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What a peaceful life it had become.
Shiraishi felt like he had retired to a life fit for the elderly after leaving his frontline missions behind and entering the ninja academy.
His days now consisted of going to work at the academy at 3:00 p.m., with the rest of the time his to manage as he pleased.
Even his shifts at the hospital were relatively short. Shiraishi's current life was something many Konoha ninjas would likely not envy.
Study, leisurely walks, work, and punctual rest at home were his daily routines.
Occasionally, he'd go shopping with Ruri, but his encounters with Ayane were rare.
After the three of them left the Team Sakumo, they each had their own responsibilities.
Ruri had joined the police force, tasked with maintaining village security and resolving civil disputes in the village.
As a Jonin, Ayane had garnered early recognition from the Hyuga clan's senior members due to her potential. She now held an important position within the Hyuga clan, even serving as the future Hyuga Clan head's guardian.
Ayane's status in the Hyuga clan significantly exceeded that of ordinary Hyuga branch ninjas. The gap between the main and branch families was evident.
Due to these circumstances, Shiraishi had only encountered Ayane once since leaving the Team Sakumo. After their meeting, they hadn't spoken for more than five minutes.
However, in secret, they maintained communication and exchanged information.
But what concerned Shiraishi the most currently were the secret measures taken by Konoha's senior management—specifically, their research on Wood Release.
◎
"What are those high-level Konoha figures planning?" Shiraishi mused.
On the surface, Shiraishi appeared unconcerned. However, he was highly vigilant about the higher ups research and experiments regarding Wood Release. Shiraishi had never underestimated these high-ranking individuals and had raised their threat level several notches in his mind.
While Shiraishi hadn't personally verified the power of Wood Release, he had witnessed the destructive power of Tailed Beasts firsthand.
Even if it had been only one tail and possibly not at full power, among the tailed beats the Nine-Tails was the strongest Tailed Beast.
The fact that the first Hokage, with his Wood Release, could suppress such a formidable creature spoke volumes about the power of Wood Release.
Shiraishi had been genuinely shocked by the sheer might of the chakra sphere ejected from the One-Tail', prompting him to briefly question his choice of being a ninja.
Someone who could subdue the most powerful Tailed Beast, even if not on the same level as the first Hokage, was not to be underestimated.
According to information from Bug Man and his companions, the strange white creature possessed remarkable stealth capabilities. Without the ability to sense natural energy, it was challenging to detect the creature's presence.
If Konoha's senior management indeed used Wood Release for researching such a specialized stealth unit, then its intended use was clear. Whether it was to gather information on enemy ninja or monitor the village's interior, its surveillance capabilities surpassed those of the Anbu, rendering it extremely difficult to defend against.
Shiraishi wasn't overly concerned about the research being uncovered. The strange creature's stealth abilities could be detected using natural energy sensing.
Known threats, regardless of their complexity, could be addressed with proper precautions.
The real challenge lay in the unknown.
How many of these stealth creatures did Konoha's senior management possess? Where were they deployed? What was their unknown agenda? Had they infiltrated the Uchiha clan?
These were all uncertainties.
Shiraishi's absolute confidence in his own safety's based on Konoha's high ranking individuals having seriously underestimated his intelligence. No matter the circumstance, he possessed the initiative—a key to victory.
However, this kind of unknown factor, the ace up Konoha's sleeve, was a wildcard.
"How troublesome..."
Shiraishi needed a plan to shift the balance of power or uncover Konoha's high-level management's intentions. Staying passive wasn't an option.
To face a vast military organization like a ninja village head-on offered no chance of victory.
As Shiraishi pondered this, Ruri made her way down the corridor of the underground laboratory.
"When did you get back?"
"Just now."
"Is it this late already?"
Shiraishi suddenly realized how time had flown.
Ruri's shifts in the security force typically ran from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., with two days off a week for leisure and personal activities.
"Aren't you continuously concerned about the high-level plans?" Ruri asked.
"Well, it's tied to Wood Release and might involve research similar to that on Tailed Beasts. We need to be vigilant... Why, you don't seem concerned at all?"
Shiraishi couldn't help but notice that Ruri didn't seem concerned at all, which left him slightly surprised.
