Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 437 Konoha itself panicked first

Uchiha Inahisa opened one of the scrolls, revealing four boxes inside. One of the boxes contained body-refining pills with an extremely pure taste.

He picked up a pill and was about to put it in his mouth when several other Uchiha clan members immediately stopped him, "Elder, no, let me do it."

Uchiha Ryou and Uchiha Kagami are brothers, and they came forward together.

But the elder shook his head, "Let us old folks handle the task of testing poison." With that, he swallowed it in one gulp.

In a short while, he felt a sense of relief, and his previously weak body recovered considerably. In particular, the effects of the Three-Dimensional Sculpting Mindset were immediate. If he took it for a long time, even if he didn't break through to the peak, he could at least return to his former peak state. What a wonderful thing!

After that, he started fiddling with scientific ninja tools. He pressed some switch, and blue-green flames suddenly shot out from them. The temperature was far higher than that of their Uchiha clan's fire-style ninjutsu.

The third box contains explosive tags. There's not much to see here; it just has some minor modifications, with some small yellow-green cubes stuck to the back, which look like they're for adding weight and should allow it to be projected further.

The last box contained blue pills. I picked one up and put it in my mouth. I immediately felt my head clear, but this feeling disappeared as soon as the pill wore off. There were very few of them, but they were useful and most suitable for the Uchiha clan.

At that moment, his eyes lit up. He knew all too well the value of these things. Especially those pills, which were simply unavailable on the market.

"Who is your master?"

"We can't say right now. But rest assured, our goals are the same: to destroy the current Konoha leadership and establish a new order."

The Eighth Hokage scoffed, "Why should we believe you?"

"These supplies are being given away for free." The man spread his hands. "You don't need to give anything in return. Just accept this gesture of goodwill and think about what I've said. If you change your mind, just leave a note at the usual place."

After he finished speaking, his body suddenly turned into a wisp of white smoke and disappeared.

It turns out it was always a shadow clone.

Uchiha Inahisa stared at the list, her brows furrowed.

"Elder, these supplies..." a clansman asked cautiously.

"Put it away," Uchiha Inaho sighed. "But remember, this is just a divisive tactic by the enemy. The Uchiha clan doesn't need to rely on outsiders; we'll fight for what we want ourselves."

He said that, but when he got home that night, he couldn't help but take out those pills and savor them carefully.

The Body Refining Pill was entirely crimson and emitted a faint medicinal fragrance; the Mind Concentration Pill was crystal clear, like a condensed dewdrop.

Without hesitation, he poured out a bottle and swallowed the pills one by one. As the pills entered his stomach, a warm and gentle power slowly rose and rushed straight to his head.

A moment later, he felt his mind was clearer than ever before, and even the power of his Sharingan seemed to have increased slightly.

"What a treasure! It's a divine medicine!" He couldn't help but smile, his eyes blazing with ambition.

The news spread throughout the clan the next day. Several hawkish elders had somehow acquired a batch of secret medicines of exceptional quality. Two young clansmen who had reached the first level of the Jade Realm even skipped directly to the second level after consuming the medicines.

"I heard that Elder Daohuo has even better stuff in his possession."

"If we can maintain a long-term supply, the strength of the Uchiha clan can increase by at least 30%."

"Thirty percent? I think it's more than that. If only I could get one..."

Whispers quietly spread throughout the clan's territory. All of this was observed by a Root assassin lurking in the shadows.

An hour later, at the Root Headquarters.

"What did you say?"

Danzo Shimura put down his pen. In the dark office, the burning candlelight illuminated half of his face while hiding the other half in the shadows, revealing his sinister nature at all times.

The assassin knelt on one knee and reported everything he had seen and heard in detail.

Danzo remained silent for a moment, then suddenly sneered, "The evil Uchiha Uchiha, as expected, harbors wolfish ambitions. Colluding with outsiders and hoarding secret medicines, this is clearly a harbinger of a coup."

"Notify others to pull out all deployments and continue monitoring."

After saying that, he stood up, put on his coat, and strode out of the root base.

Inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi was still leisurely watching television.

But soon the TV bug was pierced by a kunai and was destroyed again by Danzo.

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned slightly. "Danzo, you've broken another one of my TVs?"

Danzo Shimura didn't have time for pleasantries and went straight to the point: "Hiruzen, the Uchiha are rebelling!"

Danzo briefly recounted the information about Root. Soon after, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado were also summoned to the office. With several advisors and elders gathered together, the atmosphere instantly became oppressive and heavy.

In fact, the original council of elders consisted of six people, not just these few, but Fugaku Uchiha couldn't let him come, Hiashi Hyuga couldn't let him in either, and they didn't even trust the Nara family who represented the Chariot of the Deer.

The remaining person was a veteran commoner ninja who had been promoted; his role was simply to keep the commoner ninjas in check, and he didn't really serve any purpose.

"I don't really believe they're colluding with outsiders."

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent for a long time, then shook his head. "The Uchiha clan does harbor resentment, but they won't be foolish enough to act now. With powerful external forces eyeing them covetously, unity is the only way out. They should be able to prioritize."

"Can you distinguish between what's important and what's not?"

Danzo sneered, "Hiruzen, you're always like this, always assuming others are as considerate of the bigger picture as you are. But what kind of people are the Uchiha? Arrogance and prejudice flow in their veins. Madara was like that back then, and Fugaku is like that now. You've already shown them enough leniency, but do they appreciate it?"

Koharu Utatane chimed in, "Danzo is right. The origin of those pills is unknown; they're clearly trying to bribe the Uchiha. If the Uchiha are truly colluding with an enemy, the consequences will be unimaginable."

"I second that," Mitokado Homura replied briefly.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep drag on his cigarette, his face appearing somewhat blurred in the swirling smoke.

Let me think about it some more.

"There's no time." Danzo stepped forward and slammed his hand on the desk. "Hiruzen, you must act immediately."

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't answer, but instead looked out the window. After a long while, he slowly said, "I remember, there are still people in the Uchiha clan who are loyal to Konoha."

Danzo Shimura frowned. "You mean Shisui?"

"I'll talk to him." Hiruzen Sarutobi stubbed out his pipe. "Until then, don't make any rash moves."

Danzo's one eye flickered as if he wanted to say something but ultimately said nothing more, and he turned and left the office.