Even making such a plan now, it can at most be considered preparing for a rainy day, because according to the original story, the main plot of this world, such as the Fourth Great Ninja War, will happen in three years. Such a short time clearly makes it impossible for the Uchiha clan to repopulate immediately.
Moreover, even if Sakura and Ino are used as Sasuke's bonds, it's hard to say whether it will truly be effective.
"However, let's just consider it a form of strategic investment. Without patience and foresight, investments won't work either."
Muttering to herself and confirming her thoughts, Hinata would certainly not put all her hopes for the Mangekyo on Sakura and Ino's attraction to Sasuke. After all, from the original story, Sasuke, who had been chased by girls since childhood, had a strong resistance to female charm, let alone...
Frankly speaking, Ino and Sakura's current looks were indeed... slightly lacking in feminine appeal.
"Hoooh~ So that's your plan. Well~ Since it's something years from now, there's indeed no need to judge it now."
Danzo was noncommittal about Hinata's plan. The Root leader, leaning on his cane, walked down the dark spiral passage, speaking calmly: "Regarding the usable Uchiha clan tissues you requested, I finally managed to find one that is barely usable. Although it's also a corpse, it was preserved as research material and has been frozen in cold storage. If thawed, it should still be barely usable."
"That's best. As long as the corpse's cellular activity is sufficient, it can be fused with the Chimera Technique."
(TL: for those who forgot this was the technique she used to make 'Suigin Tou' body.)
Hinata followed Danzo's steps and soon arrived in a basement. This seemed to be an area specifically for preserving various materials. In the center of the room, in a cultivation tank, a pale, naked girl's corpse floated, suspended. This sight might frighten some children, but for Danzo and Hinata, it was clearly just a material.
"Just this? Hmm... It seems like a very young girl. Are you sure she has great potential?"
Walking around the cultivation tank, Hinata couldn't help but raise an eyebrow slightly. Although the girl in the tank looked somewhat precocious, her physical features were undoubtedly still very childlike, and the eyeballs had been removed from her eyes, making it impossible to judge her mastery of her bloodline limit.
"You can rest assured about that. Although she is young, she has indeed awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan, which is very rare even within the Uchiha clan. That's why I specifically found her for you."
Danzo narrowed his eyes slightly. The Root leader's tone held a hint of a warning: "Moreover, I must tell you, her identity is very special."
"Hoooh? How so? Does she have powerful relatives? Or did her ancestors produce powerful ocular jutsu users?"
Hinata asked nonchalantly, her gaze critically examining the corpse before her. There was only one wound on the corpse, a sharp instrument wound that seemed to have pierced through the back of her heart.
This meant she was likely killed by a very precise and close-range attack, and the wound looked very neat, without rough scrapes or twisted marks from a blade turning.
This was a bit interesting. If she had been struck by such an attack in combat, the wound would not have been so clean due to the victim's resistance and the killer's efficiency. Because when killing, a single stab through the body is usually not the end; the blade is often brutally twisted to tear the enemy's muscle tissue, causing greater damage and bleeding, and to sever the fibrous cells of the wound, allowing the blade to be quickly withdrawn without being clamped by muscle.
Therefore, the wound on this corpse indicated that when the killer acted, she offered no resistance whatsoever, and the killer was not in any hurry, acting with a confidence that implied absolute certainty she wouldn't resist.
Genjutsu was the most likely cause of this situation, but...
Hinata frowned slightly. Although her theoretical knowledge provided what seemed like the most probable answer, her intuition seemed to deny this overly simple reason.
"Her parents died on the night of the Nine-Tails' attack. According to records, she awakened her Sharingan that night. Her ancestors didn't have powerful ocular jutsu users. However, her lover is very special."
Danzo's tone paused, and Hinata's pupils contracted slightly. Based on Danzo's words, she had clearly guessed a bombshell possibility.
"That's right, she is Uchiha Itachi's lover. According to the investigation results, she became familiar with and befriended Itachi at the age of six, but on that night, she was also one of the first people Uchiha Itachi killed."
These words indeed caused Hinata's thoughts to briefly pause. She had to admit, this news was quite impactful.
