Hokage: I Confronted the Five Kage Before the System Arrived

Chapter 199: The Power of Hagoromo and Uchiha Rivals Senju and Uchiha

It wasn't just Orochimaru who coveted the Sharingan.

There was also Orochimaru's old classmate, a fellow scientific researcher who had idolized Hagoromo Gengetsu since childhood, admiring his effortless mastery of various kekkei genkai. This classmate, now a rogue ninja of Konoha, had always aspired to become a figure like Gengetsu.

In Mount Sumeru, located on the border between the Land of Earth and the Land of Grass, Hiruko was creating synthetic beasts on an operating table when he received reports from his subordinates about recent external developments. He was so shaken by the news that he grabbed his subordinate's shoulder with bloody hands and demanded the information be repeated.

His subordinate had to relay the details once more.

After hearing it all, Hiruko was in a good mood. "I thought the Sharingan was only present in Kakashi, Sasuke Uchiha, and Itachi Uchiha. I didn't expect so many more to appear suddenly. This is truly delightful."

To complete the Chimera Technique, Hiruko had selected five types of kekkei genkai, one of which was the Sharingan. He had secretly placed a puppet jutsu on young Kakashi and had targeted him ever since.

He had avoided targeting the true Uchiha.

Itachi Uchiha had annihilated the entire Uchiha clan and was a fearsome individual he couldn't afford to offend.

As for Sasuke Uchiha, Hiruko had considered it, but Sasuke had defected to Hagoromo Gengetsu two years ago.

He couldn't afford to offend his idol from childhood.

It's best to pick the low-hanging fruit.

And the easiest target was Kakashi.

But now, he had many more options.

Even though the new Uchiha had also joined Gengetsu, his idol couldn't possibly manage all of them alone.

Helping to relieve his idol of some burden was something a devoted fan should do.

"How wonderful!"

With so many new choices, Hiruko decided to speed up the progress of the Chimera Technique.

When he finished his decades-long project, he was determined to present his work to Hagoromo Gengetsu. If he could receive his idol's praise, or even incorporate him into his Chimera, his success as a fan would be unparalleled.

Not everyone is so bold as to steal a Sharingan.

Those without Uchiha blood cannot deactivate the Sharingan, which means their chakra is constantly being consumed.

Even a genius like Kakashi had to change his fighting style after implanting a single Sharingan, earning the nickname "Copy Ninja Kakashi," and his chakra reserves became a unit of measurement.

Not to mention others.

In comparison, the Byakugan, which was as famous as the Sharingan, had no such limitations and could be implanted in anyone for use, just like the Hyuga clan.

This was why the Hyuga clan had the Caged Bird Seal, creating a distinction between the main and branch families that persisted to this day.

Back to the main point.

While Orochimaru and Hiruko focused on the Sharingan itself, most forces in the ninja world were more concerned with the growing power behind the Sharingan—Hagoromo Gengetsu.

"Three pairs of Mangekyōu Sharingan, twelve pairs of three-tomoe Sharingan, and the long-dormant Hagoromo clan. The fusion of Uchiha and Hagoromo power is akin to when Senju and Uchiha founded Konoha. Unnoticed, Gengetsu's power has grown immensely."

In the Tsuchikage's office, Onoki frowned as he read the intelligence from Konoha.

After the Five Kage Summit, although they had agreed to join forces against Gengetsu, Onoki and likely others had considered secretly contacting him, plotting to use him for their own ends.

But because Gengetsu's whereabouts had been unknown, no action had been taken.

Until now.

"This can't be allowed to continue," Onoki shook his head.

If Gengetsu were alone, no matter how powerful, he couldn't disrupt the rule of the ninja villages.

But now, with the combined power of the Hagoromo and Uchiha clans, Gengetsu possessed strength rivaling any of the Five Great Shinobi Countries.

A hungry sheep eats grass; a hungry wolf eats meat.

Especially a group of powerful ninjas.

Behind Gengetsu were those who had been excluded from the feast, but now, with their increased strength, sought to reclaim their place.

But there was only so much meat on the table, and the long-familiar diners had long settled into a distribution rhythm.

How could they make room for an unruly, voracious outsider?

Cooperating with Gengetsu in secret would be like inviting a wolf into their home.

With this realization, Onoki made a decision. "It seems the Joint Investigation Department's powers and personnel need to be expanded significantly. We can't remain fragmented as before. We must act decisively!"

The Stone Village quickly took action.

Meanwhile, the Mist Village, always a step behind due to its overseas location, also wanted to respond to the news.

However, the defection of the Six-Tails Jinchuriki, Utakata, diverted their attention, forcing them to urgently dispatch a pursuit team to bring him back.

With the Three-Tails still uncaptured, the Mist Village couldn't afford to lose the Six-Tails as well.

Coincidentally.

The Eight-Tails Jinchuriki of the Cloud Village also nearly disappeared.

But not due to defection, rather to travel the ninja world in search of musical inspiration.

It was nearly because, during this time, the Fourth Raikage A, who had been diligently training in secret techniques from across the ninja world, happened to be taking a break and wanted to reconnect with his brother, Killer Bee. Discovering Bee's secret escape, he chased him down and gave him a stern lesson with his iron fists of love.

Afterward, A locked Killer Bee in the Valley of Clouds and Lightning for reflection and intense training.

A himself returned to his Raikage office.

On his desk were the accumulated intelligence reports from Konoha and a letter from Onoki.

"Hagoromo Uchiha..."

A first read the Konoha report without any visible reaction.

Unlike others, A had been wary of Gengetsu from the start.

While surprised by the Uchiha's resurgence, he had anticipated such a day.

A then opened Onoki's letter, quickly scanned it, and snorted:

"You act now, but not earlier. Onoki, that old fox, always scrambles to fix things when they go wrong."

Despite his words, given the current situation, A had no choice but to grudgingly cooperate.

The Five Great Shinobi Countries might fight each other fiercely, but they couldn't let outsiders steal their gains.

It was true then and remains true now.