Chapter 151: 147: Project
The morning after the battle had concluded, within Iwagakure's camp, Ayane expressionlessly unsealed a scroll. From it, she retrieved twelve corpses dressed in Konoha's Anbu uniforms.
According to the pre-arranged price with Iwagakure, the bounty for the head of a Root ninja was five million ryo. With twelve corpses at hand, Ayane was promptly awarded 60 million ryo by Kitsuchi.
These corpses were in relatively good condition, and Ayane knew that Iwa's autopsy team could extract many Konoha secrets from them.
But Ayane herself was indifferent to such information; she doubted that the secretive Root mbers would reveal much even in death. For her, the real value lay in the 60 million ryo.
"Do you mind working together again, Hyuga Ayane? The reward will be worth your while." Kitsuchi asked with a strong desire to engage her services.
Hiring soone to remove the Konoha Root threat, given the resources available to Iwagakure, was undoubtedly a lucrative deal.
"No, I have other matters to attend to, so I think our cooperation should end for now. We can revisit the possibility in the future." Ayane replied.
Despite the enticing offer from Iwagakure, she recognized that her association with Konoha ant any future endeavors would be challenging and potentially fruitless.
Furthermore, the recent battle had left her injured and weary. Her physical condition demanded so rest, especially considering her opponent's formidable physique. She had suffered hand injuries and needed ti to recover.
Fighting the Konoha ninjas took a heavy toll.
"What a sha."
After hearing Ayane's refusal, Kitsuchi didn't insist, and could only hope for future cooperation.
"By the way, a friendly reminder: if you ever encounter a Konoha ninja wearing green tights, be wary of their Taijutsu."
Before leaving, Ayane gave Kitsuchi such a piece of advice.
"Green tights... a Konoha ninja?"
Kitsuchi pondered, attempting to deduce which Konoha ninja Ayane might be referencing.
Among the elite Jonin he was familiar with, he couldn't recall anyone who consistently wore green tights. Was this a reference to a newly appointed Jonin?
"I'll be more careful." Kitsuchi said, understanding that Ayane wouldn't provide such a warning without reason.
"Goodbye for now. We'll et again when the opportunity arises."
Ayane concluded, turned, and walked out of the Iwagakure camp.
As Ayane left, Kitsuchi thought about the warning Ayane had given him.
"Kitsuchi, should we have soone follow her?"
Gari asked as he approaching Kitsuchi discreetly.
"No, we'll have plenty of opportunities to work together in the future. Provoking a powerful ninja unnecessarily isn't wise."
Kitsuchi shook his head, and continued to speak in a calm tone.
"Besides, integrity is the most important thing in the underground black market. Only integrity can allow our village gain a foothold in the underground black market and attract those bounty hunters. If we break this agreent first, we will lose the credibility of the entire underground black market."
After all, training excellent ninjas consus too much resources.
Adhering to agreents would enhance Iwa's reputation and attract bounty hunters to their cause. Breaching an agreent would undermine their credibility within the market.
After all, nurturing elite ninjas required huge resources, and funds were essential for Iwagakure's growth.
Recruiting skilled bounty hunters, who were familiar with the warfare activities in the underground black market, was more cost-effective than raising ninja from childhood to adulthood. Bounty hunters could use these remunerations as required. It was vital for Iwagakure to attract those experts.
Even though tens of millions of ryo may seem significant, they were a relatively minor investnt when weighed against the resources spent on cultivating elite ninjas from infancy to adulthood.
"It's unfortunate that we couldn't contact Uchiha Ruri. Despite posting recruitnt information on the underground black market, there's been no response. It appears she's not interested in cooperating with us."
Kitsuchi ntioned. As Ayane had saiid Uchiha Ruri had remained unresponsive to Iwagakure's actions.
It wasn't clear if she was disinterested or wasn't interested in rewards totaling tens of millions of ryo, or perhaps even hundreds of millions.
However, Kitsuchi was inclined to believe the forr. It was difficult to imagine anyone being indifferent to such a significant bounty, especially for rogue ninjas who no longer had a stable living environnt.
........
"How severe are Danzo's injuries?"
The fierce battle with Iwagakure had been strategically employed to create opportunities for Danzo's Root and prevent Iwagakure's ninjas and Hyuga Ayane from converging.
This whole process had been ticulously planned, but the outco was beyond Jiraiya's expectations.
