Inside the office within the chambers of Root…

Danzou is looking over the reports from the Root members who are part of the Anbu Unit.

Danzou’s thoughts: Hiruzen, you fool…

Danzou thinks as he looks over the report that mentioned the meeting between Hiruzen, Homura and Shang.

As Danzou sees things differently from Hiruzen’s viewpoint, he sees that the relationship between Shang and Koharu is a perfect chance to take down the Noble Clans but it is a pity that Hiruzen steps in before he can do anything as he is busy training his own diehard followers and experimenting without Hiruzen’s knowledge.

Danzou's thoughts: Maybe the second shinobi war...

Knock, knock.

Sounds can be heard from the knocking on his office door.

Danzou: Come in.

Danzou says after scrolling and putting back the report which he has been reading, on the table.

A middle-aged guy wearing glasses and a lab coat enters the office.

Lab Guy: Danzou-sama.

Danzou: It’s you. How are the experiments going?

Lab Guy: The clones are growing fine. They should be ready for training after we finish aging the clones to their child forms.

Danzou: Hmm… What about the previous sample I have given you?

Lab Guy: About that, we did successfully create a clone from it and.

The lab guy pauses.

Danzou: And? Go on.

Lab Guy: We discovered something strange about the clone and noticed how different it is from other clones.

Danzou: Strange? There should be no differences unless it is a defect.

Lab Guy: Yes, the lab team thought the same thing too but after doing a series of tests on the clone, we confirmed it is not a defect.

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Danzou: And? What’s the difference if it is not a defect?

Lab Guy: This clone...has a longer lifespan than any other clones we have created, and we also confirmed its bloodline is not connected to the Uzumaki Clan.

Danzou: How long…

Lab Guy: How long? If you mean the aging processing of that clone, we might have to take…

Danzou cuts him off before he can finish.

Danzou: No, I mean the lifespan of that clone.

Lab Guy: According to our data, If we just leave it alone and let it grow, the clone could live up to more than two hundred years old.

Danzou: Two hundred years old… you may go now.

Lab Guy bows and leaves the office.

After seeing that office door is closed, Danzou ponders to himself.

Danzou’s thoughts: Two hundred years old… If the members of the Maniwa Clan can live that long, then there should be existing records of it. So what did the clan do to make the world erase their existence?.

Danzou then looks at the pile of scrolls on the side of his table.

Danzou’s thoughts: Elder might know something about it…

Inside Shang’s house…

Never in his wildest dreams that Shang will expect Danzou to make a clone from his blood and hair sample. If Shang finds out that Danzou did make one, he most likely interested to know what kind of bloodline the clone comes up with.

Right now, the person of interest is busy cooking dinner for Koharu who is at the table, looking forward to the food.

It is a first time for Koharu to have eaten food that is more delicious than the normal food she had and by having thoughts of them, Koharu’s saliva nearly drools.

Those thoughts soon vanish after Shang tells something she did not expect to hear.

Koharu: What!? You are quitting the council!?