Anya hadn't left the lab for days. The number of test subjects had been halved, yet there was nothing much to show except failure.
Hashirama's Essence proved so strong that Anya felt helpless—unable to find a way in. She had tried every method possible, including ninjutsu, drugs, and toxins, but still couldn't get the cells to be absorbed properly.
The persistent difficulties only proved how valuable these cells truly were. Once resolved and integrated into the body, they might actually eliminate the side effects brought forth by the Mangekyo Sharingan.
The regenerative power of these cells was absurd—almost terrifying. And this was even after dilution. Just how scary would they be in their full, undiluted state? From this, one could imagine just how powerful Hashirama truly is. At the very least, her current self had no qualifications to fight him.
Kakuzu was impressive to dare assassinate Hashirama and actually survive the encounter. Truly remarkable.
After a moment of reflection, Anya conjured a blood vial into her hand. It contained the blood of the Third Raikage—one of the reasons Anya had personally killed him.
Among everyone Anya had battled, the physical strength of the Third Raikage was the strongest. His blood had been saved for a trade with the Serpent Master. But after the Four-Nation Coalition incident occurred, Anya chose to use her own blood as an exchange instead, so this vial had remained unused.
Anya extracted cells from the Raikage's blood without dilution and carefully selected an empty vessel to drop them into. Then she injected diluted Hashirama's Essence into the same vessel and began observing.
The moment these two powerful cells made contact, they violently clashed. The undiluted Raikage cells gained the upper hand, turning the liquid inside the vessel into a deep blue, compressing the green space within.
As time passed, the green liquid demonstrated its resilience. No matter how much it was compressed, the cells inside continued to exist, gradually beginning a counterattack.
Eventually, the two cellular forces reached equilibrium—neither interfering with the other, maintaining a balance, though they completely failed to fuse.
Seeing this, Anya's eyes brightened. She slashed her fingertip with a blade and dripped her own blood into the mixture.
"Zzziisshh..."
Instantly, it was as if a red-hot iron had been plunged into cold water—the vessel erupted violently, churning like an ocean in storm. Inside, the three types of cells wildly tore at each other, their conflicting energies shattering the vessel outright.
Anya dodged back and sighed bitterly—another failure...
At least she hadn't added a test subject this time. Otherwise, that would've been another waste.
Still, Anya had gained something this time. To harness the power within Hashirama's cells, balance must be achieved first—one must suppress cellular backlash without triggering resistance. Much like the Raikage's cells, when Anya injected her own, they were clearly targeted aggressively. Yet there was also a subtle sense of enhancement—her own cells had grown stronger before the explosive reaction occurred.
Could this be the mutual generation and mutual restraint the Stone Tablet talked about?
Ugh, this is giving me a headache. Well, enough for now. Time to take a break. Solving this issue immediately didn't seem realistic.
[Shunshin!] Anya sealed off the area and left.
When she returned home, Anya was surprised to find everything tidied up. Not a speck of dust could be found, and the beddings, clothes, and shoes were all neatly arranged. Who had come by?
Anya didn't think much of it and fell into a deep sleep.
Early the next morning, a knocking sound came from the door. Before Anya could get up, the door opened.
"Mikoto-nee?"
Mikoto's face turned slightly red as she spoke in surprise, "Anya, you're here. I thought you hadn't come back again today."
"So it was you who cleaned my room," Anya realized, also catching the implication in her words. "Is there something urgent you need me for?"
Mikoto hesitated, then forced a smile. "Nothing really. I just came to check on you."
Furrowing her brows slightly, Anya already understood. Mikoto-nee must have encountered some kind of problem. She got up, poured a glass of water, and handed it to her playfully. "Mikoto-nee, since when did you start acting so distant with me? We used to tell each other everything since we were kids. Just tell me whatever it is. I'll definitely help you."
Looking at the grown-up Anya, Mikoto's eyes flickered with nostalgia. Indeed, before they knew it, both had grown up.
Mikoto took a deep breath. "Then I'll get straight to the point. Fugaku wants to become Hokage (Village Leader), and he hopes you'll support him."
"Just that? Okay, sure." Anya agreed directly.
"You agreed?" Mikoto couldn't quite believe it. "Don't you want to think it over first?"
Anya smiled slightly. "No need. If even you came in person, what do I need to consider?"
"But you're now the Head of Anbu. Your word…"
"Mikoto-nee," Anya interrupted her. "It's just a single sentence during the Hokage election. It doesn't mean much to me. As long as you won't be put in an awkward position, go back and tell Fugaku I'll support him then."
"All right." Mikoto looked at Anya, who was now so serious, and felt deeply moved.
After sending Mikoto off, Anya's eyes turned cold. Mikoto-nee couldn't possibly know about her position as Anbu Head. This appointment had only just been announced. There were only two people in Konoha who knew about it—Sarutobi and Danzo.
So Danzo must've been the one pulling strings. He deliberately leaked her position to Fugaku. Then Fugaku sent Mikoto to be his negotiator, making a brilliant move to set her against Sarutobi.
You could say Fugaku was still the same old Fugaku—his political sense was seriously lacking, maybe he'd just gotten too caught up in this chance. If Sarutobi decided to step down, he must've already decided on his successor beforehand. Since Fugaku wasn't informed, it definitely wouldn't be him.
This so-called election ceremony is just a rubber stamp. You actually bought into it? Even if I support you—or even if Konoha's top brass backs you—it won't matter. Right now, the document appointing Minato as the next Hokage is probably already on the Fire Daimyo's desk in the Land of Fire, waiting for a signature and official seal.
Sarutobi, the current Hokage, had never really inherited the will of the First Hokage. He would never allow someone from the Uchiha Clan to become Hokage. Besides, Uchiha members are not exactly the most likable people. Call it pride if you're being kind—otherwise, it's arrogance and stubbornness. If Fugaku became Hokage, the village would only grow more tense—maybe even split apart. From any angle, Fugaku's chances of becoming Hokage were practically nothing.
A week later, the election for the Fourth Hokage of Konoha officially began. Minato Namikaze and Fugaku Uchiha stepped into the chamber as the final two candidates for Hokage.
The chamber was huge and round, filled with Konoha's top officials—including Anya, who sat at Sarutobi's left hand, wearing the signature Anbu mask.
With a deep voice that echoed through the chamber, Sarutobi opened the meeting…
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