter how powerful he was. He could not destabilize the rule of the hidden villages.

But now, with the combined might of both the Uchiha and Hagoromo clans, Gensou's forces were nearly as powerful as a Great Shinobi Village on their own.

When wolves get hungry, they want meat—not grass.

And the ninja under Gensou's command were hungry wolves, wielding immense power, who had once been cast aside and were now seeking to reclaim their place.

But the amount of meat on the table had always remained the same, and the people seated there had long since established a system of mutual benefit. There was no room for a disruptive outsider with a voracious appetite to join them.

To secretly align with Gensou now would be like inviting a wolf into the fold.

Having made up his mind, Ōnoki declared, "It's time to expand the jurisdiction and personnel of the joint investigation department. We can no longer operate in a fragmented manner like before. And we need to go all out!"

The Iwagakure forces quickly took action.

Meanwhile, Kirigakure, despite keeping a close eye on Gensou, had been slower to react to events on the continent due to their overseas location.

But just as they began to consider taking action, news of the Six-Tails Jinchuriki's defection shifted their focus, forcing them to urgently dispatch a team to retrieve him.

The Three-Tails had still not been recaptured, leaving only the Six-Tails to safeguard Kirigakure.

Given that Jinchuriki often served as decisive tools in times of war, Kirigakure couldn't afford to lose the Six-Tails.

Coincidentally, there had been a near-disaster in Kumogakure involving the Eight-Tails.

However, it wasn't due to defection. Instead, the Eight-Tails' Jinchuriki, Killer Bee, had attempted to slip away from the village to travel and perfect his musical skills.

It had been a close call.

The only reason Bee hadn't succeeded was that the Fourth Raikage, A, had just finished a two-year training regimen of intense study of various secret techniques from across the shinobi world. During a break, A had sought out his "brother" Bee for some bonding time, only to discover Bee sneaking off.

After a long chase, Killer Bee received a powerful lesson in sibling love from his brother's iron fists.

Following this, A locked Bee in Kumogakure's Thunder Valley to force him to reflect and train.

As for A himself, he returned to the Raikage's office, where intelligence from Konoha and a letter from Ōnoki had been gathering dust.

"Uchiha and Hagoromo..."

A scanned the Konoha intelligence reports and showed no outward reaction.

Unlike others, he had been wary of Gensou from the beginning.

Although he was somewhat surprised by the Uchiha's resurgence, he wasn't shocked. He had always suspected this day would come.

A then opened Ōnoki's letter and quickly skimmed through it. He snorted derisively, muttering:

"You were quiet earlier, and now you're trying to act. That old man Ōnoki always waits until things are slipping out of his control before scrambling to fix them."

Still, despite his irritation, A had no choice but to cooperate under the current circumstances.

The Five Great Shinobi Villages could fight among themselves all they wanted.

But they would never allow an outsider to take the spoils.

That had been true in the past, and it was still true now.

(End of Chapter)

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