Even she had to concede that Uchiha Itachi in the original story was indeed powerful to the extreme. If Madara and Sasuke had gained immense power by pushing personal resentment to its limits, then Itachi and Shisui were undoubtedly strong individuals who had achieved power by pushing the quality of 'selfless love' to its zenith.
And now, before her eyes, was the lover of that 'older brother'?
"This is truly... you certainly found a corpse with the most astonishing connections. Is it really alright to just give this corpse to me?"
It took Hinata several seconds to organize her thoughts. She couldn't help but look at Danzo with genuine surprise: "I imagine you kept this corpse all along, probably considering certain special opportunities."
"Indeed, even I have to admit, Uchiha Itachi was a truly powerful ninja, but~ precisely because of that, there's an even greater need for something to limit him."
Nodding decisively, Danzo didn't hide his thoughts. After all, his conversations with Hinata were also a form of mutual ideological exchange: "Anyway, this corpse is yours now."
"Heh~ Since Lord Danzo is so generous, then I might as well say: although I did indeed fuse with that last body using Chimera, unfortunately, I didn't inherit the First Hokage's Wood Release ninjutsu."
Reaching up to brush a strand of hair behind her ear, Hinata naturally knew the purpose behind Danzo's generosity, so her reply was quite direct and straightforward.
"Hmm... That's a shame. Wood Release holds a very strong symbolic meaning for Konoha. Moreover, its power simply cannot be compared to simple destructive ninjutsu. If your technique becomes more reliable, you might want to try producing more Wood Release."
Danzo naturally kept up with Hinata's words. The Root leader nodded slightly, and Hinata, of course, understood his meaning.
Wood Release not only symbolized the most powerful First Hokage, but it was also the key to subduing Tailed Beasts.
Even the defective Yamato could easily suppress the Nine-Tails within Naruto, showing the effectiveness of Wood Release ninjutsu. And the First Hokage, relying on his Wood Release ninjutsu, directly captured all the Tailed Beasts in one fell swoop. If it weren't for establishing the village and giving these Tailed Beasts to other countries, he probably could have easily unified the entire world at that time.
That's why Danzo valued Yamato so much, hoping to effectively control the Nine-Tails within Naruto through his Wood Release. Unfortunately, Yamato's beliefs conflicted with his, and he escaped from his command with the Third Hokage's intervention.
And now, knowing that Hinata could successfully integrate the First Hokage's cells into other bodies, Danzo immediately thought of the reappearance of Wood Release ninja. That's why he so generously gifted Hinata experimental materials.
Otherwise, it would be quite difficult to make this old fox, who never let go of anything valuable without a tangible benefit, cough up something substantial.
Even if it was a corpse, the person associated with this corpse was indeed qualified enough. After all, being Itachi's lover itself constituted a subtle status in this world of Naruto.
"Of course, that's no problem. Although the last vessel didn't gain Wood Release, it did inherit a very good Sage Body. So, I think after a few more experiments, I should be able to reproduce Wood Release ninja. But, that means needing a better vessel as a base. You already know, the stronger the vessel, the greater the abilities that can be inherited."
Standing with one hand on her hip, Hinata casually kicked the ball back to Danzo. As an old fox who had secretly influenced Konoha for decades, Danzo must have accumulated countless resources. There's no need to mention the piles of three-tomoe Sharingan; he likely had a warehouse full, or at least half a warehouse, of secret techniques and rare materials. It would be a great waste not to make good use of this free sponsor.
"Heh, don't worry about that. The rare materials stored by Root will definitely exceed your imagination. There are many treasures left over from the previous ninja wars. Whether you can get them depends on your ability."
Turning away dismissively, Danzo decisively left the basement. Hinata shrugged slightly. To make that old fox cough up good things, she would need to offer something truly useful.
Danzo was clearly not interested in Suigin Tou's body, but if Hinata could successfully fuse with this Uchiha corpse, that would likely spark Danzo's investment desire.
"Very good~~ It seems I'll be relying on you, beauty~"
Turning around, Hinata looked at the corpse in the cultivation tank before her. Below the cultivation tank, she saw a nameplate, bearing the corpse's name.
"Uchiha... Izumi? Heh, what a good name. Well then~~ please take care of me, Miss Izumi."
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