Deploying nurous elite Root mbers and even his own disciple, Minato, to confront Hyuga Ayane, a formidable defected ninja, had resulted in total failure.
To Jiraiya, this outco was shocking.
Most of the Root operatives who participated had suffered significant injuries, and many did not return.
The leader of the Root, Danzo, remained in a comatose state and continued to receive treatnt.
The water pots taken into his tent erged stained with blood.
"Elder Danzo is no longer in imdiate danger, but it's uncertain when he'll regain consciousness. Even if he does awaken, his combat abilities as a ninja in the future may be severely recuced."
Minato inford Jiraiya from outside Danzo's tent.
Two Anbu stood guard at the tent entrance, both bearing wounds from previous battles. They allowed only dical personnel to enter, ensuring Danzo's rest remained undisturbed.
"This is quite serious. What happened? How did our operation fail?" Jiraiya sought answers.
In his initial assessnt, the annihilation battle had not been without risks, but he had estimated an 80% success rate.
Responding to Jiraiya's question, Minato gave a wry smile and replied.
"Well, I can only say that we underestimated the enemy's strength and misjudged the extent of their jutsu. Even if we had possessed more information, it might have been challenging to target the enemy accurately."
Prior to the battle, they had acquired so information about Hyuga Ayane and made estimates based on the battle ti of the decoy team. Their assessnt had been intentionally cautious, yet they had grossly underestimated the opponent's abilities.
The reality had been astonishingly different.
Reflecting on the overwhelming impact of the Gentle Fist strikes that had left them with no room for evasion,
Minato admitted his perspective on the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist required a fundantal shift.
If not for Might Dai's use of secret dicine to provide additional support at a critical mont, using the power of the Seven Gates, Danzo might have been killed.
Furthermore, the injuries sustained were severe enough that even if they had been rescued, Danzo and the others would have faced imminent death.
Minato himself had hesitated, using the Flying Thunder God Jutsu to move to the next round of attacks as Danzo launched his initial attack. However, witnessing Danzo's dire condition had led Minato to abandon this plan and instead evacuate the battlefield with the wounded Danzo.
For the safety of the remaining forces, two teams of Root ninjas, a total of eight, had chosen to remain behind and make a final stand.
Jiraiya, inford of these events, bore an expression of profound concern. Even if he had been present himself, the situation would likely not have changed for the better.
In the ninja world, intelligence was invaluable.
While Jiraiya held no particular affection for Danzo, he recognized the significance of this battle for Konoha.
Knowing more about their enemies translated into fewer lives lost in the future. Ard with such information, strategies could be devised to confront even powerful enemies.
Jiraiya assud that Ayane, considering the considerable intelligence loss incurred in this encounter, would opt for a cautious approach rather than launching another grand contest with Konoha.
This change in her behavior would grant Konoha a respite. Regardless of her choice, whether she withdrew from the Land of Grass or acted with restraint, Konoha could now breathe more easily.
However, the consequences of the heavy losses incurred in this battle were severe for the Root. The loss of twelve elite Konoha ninja mbers was a significant blow, and they were not likely to recover in the short term.
Jiraiya hoped that Danzo could recover swiftly, but he harbored no unrealistic expectations.
"Minato, I'm entrusting this matter to you. Take a few days off"
"Yes, Jiraiya-sensei, please go ahead."
After Jiraiya's departure, Minato walked in a different direction, thinking about the challenge at hand.
Clearly, it was quite challenging for him to intervene in this battle. The Byakugan would effectively restrain his Flying Thunder God, making it difficult to appear unnoticed within a ten-kiloter radius.
A brief mont was required for Minato to charge up and launch an attack after each teleportation, creating a temporary weakness, similar to Ayane's montary stiffness after using the Rotation.
This "freeze ti" between executing the Flying Thunder God Technique and delivering an attack needed addressing, but Minato lacked a clear solution.
Continuous practice seed the only way to minimize this weakness further.
Moreover... Insufficient offensive power was a significant concern, and Minato's blue eyes reflected this seriousness.
He extended his palm, instinctively forming a blue chakra ball that fit in his hand. This was a self-developed A-Rank ninjutsu known as the Rasengan.
The Rasengan was a unique ninjutsu that pushed the boundaries of chakra's form and shape transformation. While its power could deal with most ninjas, it had limitations when facing stronger, more specialized opponents.
