"So they used Kakuzu to eliminate me… Quite the clever tactic."
Uchiha Fugaku's eyes gleamed with scorn.
The only way Kakuzu could've known his location was if someone had reported it—someone working under a higher authority. That superior had deliberately leaked his whereabouts to the underground bounty market, which is what brought Kakuzu after him.
The only question was whether that superior was the Third Hokage… or Danzo Shimura.
Not that it really mattered.
Whether it was the Third Hokage or Danzo, both sought to suppress and ultimately destroy the Uchiha clan.
They were both enemies so the specifics were irrelevant.
Yamanaka Kaze didn't respond. Fighting off the pounding agony in his skull, he forced his battered body to move. He had to escape. If he fell into Fugaku's hands, death was a certainty.
"Still trying to run?"
Before Yamanaka Kaze could take more than a step, Fugaku moved instantaneously appearing beside him in a flicker of speed.
A kunai flashed in his hand, aimed at Kaze's throat.
Simply witnessing Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan had already sealed his fate. But Fugaku also found his sensory abilities particularly intriguing.
No matter how you looked at it, Yamanaka Kaze could not be allowed to live.
Squelch—
Kaze tried to dodge, but in his current state, evading an attack from someone like Fugaku was impossible.
The kunai swept across his throat, slicing it cleanly.
Gurgle—
Blood spurted from the open wound. Kaze clutched his throat, his eyes filled with pain and unwillingness, before collapsing lifelessly to the ground.
Avoiding the spray of blood, Fugaku calmly wiped the blade clean and returned the kunai to his gear pouch.
He crouched beside the body and removed the man's mask revealing a face he recognized.
"A familiar one, huh."
Fugaku frowned slightly. This man had accompanied Danzo to the Five Kage Summit one of the elite guards at his side.
Anyone trusted with guarding Danzo personally would have to be a high-level jōnin at the very least.
Unfortunately for him, he'd crossed paths with Fugaku.
The forbidden technique he tried had backfired, and it took barely any effort for Fugaku to kill him.
"Time to test the results of this 'corpse refinement' technique."
He glanced around to ensure no one was watching before activating his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Because of his former self's foolish pride in the Uchiha bloodline, he had never used this technique before.
This would be his first time employing Corpse Refinement.
Humm—
The Mangekyō in his left eye began to spin rapidly. A bizarre black vortex formed in the air before him.
He lifted Yamanaka Kaze's corpse and tossed it into the swirling darkness.
The body vanished, along with the vortex.
Fugaku's perception shifted he sensed a confined space several meters wide, filled with a viscous black liquid. Kaze's corpse floated within it.
The liquid had a terrifying corrosive effect. Within moments, the body began to dissolve.
As this happened, a strange biological substance began to flow from Fugaku's left eye into his brain similar to cells, yet something more. It carried a distinct bloodline trait.
The moment it touched his brain, he felt a drastic shift, as though undergoing a metamorphosis.
His head grew hot, feverish even. Sweat beaded down his face.
Time passed it was impossible to tell how long.
Eventually, Yamanaka Kaze's body completely dissolved even the bones were gone.
The biological substance was fully absorbed, and the burning sensation faded. His body returned to normal.
Whoosh—
The black vortex reappeared and spat out Kaze's clothes and belongings.
"My senses… are sharper."
Fugaku took a moment to assess his condition and immediately noticed a heightened sensory acuity.
Normal shinobi could sense things like killing intent, chakra fluctuations, and presence, but only vaguely. If someone actively suppressed their presence, most wouldn't notice.
Sensory-type shinobi, on the other hand, had precise, refined perception often specializing in detecting specific traits like chakra or emotional intent.
Even as a Kage-level ninja, Fugaku's sensory skills had never matched those of dedicated sensory types.
But now, his ability to perceive chakra had increased severalfold.
Clearly, by refining Kaze's corpse, he had assimilated the Yamanaka clan's inherent sensory capabilities.
"If I can get hold of their secret techniques, I should be able to use them too."
He thought silently.
Normally, secret techniques could only be used by those with the proper bloodline or physiology. Without it, even possessing the scrolls was useless.
But now, Fugaku felt no difference between himself and a Yamanaka.
If he obtained their techniques, he could wield them as his own.
"If the opportunity arises, I'll have to acquire the Yamanaka clan's techniques."
He didn't turn his nose up at secret techniques especially not useful ones like the Yamanaka's.
For most, acquiring another clan's secrets was a monumental task.
But not for him.
With his Mangekyō Sharingan, he could copy any jutsu he witnessed.
There was no need to find scrolls. All he had to do was observe a Yamanaka using their technique and it would become his.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A fireball roared to life, incinerating Kaze's clothing and belongings in an instant.
Leaving them behind wasn't an option.
Then he turned to Kakuzu's mangled corpse.
"I can't leave any remains behind."
He knew of Orochimaru and Kabuto's forbidden technique Edo Tensei, the Reanimation Jutsu.
With it, corpses could be reanimated and controlled.
Those revived were nearly unkillable unless sealed.
Kakuzu had been a powerful shinobi. Fugaku couldn't risk someone reviving him.
It could expose his Mangekyō Sharingan too early or worse, empower his enemies.
"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame."
He formed hand seals. A massive fireball, like a falling meteor, descended on Kakuzu's corpse.
Flames erupted across a wide area.
When the blaze died down, Kakuzu's body was gone nothing but ash.
This technique's power was immense strong enough to burn even bone to dust.
"I was delayed a bit, but the gains were worth it."
Looking ahead toward the misty, rain-soaked borders of the Land of Rain, Uchiha Fugaku retrieved a straw cloak from a sealing scroll and draped it over himself.
Then, he stepped across the border.
The Yamanaka's sensory skills were just an appetizer.
What he truly desired… was White Zetsu perfectly fused with Hashirama's cells.
Obtaining and refining White Zetsu's body to gain the power of Hashirama Senju that was his true goal.