Within the Akimichi Clan compound, Ryota Akimichi and Tatsuya stood side-by-side atop the ruins. Around them, everyone's gaze was fixed upon them.
From the crowd, Fugaku Uchiha stepped forward first to challenge them. "Akimichi Tatsuya! That surge of ocular power earlier definitely belonged to a Mangekyō Sharingan! Is Uchiha Teru's Mangekyō Sharingan in your possession?"
His eyes bored into Tatsuya.
As soon as Fugaku finished speaking, a slight stir went through the onlookers. Thanks to Shisui's rise, the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan was already well-known among the upper echelons of Konoha's major powers. Among the crowd, Inoichi Yamanaka and Shikaku Nara showed faint worry on their faces, while Danzo, surrounded by his Root shinobi, had a sharp glint in his eye.
The Uchiha Clan's possessiveness regarding their clan's power was common knowledge; they would never stand by and watch a Mangekyō Sharingan fall into the hands of an outsider. In fact, when Tatsuya had first returned to the village, many within the Uchiha Clan suspected he had taken Uchiha Teru's Mangekyō Sharingan. But lacking concrete proof, they had no recourse against the powerful Tatsuya. And now, many people in the village had felt that powerful surge of ocular energy from earlier.
"Ocular power? Captain Fugaku, are you referring to this?" Tatsuya responded calmly to Fugaku Uchiha's accusation.
As he spoke, a powerful and chaotic wave of mental energy suddenly erupted from Tatsuya. Wild and frenzied! Bathed in this potent mental energy, Tatsuya's entire aura seemed to twist, becoming somewhat unsettling.
Feeling the immense mental energy bursting forth from Tatsuya, everyone present was stunned. Fugaku Uchiha opened his mouth, then closed it, unsure what to say. This mental energy felt remarkably similar to the power surge from before, making even Fugaku uncertain.
Tatsuya observed everyone's expressions before abruptly retracting the mental energy, returning to his normal state. Seeing Tatsuya control such immense mental energy with such ease, expressions of gravity settled on everyone's faces.
Fugaku Uchiha backed down, but Danzo stepped forward. He glanced at the ruins beneath Tatsuya's feet, his tone deep and accusatory. "Akimichi Tatsuya, you dare conduct live human experimentation privately within the village?"
Hearing Danzo's words, Ryota Akimichi, standing nearby, flickered his gaze, about to speak up for Tatsuya. But Tatsuya answered first. "Elder Danzo, one can eat carelessly, but one cannot speak carelessly! Which eye of yours saw me conducting human experiments in the village?"
Around them, the leaders from other factions who had rushed over watched in silence. The conflict between Tatsuya and Root was already public knowledge; none of them intended to get involved.
Danzo pointed to the broken, large cultivation tanks in the debris. "These are large cultivation vats. If you weren't conducting live experiments, why would you need such equipment?"
Tatsuya raised an eyebrow, a half-smile playing on his lips. "Oh? It seems Elder Danzo is quite familiar with these? Could it be that Elder Danzo also conducts live experiments in private?" He offered Danzo no face whatsoever.
"Akimichi Tatsuya, I am addressing the issue of private live experimentation. Don't try to change the subject!" Danzo's face darkened further, his voice icy.
"Heh heh, Elder Danzo, live experiments don't necessarily require human subjects, do they? Small animals work just fine, don't they? My pet shop has plenty of potential test subjects," Tatsuya shrugged, speaking casually.
"Hmph! Whether you used human subjects isn't for you to say! Ryoma, apprehend him!" A smile touched Danzo's lips as he heard this. He snorted coldly and ordered the Root ninja beside him.
"Sir!"
Ryoma Aburame immediately acknowledged the order. Kikaichu began to swarm out from his body as he prepared to attack. Behind Ryoma, the dozen or so Root members also readied themselves for battle.
Seeing Danzo actually try to arrest him in front of so many people, Tatsuya's expression slowly hardened. A powerful killing intent began to emanate from Tatsuya.
This old schemer keeps coming after me again and again. Does he really think I'm some kind of pushover?!
"Stop!"
With a rush of movement through the air, the Third Hokage arrived, accompanied by several ANBU squads. Surveying the tense standoff, the Third's face was as dark as water. He glanced at the ruins beneath Tatsuya and Ryota Akimichi's feet and asked, "What happened here?"
Tatsuya dissipated his killing intent and said softly, "There was a small accident in my laboratory, which caused an explosion."
"Laboratory?" The Third's gaze sharpened at the word; he was currently very sensitive to the term 'experiment'.
Seeing his chance, Danzo quickly interjected, "Hiruzen! Akimichi Tatsuya privately built a laboratory to conduct live experiments! This is strictly forbidden by the village! He must be detained and interrogated harshly!"
"Live experiments?" Hearing Danzo's accusation, the Third's expression soured further. His gaze towards Tatsuya sharpened noticeably. If this were true, no matter what connections Tatsuya had behind him, the Third would not condone it. His authority as the Third Hokage was at stake!
Meeting the Third's gaze, Tatsuya stated calmly, "Lord Third, in this laboratory, I was merely conducting some simple animal experiments, not the kind of live human experiments Elder Danzo speaks of. If such a thing were truly happening, it would be impossible to completely evade the village's notice. You know this as well, Lord Third."
As he finished, Tatsuya's gaze held a deep, implied meaning. His words practically pointed out the village's surveillance of him in public!
Then, Tatsuya turned back to Danzo, his tone laced with provocation. "As for live human experimentation, I believe Lord Danzo has far more experience in that area than I do. If Elder Danzo insists on detaining me for investigation, that's fine, but only on one condition: you must reveal your right eye and your right arm."
"Heh heh, I've always been curious about what secrets Lord Danzo is hiding under there."
After Tatsuya spoke, complete silence fell over the scene.
Danzo's eye flickered slightly, but he remained silent.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face, however, became utterly grim. Tatsuya's words hadn't just put pressure on Danzo; they were also an indirect accusation of the Third's indulgence towards him.
"This matter was merely an accident. Everyone, disperse!" Sweeping a sharp glance over Danzo and the Root shinobi behind him, the Third ordered coldly. With that, he turned and left first, his personal ANBU contingent following suit.
Behind him, Danzo shot Tatsuya a cold look before leading his Root ninja away. Tatsuya returned the look with an openly disdainful sneer.
The remaining onlookers also began to disperse. As he left, Fugaku Uchiha's eyes still held deep suspicion.
Inoichi Yamanaka and Shikaku Nara, however, stayed behind. They approached Ryota Akimichi and spoke with him for some time before departing. Before leaving, they only gave Tatsuya a brief nod, showing no intention of engaging him in conversation.
Clearly, they had their own opinions about the day's events.