A thought suddenly occurred to Minato. He recalled Kakashi's previous mission where he had used a Lightning Release ninjutsu that contrasted his own Rasengan. Kakashi's ninjutsu had involved a change in chakra nature, the opposite of Minato's change in chakra from.
Minato's eyes lit up.
The idea of combining chakra nature change with the Rasengan sparked Minato's interest.
This required collaboration with Kakashi to exchange information regarding the Lightning Release nature transformation in exchange for insights into the Rasengam.
Although Minato was well-versed in Wind Release, he had no experience with Lightning Release. However, his role as Kakashi's ntor made it reasonable to share special jutsus with his disciples.
....
anwhile...
"I instructed you to catch those mice. Why did you beco involved in the Land of Grass?" Shiraishi questioned Ayane upon her return.
Ayane's private actions hadn't directly disrupted Shiraishi's plans, but they had been surprising nonetheless. Fortunately, no complications had arisen, and Ayane had returned unhard.
"I understand."
Ayane locked eyes with Shiraishi for three seconds before sighing and uttering these words.
"Understand what?" Shiraishi sat, bewildered by Ayane's response.
Soon, he understood. Ayane stood before him, suddenly undoing the belt around her kimono's waist. The material slid from her shoulders, exposing her milky-white collarbone.
Losing the shackles of clothes hinted at a captivating sensuality.
"Wait, you, why are you taking off your clothes all of a sudden?" Shiraishi stamred.
"Aren't you going to punish ?, then go ahead."
Ayane said as she sat with her back turned to Shiraishi, her exposed back showcasing a delicate and pitiful expression. She appeared like a vulnerable white rabbit, ready to be preyed upon.
"I can't resist you anyway. Whether it's a whip or a rope, I'm prepared for it."
As she spoke, a whip and a rope actually appeared beside her.
"Why do you have these props ready in advance?" Shiraishi asked, baffled by the sudden shift from professional discussion to intimate role-play with a female ninja in white knee socks.
It was quite tempting.
"Anyway, put your clothes back on."
"Aren't you coming?"
"The devil wants it. Anyways this is an official office, not a place for such behavior."
As the Minister of Military Affairs for the Land Of Demons and a newly appointed official responsible for military affairs, he couldn't engage in inappropriate conduct in his office.
"This is a rare good opportunity to punish
logically."
Shiraishi declined, prompting a slightly disappointed Ayane to reluctantly wear her clothes.
"Now let's discuss business."
Balancing his duties between managing the country's military affairs and his work in the laboratory left him with little sleep. His engagent with Ruri at night added to his exhaustion.
If this continued, his back might not hold up. Perhaps it was ti to develop a drug for strengthening one's waist.
"For now, I'll let you go since there were no troubles this ti. But don't take private action like this again, or I will wipe your *ss." Shiraishi admonished.
"Then... don't the other part need to be treated?" Ayane teased.
Shiraishi blushed, jumping out of his chair as if he couldn't bear the teasing any longer.
Seeing Shiraishi's intense anger and his helpless expression, Ayane smiled and said, "Alright, I was just joking, trying to lighten the mood. I brought you back a gift."
With that, Ayane produced a scroll and motioned to unseal it with a gesture.
To Shiraishi's astonishnt, the scroll automatically unfurled, revealing an arm covered in bloody scabs, erging in a cloud of white smoke.
"This is..."
"Danzo's severed arm. I wanted to kill him, but Namikaze Minato's Flying Thunder God jutsu was fast, and his speed was truly monstrous."
If it weren't for her arrogant attitude and the use of senjutsu chakra to enhance her physical abilities, that battle might not have been as easy.
Nevertheless, even in a fully liberated state, his nerve response speed could only match hers.
Ayane recognized Minato as a "superman" with innate quick reflexes, bound to beco the center of attention in the ninja world, assuming he didn't et an early death.
"That's why I sent Shadow Dancer to you. His incredible nerve response, combined with a convenient space-ti jutsu like the Flying Thunder God , presents an incredible challenge. That Mount Myōboku guy genuinely handed
with a huge problem."
Having said this, Shiraishi snorted in frustration.
He had realized how challenging it would be for Minato to continuously improve his superhuman neural response combined with the elusive Flying Thunder God jutsu, based on the defection incident.
