Konoha Village.
"Sigh~"
A sigh echoed from the Hokage Office, as Fugaku smoothed the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes with two index fingers.
"What's wrong, Fugaku-sama? Is the front line not going well?"
An Uchiha Ninja appeared, asking Fugaku.
It wasn't the first time Tomoki had left the Village unattended to go off on his own adventures.
Previously, he hadn't had Fugaku impersonate him, relying entirely on trusted clan members to cover for him.
This time, Tomoki had not kept it from them either.
"It's nothing, just getting old and a bit sentimental!"
After smoothing out the wrinkles around his eyes, Fugaku replied to his clan member.
Fugaku had just finished contacting the front-line command. Although Iwagakure's resistance had caused a bit of trouble for the allied forces, it wasn't a major problem.
There was nothing Fugaku needed to do; Tomoki had already arranged everything before he left.
All Fugaku had to do was listen to daily reports, in Tomoki's name.
Following the principle Tomoki had told him before leaving, Fugaku listened to the entire report with a slight smile on his face.
The reason for his sigh was simply a feeling of getting old, coupled with the difficulties of life.
He hadn't been impersonating him for long, but when he returned home at night, Mikoto would ask him what Tenten had been doing all day, and why the wrinkles on his face were increasing.
Fugaku naturally wouldn't tell Mikoto about his daily shifts at the Hokage Office.
This had made Mikoto increasingly suspicious recently, and last night, Mikoto even kicked him out of the bedroom, making him sleep alone in the guest room.
"How are things on your end? Have you contacted Hokage-sama?"
"No!"
The clan member shook his head as he replied.
Before Tomoki and Orochimaru went to the moon, they had already informed Konoha that he would be out of contact for a while, and that they should not contact him proactively unless it was something extremely important.
In addition to contacting him via 'Heavenly Eye,' they could also reach Tomoki through Summoning Jutsu.
Fugaku thought about his own situation, concluding it probably wasn't considered an important matter, and could only sigh again.
"Sigh~"
Five days ago, when Fugaku learned that Tomoki needed to disconnect communications, he had asked what kind of situation would be considered extremely important.
Tomoki's answer at the time was two-fold.
One, Konoha was about to be destroyed.
Two, the project codenamed [Yuan] at the experimental building achieved its final results.
Fugaku felt that the first event was completely impossible to happen in his lifetime.
As for the second matter, Fugaku knew nothing about what the [Yuan] project was, what it specifically did, or what its purpose was.
Tomoki hadn't explained, and Fugaku wouldn't ask.
Tomoki had told Fugaku that he could freely browse all unlocked and unsealed documents in the office.
A few days ago, when he was bored, Fugaku came across a document that contained clues about the [Yuan] project.
It was a financial report, and it showed a fund recipient named [Yuan], with no other records or recipient names.
Slightly piqued, Fugaku looked through previous financial reports and found that this project had started several years ago.
Initially, it was even routed through the Military Police Force's accounts rather than Konoha's, dating back several years.
Fugaku didn't think a project from several years ago would just happen to achieve its final results during Tomoki's absence.
Feeling the hope was slim, Fugaku secretly wished Tomoki would finish his business quickly and return to Konoha soon.
Konoha cannot lose you for even a day, Tomoki-kun!
Meanwhile, inside the experimental building.
Orochimaru's once spacious laboratory now seemed a bit crowded, with researchers in lab coats constantly moving about, busy with their respective tasks.
"Team leaders, the results are in!"
A researcher respectfully held a screen and presented it to Orochimaru and Kabuto.
Kabuto remained still, looking at Orochimaru and saying.
"Senior, this is your project, please go ahead."
Orochimaru didn't hesitate, directly took the screen, and after a glance, a smile appeared on his face.
"Kabuto-kun, look, this is the truth."
Saying this, Orochimaru turned it around, facing Kabuto.
Kabuto saw the results, his face filled with disbelief, muttering.
"How could this be, how is this possible!"
But immediately, Kabuto regained his composure, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes.
Orochimaru clearly caught this and spoke.
"Kabuto-kun, use Sealing Jutsu. Just as you said, this is my project!"
"But it's not safe!"
Kabuto didn't back down, and his body began to tense, ready to act at any moment.
Seeing Kabuto looking ready to go on a rampage, Orochimaru spoke.
"Do you remember what Tomoki-kun said before he left, Kabuto-kun?"
Orochimaru's reminder made Kabuto recall Tomoki's instructions to him, and his body finally slowly relaxed.
"Then let it be so for now, but the specifics will still depend on Hokage-sama's decision."
After speaking, Kabuto called over a researcher who was second only to him and Orochimaru.
"Including you, all researchers are to leave the laboratory and undergo the highest level of sealing. Execute immediately!"
"Yes, Yakushi Team Leader!"
After that researcher began to act, Kabuto walked out of the laboratory and quickly headed towards the Hokage Building.
Ten minutes later, after Fugaku listened to Kabuto's explanation, his eyes lit up.
"Quick, contact Hokage-sama immediately!"
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