As the clan leader of the Uchiha, Uchiha Fugaku had a good understanding of the situation within his clan.
With Uchiha Yuan's rising prestige, Fugaku was aware that Yuan now possessed the strength to challenge—even replace—him as leader.
To be honest, Fugaku didn't have much attachment to the title. If Yuan could truly lead the Uchiha to a better future, he was willing to step down.
However, he still wasn't sure what Yuan truly wanted. Would he bring the clan into even greater danger? Could he even lead them to destruction?
Thinking this, Fugaku felt he couldn't relinquish the clan leadership so easily—not until he was sure of Yuan's intentions.
Meanwhile, unaware of Fugaku's thoughts, Uchiha Yuan was no longer in the clan compound. He had traveled with Hyuga Asana to the Land of Rice Fields.
After being sent to the Sound Village by Shadiao, Asana's parents and brother had been arranged housing by Orochimaru. But Asana still worried, so she returned to check on them.
Upon arrival, Asana went to see her family while Yuan headed straight for Orochimaru's lab.
"Yuan, long time no see!" Orochimaru greeted him.
"It has been a while. Lord Orochimaru, have your experiments been going well?"
"Not bad. But what's more surprising is that you managed to suppress a berserk Nine-Tails all by yourself. You must be the strongest in Konoha now."
"More or less."
"Compared to the legendary Uchiha Madara, how do you stand?"
Yuan shook his head. "I'm far behind. Uchiha Madara had the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. His Susanoo could evolve into a Complete Body—immense destructive power. My current Susanoo only reaches the third stage. Even when I forced out the fourth stage to defeat the Nine-Tails, I had to use special methods. Don't even mention the complete version."
"Madara was that strong? Then how incredible must the First Hokage Senju Hashirama have been to defeat him!" Orochimaru sighed in admiration.
"You have Edo Tensei—why not summon Hashirama to see for yourself?"
"My version of the Edo Tensei is too rough. The summoned ninja are much weaker than they were in life. I plan to improve the technique eventually."
"Speaking of Edo Tensei, Lord Orochimaru, weren't you also developing your own version of a reincarnation technique for immortality? How's that coming along?" Yuan asked.
"It's done. I'm currently searching for a suitable body."
"Then may I offer some advice?"
"Oh? What advice?" Orochimaru asked curiously.
"I heard the principle of your reincarnation technique from Asana—"
Before Yuan could finish, Hyuga Asana entered the room, having just heard him shift the blame onto her. Still, she said nothing and calmly walked up to them, clearly used to Yuan's antics.
Clearing his throat, Yuan continued, "Ahem. Lord Orochimaru, your Living Corpse Reincarnation technique transfers your soul into another person's body, achieving immortality.
But there are serious risks. The host body's mental strength must be weaker than yours, or you risk backlash and being devoured.
Repeated reincarnations damage the soul, weakening mental resilience and making you vulnerable to genjutsu.
Moreover, since your soul and the host aren't of the same origin, rejection occurs, limiting your power output.
That's why I think you should revise the technique—not to use random hosts, but either your own body… or this." Yuan pointed at White Zetsu.
Orochimaru contemplated briefly. "From a cadaver analysis, this white creature would indeed make a suitable vessel. I've never seen a living one, though, so I don't know how strong its mind is. I'll consider it if I encounter one alive.
But what really interests me is your idea of reincarnating into your own body. What do you mean?"
"Have you heard of cloning, Lord Orochimaru?" Yuan asked.
"Of course, but current cloning techniques are very immature. You're suggesting I perfect cloning, then reincarnate into clones of myself?"
"Exactly. This way, soul damage is minimized, and compatibility is maximized.
More importantly, you can genetically modify your clones—add Byakugan genes, Sharingan genes, Wood Release genes—whatever you want."
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed. Yuan had clearly touched on his core interests.
"Yuan, your idea is excellent. I'll shelve the Edo Tensei improvements for now and focus on this."
Yuan smiled, saying no more.
After that, he and Hyuga Asana toured the Sound Village's base.
As they walked, Asana asked, "Yuan, you said all that to Orochimaru so he'd stop capturing people with Kekkei Genkai and using the survival-of-the-fittest method to pick vessels, right?"
"Mm. No matter what, I just can't accept that kind of method."
"Do you think I'm cold-hearted too? I've participated in many of Orochimaru's experiments. Countless test subjects have died by my hand."
"I'm a hypocrite. If Orochimaru does it, even if I don't say it out loud, I curse him behind his back. If you do it—then it must be because he forced you."
"Pfft~" Asana couldn't help laughing.
"What's funny? I meant every word," Yuan said seriously.
"I know. I laughed because I could feel your sincerity."
"Asana, no matter what you've done, your image in my heart will never change."
"Same here."
They looked at each other and smiled. No more words were needed.
(To Be Continued...)