It was worth noting that some high-ranking officials had a very strained relationship with the Uchiha clan, especially Shimura Danzo, the leader of the radical faction. If it weren't for the Third Hokage's efforts to mediate, the Root would likely not have remained so cooperative in recent years.
"Why should I worry about such things? As long as you possess the power to suppress all conspiracies and schemes, it's a waste of time and energy to ponder countermeasures. If you have this time and energy, it's better spent on enhancing your own strength."
"..."
Shiraishi remained silent, taken aback by her staunch power-centric perspective. In his mind, he had been fretting needlessly about Ruri.
"You're too obsessed with the so-called truth. You used to be like this. You want to understand every bit of the so-called truth."
"It's my duty to seek the truth."
Shiraishi replied.
"You're clearly insecure."
Ruri stated with an expression that said, "Don't try to deceive me."
Her eyes seemed capable of penetrating the essence of everything.
"Since you understand, why mention it? It hurts."
Shiraishi managed a reluctant smile.
Just as he understood everything about Ruri, she understood everything about him. Such tricks were impossible to hide from each other.
"Because I rarely see you entangled like this, it's quite interesting."
Ruri chuckled.
"You..... you couldn't it be Ayane using a Transformation Technique... Right..?"
Shiraishi hesitated for a moment before asking this rather impolite question.
As expected, upon hearing Shiraishi's question, Ruri fixed him with her dark pupils. She didn't answer but rather allowed the concentrated air to flow around her.
It appeared to be the real Ruri.
Ayane didn't exude such a powerful and intimidating aura.
"How's progress with the Sage Mode?"
This was the topic Ruri cared about most.
"In recent experiments, the success rate of synthesizing Senjutsu Chakra has steadily increased to over 80%. Give me another six months to a year, and it can be officially put into use."
Shiraishi provided a relatively conservative timeframe.
Ruri nodded; half a year to a year was entirely manageable. She had plenty of free time at present. As a vice-captain in the security team, she could delegate most of her work to subordinates. Occasionally, when problems arose, she, as the vice-captain, stepped in to resolve them.
After Ruri left, Shiraishi was left in deep thought.
Indeed, as Ruri had suggested, instead of guessing on what Konoha's high-ranking officials were planning, focusing on self-improvement was a surefire investment.
"But, no matter how much I improve in combat, I can't surpass Ruri. Her rate of growth is abnormal, and my 'strength' doesn't reflect in battle..."
Shiraishi had sacrificed practice time, dedicating all his energy to research. This seemed to be his chosen path. Not only was Ruri outstripping him, but Ayane's strength was also growing faster than his.
Although he possessed decent talent, compared to Ruri and Ayane, the gap was negligible.
Both of them had Kekkei Genkai, Sharingan and Byakugan, making them leading bloodline inheritors in the ninja world, an advantage Shiraishi didn't share.
Furthermore, the Kekkei Genkai's power grew increasingly formidable as the user developed. On top of that, Ruri and Ayane were natural geniuses.
So, abandoning training in favor of research was also a method of enhancing his 'strength'. Shiraishi understood that his role was to create 'weapons,' while using these 'weapons' in combat was Ruri and Ayane's responsibility.
Shiraishi suddenly felt as though he was seeing the truth beyond the clouds. In this world, nobody was perfect. Therefore, relying on others to compensate for one's shortcomings and progressing together was essential.
Compared to combat, Shiraishi excelled at research, and his cognition and thinking extended beyond the era of ninjas. This was his strength, an area where he surpassed Ruri and Ayane. As such, there was no need for him to strive for excellence in combat; it wasn't the path he should choose.
With this perspective, Konoha's high-level management's secret plans became less important. What mattered most was self-improvement.
◎
May brought warm weather to the region.
Unknowingly, a creature known as 'White Zetsu' had covertly infiltrated Konoha. Konoha was renowned for being the most challenging village to infiltrate among all the ninja villages, owing to its all-encompassing sensoy-type seal.
This seal could pierce through the very essence of the entity using the Byakugan. Therefore, when White Zetsu snuck in, he exercised extreme caution in all his actions.
Three individuals had infiltrated: two White Zetsu were assigned to monitor outside Konoha, while the third infiltrated Konoha village.
