Homura stepped forward, his voice carrying the weight of decades of political manoeuvring. "Commander Renjiro's recent increase in strength suddenly makes more sense if the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan was acquired through experimentation involving Lord First's cells," he observed, his tone carrying a note of clinical assessment. "His growth has been remarkable, unprecedented. The timing aligns perfectly with the theory."
The elders were constructing a narrative, a seemingly coherent story that connected all the dots. Hashirama cells, leading to Orochimaru, leading to experimentation, leading to the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, leading to increased power. Each piece fit neatly into the next, creating a picture of conspiracy and betrayal that was difficult to refute.
Renjiro listened to the accusations, to the carefully constructed narrative, to the way the elders were weaving circumstantial evidence into something that sounded almost like proof. And then he asked a simple question.
"How can you prove that the Lord First's cells caused the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Danzō's response was immediate, his voice carrying the particular confidence of someone who had anticipated the question. "The strategic importance of Lord First's cells cannot be overstated. Decades of research have failed to fully uncover their limits; their regenerative properties, their interaction with chakra, their potential applications remain incompletely understood. For all we know, exposure to the cells could have triggered or enabled your ocular evolution."
He paused, his visible eye meeting Renjiro's with unwavering intensity. "I am not claiming certainty, Commander. I am merely pointing out that the possibility exists, that the evidence supports the theory, that the circumstances align in a way that demands investigation."
Renjiro recognised the tactic immediately. Danzō was using uncertainty as evidence, exploiting the gaps in scientific knowledge to construct a narrative that served his purposes. He didn't need to prove that the cells had caused the evolution; he only needed to suggest that they could have, that the possibility existed, that the investigation should continue.
He's clever, Renjiro thought, the observation carrying a reluctant admiration. He's using the limits of our knowledge against us.
But Renjiro was not without his own weapons. He stepped forward, his voice carrying a note of calm proposal. "Neither side has definitive proof," he said, his words measured, deliberate. "You cannot prove that the cells caused the evolution, and I cannot definitively prove that they did not. So let us resolve this through experiment."
He paused, allowing the suggestion to sink in. "Bring in an Uchiha. Give that person a controlled portion of the Lord First's cells. Observe whether the cells can produce or enable an Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan transformation." He gestured toward the jar on the table. "I am willing to sacrifice part of my remaining sample for the test. If the elders genuinely believe their theory, this experiment could prove it beyond any doubt."
The room went silent.
Nobody immediately answered. The elders exchanged glances, their expressions shifting through several emotions; surprise, calculation, discomfort, and something that looked almost like fear. Hiruzen's hesitation was palpable, his ancient eyes carrying the weight of a decision that he was clearly reluctant to make. Koharu and Homura's discomfort was visible in the way they shifted their weight, in the way their hands clasped and unclasped. Only Minato seemed fine
Renjiro knew what the problem was. They couldn't allow the experiment.
If Lord First's cells could genuinely facilitate an Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan transformation, if the experiment succeeded, then the Uchiha clan would gain an enormous strategic advantage. Suddenly, multiple Uchiha could potentially acquire the same power, could evolve their eyes to a level that had previously been reserved for only a handful of individuals in history. The balance of power within Konoha would shift dramatically, would tilt in a direction that the elders would never willingly allow.
They can't let this happen, Renjiro thought, the certainty settling into his consciousness like ice. They can't risk empowering the Uchiha. Even if the accusation is correct, even if I did exchange the cells with Orochimaru, they can't afford to prove it through an experiment that might benefit the Uchiha clan.
Hiruzen understood the danger as well; Renjiro could see it in the old man's eyes, in the way his gaze flickered toward the Uchiha compound, in the way his fingers tightened around his walking stick. Proving Renjiro's theory could inadvertently empower the Uchiha, could shift the village's political landscape in ways that no one could predict. Even if the accusation were ultimately correct, the experiment itself was too dangerous.
The silence stretched, becoming uncomfortable, almost unbearable. The elders were trapped by their own logic, caught between the need to prove their accusation and the fear of the consequences that proof would bring.
Minato intervened, his voice carrying the particular authority of someone who had recognised the spiral and was determined to stop it. "The hypothetical experiment is irrelevant for the moment," he said firmly, his tone brooking no argument. "The immediate question is whether Danzō has evidence that Lord First's cells were actually present at the location where Renjiro and Orochimaru fought."
He turned toward Danzō, his blue eyes carrying a note of challenge. "You have made an accusation. You have presented circumstantial evidence. But you have not yet demonstrated that the material your operative discovered was connected to Renjiro in any way. I am demanding an actual standard of proof."
Minato's intervention had shifted the conversation back to its original evidentiary basis, had forced the accusation back toward the question of what Danzō could actually prove. His tone made clear that he wasn't defending Renjiro blindly; he was demanding that the accusation meet a basic threshold of credibility.
Koharu spoke again, her voice carrying a note of quiet confidence that immediately made Renjiro suspicious. "We had intended to present the evidence before the entire village," she said, her words measured, deliberate. "Given the current circumstances, however, I see no reason not to reveal it now."
She reached inside her robes, her movements slow and deliberate. Renjiro watched every movement carefully, his EMS tracking the subtle shifts in her posture, the way her fingers moved with practised precision. She retrieved a small vial; glass, no larger than her palm, sealed with a wax stopper, containing a small sample of something that Renjiro couldn't immediately identify.
She placed the vial on the table, next to the jar of Hashirama cells. The room's atmosphere changed instantly, the tension spiking as everyone's attention fixed on the new object. The vial seemed to pulse with a faint, almost imperceptible energy, as if the contents within were alive, aware of the scrutiny they were receiving.
Renjiro's attention locked onto the vial, his mind racing through possibilities. What was it? What could Koharu possibly have that would justify her confidence, that would tip the balance of the confrontation back in the elders' favour?
And then he saw it; a small label on the side of the vial, written in a hand he recognised, a script he knew intimately. The characters were elegant, precise, the product of years of practice. They spelt out a name, a designation, a piece of information that made Renjiro's blood run cold.
His thoughts landed on the betrayal with the force of a physical blow, the realisation crashing over him like a wave.
Why the hell did that bastard give it to Danzō?
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