"Eh…?"
Shisui blinked, staring at Uchiha Shinsuke as he strode into the room. For a moment, he doubted his eyes—then realized he hadn't been mistaken.
—The tomoe in Shinsuke's eyes hadn't changed; it wasn't a Mangekyō Sharingan.
But maybe that's what made it so strange. Even though it was a regular Sharingan, the intensity of the glow and the power it radiated far exceeded anything Shisui had seen before.
Could this be the effect of surgical enhancement?
The others present had their own guesses flashing through their minds, but Orochimaru's gaze gleamed coldly. He immediately thought of his earlier speculations about bloodline limit organ enhancements.
Uchiha Shinsuke's face was tense and angry, but when his eyes swept across the room and saw Yakushi Kabuto standing unharmed, his expression relaxed slightly.
He walked quickly to the long table, then spoke to the Third Hokage in a sharp, urgent voice:
"Lord Hokage, Danzo is lying to you! What Lord Orochimaru is doing isn't human experimentation—it's just body strengthening surgery. Sure, there's risk, but that's normal for any operation! That clansman who died was just unlucky! You can't believe the Elder Advisors' slander. Look at me—I had the surgery, and not only am I fine, my strength has greatly increased!
I don't know exactly what Danzo told you, but he's definitely twisting the truth! He even stopped me with a squad of Root shinobi and tried to force Kabuto to hand over the experimental data!"
His words tumbled out hurriedly, only barely following a clear logic, but the key points were easy enough for everyone to catch.
The Third Hokage shot a sharp look at Danzo. It was clear now—Danzo had acted without permission.
Danzo, however, didn't flinch. A cold, hard glint flickered in his eyes.
"Uchiha Shinsuke," he said sternly, "you dare to attack the Root squad?"
"You attacked me first! Was I supposed to just stand there and take it?"
Shinsuke met Danzo's glare without backing down, and the Sharingan in his eyes flashed a bright red.
"Don't even think about framing me. I only beat them half to death. I didn't kill anyone."
Danzo's face darkened to an almost black expression. His Root shinobi were supposed to be among the best—the village's elite. For one Uchiha jonin to take them down alone? That was more than just alarming—it was terrifying.
In Danzo's mind, fear and ambition tangled together dangerously.
On the other side, Koharu gave Danzo a scolding glare, then turned sharply toward Orochimaru, who still lounged lazily against the table.
"Orochimaru," she snapped, "one of your surgery patients is here defending you himself. What do you have to say now? How credible is your so-called 'guarantee'?"
Orochimaru gave a small laugh, his body swaying slightly as he moved closer to Shinsuke. His golden snake-like eyes gleamed with interest as he stared at the boy's intense Sharingan.
"I really have nothing to say to you," he said lazily. "More importantly..."
He tilted his head and smiled.
"Can you still deactivate your Sharingan?"
"Lord Orochimaru! Of course I can!"
Shinsuke straightened up, startled for a moment to realize that Orochimaru recognized him even in this form. He frowned slightly, but relaxed under the scrutiny.
At Orochimaru's request, he closed his Sharingan.
And the moment he did, everyone in the conference room exchanged uneasy glances—there was something... strange about all of this.
Orochimaru flicked out his tongue and studied Uchiha Shinsuke's eyes with growing interest.
The irises, once black, were now a deep, persistent red. Though the three tomoe patterns had faded slightly, it still resembled the Sharingan.
His earlier guess had been correct—Sharingan wasn't truly a stable kekkei genkai. But now, with Shinsuke's strengthened body, his Sharingan seemed closer to perfection.
The white snake's expression became strangely thoughtful. If the Sharingan could evolve like this, what about the Byakugan?
He recalled the records passed down by the Lantern Spirit regarding the Ōtsutsuki clan—Byakugan was said to be a fully stable bloodline ability from birth.
The conference room fell silent for a moment. Then, Koharu Utatane suddenly burst out.
She glared furiously at Orochimaru's summoned white snake.
"Orochimaru, look at the mess you've caused!"
Everyone present could clearly feel it—Uchiha Shinsuke's pupil power had grown far beyond anything normal. These were the elites of the ninja world, and even they couldn't ignore the change.
As one of the strongest advocates of the "Uchiha Threat Theory," Koharu couldn't accept what she was seeing.
"You should be grateful I stopped the experiment when I did," Orochimaru said coolly.
He turned to Shinsuke and gave him a slow, almost sly smile.
"Your eyes have changed, but it's a good thing. Just make sure you continue to strengthen your body."
Though a bit confused, Shinsuke nodded.
Orochimaru then swept his gaze across the room. "If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving. I've answered all your questions. Believe me or not—that's your choice. As for Uchiha Shinsuke's transformation, I have no further comment."
Koharu clearly wanted to pursue the matter, but the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, raised his hand.
"Enough," Hiruzen said.
"Orochimaru is currently at Ryūchi Cave, handling matters related to the aftermath of the Kumogakure conflict. We'll address this again when he returns."
Koharu scowled but reluctantly fell silent.
And so, the debate over Orochimaru's human experimentation ended inconclusively—no real decisions made.
In truth, it was never going to lead anywhere. If Konoha could so easily punish a Sannin, Jiraiya wouldn't have wandered the world for years, and Tsunade wouldn't have abandoned the village to drown herself in gambling halls.
Without personal loyalty or true leverage, there was no controlling someone like Orochimaru.
Hiruzen Sarutobi understood this better than anyone.
He knew from the beginning that the meeting was meaningless—just political theater.
Still, he couldn't outright dismiss Koharu and Homura. They carried the "for the village" banner, and even if they were stubborn, it was better to let them hit a few walls themselves than to alienate them entirely and push them into Danzo's camp.
Balance was key.
After some thought, Hiruzen spoke, concluding the meeting:
"From now on, enhanced surgeries involving First Hokage cells are prohibited unless officially sanctioned. Orochimaru is forbidden from conducting them privately."
He paused and gave Danzo a particularly sharp look.
"And that restriction applies to others as well."
At those words, Koharu and Homura stiffened, remembering Danzo's recent attempt to coerce Yakushi Kabuto into handing over experimental data. They shifted their gaze toward Danzo, their expressions wary.
Danzo, facing their suspicion, remained stone-faced but sneered internally.
Hiruzen continued, "The two elder advisors will continue leading negotiations with Kumogakure. It's a matter of village security—everything else can wait."
He turned to Orochimaru.
"The experimental data you submitted will be sealed away. Do you accept this decision?"
Orochimaru gave a faint smile, canceled his summoning technique, and disappeared into a puff of smoke.
With the meeting wrapping up, Hiruzen finally turned his attention to Shinsuke.
"You're a talented ninja, Shinsuke," he said warmly. "I see great potential in you. I would like you to join the Anbu."
Shinsuke raised an eyebrow in surprise. But thinking of how he'd just humiliated two Root squads, he realized joining Anbu might help cover for that—and accepted the offer without hesitation.
Across the room, Shisui quietly let out a sigh of relief, comforted by the idea of having another clansman within the Hokage's Anbu.
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