"Ugh… damn it!"

The vines tightened, pulling Temari's tight-fitting outfit taut and revealing her figure to the entire stadium. Her face flushed a deep crimson. She knew that if this continued, she would soon be unable to breathe.

"I… I surrender." Faced with Wood Release, Temari was utterly powerless.

"In this… this match, Shiro Uchiha wins." Genma Shiranui composed his surprised expression and announced the result.

"Wow!" The invited foreign dignitaries once again burst into loud cheers. In stark contrast, the faces of Konoha's high-ranking officials and Jonin were extremely grim. Everyone knew that the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, had used Wood Release to conquer the warring clans and found Konoha Village, ushering in an era of peace with his powerful strength and benevolence.

But now, that very power had been mastered by an Uchiha. What would this mean for the future? This could not be allowed to stand. They had to be eliminated.

The Konoha elders exchanged glances. Before Hiruzen could speak, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado suddenly stood up and shouted, "Uchiha! How did you come to master Wood Release?!"

"I learned it," Shiro replied, completely unfazed by the accusations from Konoha's top leaders.

"Who did you learn it from?"

"I taught myself."

"Taught yourself? Hmph! Do you take us for fools? How dare you desecrate the body of the First Hokage, Hashirama, to steal his Wood Release! How despicable!"

"Haha?" Shiro sneered. "What are you talking about? I don't understand."

Koharu pressed on. "Don't play dumb! Without the cells of Lord Hashirama, how could you possibly master Wood Release?"

Shiro threw his head back and laughed. "Oh? And how would you know that? Did you perhaps research it yourselves here in Konoha? That's quite interesting. If Lord Hashirama knew from his grave that you were using his body for experiments, I imagine he would be quite furious."

As soon as he spoke, the entire stadium erupted in an uproar. Whispers spread like wildfire through the crowd.

"The Uchiha boy's words… they seem to have some merit."

"Haha, it seems you don't know. I heard about this a long time ago. Legend has it that Konoha once used Hashirama's body for cell transplantation experiments, all to master the power of Wood Release. But in the end, a large number of test subjects died. Isn't it obvious? The Senju clan was almost wiped out."

"What? Really? My god, these people are monsters!"

"Hmph, isn't this always their way? They speak of peace and honor, but do disgusting things behind everyone's backs! Don't tell anyone I said this, though. I'm afraid they'll retaliate."

"Do you need to tell me? You're speaking so loudly, who can't hear you?"

"…"

Seeing the leaders and shinobi of the various villages whispering amongst themselves, revealing secrets that were meant to stay buried, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado's faces turned red with rage. "Anbu! What are you standing there for?! Quickly, capture the criminal, Shiro Uchiha!"

"Wait a moment." Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been silent until now, suddenly stood up, his face returning to its usual kind, grandfatherly expression. "Koharu, Homura, the matter has not been fully investigated. As a great nation, we cannot make random assumptions or act on impulse."

With that, Hiruzen gave the two of them a subtle look. Koharu and Homura gritted their teeth and reluctantly returned to their seats.

"Hehehe, I am sorry you all had to witness that," Hiruzen said, his voice now calm and controlled. "Please, do not believe these foolish rumors. They are nothing but slander spread by hostile forces."

"Konoha has always been a village that values its people, with the Will of Fire at its core. We would never harm our own shinobi without reason, and we most certainly would never experiment on the body of the great Lord Hashirama."

__________________________

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