I feel nothing but despair for this boring clan—simply because you're all too obsessed with something as trivial as the clan itself.
Fugaku sat in his room, recalling what Itachi had said earlier. A deep sorrow settled in his chest. He faintly sensed that Itachi had already walked toward an unknown direction, yet he could neither stop him nor figure out how to offer guidance.
At this moment, he realized—how little he actually knew about Itachi.
Seeing Fugaku's gloomy face, Mikoto stepped closer and tried to comfort him, "Shisui and Itachi were always especially close. His sudden suicide must have hit Itachi hard. Even if Itachi does something difficult to understand, there's nothing strange about it."
Hearing Mikoto's words, Fugaku remained cold and indifferent. This icy attitude had existed since the Nine-Tails' rampage.
"Anya still hasn't appeared, has he?"
Mikoto hesitated for a moment, understanding who Fugaku meant, then silently shook her head.
"He will appear," Fugaku declared firmly. "Releasing the Nine-Tails and placing the blame entirely on our clan while hiding himself in the shadows—who else benefits from this? Three years have passed, and I've never exposed him. Does he really think I'm a fool?"
"No, it can't be Anya," Mikoto understood Fugaku's inner conflict and spoke against it.
Fugaku gave a cold snort, "Who else could it be? Within the clan, only a handful of ninja possess the ocular power to control the Nine-Tails, and they were all accounted for within the clan grounds that night. Only Anya, being away outside, could have done it. Anya's continued absence ever since the Nine-Tails incident proves this best."
"But releasing the Nine-Tails brings him no benefit at all—even causing the death of his closest friend Minato."
"I don't know his motives. If he ever comes to see you, ask him on my behalf: Our clan has taken three years of undeserved blame for him. Isn't that kindness enough?"
After saying this, Fugaku angrily stormed out, slamming the door behind him, leaving Mikoto alone, silently shedding tears.
"Anya... could it really be you?" Mikoto recalled the words Anya had spoken to her that night, filled with endless worry. Yet she couldn't talk about it with Fugaku; speaking of it would only widen the misunderstanding further.
Meanwhile, the subject of their discussion—Anya—had begun creating clones inside the laboratory. The process was somewhat like adjusting facial features and body shape within a game. With Hashirama's Essence added, a brand new purely white clone emerged easily.
Now all that remained was to perfect the clone, ensuring not a single flaw was left.
Drawing upon memories of Mikoto's appearance, a face nearly identical to hers gradually took form. Once obtaining Mikoto's chakra to activate Hashirama's Essence, a flawless clone would deceive everyone.
In fact, Anya intended to deceive even Mikoto herself.
Wood Release Clones were just clones—lacking in real combat strength and not much use in action. They couldn't even bring Danzo down. Had Danzo dared to go down with both of them before, refusing to surrender Shisui's Sharingan under any circumstances, Anya truly would have been helpless. Fortunately, two near-death experiences left Danzo deeply fearful of Anya. Not to mention, the appearance of Wood Release dealt Danzo a major psychological blow.
As he pondered, loud rumbling noises erupted nearby, followed by a sinister roar that shook the ground.
"I'll kill you, kill you all. Get out of my way."
Anya furrowed her brow slightly. Who's brave enough to cause trouble in Lord Snake's lab? Don't they worry about being turned into lab rats?
"Crash..."
A tall figure charged forward like a bulldozer, his feet shackled with two massive iron balls, radiating immense pressure as he ran. His crazed eyes revealed his insanity—he was clearly no easy opponent. Numerous cursed seals covered his body, overflowing with strange chakra.
"Stop it, Jugo."
Kimimaro blocked his path, pulling his own spine from his back to form a bone whip. With a casual swing, he tightly bound Jugo, immobilizing him completely.
Under control, Jugo's eyes regained clarity as the cursed seals on his body faded away. His previously monstrous appearance returned to normal human form.
"Don't worry, with me here, your soul remains free. I will be your cage."
Jugo's gaze softened instantly as he stared directly at Kimimaro.
"Pretty impressive kid, huh?" Orochimaru appeared beside Anya without warning, watching the pair ahead with great interest.
"You mean Kimimaro? Indeed, very impressive." Anya genuinely praised, "He's not even an adult yet, but his strength is already terrifying. Once he reaches his prime, he could probably rival—or even surpass—the Third Raikage."
"Yes," Orochimaru said without hiding his admiration, even bordering on greediness, "From the moment I saw him, I knew he was the finest gem I've ever found—utterly captivating."
Anya understood immediately, "So you're planning to use him as your future vessel? Did he agree?"
"Of course." Orochimaru didn't conceal it at all, "You should be aware of the conditions required for Living Corpse Reincarnation. If the chosen one isn't willing, that technique might likely fail."
Sigh, brainwashing skills are top-notch—no wonder it's you.
"Uncle, the clone only needs one final step to complete. I'll be heading out now."
"That clan is heading toward extinction. Actually, I'm quite curious—if your body were whole and undamaged, what choice would you make?" Orochimaru said suggestively. Having successfully mastered Sage Art, Anya's power would surely increase further. Combined with Mangekyō and Sword Art, saving the Uchiha Clan wouldn't be hard.
Anya smiled faintly, "Fate decides when we live and die. As long as I live, our clan can always be rebuilt. Why get stuck on small things? The size of your heart defines your strength."
Orochimaru seemed very satisfied with Anya's answer and nodded, "Go then. I'll wait for your return."
Taking the completed clone with her, Anya quickly returned to Konoha.
Unlike before, when the atmosphere had been filled with smoke and tension, the Uchiha Clan had fallen into silent retreat after Shisui's death, suffering a major setback.
In their eyes, Shisui was the one who could stand against the Third Hokage. Losing him felt like losing an arm, forcing them to take time to heal their wounds.
Anya guessed their thoughts, inwardly commenting wryly: Seems not everyone in the Uchiha Clan is brain-dead after all. Still, knowing full well they couldn't win, they still planned to initiate a coup. Where does that courage come from?
In a dense forest, young Sasuke was practicing the Shuriken jutsu taught by Itachi. His eyes were full of determination, though he still had yet to master the aim. After half a day's practice and having used up all his strength, he returned breathlessly to his clan's house, completely unaware of a plant seed now attached to his body.
Back at home, Mikoto immediately noticed the dirty little Sasuke and couldn't help but say, "Been practicing shuriken again?"
Sasuke confidently replied, "Yes! Next time I see Bro, I'll definitely show him how strong I've gotten!"
Mikoto smiled warmly and said, "Alright then. You're the cutest ninja, Sasuke. Now come on, let's get you cleaned up."
Late at night, with the house dark and silent, Sasuke had long fallen into a deep sleep. The mysterious plant seed began to take form and transformed into a shadow that slipped quietly into Mikoto's room.
Seeing Mikoto still frowning even in her sleep, Anya sighed softly. She cast a genjutsu on her and pulled out a prepared clone body. As the two chakra energies intertwined, a brand new clone was born—visually indistinguishable from the original.
After finishing everything, Anya vanished into the night with the clone…
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
Want to read the subsequent content in advance?
Please follow my Patreon:patreon/Tansnovel
Tans Novel - The Fastest-Updating Naruto Fanfiction Account
Read 100+ chapters in advance, with at least 3 new chapters updated every day! More free chapters! 20+ Naruto fanfictions!
Just three steps:
1. Download and open the "Patreon" app
2. Search for "Tans Novel"
3. Click on the collection and enjoy to your heart's content
<><><><><><><><>