Chapter 99: Making Grand Promises (Please Vote and Subscribe)

“Guess whether your clansmen would hide it from you and take part in the experiments?”

Orochimaru curved his lips into a grin, the smile carrying a deep, malevolent intent.

“Lord Orochimaru... are you planning to tempt them into undergoing the operation of their own free will?”

Fugaku frowned, his face darkening at once, a faint trace of hostility appearing in his expression.

Up to now, he had always behaved quite obediently before Orochimaru. First, Orochimaru had indeed gone to great lengths to help the Uchiha; second, even if some clansmen suffered harm, it was still a choice between two evils, and one could hardly blame the man who had made the decision.

But now, if Orochimaru truly meant to lay hands on the clansmen, then as the Uchiha clan head, he would never stand by and watch.

Fugaku did not actually want to believe that Orochimaru would suddenly turn on them at this moment, but it was hard to say. Orochimaru was far too mysterious. Who knew what that man was really thinking?

“Of course I would never do such a thing, but then...” Orochimaru toyed with the empty teacup in his hand and laughed. “At present, I am not the only one capable of performing the physique-enhancement surgery.”

Fugaku recalled the upheaval from more than a week ago and was startled. “The Third? No... you mean Danzo?”

But why? Even if he had obtained the records of the physique-enhancement surgery, why not simply use it on himself in secret? Why go after the Uchiha?

“I told you before, the physique-enhancement surgery is not yet perfected.”

Orochimaru glanced at Fugaku and said with a smile, “Danzo’s body is already old and failing; it cannot endure much. So he will seek a way to lower the threshold for the operation.”

“And the test subjects... very possibly the Uchiha. After all, the only success case publicly known is your clan.”

Fugaku stared, enraged. “Danzo? How dare he, even if he is an adviser elder, he—”

“Enough,” Orochimaru cut off Fugaku’s outburst. “Don’t speak as though this has nothing to do with you. So long as both sides are willing, there are plenty of ways to cover this up. The real question is whether the Uchiha will accept Danzo’s promises and undergo the operation.”

“This...” Fugaku was momentarily at a loss for words. The clansmen’s hunger for strength was indeed a little stronger than that of other ninja.

Even if Danzo was nothing but a stinking pile of filth, so long as he could truly offer growth in power, many would be tempted.

Wasn’t that precisely how Orochimaru had gradually drawn closer to the clan in the first place?

Moreover, although the clan was united, it was hardly free of rivalry. In the past, the pressure from the village had been too great, and they had no choice but to huddle together for warmth. But now that the Uchiha’s position in the village was no longer what it had been, it was inevitable that some would entertain private schemes.

Suddenly, as if struck by an idea, Fugaku’s eyes lit up. “If the goal is simply to lower the threshold for the physique-enhancement surgery, then Lord Orochimaru could handle that.”

In Fugaku’s mind, the clansmen would clearly trust Orochimaru more than the gloomy Danzo.

How beautifully you imagine it.

Orochimaru shot Fugaku a sidelong glance. “Setting aside the fact that I have no intention of performing surgeries recently, even if I did, I could not possibly operate on every single Uchiha. There will always be those who slip through the net. What would you do then? And besides, surgery is not free. Could the Uchiha afford such a price?”

That was indeed unrealistic. Danzo’s Root only needed to find a single way through, whereas Orochimaru would have to account for everything. The difficulty was not even in the same league.

By comparison, as clan head, it would be far more practical for Fugaku to keep a close watch on his own people.

Fugaku looked somewhat embarrassed. He smoothly let the matter pass and changed the subject.

He furrowed his brows and said in a low voice, “You are not carrying out the surgery recently? Lord Orochimaru, why is that?”

Since Uchiha Jinsuke had awakened the blood-ring eye and clearly displayed strength surpassing ordinary Uchiha by a full measure, the number of elite ninja seeking to contact Fugaku had multiplied many times over. Among them were even several elite jonin.

And during the time he had been waiting for Orochimaru’s return, Fugaku had already identified the candidates and prepared the funds, simply awaiting the operation.

But Orochimaru suddenly said that the surgery would not be done. How could that be acceptable?

Was it the Third’s ban? From the start, Fugaku had never taken such a thing seriously, and he believed Orochimaru was not the sort of man who would care about it either.

“First, it is to give the old man some face...” Orochimaru looked at Fugaku, a teasing smile on his face. “Second, have you forgotten that the purpose of our physique-enhancement surgery was to restore Shisui’s pupil power?”

Fugaku said in surprise, “But wasn’t that something that could only be done after lowering the threshold for the surgery?”

“During several experimental surgeries, I made some new discoveries. It is possible to restore the power of the Mangekyo without relying on Shisui.”

Orochimaru said this with complete seriousness, though in truth he merely had other matters to attend to and needed to suspend the surgeries for the time being. Still, that did not stop him from using this excuse to brush Fugaku off.

Besides, Fugaku had no choice but to believe him. Orochimaru was an expert, after all; he had the knowledge and the skill, and thus he possessed the final authority of interpretation.

He did not understand?

Good.

If anyone could understand it so easily, what was the point of having an expert like him?

That would be an insult to the sweat he had poured day and night over those cadavers.

“...”

Seeing how solemn Orochimaru sounded, Fugaku remained half convinced and half doubtful. Yet this reason was impossible to refute. After all, the reason Orochimaru had agreed to perform the surgery in the first place had been to honor Shisui’s contribution.

“And furthermore, the stable form of the blood-ring eye is the blood-ring eye...” Orochimaru’s lips curled, a playful glint in his expression. “So what is the stable form of the Mangekyo blood-ring eye? Clan Head Fugaku, are you not curious?”

At that, Fugaku’s breathing grew noticeably heavier.

Indeed. If the blood-ring eye corresponded to the blood-ring eye, then what bloodline limit did the Mangekyo blood-ring eye correspond to? How powerful was it?

Compared with figuring that out, spending time sparring with the Third simply to perform a few surgeries for some jonin was truly grasping at crumbs and losing a whole melon.

One sentence from Orochimaru had easily reversed the thoughts in Fugaku’s mind. In an instant, he became a devotee of Orochimaru’s research into the Mangekyo blood-ring eye.

If the time came, he would not even rule out assisting in the research himself.

Fugaku tightened his grip on the teacup in his hand. Staring at Orochimaru, his eyes burned with eagerness. “Lord Orochimaru, as for restoring Shisui’s pupil power, the Uchiha will certainly give you our full support.”

At that, Orochimaru’s smile deepened a little.

Very good. The funds for his parallel research into the art of spiritual transformation had finally been secured. All that wasted breath had not been for nothing.

...

Late at night, in the medical room outside the Uchiha Police Force compound.

After clocking out from the covert unit, Uchiha Jinsuke returned at Orochimaru’s summons to the underground operating room.

Under the dim light, a pair of crimson eyes shone with brilliance.

At Orochimaru’s gesture, Jinsuke lay down on the operating table without the slightest guard. After an injection into his neck, he sank into a deep sleep.

Orochimaru licked his lips and, with brisk and practiced hands, dug out Jinsuke’s blood-ring eye.