"Kill their Kage, kill their researchers. But one thing—absolutely do not let them realize it's us making the move."
Jigen's words brought the meeting to a close.
The Inner Circle members rose one after another to leave, only Amado remaining after being asked to stay by Jigen.
"How is Pride's body?"
Jigen was extremely curious about Pride's condition.
It had been Amado's bold attempt at incorporating natural energy.
Unfortunately, the result was less than satisfactory.
"It's not compatible. Every time Pride uses natural energy, it causes a certain degree of damage to his body, and the destructive power isn't as great as imagined."
"So the experiment failed?"
A trace of emotion finally appeared in Jigen's tone—mostly dissatisfaction.
"Yes."
Amado nodded.
"I see…"
Amado's conclusion made Jigen abandon research into natural energy.
If that was the case, then after all, he would have to focus on the cells of Ōtsutsuki Shibai.
"Is it possible to use Ōtsutsuki Shibai's cells to create artificial humans possessing divine techniques?"
That was exactly what Amado had wanted to attempt.
"I was just thinking the same thing. However, the number of cells required might be greater than expected."
Amado probed, hoping to glean information about Ōtsutsuki Shibai from Jigen's response.
"Is that so?"
Jigen's reaction was beyond Amado's expectations.
He neither agreed nor objected.
After letting out a sigh, he simply fell silent.
This wasn't good.
Amado thought to himself.
…
Jiraiya walked into the conference room, casually pulled out a chair, and sat down.
For some reason, he kept feeling that Fugaku's gaze from not far away was a little off.
He didn't dwell on it, though, and instead wondered why the higher-ups had summoned them.
The answer soon came from Sakumo.
The Konoha team sent to the Land of Fields to investigate the ruins had been attacked. Of the four jōnin, two had died, and the remaining two had returned to the village with their teammates' bodies and Lust's remains.
Under Fugaku's direction, Nara Shikaku distributed copies of the report detailing the incident.
"The Fifth is in the Land of Fields?"
Fugaku couldn't quite read the text on the paper in his hands. After trying for a while, he gave up and started asking about the Fifth's whereabouts.
"That appears to be the case, though he didn't mention to those two when he would return to the village."
Sakumo rubbed his temples. He really had no good solution for a hands-off Hokage like Takeshi.
What worried him even more was that Konoha's development was accelerating rapidly. The construction of trade routes and various factories had made the Hokage's workload extremely heavy. Right now, he desperately needed an assistant.
Helpless, he could only cast a pleading look at Sarutobi Hiruzen, hoping the old Hokage would step up and share some of the burden.
Noticing Sakumo's gaze, Sarutobi Hiruzen deliberately avoided eye contact and silently looked down at the documents in his hand.
Retirement was far too comfortable—who would be stupid enough to take the reins again at a time like this?
Shimura Danzō was willing, but Sakumo wasn't about to give him the chance.
After thinking it over, Sakumo turned his gaze toward Jiraiya.
"Hm?"
Jiraiya suddenly felt someone watching him. Just as he was about to look up and find the source, Obito barged in at the worst possible moment.
"Obito? Is something the matter?"
Sakumo looked at the uninvited Obito and asked his purpose.
"Fourth-sama, I have important information to report to you."
Obito walked toward Sakumo as he spoke, glancing at Jiraiya as he passed.
Something's wrong.
Alarm bells went off in Jiraiya's head. Years of fighting on the front lines of erotic literature had honed his instincts—this was dangerous.
Sure enough, after Obito leaned in and whispered something in Sakumo's ear, Sakumo looked at Jiraiya with utter resignation.
"If that's the case, handle it according to regulations."
At Sakumo's words, Obito immediately gave the order. The ANBU police force members he had brought rushed in and pinned Jiraiya to his seat.
"What the hell are you doing? I'm here for a meeting!"
Jiraiya struggled desperately, but this was a conference room—some techniques weren't suitable for use here. Besides, he knew the power of Obito's Mangekyō Sharingan. Even if he escaped this time, he would just be caught again.
And so, under the bewildered gazes of everyone present, Jiraiya was dragged out of the conference room.
After leaving behind the investigation report, Obito bid Sakumo farewell and left.
"Let's put the artificial human matter aside for now. Third-sama, let's first take a look at Jiraiya's case."
Sakumo first carefully reviewed the statement from the unidentified person A.
After confirming that Obito had removed all mention of Kakashi as instructed, Sakumo finally handed the report to the Third with peace of mind.
"That idiot disciple of mine!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen skimmed through the report and slammed the table in fury.
That Jiraiya—he had control of an entire smuggling route for those books, yet still let him pay top price buying famous works from other villages! The nerve!