Their clear objective was to determine whether a missing White Zetsu had any connections with high-level Konoha members and also to gather information within the Uchiha clan to locate a so-called "Emissary."
The requirements for this "Emissary" in terms of personality and talents were unknown to White Zetsu; everything was to be determined by their "Madara-sama".
However, it was essential for the "Emissary" to be of a young age, preferably a child or teenager, for ease of control. Consequently, most of the Uchiha people under their surveillance were either young teen ninjas or children attending ninja schools.
The division of labor was precise: one investigated the high-ranking officials, another the ninja school, and one remained concealed within the Uchiha clan.
They had swiftly become proficient in gathering intelligence. Even in the most formidable Ninja Village to infiltrate, given enough time, they could successfully operate their intelligence network.
White Zetsu, responsible for the Uchiha clan, moved underground with the expertise of a master. He was like an intangible ghost, and no one had detected his actions thus far, not even the Uchiha clan itself.
This particular White Zetsu was feeling rather self-satisfied. While most White Zetsu lacked in combat abilities, they all possessed exceptional stealth skills. Only a few ninja with unique perception capabilities could detect their presence.
Considering the Uchiha clan's characteristics, he felt monitoring them was a straightforward task.
He thought to himself, "I'll be able to deliver everything to Madara-sama soon."
Just as he was about to continue, he suddenly felt the chilling sensation of being secretly watched by some unknown creature's eyes. It stopped him in his tracks as he swam through the soil.
Turning his head, White Zetsu was nearly overcome with terror. A pair of dark eyes had unexpectedly pushed through the earth beside him, locking onto him without warning.
Confusion swirled in his mind. What was this?
Before he could fully process this, the soil around him started to writhe and constrict, turning unnaturally soft, akin to quicksand. White Zetsu felt the suffocating oppression, and then he lost consciousness.
Everything occurred so abruptly that White Zetsu hadn't even managed to get a clear look at his assailant.
When he awoke, White Zetsu found himself bound to a stone chair with restraints covering his entire body. He was in a secret chamber, bathed in a dim yellowish light that barely illuminated the room.
Before him stood a young man and woman, both around fifteen or sixteen years old. The woman, dressed in a tight black ninja outfit, exuded a powerful, intimidating presence. The man, on the other hand, wore a white coat and observed him with an eerie, unsettling gaze.
Being subjected to this unsettling stare, White Zetsu couldn't help but tremble. Although he sensed the woman possessed greater strength, there was something about the man that felt even more dangerous.
These two individuals were Shiraishi and Ruri.
"Hello, how are you?" White Zetsu tried to alleviate the chilling atmosphere with exaggerated and humorous gestures, attempting to ease his internal tension.
However, Shiraishi and Ruri paid no heed to White Zetsu's exaggerated antics, entirely unaffected by them.
Once the atmosphere had settled, Shiraishi turned to Ruri and said, "Since we've managed to capture him alive this time, I intend to use a spiritualization technique to enter his spiritual world and extract information. I'll leave my body to you."
Ruri, nodding in agreement, watched intently. Shiraishi promptly formed hand seals, closed his eyes, and began to glow. An illusory figure resembling Shiraishi himself materialized in mid-air.
This illusory figure represented Shiraishi's soul.
With his soul out of his body, Shiraishi overlooked White Zetsu's struggling body. He then headed directly toward White Zetsu's body, merging with it and gaining access to White Zetsu's spiritual world.
White Zetsu, still seated on the stone chair, fought vigorously, sweat pouring down his face. However, no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't break free from Shiraishi's possession of his soul, rendering his attempts to resist futile.
Wandering through White Zetsu's spiritual world, Shiraishi discovered an entirely blank space, leaving him visibly astonished. When he used the spiritualization technique to explore others' spiritual worlds, they were never devoid of memory. There was always some portion of their recollections.
However, here was an entirely empty spiritual world. Did this individual truly possess nothing within his mind?
Shiraishi considered an improbable notion: "Could his memories be stored elsewhere, not within this 'space'?" Though it sounded unbelievable, it was the only plausible explanation. Even animals with no intelligence had occupied spiritual worlds that weren't blank.
Shiraishi concluded that the memories leading to the core of this white creature were sealed somewhere else.
Shiraishi was about to leave when an enormous scarlet pupil suddenly materialized within the vacant spiritual world.
