Chapter Eighty-Eight: The Clan Elder Discharged from the Hospital

Yao’s return allowed Uchiha Li to finally relax.

And with the massive success of The Legend of Terra, his research funds were no longer an issue.

For the time being, Li could devote himself in peace to the study and investigation of genetic technology.

During the period while he was immersed in his studies, the village remained strangely unsettled beneath its calm surface.

The return of Minato Namikaze to power had stirred some unrest, though it quickly subsided.

Yet while the village appeared tranquil on the surface, there was no peace in the shadows, nor even beyond its walls.

In particular, the attack on the rogue shinobi Danzo had drawn almost as much attention as Hiruzen Sarutobi’s public confession of guilt.

For a former chief of the darkness to be reduced to such a humiliating state was enough to make even the sternest faces twitch with amusement.

In truth, Li had been somewhat puzzled by the matter.

Given Danzo’s strength, it would have been difficult for ordinary bounty hunters to ambush his escort, let alone land such precise damage on him.

After all, by this time Danzo should already have transplanted a large number of Sharingan into his arm with Orochimaru’s help.

Compared with the original history, the only thing he lacked was Shisui’s Mangekyo.

If that was the case, then at minimum an elite shinobi would have been required, and not just any elite shinobi, but one of considerable power.

“Could it have been Kakuzu? After all, that bastard Danzo offended plenty of people, and the bounty on him in the black market must have piled up high enough.”

Li’s first guess was Kakuzu. Only he had both the ability and a reason to strike.

What Li cared about more, however, was what had actually become of Danzo.

By rights, Danzo should not have been severed beyond recovery. After all, while that forbidden technique was active, even death itself could be reversed.

But it was not entirely impossible.

The power of that technique lay in recording the user’s own state with a Sharingan at the very instant it was activated.

Then, within its effective duration, any injury inflicted upon the user, even death, could be physically restored to the state preserved by the eye.

Danzo’s arm, the one bearing the transplanted Sharingan, was normally sealed away when not in use, in order to prevent the First Hokage cells from running wild.

So long as someone could accomplish the deed before Danzo unsealed it, that would be enough.

Still, Li did not pay the matter much mind. Whatever form Danzo had taken, his final ending would not change.

Soon after, another month drew to a close, and the Uchiha clan assembly was to be held.

Li and Yao arrived at the shrine very early, just as they had the last time.

This time, however, things were different. Thanks to several of Li’s actions, his standing within the clan had risen at an astonishing pace.

Sitting in his place, Li was greeted by one clansman after another.

Among the younger Uchiha, many looked at him with eyes full of admiration.

“Hmm? Those two have already been discharged?”

Looking at Uchiha Ryo and Uchiha Yu, who sat nearby with the air of men at leisure, Li could not help but sigh softly.

Last time, he had learned from Fugaku that the two clan elders had been attacked.

It seemed that after this period of recuperation, they had recovered their health.

“It has been long enough. Of course they should be out of the hospital by now,” Yao said, stroking her chin. “I just hope they stop meddling in other people’s affairs.”

Li did not quite follow and asked in confusion, “What do you mean?”

Yao’s gaze darted away. She answered hastily, “Nothing. I just hope they won’t try to stop what you’re going to do today.”

Hearing that, Li shook his head.

“That seems unlikely. The two of them are stubborn hard-liners among the radicals, and a considerable share of the security force’s interests is in their hands.”

From the standpoint of profit, the odds of those two meekly yielding were slim indeed.

“Is that so...”

At his words, Yao glanced toward the pair and fell into thought.

Li had been about to say something else, but at that moment Fugaku finally arrived.

With the clan head’s entrance, the entire hall fell quiet, and Li no longer spoke.

Fugaku sat in the chief seat, swept his gaze around the room, then said in a deep voice, “The clan assembly will now begin. First, let us discuss some of the things that have happened in the village lately...”

He spoke at a measured pace, and the clan listened with fairly relaxed hearts.

After all, everything that had happened recently had been to the benefit of the Uchiha.

Thus, this routine clan assembly moved forward with remarkable speed.

Even some of the radicals did not raise their voices, for recently they had found no reason to speak.

Very soon, after Fugaku concluded by stating that the Uchiha would firmly support the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, the assembly entered its final stretch.

Li watched the calm scene in the hall and felt quite satisfied.

Yet when he noticed Li idly sitting there, Fugaku still gave an involuntary start.

Although Li had deliberately kept him in suspense last time and had not told him exactly what would happen at the assembly, after returning home and thinking it over carefully, Fugaku had still managed to guess most of it.

“I only hope this fellow’s methods will be a little gentler.”

Fugaku prayed silently to himself, then stood and said, “Next, our security force squad leader, Uchiha Li, will speak. He has an important proposal he wishes to discuss with everyone.”

With that, Fugaku sat back down.

At once, every gaze in the hall turned toward Li.

Li rose without hesitation and said directly, “As a squad leader in the security force, I personally believe that the force’s current structure can no longer adapt to the village’s present situation. Therefore, I would like to make certain changes.”

The moment his first words fell, the atmosphere in the hall changed at once.

The easy calm from before vanished in an instant, and undercurrents began to surge.

The Uchiha security force had existed within the clan for far too long, and the interests bound up in it were impossible to untangle.

And now Li intended to strike at the security force itself.

Through these past events, everyone had come to understand that whenever Li made a move, it was never simple.

This was a man who had dared to confront the Third Hokage head-on and successfully forced him to admit guilt.

So would he show any courtesy to the security force?

Everyone had their own thoughts, but in the end none of them interrupted Li.

Ignoring the expressions around him, Li continued calmly:

“I propose that, beginning today, the security force be officially opened to the outside world and work in cooperation with the other clans to maintain the village’s public order.”

“At the same time, to prevent some people from eating their fill while doing nothing in the security force, a formal evaluation system shall be adopted...”

He spoke at length for several minutes. Just when some people were about to erupt in anger, Li finally finished.

He glanced around the room, pausing slightly on the various clan elders, and said coolly, “I have finished speaking. Now then, who is in favor, and who opposes?”

“Gulp.”

As Li’s gaze swept over them, some of the clansmen swallowed hard and unconsciously lowered their heads.

As his exploits had spread, even his calm gaze was enough to instill an instinctive fear.

Ordinary clansmen might fear him, but those tied to the interests of the security force, especially the clan elders, certainly did not.

Li’s proposal would damage nothing but their interests. How could they possibly endure that?

Thus, Uchiha Ryo, only just recovered from illness, stood up at once and said with blazing fury, “I oppose!”