Nara Hideyuki was an unexpected case. He'd just been dispatched from the Nara Clan to the Fireflies organization and immediately encountered a stroke of fortune.
Honestly, even for the Nara Clan's benefit, facing such an opportunity, he really had nothing to hesitate about—why not become stronger if you can?
But as everyone knows, the Nara Clan has excellent minds, so Nara Hideyuki's concerns lay elsewhere: accepting the Fireflies organization's benefits essentially meant deeper binding with the organization. Would this cause problems?
People don't want to burn bridges unless absolutely necessary.
But after much deliberation, Nara Hideyuki still decided to accept the Cursed Grudge Fear secret technique. Even if the two ninja factions eventually had conflicts of interest, at worst he'd sacrifice himself for both sides' happiness... nothing to overthink.
In fact, the Cursed Grudge Fear secret technique had synergistic potential with the Nara Clan's shadow techniques, producing effects greater than the sum of parts—this wasn't hard to see.
After accepting the Earth Grudge Fear technique and gaining chakra strength and multiple attributes by acquiring enemy hearts, combined with shadow techniques and high-level combat intelligence, Nara Hideyuki could leap directly into the ranks of top-tier elite ninja.
Such promising prospects and vast potential left no room for Nara Hideyuki to refuse.
After clarifying several candidates' intentions, transplant experiments were scheduled. The first to "risk his life" was Fūma Chi from the Fūma Clan... Those who understand know—he was indeed most suitable as the initial guinea pig.
After all, the project's primary leader was Gorō Fūma, so his clansmen naturally had to support him regardless of consequences.
Having prepared for nearly a year, with sufficient caution, this transplant achieved complete success. After a week of observation confirming Fūma Chi had no problems and adapted well to the secret technique, other transplant experiments began successively.
Thus, besides the already capable Nara Hideyuki, the Fireflies organization gained three more elite Jōnin-level combatants within a month... More precisely, ninja with elite Jōnin potential.
Secret technique transplantation isn't like feeding magic fertilizer that instantly becomes "nutrition." A ninja's theoretical and actual combat abilities are different things. Those who received the technique needed practice adapting to its usage and battlefield experience to develop optimal habits.
Honestly, Yūshin didn't expect all of them to fully match original Earth Grudge Fear users' capabilities—averaging fifty to sixty percent would suffice.
After all, Yūshin currently had no intention of warring with major ninja clans.
Some might not fully utilize the technique's power, while others would be the opposite... Imaginably, someone like Nara Hideyuki could definitely make the Cursed Grudge Fear technique flourish.
With Yūshin, Shichimi, Gorō Fūma, the Akimichi brothers, an Ino-Shika-Chō team, Nara Hideyuki, plus three other young ninja who received the technique as the core, the Fireflies organization could now field ten ninja squads with considerable combat strength.
Current circumstances were completely incomparable to when Yūshin led his clansmen out of the forest—and they'd only developed for barely a year.
So was this thanks to Yūshin's foresight and wise leadership?
You could say it related to Yūshin's development approach, but not entirely... The organization's growth owed most to White Zetsu's selfless contribution.
Without White Zetsu, how could Yūshin have grown stronger? Without his strength growth, how could the organization develop?
If an organization's leader lacks sufficient power, everything the organization possesses is merely a mirage—easily shattered.
The Cursed Grudge Fear transplant technique achieved staged success. To continue "mass producing" such secret technique ninja, either the organization's overall scale needed rapid expansion, or continued iterative development.
The former was unlikely; the latter's progress would be slow.
Research would continue regardless—slowly, but perhaps with major breakthroughs.
But Yūshin always knew when to quit while ahead. He wouldn't obsess over this research project as before.
Cursed Grudge Fear's benefits were obvious, showing Yūshin alternative organizational development methods. Naturally, he began considering whether this development approach could be replicated.
He still had several Hagoromo Clan corpses. If these experimental materials could be utilized, wouldn't the Fireflies organization's development become unstoppable?
However, replicating previous success was difficult. First, Yūshin's excellent cultivation medium "White Zetsu" was nearly depleted—three of four consumed with no replenishment, creating material scarcity.
Second, Hagoromo Clan ninja possessed chakra fusion-type kekkei genkai, completely different from Earth Grudge Fear's tangible flesh grafts. How could intangible things be transplanted?
Mix White Zetsu and Hagoromo corpses together, finely chopped?
Yūshin scratched his head.
But soon, he realized his thinking had gone astray. Even if kekkei genkai couldn't be transplanted, that didn't mean Hagoromo Clan ninja corpses were useless—why transplant at all? If these corpses could "come back to life," wouldn't they be ready-made combat power?
The question was: how do corpses come back to life?
This is the ninja world—of course corpses can come back to life. Think of the later Third Kazekage, who continued shining in Sasori of the Red Sand's hands after death.
That's right—Yūshin thought of puppetry, clearly a high-tech technique for turning waste into treasure.
"Puppetry—was it the First or Second Kazekage who created this technique?" Yūshin momentarily couldn't remember clearly.
But he knew he'd never heard of puppetry in the current ninja world, nor heard the knowledgeable Shichimi or Tobirama Senju mention puppet masters.
Meaning puppetry might not exist yet.
His thinking was correct—puppetry originated from the Second Kazekage Saman. This future Kazekage might already be born, but would be younger than Yūshin.
So if Yūshin began developing puppetry now, he'd become the ancestor of all future puppet masters.
"The problem is how to develop puppetry..."
"Chakra threads—this is most important."
For some reason, Yūshin instantly thought of the Nara Clan's Shadow Imitation Technique.