A powerful chakra, unlike anything Shiraishi had ever encountered, washed over him. It felt icy and dark, as if he were a small boat teetering on the brink of capsizing in a tsunami.
"Sharingan... how is this possible!?" Shiraishi was the first to turn pale with shock.
The massive scarlet pupils, with their three distinctive black tomoe symbols, were unmistakably enlarged versions of the Sharingan. The evil and cursed power emanating from these pupils was even more overwhelming than the aura Ruri exuded.
Outside, White Zetsu suddenly let out a piercing roar. His face contorted ferociously, and countless blood vessels burst in his eyeballs, as though they might explode at any moment.
Shiraishi's illusory spiritual form swiftly detached from White Zetsu's body and returned to his own.
As he reentered his body, cold sweat covered his face. He stood there, pale, gazing silently at White Zetsu, who was seated motionless on the stone chair, mouth agape, and eyes rolled back, now lifeless.
"What happened?" Ruri, unaware of Shiraishi's experience, inquired with a note of concern as she helped him sit nearby.
As Shiraishi settled down, his fingers trembled slightly on the armrest. It was as if he were still reeling from the earlier shock. After a considerable pause, his voice, hoarse and strained, managed to articulate a single sentence:
"Sharingan..."
"Sharingan?" Ruri inquired.
"Sharingan's ocular power greater than yours... What a monster..." Shiraishi slowly closed his eyes as he spoke, as though he hadn't yet recovered from the recent horror.
Ruri, frowning at this revelation, thought deeply. "So, you're saying that you encountered the Sharingan illusion within this individual's spiritual world?"
Shiraishi nodded, confirming his previous statement. His words implicitly included Ruri, indicating that the opponent's use of Sharingan exceeded her capabilities.
"I'm well aware of their strengths. I can't confidently assert that my ocular power is the strongest among the Uchihas today, but there shouldn't be more than two pairs of Sharingan that can rival mine."
"But here, in this individual's spiritual world, the creator of the Sharingan illusion possesses ocular power far superior to yours." Shiraishi didn't wish to dent Ruri's self-confidence, but he had to state the fact.
As Ruri absorbed this information, she realized that she had been worrying needlessly. She refocused her thoughts.
However, no matter how she considered it, she couldn't fathom which Uchiha member currently possessed Sharingan power surpassing her own.
"It seems I guessed wrong from the beginning. These protective measures extend beyond just Wood Release and Tailed Beasts; they also involve Sharingan. This individual's arrival likely has no connection to the village's high-ranking members... There are other players pulling the strings."
Shiraishi exhaled deeply, his eyes reflecting a profound gravity. He emphasized the importance of caution in their future actions.
For the time being, the Land of Rain would be designated a restricted area to avoid encountering Akatsuki members again. Shiraishi didn't want to become a target due to unknown enemies.
In a vast, dark karst cave, a white figure emerged from the ground and promptly reported to an elderly man seated on a wooden chair.
"Madara-sama, the zetsu, who was investigating the Uchiha clan's territory, has vanished."
"I'm aware; the illusion I implanted in his mind was triggered, indicating his capture," the old man replied, his eyes shimmering with no one knowing his thoughts.
"Could our intelligence be compromised?" White Zetsu inquired with concern.
"No, the moment the illusion triggered, a chained suicide spell activated, and the White Zetsu is now dead," the old man responded coolly.
White Zetsu chuckled, displaying no sadness at White Zetsu's death. To them, their existence served as tools for their master's benefit.
"Withdraw from Konoha for now. I didn't expect such a formidable ninja to emerge within the clan after my departure. I mustn't act recklessly."
The old man's face expressed regret.
"Do you intend to abandon monitoring the Uchiha clan entirely?"
"Not abandonment. We'll wait until things quiet down, then send White Zetsu. Alternatively, we'll wait for the next ninja war; it might provide the perfect opportunity."
Among his ranks, some individuals had already detected White Zetsu's traces. Regardless of the method he employed, he couldn't easily gain full access to the Uchiha clan's current information. So, he had to select the "Emissary" that best suited his desires with care.
Having heard the old man's plan, White Zetsu promptly vanished into the ground, disappearing before the old man's eyes.
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