A thought briefly crossed Shikaku's mind to summon the Anbu and detain the two of them, but he quickly dismissed it.
Leaving aside the hidden powers these two possessed, even in direct combat, they were among Konoha's top elite jonin.
Aoba had once "defeated" the Raikage. Even if it involved some trickery, there was no denying that he could hold his own against the Raikage for a short time, making him a top-tier fighter.
Capturing the two of them quietly would be difficult, and even if the Hokage himself took action, there was no guarantee of success.
With a sigh, Shikaku spoke up, a hint of resignation in his tone.
"What do you want?"
...
Aoba's laboratory was rebuilt—larger, more comprehensive, and more luxurious than before. Naturally, this was thanks to the "sponsorship" of the late Lord Danzo.
In Shikaku's presence, Aoba and Kakashi had emptied one of Danzo's labs. Shikaku reluctantly spent half a day revising files, "erasing" the existence of that lab from the report.
Once the lab was reestablished, Aoba immediately began research on the Sharingan.
While transplanting a Sharingan was straightforward, Aoba wanted to understand this power more deeply. Since it would be transplanted into himself, he preferred to approach it with caution.
Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan was in excellent condition. It seemed Danzo had cherished this Mangekyo, keeping it in prime state and ready for immediate transplantation.
However, the ten Sharingan embedded in the right arm left Aoba disappointed.
"Since they were transplanted onto his arm, specifically the Hashirama-cell-infused right arm, these ten Sharingan's neural systems have been modified. They've also sustained some damage from the conflict with the Hashirama cells over time, making them irreparable.
"Simply put, these Sharingan can no longer be transplanted back into a person's eyes. They can only be used as expendable assets for techniques like Izanagi, as Danzo did. However, this pair is intact."
The pair she referred to was the last set of three-tomoe Sharingan sent by Orochimaru. During the Root reclamation, Aoba and Kakashi had found no additional Sharingan, suggesting that Danzo had likely wasted them on experiments.
"That guy Danzo really wasted valuable resources," Aoba remarked with some frustration. Danzo had been completely reckless with precious assets.
While these Sharingan could no longer be transplanted into the eyes, they still retained their ocular energy, which hadn't been overly depleted.
Aoba was particularly interested in the ocular power of the Sharingan, especially the phenomenon where the ocular power between blood relatives could merge. This sparked many ideas.
Since these Sharingan couldn't be transplanted, he decided to start a new research project to delve into the secrets of Sharingan's ocular power.
The transplantation procedure was performed by Yumi. It was a fairly simple operation. Physical resilience was a crucial factor in such surgeries.
In his later years, Uchiha Madara, with his Six Paths-level physical resilience, could swap eyes as easily as using a USB drive.
While Aoba hadn't reached that level, his body was also incredibly robust, thanks to the Hashirama cells. In fact, the Hashirama cells and the Sharingan were mutually enhancing.
Danzo's use of Sharingan to suppress Hashirama cells was a wasteful method, as the Hashirama cells should have empowered the Sharingan.
Madara had awakened the Rinnegan because he fused with Hashirama's flesh, demonstrating that combining Hashirama's bloodline with the Sharingan was a path to achieving a higher state of life.
Three days after the transplant, Aoba felt he could control the Mangekyo Sharingan. However, he sensed that the integration was not yet perfect, so he waited a bit longer.
During this time, Konoha saw no end to its turbulence. First, Root was being reclaimed and cleared.
Shikaku's capabilities were impeccable; he handled the operation almost flawlessly. Large amounts of resources and personnel were absorbed into the Anbu, making it stronger than ever.
Meanwhile, Root's years of illicit research had yielded many valuable resources, which Danzo had kept hidden.
Now, some of these were made available to Konoha's sensory and sealing divisions, benefiting them greatly. Apart from Danzo underground, nearly everyone in Konoha felt satisfied with the outcome.
However, there was still an issue: the identity of Danzo's killer remained unknown.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was growing increasingly anxious. He could hardly believe that such a high-level shinobi like Danzo, along with a team of over thirty elite Root members, had been annihilated so close to Konoha, yet there wasn't a single lead.
The destruction of the scene by the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing was a factor. The best-case scenario was that the enemy had perished alongside Root's members within the seal.
But truthfully, few people believed that. If the enemy had forced Danzo into such a desperate situation, the likelihood that they all perished by the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing seemed slim.
Hiruzen Sarutobi harbored a troubling theory, but he didn't dare voice it. The village was currently peaceful and flourishing.
If he spoke out on this theory, he would effectively be undermining all that lay before him and even his own achievements. Hiruzen did not want to burst that bubble.
In the Hokage's office, a high-level meeting was in session.
"The reclamation of Root's resources is nearly complete. Here is my report on the operation, Lord Hokage."
"Good. I trust your work, Shikaku."
"There's another matter, Lord Hokage. We need to continue investigating Danzo's murder. However, now that he's gone, I believe we should add an advisor seat to fill the gap in the high-level meetings that Danzo left."
Upon Shikaku's suggestion, Hiruzen's eyes changed. He glanced at Aoba, then turned his gaze to the two other advisors.
Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane were both shrewd figures. Naturally, they didn't want anyone else infringing on their power, but they couldn't openly reject the idea without appearing power-hungry.
And it was clear that the Hokage wanted them to express their opinions. After exchanging a glance, they promptly responded:
"We will follow Lord Hokage's decision." With a single sentence, they kicked the ball back into Hiruzen's court.
Hiruzen felt a wave of exhaustion. Danzo truly had been his most devoted ally. In situations like this, Danzo would have leaped to oppose the addition of anyone new to the council, as he was the last person to want more members in the high-level meetings.
Hiruzen had always kept Danzo around, partly for this reason. Danzo's political stances aligned with Hiruzen's interests.
But now that Danzo was gone, the other two advisors weren't as useful as he had been.
With no other choice, Hiruzen had to speak up himself.
"Shikaku, do you have a suitable candidate in mind?"
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