"Puppets don't matter, but to make kekkei genkai ninja into puppets... the heart must be preserved."
Yūshin went to his private laboratory and retrieved a Hagoromo ninja corpse from a storage scroll.
"Preserve the heart... how should the corpse be treated? Which lasts longer—smoking or air-drying?"
Yūshin recalled documentaries about desert peoples making mummies—similar principles, right?
But wasn't this operation too specialized for him?
...
In the northeastern part of the future Land of Fire's territory, a quite prosperous village was situated.
Predictably, this prosperity was limited and temporary—in a few years this would become ruins, a "site" with little research value.
Because this was the Hagoromo Clan's village.
Uchiha, Hagoromo, Senju, Hyūga, Sarutobi—these clans were all powerful ninja clans active within the "Land of Fire's" territory. But if you had to pick one that didn't fit, which would it be?
The answer was the Hagoromo Clan—because only they didn't survive the chaos.
In the Hagoromo Clan's village committee office, several ninja with top clan positions gathered.
"Did the ambush on Senju ninja fail again? We lost many excellent clansmen who should have had better growth opportunities."
"Damn Senju Clan."
"Senju Butsuma's second son... Tobirama Senju, right? Indeed as rumored—an extremely cunning ninja. I suspect he used himself as bait; our ambush fell into his trap."
"Being played by a youngster—don't you feel ashamed?"
"Our Hagoromo Clan..."
"Enough! Inferior in skill and strategy—what's left to say!"
Someone stopped their argument.
"But clan leader, Tobirama Senju aside, we must pay attention to the Senju clan leader's eldest son Hashirama Senju. That ninja's strength growth curve is too abnormal—could be described as advancing a thousand li daily."
Since no ambush participants survived, they subconsciously assumed the Senju response used Tobirama Senju as bait with Hashirama Senju fishing behind... electro-fishing.
Since it's electro-fishing, does bait matter?
Tobirama Senju was indeed cunning.
"After all, he's a rare Wood Release ninja—worth attention. But in our Hagoromo Clan's thousand-year history, we've dealt with powerful Wood Release ninja before. Hashirama Senju isn't without weaknesses."
They hadn't realized Hashirama Senju was different from other Wood Release ninja in history—he could end the Hagoromo Clan's thousand-year history.
The Hagoromo Clan leader tapped the table with his index finger knuckle, drawing everyone's attention before speaking:
"Set the Senju Clan matter aside. Next we must discuss something more important... concerning the Uchiha Clan."
"Uchiha Clan? Currently our relations are good—another joint action?"
"No. According to reliable intelligence, my informant discovered the Uchiha Clan has always hidden a peculiar ninja called Nameless, possessing extremely extraordinary Sharingan."
"Sharingan? Sharingan is indeed unique—an exaggerated genjutsu type?"
The Hagoromo clan leader shook his head:
"Not just that. Reportedly, Nameless can use his Sharingan to place some kind of mark on enemies. Those affected become his puppets, completely falling under his control in mind and body..."
"The Sharingan's visual range is his dōjutsu's influence range. His dōjutsu affects areas—whether one person or a hundred, entering the influence range means being controlled... I heard this control is nearly unstoppable."
"This... impossible! Even Mangekyō Sharingan couldn't have such heaven-defying power."
"Not only that—I also heard the Uchiha Clan secretly protects him, seeking methods to further expand this dōjutsu's influence range... The Uchiha Clan views it as the ultimate means to settle chaos and achieve peace."
Honestly, such detailed intelligence absolutely exceeded so-called informants' capabilities—invisible black hands seemed to manipulate everything behind the scenes.
This clan leader described Sharingan that seemed very powerful, but the flaw was "Nameless" was alone in close blood relations—lacking a crucial sibling. His eyes would only reach Mangekyō Sharingan... Based on this alone, no matter how strong, he couldn't surpass the Uchiha brothers Madara and Izuna.
Perhaps these eyes weren't completely without continued evolution opportunities, with potential not fully realized, but Black Zetsu urgently wanted Eternal Mangekyō—he couldn't let Uchiha grow too strong, instead needing to constantly trim their wings.
Black Zetsu had to help Uchiha Izuna find a suitable burial place.
"Peace? Wonder if our Hagoromo Clan can enjoy Uchiha-created peace."
"These eyes' threat is too strong. Imagine if the Uchiha Clan wanted to use them to control certain forces—is there a more suitable target than us standing beside them? Allies ultimately aren't as good as slaves."
This statement had a "first strike after success targets the beloved" meaning.
But this absolutely wasn't persecution complex—balanced strength maintains alliance relationships. If one side becomes too strong causing imbalance, the other might fall directly into the abyss.
"Under these Sharingan, unguarded trust only evolves into infinite crisis."
"They obstruct our relationship with the Uchiha Clan."
The Hagoromo Clan leader knocked the table again, scanning everyone, preparing to set the tone:
"We shouldn't be too extreme—maintaining relations with the Uchiha Clan is the premise of everything. But we also cannot tolerate such Sharingan existing in the world, so we must take targeted action..."
"Simply put—either obtain them, or destroy them."
"Clan leader... brilliant insight."
"Clan leader, what should we do?"
This leader's judgment was decent, but his methods seemed to want "both this and that"—suspiciously over-optimistic.
But regardless, cracks open bit by bit this way.
Damage relationships, work to restore some, then damage again—things would be about settled.
However, regarding how many sides such Sharingan would attract to compete, before things happened, no one could say... Certain conspiracies easily become increasingly complex.
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