Inside the Hokage's office, Anya had already left, leaving Sarutobi and Minato engaged in conversation.
"What?" Minato exclaimed in shock. "Is that really true? But..."
Sarutobi nodded with a smile. "I've made up my mind. I've already drafted your appointment letter. I'll submit it to the Daimyo in a few days. I'm telling you in advance so you can mentally prepare yourself."
The sudden realization of his childhood dream left Minato feeling as if he were living in a dream.
Meanwhile, having achieved his objective, Anya directly headed to Root's territory. This time, he didn't wear his Anbu mask and confidently walked up to the entrance.
On a long staircase, Danzo and Anya stood facing each other.
Danzo's eyes, filled with deep resentment, revealed apprehension. "Why are you here again? There's no one from Root under your command."
Anya casually took out the appointment letter and tossed it toward Danzo.
Instinctively catching it, Danzo's fury soared. Just as he was about to throw the scroll to the ground, something caught his attention from the text, leaving him surprised and disbelieving.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi really appointed you as the head of Anbu?"
"You know well enough," Anya replied calmly. Taking a single step forward, his figure nearly teleported past Danzo. "If I remember correctly, Root is essentially the training unit of Anbu and falls under my command."
Danzo clenched his teeth in silent rage. Though he remained silent outwardly, inwardly he sneered. Only he knew all the details about Root's members. After layers of brainwashing and training since childhood, they essentially obeyed only him. Even if Anya became the head, it was merely nominal; he wouldn't be able to command Root effectively.
Anya gave Danzo a knowing smile, a gaze that pierced deep inside, sending chills down Danzo's spine.
"Where was that experiment conducted? Take me there."
"What experiment?" Danzo asked, puzzled.
"It seems I need to remind you," Anya said coolly, "[Wood Release]."
"What?" Danzo exclaimed in shock. "Did he actually tell you everything?"
Realizing his mistake, he quickly corrected himself. "No, he would never tell you this. Besides, after the Third Battle, he ordered the Wood Release experiments to be discontinued."
Discontinued? It seemed that Sarutobi still hadn't hardened his heart enough to pursue dangerous experiments recklessly.
Unfazed, Anya said leisurely, "Really? From what I know about you, you wouldn't have followed orders that obediently."
"What are you implying? I understand now. You're actually attempting to interfere with this experiment," Danzo chuckled bitterly. "Boy, you're far too..."
Before he could finish, Danzo felt a searing pain surge through his entire body. Flames engulfed him from the soles of his feet. His body twisted like burning paper, contorted into unnatural shapes. He screamed as the agony of being torn apart consumed him.
He let out a stifled grunt, trying not to show the pain. This was genjutsu. Damn it, when did he trap me?
With great effort, he raised one hand, disrupted his chakra flow, and muttered, "Genjutsu: Release."
As soon as he broke free from the illusion, Danzo felt a chilling coldness at his neck. Drops of blood trickled down his clothing as a blade had already sliced his skin. One wrong move, and his throat would be sliced open.
So powerful, even stronger than before. White Fang, what kind of madman have you trained?
Danzo sadly realized he was completely powerless against Anya.
Anya stared into Danzo's one eye and said, "I'm not Shinku Yuhi. My personality isn't nice, so remember this—starting today in Konoha, when you see me, keep your head down and behave."
"Regarding the Wood Release Experiment, I know far more than you imagine. Now take me there, or I'll go there dragging your corpse."
With a single thought from Anya, the six blades surrounding Danzo returned to The Supreme Blade.
Ever since mastering the Sword Manipulation Art, it had surpassed even the Phantom Sword Art, becoming Anya's most practical sword technique—low-cost, high-speed, and devastating.
Faced with the threat of death, Danzo remained silent, clinging to the last scraps of his dignity, and led Anya deep underground.
No wonder this was Root's headquarters—it was hidden extremely deep. The interior was a world of its own. Its sheer size even surpassed that of Anbu.
Danzo wound through a maze of corridors before finally bringing Anya to a thick iron door.
When Danzo arrived, two Root members immediately came forward and opened the door.
Just as Anya had suspected, the Wood Release Experiments that Sarutobi had ordered to stop were happening right here.
Inside, dozens of children floated in experimental tanks, completely submerged in green liquid. With each breath they took, bubbles occasionally rose to the surface of the green liquid.
Anya, who once worked under Orochimaru, was well-versed in human experimentation. Since his arrival in this world, aside from his brief time at the Ninja Academy, the half year he spent working with the Serpent Master was the happiest time he'd had—carefree and filled with learning, which helped ease the pain in his heart, at least a little.
Looking through all the experimental data related to these test subjects, Anya frowned. Judging solely from these records, none of these children could survive. After so long, still no results?
"Are there any successful test subjects?" Anya asked, voicing his inner doubt.
Danzo's eyes flickered slightly as he shook his head. "No."
Anya constantly monitored Danzo's facial expressions and even his heart rate. Whether he was lying or not could be detected easily—clearly, Danzo was lying.
This was good news, meaning there was still a chance of success.
"Out," Anya ordered Danzo.
Danzo's chest heaved a few times. Remembering his near-death experience just moments ago, he gritted his teeth and walked out of the lab.
Anya walked up to a tank, activated green-colored chakra in his hand, and gently placed it on the surface, slowly injecting the chakra into the liquid.
"Boom..."
One minute later, the child within the tank exploded into pieces. Blood stained the green liquid—a brutally gruesome scene.
Unmoved, Anya moved to the next tank. As the Serpent Master once said, these test subjects could no longer be considered humans. They were tools, and as humans, their job was to understand how to use these tools properly.
In the Naruto world, some believed in talent, others in bloodlines, some in effort, and some in ninjutsu. Orochimaru believed in science—and fittingly, Anya, as a transmigrator, believed in science too.
After several test subjects met the same fate, Anya began to suspect something was wrong.
The green liquid was actually a diluted form of Hashirama's essence. These subjects had been carefully selected—each was a child gifted with both [Water Release] and [Earth Release] abilities. Having survived this long, they had developed partial immunity to the rejection effects of the cells.
However, once the foreign essence merged with their bodies, the powerful Hashirama essence began consuming the original cells, gradually overtaking them until the body could no longer contain the pressure, eventually exploding.
Ultimately, these subjects were simply too weak to control the immense power contained within Hashirama's essence. Yet, if they used stronger subjects, their bodies would mount a stronger rejection response, resulting in even more catastrophic outcomes. No wonder this experiment was so difficult—an impossible catch-22!
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