Looking at Kabuto and Shin in front of him, Hoshiyomi secretly swallowed hard.
That very morning, he had still been worrying about how to continue his Mangekyō Sharingan experiment — and now, by afternoon, the perfect test subjects had practically delivered themselves to his doorstep.
That said, Shin still looked very young — no more than four or five years old.
It would definitely be too early to use him as an experimental subject now; maybe in a few years, he'd be ready.
Then again, Hoshiyomi thought, If I start raising him early, I can make sure he develops in the right direction.
With that thought, Hoshiyomi didn't bother to hide his intentions any further.
He smiled gently at Kabuto and Shin and said:
"Could you both hold out your left hands for me?"
The two boys glanced at each other, hesitant, but in the end, they remembered the bedtime stories Director Nono used to tell — stories about the great Hoshiyomi — and, intimidated yet curious, they timidly extended their hands.
Hoshiyomi first took Kabuto's hand, circulating his Yang Release chakra through the boy's body for a moment — a basic physical check.
He then repeated the process with Shin.
Just as in the original story, both of them possessed remarkable potential — exactly as Nono had described.
In particular, Shin's body really was strange.
When Hoshiyomi's chakra entered him, he could feel a faint but distinct resistance — almost imperceptible.
That subtle reaction was likely the reason why Shin, in the future, could undergo any kind of transplantation without rejection.
After finishing his very official-looking examination, Hoshiyomi smiled and said:
"Just as your Director Nono said — you both have the talent to become excellent shinobi.
Tell me, do you want to become shinobi?"
Faced with the chance to become shinobi, how could the two boys possibly refuse?
Even the timid and introverted Shin gave a firm nod, his eyes shining with determination.
With both of them so eager, Hoshiyomi's plan came together neatly in his mind.
Kabuto could simply be sent to the Ninja Academy.
The other orphans in the institution would also receive official aptitude tests from the Academy;
those who passed could be admitted and trained as well.
For the prosperous, powerful Konohagakure of today, this sort of initiative was no problem at all.
As for Shin, he was still too young — a few years away from Academy age.
Hoshiyomi decided he'd have Orochimaru adopt him in the meantime.
And it wasn't as risky as it might sound.
The Orochimaru of this world was no longer the deranged, twisted scientist of the original timeline.
His personality had mellowed, becoming more like the "Aunt Snake" of the Boruto era.
Even if his curiosity about Shin's strange body was intense, he wouldn't do anything extreme.
At most, he might just draw a little blood for research now and then.
With Orochimaru personally mentoring him, and Hoshiyomi occasionally checking in, Shin's future couldn't possibly go astray.
Once he grew to about twelve or thirteen, Hoshiyomi could perform the Mangekyō experiment — and Konoha would gain yet another elite-level shinobi at the starting line.
That would also pave the way to solving the Sharingan evolution issues for Kuugetsu, Itachi, and Shisui in the future.
Heh… perfection.
He could almost taste how good that plan felt.
Hoshiyomi even started imagining their future team compositions.
Orochimaru leading a squad consisting of Anko, Kabuto, and Shin.
Then pairing them with Shisui and Itachi — that lineup alone would make a "Konoha All-Star" team.
With that kind of roster, the next Great Ninja War might not even need the participation of the other four villages — Konoha alone could sweep the entire battlefield.
At the top, there'd be Minato, Nawaki, and Jiraiya.
In the middle, Kakashi and Might Guy.
Below them, Shisui, Itachi, and Kabuto.
And beneath them, the twelve young geniuses of Konoha's new generation.
Put all that together, and… yeah — the Konohawould steamroll the entire shinobi world.
...
Leaving the orphanage, Hoshiyomi was still deep in thought, mentally piecing together his grand "Konoha All-Star Plan," when an ANBU operative suddenly appeared in the distance.
"Lord Hoshiyomi, the Hokage sent me to inform you — the seal you placed in Konoha Prison has been triggered."
Hearing this, Hoshiyomi immediately snapped out of his daze. A sharp glint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes — the look of someone whose plan had finally borne fruit.
He had been waiting for this moment for so long that he'd nearly lost his patience, but fortunately, the fish had finally taken the bait.
After dismissing the ANBU, Hoshiyomi leapt onto the roof of a nearby house.
He raised his left hand, pointing sword-fingers toward the sky — and the Grass Long Sword, Kusanagi Blade shot upward with a brilliant flash.
Stepping onto the blade, Hoshiyomi accelerated to his maximum speed, flying straight toward Konoha Prison.
The "bait" he was referring to wasn't anyone else — it was the captured Uchiha clansmen held within the prison.
From the start, Hoshiyomi had deliberately spared the Uchiha rebels from execution, keeping them alive for this exact purpose: to lure out Madara.
He knew that, because of his own interference, Madara's pawns would not be as loyal or effective as they were in the original story.
Most importantly, Obito — the key piece of Madara's Moon's Eye plan — was no longer under his control.
Without a pawn bearing the Mangekyō Sharingan as a safeguard for his grand scheme, Madara would never rest easy — even in death.
That was why Hoshiyomi had left those Uchiha alive: to see if he could use them as bait to fish out the shadowy hand behind it all.
Madara himself surely wouldn't move personally now, but even if he only sent a White Zetsu, that would be enough.
With Hoshiyomi's current sensory ability, he could easily track a Zetsu's movements back to its origin — and from there, locate Madara's hidden base.
It was a gamble — a "cast the line and see what bites" kind of plan.
If Madara didn't take the bait, Hoshiyomi would simply execute the remaining Uchiha and be done with it.
But if Madara did bite… then Hoshiyomi would win big.
As long as he found Madara's hideout, given the old man's decrepit state, Hoshiyomi might be able to end all of the looming conspiracies — without even needing a Fourth Great Ninja War.
And even in the worst-case scenario — if Madara managed to get his hands on those Sharingan and Hoshiyomi failed to trace him back — it still wouldn't be much of a loss.
Even if Madara successfully created a new pair of Mangekyō, that would merely reset events to the same baseline as the original story.
At this point, Hoshiyomi had already gathered nearly all the talented individuals he needed on his side.
Giving Madara a pair of eyes hardly mattered anymore.
Now then… let's see which of my predicted outcomes this world will choose.
...
Meanwhile, as Hoshiyomi sped toward Konoha Prison, two White Zetsu were already burrowing rapidly through the underground tunnels toward its foundations.
These two were none other than the spiral-patterned Tobi and the pair formed by Black Zetsu and pitcher plant Zetsu.
As they tunneled upward toward the surface, Black Zetsu suddenly paused mid-motion.
He had sensed something — the Tobi in front of him had triggered some kind of barrier.
Having lived for over a thousand years, Black Zetsu was no stranger to sealing techniques.
The instant the barrier flared, he recognized it for what it was.
A faint chill of unease crept through him.
By all logic, Konoha Prison shouldn't have been a location important enough to warrant a hidden seal like this.
Why would such a concealed barrier be placed there?
Still, watching the brainless White Zetsu charging forward recklessly, Black Zetsu decided that the Sharingan took priority.
Even if the barrier had been triggered, it shouldn't pose too much of a problem —
as long as they moved quickly enough, they could grab what they came for before Konoha even noticed.