The meeting ended, and the three elders, Uchiha Atsuko, and the others left Nanga Shrine.
However, Uchiha Fugaku did not leave immediately.
He came to a particular spot in the conference room and reached out to touch the floor.
Squeak—
The wooden floor lifted, revealing a passage with a stone staircase.
Carrying a lit lamp, Uchiha Fugaku descended the stone stairs and arrived in an underground secret room.
When the lights in the underground secret room illuminated, a spacious area of approximately several hundred square meters came into view.
At the farthest wall of the room stood a stone tablet.
The stone tablet was square, with mysterious runes engraved on its surface.
This stone tablet was the most renowned relic of the Uchiha clan.
Its history predates even the Uchiha Clan itself, having been left behind by the Sage of Six Paths.
Only those who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan could interpret its contents.
"...the two mutually repulsive forces merge into one, giving birth to all things..."
Uchiha Fugaku activated his Mangekyō Sharingan and read the writing on the stone tablet aloud.
He had always known of the secret room and the stone tablet's existence but had never cared to investigate.
He knew that the stone tablet's original message from the Sage of Six Paths had been tampered with by Black Zetsu long ago, and the Sage's true words were lost.
It was this tampering that had inspired Uchiha Madara to combine the power of Hashirama Senju into his body, awakening the Rinnegan.
"After all, this was left behind by the Sage of Six Paths. It may have other hidden uses. We can't risk leaving it here."
Uchiha Fugaku retrieved a sealing scroll and carefully sealed the stone tablet within it.
He knew that Uchiha Obito was aware of this secret room and the stone tablet. Someday, Obito might sneak into Konoha to claim it.
Since it was an artifact of immense significance—even in its tampered state—allowing it to fall into Obito's hands would be an irreparable loss.
Exiting the secret room and leaving Nanga Shrine, Uchiha Fugaku headed toward a nearby building.
Once inside, he activated a mechanism that opened a second secret room.
This secret room consisted of a central hall with several connected stone chambers.
Some chambers held scrolls, while others contained valuable chakra-metal weapons.
This site had served as a repository for the Uchiha clan's treasures, managed by generations of clan leaders.
After the previous secret room beneath his study was compromised, Fugaku had relocated its contents to this more secure location.
At the moment, the hall was occupied by numerous figures.
Whether sitting or lying down, each figure bore the same face as Uchiha Fugaku. There were thirty-three in total.
These were the spore clones Uchiha Fugaku had created over the past few weeks.
By housing the clones here, he not only gave them a safe place to exist but also utilized them to guard the Uchiha clan's most precious items.
"Although their numbers can grow over time, their weak combat power remains their fatal flaw!"
Looking at the spore clones, Uchiha Fugaku felt a pang of regret.
If each spore clone possessed strength comparable to his—or even slightly weaker—they would rival Kage-level fighters.
With thirty-three spore clones, he would have a veritable army of Kage-level warriors.
He could overthrow the Third Hokage, seize control of Konoha, and even lead the village to conquer the other four great nations, uniting the ninja world.
Unfortunately, such a dream could only remain a fantasy.
The strength of the spore clones was far below that of a jonin, let alone a Kage. They barely reached the level of a genin.
Their weak combat capabilities made them unsuitable for direct combat.
"Come to think of it, the White Zetsu clones also vary in strength. Most are weak, similar to my spore clones."
"But the stronger ones, are powerful enough to rival a Kage."
"I still don't understand how White Zetsu managed to create a spore clone as powerful as...."
The thought piqued his curiosity.
He briefly considered capturing a White Zetsu clone alive and interrogating it to learn the method of creating such powerful clones.
"Even if I uncover the method, creating clones like strong White Zetsu in large numbers would likely be impossible."
He speculated internally.
Stronger White Zetsu was clearly an extraordinarily unique case. Even White Zetsu himself couldn't produce such exceptional individuals en masse.
If it were possible, there would be multiple stronger White Zetsu, significantly strengthening the Akatsuki organization.
"Let's proceed with today's spore clone creation."
Shaking off these thoughts, Uchiha Fugaku began his daily routine of producing spore clones.
Each day, he used his excess chakra to create new clones, gradually building their numbers.
"Spore clones—"
A minuscule, nearly imperceptible spore emerged from his palm. With an infusion of chakra, it rapidly grew in size.
"Um…?"
Suddenly, Uchiha Fugaku paused, a look of confusion crossing his face.
The chakra expenditure had already reached the usual amount required for a spore clone, yet this one remained child-sized and incomplete.
This was highly unusual.
He continued infusing chakra, and the clone kept growing.
When the chakra cost equaled that of two typical spore clones, the new clone still appeared to be only ten years old.
By the time the chakra consumed matched the amount for three spore clones, the clone looked no older than fifteen or sixteen.
He continued pouring chakra, reaching the equivalent cost of four spore clones.
Now, the clone resembled a younger version of himself but was still not fully developed.
Only after expending chakra equal to five spore clones did the clone finally take its complete form, appearing identical to Uchiha Fugaku.
"It consumed so much chakra!"
Wiping sweat from his forehead, Uchiha Fugaku observed the clone in astonishment.
What made this particular spore clone so unique that it required such an enormous chakra investment?
Exhausted, he decided against using his Sharingan to examine the clone's condition. Instead, he opted for a simple test.
"Attack me with Taijutsu!"
He ordered, and the spore clone sprang into action.
The clone advanced with a straight punch aimed at his face.
Peng—
Uchiha Fugaku blocked the punch but was forced to step back when the clone spun and launched a high kick.
After dodging the kick, Fugaku countered with a strike, but the clone continued its relentless assault.
Bang, bang, bang!
After more than a dozen exchanges, Uchiha Fugaku had assessed the clone's physical capabilities.
Satisfied, he suddenly exerted force, shaking off the clone's grip.
Delivering a precise palm strike, he pushed the clone away.
"Enough!"
The clone halted, awaiting further commands.
"It's definitely different from the ordinary spore clones!"
Looking at the halted clone, Uchiha Fugaku's eyes gleamed with excitement.
Even without examining other traits, the clone's physical prowess alone was comparable to that of an average jonin.
(End of Chapter)
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