Inside the already majestic underground palace, further renovations and upgrades were underway. The floor beneath one's feet was being dug deeper, and the surrounding rock walls were being blasted open for expansion. A large number of personnel bustled through the palace, looking extremely busy.
The surface was equally frantic.
Massive quantities of instruments, machinery, experimental equipment, and glassware were being transported from various locations, filling the designated logistics area to the brim.
In contrast to the noise and bustle outside, a quiet meeting was taking place in a conference room deep within the palace.
There were quite a few participants, sitting around a giant round table, each silently reviewing the materials distributed to them.
At the head of the table.
Amado smoked a cigarette, observing everyone in the room.
Those who could enter this conference room were all researchers officially joined the team after being screened by him and Orochimaru.
Among them were Tsunade, the Hokage; Hiruko and Sasori, members of the Akatsuki wanted by the Five Great Hidden Villages. But more numerous were the relatively unknown, pure researchers—some from the Five Great Hidden Villages, and some from smaller shinobi villages.
Undoubtedly.
Under the full-scale recruitment efforts of the three-person action squad consisting of Delta, Ranmaru, and Kabuto Yakushi, everyone on Shinji's list had been rounded up.
Hiruko set down his documents: "I want to see the corpse of that mysterious Otsutsuki!"
He had thought he was a dead man after being captured by 'A', but to his surprise, he was thrown here and inexplicably joined a research team.
To facilitate this, Shinji had even transplanted a pair of ordinary Three-Tomoe Sharingan into him to restore his sight.
Once his vision returned, he had initially planned to play along and find an opportunity to escape. But after seeing the distributed data and learning that the subject of the research was a mysterious Otsutsuki corpse, he immediately discarded the idea of fleeing.
Hearing Hiruko's request, everyone turned to Amado at the head of the table.
Clearly, everyone was just as curious as Hiruko about that mysterious Otsutsuki corpse and wanted to see it with their own eyes.
Amado took a drag: "That experimental subject is extremely dangerous. Any reckless testing could trigger catastrophic consequences, so please remain calm for now!"
Sasori then asked: "Isn't it already a corpse? What is there to worry about?"
He had been 'recruited' by Kabuto Yakushi. Because his two Kazekage human puppets had been severely damaged by the aftershocks of the battle between Shinji and Otsutsuki Isshiki, he was unable to defeat Kabuto and was beaten by his former informant.
Amado said: "That is no ordinary corpse. Its genes contain a terrifying power that transcends all ninjutsu and senjutsu. I have temporarily named that power 'Shinjutsu'!"
"Shinjutsu!?"
The conference room instantly buzzed with noise. The researchers who were hearing about 'Shinjutsu' for the first time began whispering to one another.
Orochimaru, who knew the inside story, and Tsunade, who had seen the siblings Eida and Daemon, remained relatively calm.
"No wonder 'A' gathered so many monsters!"
Hiruko marveled to himself while looking at Orochimaru and Tsunade.
There is competition between geniuses, but often mutual respect as well. Although he had developed the Chimera Technique, created the Bloodline Fusion Ritual, and swung from extreme inferiority to extreme arrogance, Hiruko still acknowledged the talent of Orochimaru and Tsunade.
In his eyes, Orochimaru's madness was no less than his own, and Tsunade's medical ninjutsu had reached the pinnacle.
As for Sasori, who had completely puppetized himself, he was a monster that even Hiruko felt wary of.
The others present shared similar sentiments. As they exchanged looks, they all saw a burning eagerness in each other's eyes.
The top team in the shinobi world, the most luxurious venue and equipment, plus a unique experimental subject containing the power of 'Shinjutsu'—this was an offer no ambitious researcher could refuse.
Thus, many researchers who had been forcibly abducted by Delta, Ranmaru, and Kabuto Yakushi now gave up their plans to escape or call for help, throwing themselves wholeheartedly into the research.
...
In another conference room.
Kabuto Yakushi brought the captured Obito before Shinji and said, "Leader, I have brought the man! Additionally, I have packaged and brought back all the Sharingan seized from the Dark Akatsuki base."
Shinji waved his hand: "Very good. You may leave."
"Yes!"
Kabuto Yakushi bowed respectfully and exited the room.
Obito, forced to kneel on the ground, looked up at Shinji and said in a raspy voice: "'A', you have won."
Shinji never had the intention of competing with Obito over winning or losing. He had summoned Obito this time only to complete the set with the other Mangekyo Sharingan containing Kamui. He said indifferently: "Hand over your left eye."
Obito seemed to have expected this. He nodded: "Fine. But I have one requirement—no, a request!"
Shinji asked: "What request?"
"I want to know who you really are." Pausing, Obito said deeply: "I wiped out the Uchiha clan with my own hands; there was no such person as you. Are you an Otsutsuki hidden in the shinobi world, just like Otsutsuki Isshiki? Tell me, so I can lose with understanding!"
Shinji broke into a subtle smile upon hearing this and removed his mask.
"You!?"
Obito's eyes widened.
He naturally recognized this face, but he found it impossible to equate the thirteen or fourteen-year-old Uchiha survivor with 'A', the man who suppressed the entire shinobi world.
Coming back to his senses, Obito looked on in disbelief: "How can it be you?!"
Shinji smiled: "Why can't it be me?"
Obito stared fixedly at Shinji: "You're just a remnant who luckily survived. How could you be this strong?"
Shinji said: "Because I am not like a waste like you."
"A waste..." Obito froze, murmuring: "So everything was a mistake from back then. If I had killed you that night, perhaps everything would be different."
"You couldn't have killed me."
Shinji wasn't bragging.
Since he had essentially resurrected into the body, no matter what Obito did that night, he couldn't have "killed" him in the permanent sense.
However, these words took on a different meaning in Obito's ears. He stared at Shinji: "Did you already awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan that night?"
"Mm."
Shinji nodded. His Mangekyo Sharingan had indeed awakened that night.
Obito sat back on the ground, dejected: "You were only seven or eight then, weren't you? How could you reach such a level?"
Shinji thought back to his experiences when he first crossed over, feeling a trace of emotion in his heart.
Obito quickly became resigned: "I thought Shisui was the most troublesome fellow, but I didn't expect the clan to have a monster even more genius than Shisui. You're right—compared to you, I am a waste!"
With that, Obito plucked out his left eye and tremblingly held it out to Shinji.