Of course, Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't say that out loud.
He stood up indignantly. The man who had just been actively avoiding work was now personally leading his direct ANBU to raid Jiraiya's stash.
"Hmph."
Danzō gave a cold snort, seeing right through him.
"This old man will go too."
The moment those words left his mouth, Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression changed.
What was that supposed to mean—was Danzō planning to interfere with his… evidence collection?
Danzō couldn't be bothered to explain. Taking his guards, he left the conference room ahead of Hiruzen.
The moment he stepped outside, he could no longer hide the smile on his face.
His son had solo-killed an artificial human—an existence that could rival a Kage.
In other words, at this age, Takeshi had already far surpassed Hiruzen. The title of strongest Hokage was truly well-deserved!
Yes, he was in a good mood today. He'd let Shisui get off work early and treat him to dinner.
With Jiraiya, Hiruzen, and Danzō all leaving their seats, the remaining few exchanged glances before turning to Fugaku.
Were they still having this meeting or not?
"In any case, regarding the Fifth's departure from the village, I have already issued gag orders to Sarutobi Shinte and Shimura Myō, telling them not to leak the information. As for the ruins in the Land of Fields, I plan to have Tsunade lead a team to investigate."
With Jiraiya arrested, Orochimaru gender-swapped and researching the Rinnegan, and Hiruko heading to Kirigakure, the only one who could hold the fort in the Land of Fields was Tsunade.
At the very least, now that artificial humans had been confirmed active there, Konoha needed to dispatch high-level combat power to deal with potential threats.
As for Minato—Sakumo had already decided to turn him back into a workhorse and share some of the load.
Just like when he himself had first succeeded as the Fourth Hokage.
Minato, currently enjoying a rare family reunion at home, had no idea he had suddenly regained his status as a beast of burden, once again contributing his strength to Konoha's development.
...
Land of Earth.
After the Ninja Alliance was formed, at Konoha's invitation, Ōnoki sent people to tour Konoha's research bureau. He then followed their example, gathering top talent from the village and the Land of Earth to establish the Iwagakure Research Bureau.
The man in charge of the entire bureau was a middle-aged man named Sorata.
Thanks to his efforts, in just a few short years, Iwagakure's technological level had skyrocketed, and many new weapons had been developed.
At this moment, Doctor Sorata—praised by Ōnoki as the backbone of Iwagakure—was inside a secret room of the research bureau, respectfully reporting Iwagakure's various achievements to Fūka.
"You've done well."
Fūka smiled and nodded, acknowledging Sorata's work.
Then she reached out her hand, leaned close—almost pressing her face to his—and breathed hot air as she spoke to the already flushed and racing-hearted man:
"I have one question. With your current abilities, could you eliminate Ōnoki without causing massive chaos?"
Sorata's little heart instantly calmed the moment he heard those words.
He stammered in confusion: "B-but that's… that's Ōnoki, Lady Fūka…"
"I know. The only ninja in the shinobi world who currently possesses Dust Release, and also the one you're most interested in researching."
Fūka gently stroked Sorata's cheek.
"I know you desperately want to study the secrets of Dust Release. Unfortunately, the Ninja Alliance has already become a serious threat to the organization. The Inner Circle has unanimously decided to hunt down all five Kage."
Ōnoki was indeed terrifyingly strong—but that depended on who he was compared to.
At the very least, in Sorata's eyes, the Five Kage were not qualified to be compared with members of the Inner Circle.
"If this operation succeeds, I will consider proposing to the other members that they approve your application to join the Inner Circle."
Fūka released his cheek and chuckled lightly behind her hand.
"I-I understand. I will look for the right opportunity…"
Even as he said this, Sorata was, at the end of the day, just a researcher. Asking him to confront Ōnoki head-on was nothing short of delusional.
"Hehe, that attitude is enough. Don't worry—I'm not that stupid. You only need to find a suitable moment and report it to me."
Fūka gave Sorata a reassuring pill.
Hearing that he wouldn't have to do it personally, Sorata let out a sigh of relief.
But he was still worried for Fūka. "Lady Fūka, do you need any other assistance from me?"
Fūka shook her head. After implanting Ōtsutsuki Shibai's cells, she had gained a new understanding of her own power.
The so-called Ōnoki was, in her eyes, nothing more than a relic of the old era.
With the help of the Ōtsutsuki, she had touched the power of an immortal god—eternal life and immortality.
Once the Chakra Fruit fully matured, she would evolve completely into an Ōtsutsuki and rule over the weak humans.
As for Ōnoki—he was nothing more than a stepping stone.
"Hahaha, then I'll be taking my leave."
Fūka stood up and, right in front of Sorata, gradually melted into the darkness.