"Might Dai is even more powerful than you initially described. It's likely due to the influence of secret dicine, and Konoha probably invested heavily in his training."
"That information is from a few months ago, so discrepancies are expected. It makes sense for Konoha's higher-ups to identify a unique talent and invest significantly in their developnt. However, it's not a grave concern. The Ninja World War concerns the five major countries, and there's no need for us to participate."
Konoha may produce many elite ninjas, but so do other villages. Even if Konoha aid for victory, they would exhaust their resources.
Shiraishi wasn't worried about any post-war reprisals from Konoha for the next seven or eight years. By then, he anticipated that he wouldn't fear Konoha's power.
Ruri and Ayane both had top-notch combat powers comparable to the five kages. Combining the combat power of himself and his several clones, it wasn't a lot of problem to deal with one of the five kages.
After seven or eight years, with the outstanding talents of the Uchiha, Hyuga, and Uzumaki, there would be more top combat power.
Therefore, Shiraishi wasn't very worried about Konoha. He was worried about sothing else at the mont —
Uchiha Madara and White Zetsu.
Shiraishi had no intention of confronting Uchiha Madara until he was thoroughly prepared, mindful of the deterrent effect the na held.
By severing White zetsu's influence, his intelligence network would crumble, preventing him from obtaining outside information and gradually pushing him into a dire situation.
The safest course of action was to cut ties with White zetsu. However, the execution of this plan depended on Madara's responses and his unique tactics.
"So, have those White zetsu been dealt with?"
Shiraishi asked about Ayane's work progress these days.
"Part of it has been dealt with, but many others have been missed. They are hiding deeper."
Ayane's answer didn't et Shiraishi's expectations.
"Is that so? You showed your face without authorization this ti, which disrupted the deploynt here a bit. Just think about it from another angle, there is also a place for usability. And..."
"And what?"
"Uchiha Madara's purpose, if i guess correctly, it should be the tailed beasts. Currently, the tailed beasts are in the hands of Konoha and other Ninja Villages. The only one not in the hands of the Villages is the Seven Tails in Takigakure located at the Land Of Waterfalls. I have sent people into Takigakure Village to act as eyeliners. If there is a problem, we will respond."
"What about Uchiha Obito?"
"The old man has limited mobility. He really needs a spokesperson that fits his idealization. It could only be an idiot easy to control. Therefore, the next step is to deal with the white zetsu around Uchiha Obito. I want to see what sort of response Uchiha Madara will make if the white zetsu around his ideal puppet is dealt with."
"So, should I still deal with these rats once more?"
"No, there's no need to worry at the mont. This plan requires patience. We need to establish the right path while controlling the risks of any mid-process accidents. When dealing with individuals like these, who are deeply seasoned, one slip could lead to a trap. The sa error won't be made twice by Uchiha Madara. For now, we can locate white zetsu, but not Madara himself."
Eliminating more white zetsu was aningless as long as Madara's location remained unknown. The key was to pinpoint Madara's location through the white zetsu's connections.
Before that, Shiraishi needed to make extensive preparations, increasing his strength, and be ready for battle.
"It's a good ti for you to return. I urgently need the assistance of your Byakugan."
"Assist with what?"
"Drawing a map."
"We need detailed topographical maps of every region in the Land Of Demons."
"Are you establishing a large lab?".
"No, it's sothing more important than a research lab. I intend to build a country within a country, sowhat like Roran. However, the country within my country is unique. From officials to civilians, it will consist of 'newborn humans' who have mastered natural energy. I'll call this project 'Nature Genesis' for now."
Shiraishi wasn't certain what would happen if the natural energy system suddenly flowed into the world. Hence, he wanted to create a dedicated "Nature Genesis." which would serve as an essential experintal area for understanding how humans using natural energy could establish a stable social system.
The Chakra system had caused abnormal developnt within the ninja world, neglecting the significance of civilians and exacerbating wealth disparities, thanks to the power held by ninja elites.
Natural energy had the potential to bridge this divide.
The experint might unveil new life or lead to destruction as a world system. Therefore, the plan was crucial in reforming the world.
Picking the right location, investing in the inhabitants, ensuring "Nature Genesis" concealnt, appointing protectors, and addressing nurous complex issues that hadn't yet surfaced were all part of the preparation process before the plan could officially launch. This preparation phase could span several years.
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