Taking out the cells he had obtained from Tobi (White Zetsu), Aoshi quickly immersed himself in research.
Because Tsunade had previously conducted extensive studies on White Zetsu cells, a large amount of detailed research data had been left behind here.
That was precisely why Aoshi chose to come to this place instead of remaining in his own Secret Base.
Thanks to the abundance of existing data, Aoshi's research on Tobi's cells progressed at a remarkable speed.
In just a little over a month, he achieved tangible results.
Looking at the newly completed Wood Release Potion placed before him, Aoshi summoned Rinne Path-White Zetsu and instructed him to deliver it to Danzo for testing.
Only after confirming that the Wood Release Potion was completely safe would it be used on Tsunade.
After arranging everything, Aoshi walked out of the research base. Only then did he realize that night had already fallen.
Unknowingly, an entire day had passed.
Meanwhile.
Hidden Mist Village.
After a full month had gone by, the Hidden Mist Village had largely fallen under Danzo's control.
It was no exaggeration to say that he had become the true power lurking behind the village.
Mizukage's Office
The Third Mizukage stood respectfully to the side, while another figure sat calmly in the Mizukage's chair.
It was Danzo. If any Kirigakure ninja were to witness this scene, it would undoubtedly trigger a massive upheaval.
However, Danzo had already issued strict orders: apart from Yagura and the Kirigakure ANBU, no other Kirigakure ninja was permitted to enter this place.
Not even Elder Genshi, a man with extremely high prestige within the Hidden Mist Village, was allowed inside.
Anyone who disobeyed would be treated as a traitor.
"That old bastard Genshi seems to have noticed something. He's been making a lot of moves in the shadows."
Danzo's voice, tinged with irritation, echoed through the office as he stared at the intelligence report in his hand.
Given Genshi's towering status within the Hidden Mist Village, Danzo had refrained from acting against him until now.
He feared that a single misstep could cause a huge commotion and undo all the effort he had invested so far.
The current Danzo could not afford such a loss.
"So what do you plan to do?" A White Zetsu, disguised as a Kirigakure ANBU, asked calmly.
"Of course, I'll kill him directly. Otherwise, that old bastard will only cause even more trouble."
Although Genshi was extremely old—far older than Danzo himself, he still possessed tremendous influence and control within the Hidden Mist Village.
Many times, even the Third Mizukage had to consult him before implementing important policies.
It wasn't because Genshi was greedy for power. Rather, he was genuinely experienced in handling the many affairs of the Hidden Mist Village.
He was nothing like Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu, who merely occupied their positions without contributing anything meaningful.
It was no exaggeration to say that Genshi was absolutely indispensable in elevating the Hidden Mist Village to its current status as one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
He simply never became Mizukage. Otherwise, he would have been the equivalent of Senju Tobirama within the Hidden Mist Village.
This alone illustrated how enormous Genshi's contributions truly were.
This was an old man who had dedicated his entire life to the Hidden Mist Village. In his eyes, the village was like his own child.
It could be said that anyone else in the Hidden Mist Village might betray it—but Genshi never would.
"However, that old fellow is extremely cautious. He always keeps trusted aides at his side, leaving no opening to strike."
The fact that even White Zetsu said this was proof of how difficult Genshi was to deal with.
Hearing that, Danzo's expression darkened further. After a brief moment of contemplation, he spoke again.
"Tomorrow is the graduation ceremony for a new batch of Ninja Academy students. If I remember correctly, Mei Terumī, whom that old fellow values highly, is among them—am I right?"
"Yes. Mei Terumī is a rare genius within the Hidden Mist Village. She has already awakened two Bloodline Limits even before graduating."
Genshi had protected such a talent early on.
After all, unlike other ninja villages, the Hidden Mist Village was not friendly toward shinobi who possessed Bloodline Limits.
On the contrary, they actively targeted them.
The Yuki Clan, which possessed the Ice Release Bloodline Limit, had been hunted until it was completely wiped out.
This wasn't because Kirigakure shinobi failed to understand the value of Bloodline Limits.
Rather, it was because those Bloodline clans had once monopolized too much power within the village to the point of even threatening the Mizukage's authority.
In fact, the reason the Third Mizukage had implemented the infamous "Blood Mist Policy" was closely related to this issue.
Because of that, if Genshi hadn't been farsighted, Mei Terumī would have suffered harm long ago.
For this reason, Mei had long been labeled as "Genshi's person," someone who could not be swayed.
"Change tomorrow's graduation exam location to an uninhabited island." Danzo's voice was cold and decisive.
"That old fellow Genshi will definitely worry about Mei Terumī's safety and secretly leave the Hidden Mist Village."
The Land of Water was an island nation, scattered with countless uninhabited islands.
As long as Genshi left the village of his own accord, Danzo could act without any reservations.
"Understood. I'll go make the arrangements." With that, White Zetsu vanished.
Watching the direction it left, Danzo's gaze grew increasingly deep.
He wasn't sure whether Black Zetsu had already left the Hidden Mist Village, but during the past month, only White Zetsu had appeared.
Danzo remained extremely wary of both Black Zetsu and White Zetsu.
Because of this, he planned to depart for the Land of Rain immediately after dealing with Genshi and eliminating all hidden dangers within the Hidden Mist Village.
Over the past month, Danzo had already decided to seek out Hanzō as a partner.
After all, the other party was the legendary "Demigod" renowned throughout the Ninja World, and his strength was undeniable.
In Danzo's view, as long as he had Hanzō's assistance, whether it was dealing with Hirakawa Aoshi or the forces behind Black Zetsu and White Zetsu, there would be no problem at all.
After arranging everything, Danzo returned to his residence to rest.
At that moment, the figure of Rinne Path-White Zetsu appeared.
Naturally, he did not reveal his true appearance, instead disguising himself as one of Danzo's subordinates.
After taking control of the Hidden Mist Village, Danzo had secretly assembled a new research team.
The objective was obvious—Wood Release.
"Lord Danzo, our research has yielded results. This is the newly developed Wood Release Potion. You only need to inject it into the body to awaken Wood Release."
---
The night passed without incident.
Time soon moved to the next morning.
Today, Aoshi did not indulge himself in pleasure. He woke up early to train, then headed to Konoha Hospital for work.
There was an important matter scheduled for today, Kurenai and the other two were about to take their Internship Assessment.
If they passed, they would officially become permanent staff.
"Don't be nervous. With the abilities the three of you possess, as long as you perform normally, passing the assessment won't be a problem at all."
With Aoshi's reassurance, the three, who had been somewhat tense, immediately relaxed.
"Brother Aoshi, if all of us pass, is there a reward?" Kurenai asked eagerly, her eyes full of anticipation.
After thinking for a moment, Aoshi smiled and replied, "Of course, there's a reward. If all three of you pass, I'll treat you to yakiniku at Yakiniku Q."
Hearing this, Kurenai and the other two were instantly delighted.
Yakiniku Q was famous throughout Konoha—and naturally, it was expensive.
Even Kurenai herself had only been there a handful of times. As for Rin and Shizune, that went without saying.
--
--
Show your support with Power Stones, everyone!
If we make it into the top 10 rankings at the week's end, I'll drop 5 bonus chapters as a thank-you!
P@treon/Lord IM(40+ Advanced Chapters)