Chapter:37

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"What? Creating Wood Release artificially?"

"Where did they even get the First Hokage's cells? Did they actually dig up his grave?"

"This is the experiment Orochimaru was conducting?"

"Hokage-sama, is this true?"

The room was filled with shocked voices, aside from a few individuals already aware of the truth.

Orochimaru's defection now had a startling revelation behind it, leaving everyone stunned by his audacity. Worse still, they were furious at the Third Hokage and Danzo for concealing this. The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, was a revered figure, and many of the clans joined Konoha due to his leadership and personal charm. To find out that his body had been desecrated for experiments? Unthinkable. Even worse, missing children from their clans had been victims of these twisted tests.

"This is true," the Third Hokage admitted, his face strained. "We kept this under wraps to prevent widespread panic."

His explanation only fueled the growing resentment. He never expected this long-buried secret to surface. The question of how Uchiha Fugaku knew plagued him. Could there be a spy within the ANBU working for the Uchiha clan? Or perhaps Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi, both under his command, were still loyal to the Uchiha, feeding information to Fugaku?

"Could this new enemy, with the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai, be a product of these experiments?" Nara Shikaku asked, his face dark with concern.

"Very likely," Uchiha Fugaku answered, seizing the moment. "Based on my information, Orochimaru's experiments succeeded at least once. This new threat, wielding Wood Release, was likely created after his defection."

Though Fugaku knew the truth—that Uchiha Obito gained his abilities from Hashirama's cells implanted by Madara—he aimed to shift the blame onto Orochimaru. By tying this new enemy to Orochimaru's experiment, he indirectly implicated the Third Hokage, who had allowed Orochimaru to escape Konoha.

Danzo Shimura scowled deeply. *Damn it!* How did Fugaku know about the one successful subject from Orochimaru's experiment? This was supposed to be classified. He suspected an Uchiha spy within their ranks. All his Root members were bound by the Tongue-Curse Seal, making it impossible for them to reveal anything. The most likely candidates were ANBU members—Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi. Danzo regretted not having them placed under his control.

"So, Orochimaru created this enemy?" someone said angrily. "Desecrating the First Hokage's grave like that!"

"We should have taken him down when we had the chance!" another voice chimed in.

The room grew increasingly agitated. The shinobi present were no fools. They realized that Orochimaru's escape had been handled far too leniently. The Third Hokage had let him go, and now Konoha faced the consequences—an enemy with the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai. Though the Third Hokage had long been respected, today, many began to see cracks in his once-glorious reputation.

After the meeting, Uchiha Fugaku left the room, feeling triumphant. This was his counterattack for years of suppression by the Third Hokage. While he hadn't succeeded in overthrowing Sarutobi Hiruzen, he had successfully tarnished his image. The reactions of those in the room made that clear. Additionally, Fugaku's words planted seeds of suspicion. The Third Hokage would now question his own inner circle, wondering if a Uchiha clan spy had infiltrated his ranks.

---

Meanwhile, in a dark underground hideout, Obito, wearing his spiral mask, listened to the half-black, half-white figure of Zetsu.

"We've identified the person you fought earlier. His name is Uchiha Shisui, a member of the Uchiha clan. However, unlike most, he did not join the Uchiha Police Force. Instead, he joined the ANBU under the Third Hokage," Black Zetsu explained.

"ANBU under Hiruzen Sarutobi? Not the Police Force?" Obito murmured in surprise.

Konoha had originally created the Uchiha Police Force to limit the clan's interactions with other villagers. The idea that Shisui had bypassed that restriction was unexpected.

"Yes," White Zetsu added, "another member of the Uchiha, Itachi, has also joined the ANBU under the Third Hokage."

"Itachi too?" Obito's surprise grew. The Third Hokage's actions didn't align with the original intent behind the Police Force.

"This is Sarutobi Hiruzen's brilliance at work," Black Zetsu said darkly. "Both Shisui and Itachi are considered prodigies within the Uchiha clan. By recruiting them into the ANBU, Hiruzen has taken two of their most talented members out of the clan's influence."

"And the Uchiha clan allowed this?"

"The Uchiha hoped that their blood ties would keep Shisui and Itachi loyal to them," Black Zetsu continued. "But they miscalculated. Both have been fully indoctrinated into ANBU, loyal only to Sarutobi Hiruzen."

Obito frowned beneath his mask. "Shisui is a formidable talent, having awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. Could he be the one who killed Kakuzu?"

"That's highly likely," White Zetsu confirmed. "Nagato encountered a Konoha ANBU team near where Kakuzu was found dead. All signs point to Shisui being the one responsible."

"A Mangekyō Sharingan user could be a powerful ally. Is there a chance we could recruit Shisui?" Obito mused.

"You could try, by approaching him as Uchiha Madara," Black Zetsu suggested.

(End of Chapter).

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