Orochimaru's sudden appearance caught all the Uchiha present completely off guard.
Facing the encircling layers of the Police Force, his expression remained unchanged, even carrying a hint of arrogance, while an oppressive, suffocating aura unconsciously radiated from his entire being.
Every member of the Police Force wore a grave expression, their eyes fixed intently on the legendary Sannin before them.
"Congratulations to the Uchiha Clan for gaining yet another new Kekkei Genkai."
"You all saw it too, didn't you, Fugaku?"
Orochimaru's tone was playful. Though his words were directed at Fugaku, his gaze was firmly locked onto Shinji.
Fugaku narrowed his eyes slightly, recalling the scene he had witnessed upon rushing over: dozens of blue-white lasers piercing through the giant snake—an undeniably impressive sight.
"A new Kekkei Genkai… referring to Shinji? That Ninjutsu does look familiar!"
He turned to look at Shinji.
But the clan had never heard Shinji mention this before. How did Orochimaru know about it?
Fugaku shook his head. Now was not the time to delve into that. He looked warily at Orochimaru.
His brow furrowed, and he spoke in a firm, unyielding tone:
"Lord Orochimaru, this is an internal matter of the Uchiha Clan. I must ask you not to interfere."
The words were blunt, but Orochimaru showed no sign of anger.
He understood perfectly well that seizing Shinji's flesh and blood was clearly not feasible today.
However, there would be plenty of opportunities in the future.
Orochimaru's eyes swept back and forth between Fugaku and Shinji, his estimation of the former already lowered a notch.
"Completely unaware of your own clansman's true capabilities."
"How utterly incompetent."
He gave a sinister chuckle, completely ignoring Fugaku, and instead addressed Shinji directly:
"In that case, farewell for now, Shinji."
With those words, and without any further action, he simply turned and left.
The Police Force members, intimidated by that chilling aura, found not a single one among them daring to step forward and stop him. They could only watch helplessly as he departed with ease.
As the atmosphere eased slightly, everyone immediately began whispering amongst themselves. Their gazes toward Shinji were filled with astonishment, curiosity, and a trace of wariness that was hard to conceal.
Shisui also quickly walked over to Shinji's side, his face full of concern.
"Senior, what on earth is going on?"
Shinji sighed helplessly.
"Ran into a pervert."
Shisui was left speechless, completely unprepared for his senior to describe one of the Sannin, Orochimaru, with the word "pervert."
Shinji, however, had no mind to dwell on that. He looked back at his home, now reduced to ruins, and a surge of anger instantly welled up in his heart.
"This was the home I lived in for over a decade, and he just destroyed it like that."
Gritting his teeth, he swore to himself: I'll find a chance to get back at Orochimaru for this.
Even now, he couldn't figure out why Orochimaru had set his sights on him.
The other party clearly knew he possessed Storm Release, and he had only told Tsunade and Shizune about that.
When he went to see Tsunade a few days ago, she had only mentioned reporting the matter to Hiruzen Sarutobi, with no mention of Orochimaru.
An answer gradually formed in Shinji's mind. It was most likely that during Tsunade's report to Hiruzen Sarutobi, Orochimaru had caught wind of it at some point.
…
Half an hour later.
The crowd at the scene continued to discuss among themselves.
"Why did Orochimaru suddenly come here?"
"His target seemed to be Shinji."
"What is this new Kekkei Genkai of our Uchiha Clan that Orochimaru mentioned?"
"Shinji seems quite strong—he didn't fall behind when fighting Orochimaru."
Fugaku frowned deeply. Seeing the discussion growing increasingly chaotic, he raised his hand and scolded, "Everyone, disperse! Continue your patrols!"
The members of the Police Force immediately fell silent, responding and leaving one after another. However, before departing, their gazes couldn't help but linger on Shinji.
Shinji paid no mind to the speculations of his clansmen. He had already returned to his now-ruined home, crouching down to search for usable items. Shisui kindly stepped forward to help tidy up.
Fortunately, his money was always carried on him, and some valuable items had long been hidden in the secret base within the Dark Forest.
The important medical books Tsunade had given him were also safely stored in a box, undamaged.
After taking stock, Shinji finally breathed a sigh of relief, though he couldn't help but feel a headache as he surveyed the mess before him.
He raised a hand to rub his temples. "It seems I'll have to find a place to stay temporarily."
Suddenly, a hand rested on his shoulder. Shinji turned to find Fugaku standing behind him, having appeared without notice.
As if reading his mind, Fugaku spoke up at just the right moment, "The clan will rebuild a house for you."
"Rebuild a house?" Shinji's eyes lit up, and he immediately seized the opportunity. "In that case, Clan Leader, I won't stand on ceremony. I hope the clan can give me a bigger house."
Fugaku's expression darkened. After a moment of silence, he finally nodded helplessly.
If Shinji truly was as he suspected, fulfilling such a small request would naturally be within the clan's means.
But there were some things he needed to clarify first.
"Fine. But Shinji, you must explain everything that just happened. And that beam Ninjutsu you used—what exactly was it?"
Shisui's gaze also fell on Shinji. "Senior, that Ninjutsu just now... it seemed like a Kekkei Genkai from the Hidden Cloud Village?"
Shisui had clearly recognized it.
Shinji shrugged. "That's right, it's the Hidden Cloud's Storm Release. I accidentally awakened it during my training."
Fugaku and Shisui both widened their eyes in shock, their expressions filled with disbelief.
Fugaku raised a hand to his chin, pondering for a few seconds before turning to Shinji. "Shinji, come with me to the Police Force now."
He then glanced at Shisui beside him. "Shisui, you come too."
Just as the three were about to set off, a figure suddenly flashed by the side of the street, swiftly passing by. All three turned to look.
An Anbu ninja wearing a fox mask had silently appeared on the spot.
Shisui was slightly taken aback. "It's the Anbu!"
The fox-masked Anbu nodded calmly. "Clan Leader Fugaku, the Hokage requests Uchiha Shinji's presence."
Fugaku raised an eyebrow slightly and looked helplessly at Shinji. "You should go to the Hokage first. Come find me at the Police Force afterward."
He couldn't possibly compete with the Hokage for someone, and besides, the matter of Storm Release was of great importance within the clan. He needed to immediately convene a meeting with the three elders.
"Understood."
Shinji nodded in agreement, then turned and followed the Anbu as they departed.
...
Root.
Danzo clutched the intelligence report that had just been delivered, his breathing growing slightly hurried.
He had initially thought Orochimaru had simply gone mad, barging into Uchiha territory without reason and targeting one of their clansmen.
But it wasn't until he saw the intelligence clearly that he realized Orochimaru had set his sights on Uchiha Shinji.
Lowering his head to gaze at the name on the scroll, Danzo's eyes churned with a sinister light.
"As expected of the inherently evil Uchiha!"
"To possess such terrifying talent."
"If we don't suppress him early, he will surely become a grave threat to Konohagakure in the future."
Thinking of his indecisive old friend, Danzo's eyes grew even colder.
These days, he had already secretly spread rumors unfavorable to Hiruzen, advancing step by step, planning to seize the position of Hokage.
But before that, he needed to gather enough power.
Danzo closed his eyes in contemplation, rapidly sifting through potential allies in his mind.
The next moment, he opened his eyes, a cold glint flashing within them as a name surfaced.
"Hanzo of the Land of Rain."