"Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on Naruto. His loyalty to Konoha and to us has already been tested, so there's no problem!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a drag from his pipe and said to Asuma Sarutobi.
Actually,
Since Naruto last stole the Scroll of Seals, Hiruzen was very satisfied with how Naruto had been doing.
Naruto had come to accept Konoha, and all these years of teaching had worked.
"What about Uchiha Sasuke? He's also a genius. Though not as skilled as Itachi, his talent is still impressive!" Asuma looked at his father with approval and said, "Besides Uchiha Genya, Sasuke is the only Uchiha attending the ninja academy!"
So,
It was almost impossible to try to turn other Uchiha against the village.
As for Uchiha Genya — a useless person who hadn't even awakened his Sharingan — even if he became the clan leader in the future, what good would it do?
He'd still be useless!
"We'll wait on Sasuke's matter for now," Hiruzen Sarutobi weighed his words.
"Right now, Sasuke's whole focus is on revenge. I've tried to reach out to him before, but it was useless!"
Hiruzen had thought about brainwashing Sasuke like he did with Itachi, believing that Sasuke — who felt wronged by the Uchiha clan — would feel grateful to him.
But that kid only had revenge on his mind, wanting to find Itachi and ask why he killed their parents!
Hiruzen knew no matter how much he tried to guide him, it wouldn't work!
He could only wait for Sasuke to resolve his own feelings.
As for having Asuma build a relationship with Sasuke? Haha, better not. Asuma's fiery temper was well-known, and as his father, Hiruzen understood how volatile he could be.
"So, does that mean my team is still the most outstanding?" Asuma spoke up only after hearing his father's advice.
Hiruzen nodded and took another puff from his pipe. "By the way... I heard you've been getting close to Kurenai?"
"Yeah," Asuma nodded. But his expression darkened, recalling how Kurenai had rejected him. He couldn't help but say, "But she seems to be distancing herself from me."
"Lately, she's been getting close to Kakashi and Might Guy, and she even has ties with the Uchiha clan!" Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Asuma Sarutobi and paused before continuing, "If possible... it's better to give up!"
If Kurenai hadn't willingly taken Uchiha Genya as her disciple, there might still be a chance.
But since Kurenai, for some unknown reason, accepted Genya as her student, that meant she was involved with the Uchiha clan.
Given the current relationship between the Uchiha and the Sarutobi clan, it was nearly impossible for Asuma and Kurenai to continue as before.
"Don't worry about this matter. I have my own plans," Asuma said. He didn't know when he had lit a cigar, but suddenly took a sharp drag. A cold, ruthless gleam flashed in his eyes.
Since normal methods wouldn't work, he didn't mind using some special means.
In the mental realm, this was Genya's second meeting in his mental space.
This time, there were still four figures present: Genya, Orochimaru, Shisui, and Hikari.
Genya had brought Hikari along to discuss the evolution of the insect with Orochimaru.
After all, with Orochimaru's talent, he might be able to guide Hikari through the confusion.
Sure enough, Genya's decision was right. Orochimaru did provide Hikari with some new ideas. However, Orochimaru also learned from Hikari about the Jashin's immortal cells!
The bond between the soul and the immortal body? Interesting. This truly opened new avenues of thought for him.
He could draw from Hikari's research on traits and create a more perfect artificial human!
"Shisui... how are things on your end?" Genya finally looked toward Shisui.
"Everything's normal, but..." Shisui suddenly remembered the person who could hide underground and added, "A while ago, we were being followed by a strange person!"
"Followed?" Genya frowned. There were probably very few people in the ninja world capable of tracking both Shisui and Hayashi.
"Who was it?"
"A person with a very unique appearance," Shisui recalled seriously, "his body is divided into two colors—one black, one white. Even his voice sounds like two different people, as if he were twins!"
"One black and one white?" Genya whispered softly, the image of Zetsu immediately appearing in his mind.
Black and white Zetsu?
Have they not separated yet?
"Yes, he's very skilled at hiding his chakra. If he hadn't accidentally made a sound, I wouldn't have noticed him at all!" Shisui nodded, then added, "And he can quickly merge into the ground, almost becoming one with it. Oh, and he's a member of the Akatsuki too!"
"I know who he is!" Orochimaru nodded seriously. "His name is Zetsu. It's probably two bodies fused into one. His abilities are earth and wood styles, and he controls them perfectly. They can blend into soil and trees—it's the perfect combination of earth and wood release!"
"He's with Tobi!"
Orochimaru had shown interest in Zetsu before and even tried to recruit him for experiments, but Zetsu saw through it.
"Perfect combination of earth and wood release?" Shisui muttered Orochimaru's words quietly, then finally asked his question, "Is his wood release as strong as the First Hokage's?"
Orochimaru thought for a moment and answered, "If the two of them are fused, their chakra might be a bit weaker. If the chakra is equal, then... well, maybe they wouldn't be a match for the First Hokage!"
Uchiha Shisui hadn't expected Orochimaru to hold Zetsu in such high regard.
"Alright, that's enough about this!" Genya interrupted their conversation at the right moment. "Shisui, be more careful on your missions from now on!"
After that, Genya gave a few more instructions to Shisui and the others before exiting the mental space.
However, Hikari and Orochimaru didn't leave. It seemed they were still exchanging ideas about experiments.
Time flows slowly in the mental world, allowing them to accomplish many things.
Time passed slowly.
The next morning, Genya got up as usual to practice taijutsu. After breakfast, he went to the location designated by Kurenai!
The central area of Konoha, right next to the hall where ninjas receive their missions.
But at this moment, Hinata, Shino Aburame, and Kurenai Yuhi had already arrived!
"Hey, you're quite early!" Genya waved and greeted them.
"Genya-kun!" Hinata nodded shyly.
Kurenai glanced at Genya, then looked at the sky. "It's not that we're early, you're just late!"
"Is that so? Haha, I guess I got a bit too absorbed in training today and lost track of time!" Genya scratched his head awkwardly, then quickly changed the subject.
"Have you eaten yet? Want to grab something before the mission?"
"Alright… next time, be sure to be on time. It's time to head to the mission hall!" Kurenai shot Genya a glance and walked toward the mission hall across from them.
Genya and Hinata followed closely behind Kurenai.
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