Discovered? Tsk!
Looking at the ninjas rapidly closing in, Obito showed no fear on his face, filled with confidence in his own abilities. The only thing that irritated him was that he still hadn't found the hiding place of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Kushina.
As more and more ninjas surrounded him, Obito knew there was no point in lingering. He had come to release the Tailed Beast while the Jinchuriki was giving birth and the Nine-Tails' seal was weakened, seeking revenge against Konoha and Minato. But now, without even a trace of the Jinchuriki, he could only retreat for the time being.
Seeing Minato charging toward him, Obito instantly activated Kamui and said coldly, "Fourth Hokage, you planned well this time. Remember, don't give me a chance! I'll be watching you!"
Hearing the mysterious man's parting words, Minato swiftly threw a specially made kunai, but it passed straight through Obito's head as if the other had already figured out his moves. Obito stared coldly at Minato, his figure disappearing instantly along with the distorted space.
Minato looked in the direction where the mysterious man had fled and finally breathed a sigh of relief. The crisis had been temporarily averted.
Just as everyone was focused on boosting Konoha's national strength, a familiar notification sound suddenly rang in Aoki's mind.
[Ding! The Hokage Chat Group has completed its upgrade!]
[New features have been activated!]
[Please check the group notification. The Hokage Conference will officially convene tomorrow.]
"The upgrade is complete."
As the chat group's mechanical voice faded, Aoki, who had been contemplating how to further enhance Konoha's strength, felt a surge of excitement.
It had been a long time since the semi-annual Hokage Conference, and everyone had been waiting for the chat group upgrade to finish. Now, they could finally hold the conference again, and the group had unlocked new features.
One of them was the training ground function, which allowed sparring with Hokages from other worlds in the group. This feature immediately caught Aoki's attention. His strength had now reached the Six Paths Level, and there were very few people in the entire Ninja World who could be considered his opponents.
The only one who could truly be called an opponent was Kaguya, sealed on the moon, but Aoki didn't want to recklessly confront her.
With the training ground function, he could enter and battle without any reservations, both testing his strength and honing his skills. The other feature was the points exchange function. The chat group had opened a section similar to a shopping mall, where items could be exchanged by earning points.
Aoki hadn't checked the mall yet, but he believed that, as the Hokage Chat Group, the items in the mall would undoubtedly be valuable, just like the rewards from previous conferences, which were all tangible ability enhancements.
Now, the only thing Aoki wanted to know was how to obtain these points. Everything would be revealed after the Fifth Hokage Conference convened.
Aoki: Everyone, the Hokage Chat Group has completed its upgrade!
Aoki: There's one day left until the Hokage Conference. Everyone, handle your respective world's affairs!
Aoki: After this chat group update, two new features have been unlocked. Feel free to check them out when you have time.
Senju Hashirama: Oh! The upgrade is finally complete!
Madara Uchiha: The conference is tomorrow? Looks like I need to hurry and finish my tasks!
Senju Tobirama: Don't waste time. The conference is tomorrow, not today.
Tsunade: Second Grandpa is right!
Tsunade (with glasses): Second Grandpa is right!
Minato Namikaze: Lord Tobirama, I'll go attend to my duties now.
Kakashi: Sensei, take good care of Naruto and Kushina-nee.
Obito: ...
As soon as Tobirama's message appeared, everyone quickly exited the chat group.
With only one day left, every bit of improvement counted, even if it meant earning just a few more points. Once the grand assembly began, catching up would be far more difficult.
Looking at the chat group that had fallen silent again, Aoki also felt the pressure. These Hokages were now all driven and determined to push their worlds into the top three. They would target major nations over minor ones, solely focused on boosting their own countries' strength.
Considering the upcoming assembly, Aoki didn't idle either. After leaving the Hokage Building, he headed straight for Konoha's current Technology Research Institute.
The institute's first director was, naturally, none other than Orochimaru. Seeing Aoki arrive, Orochimaru was slightly surprised, as Aoki had never set foot in the Technology Research Institute since its completion. Today's visit was truly unexpected. Nevertheless, he bowed respectfully. "Fourth Hokage."
"How is the research on the Chakra Cannon progressing?" Aoki got straight to the point.
Hearing Aoki inquire about the Chakra Cannon, a gleam flashed in Orochimaru's eyes. Even someone as arrogant as him had to admire the Land of Lightning's technology; the Chakra Cannon was a masterpiece that surpassed the entire Ninja World's scientific level.
Orochimaru replied, "These fools do have some cleverness. However, mass-producing weapons like the Chakra Cannon will require years of in-depth research. It's far from simple."
Aoki wasn't surprised by this. After all, this technology only truly took shape in the Boruto era. Being able to develop it successfully within a few years now was already a significant acceleration.
"You've worked hard. Continue advancing research in other areas as well. The burden on your Technology Research Institute remains heavy," Aoki nodded.
But to Orochimaru, these words carried little weight. As a renowned researcher in the Ninja World—a man obsessed with experiments who dared to toy with the Shinigami—such a burden was hardly pressure for him.
He had fought Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi, who later joined forces to defeat Kaguya; he personally killed the Third Hokage yet could still live peacefully in Konoha, with offspring by his side, already half-immortal; he had also perfected the Edo Tensei technique, capable of summoning the previous four Hokages.
Among all the villains in the Hokage series, Orochimaru was the most unique—you could defeat him, but you could never truly kill him.
"Rest assured, progress is swift now," Orochimaru gave a definite answer.
Quite satisfied with this, Aoki turned and left the Technology Research Institute.
His next destination was Konoha Hospital. As a vital facility concerning people's livelihoods, the hospital's development couldn't be neglected either.
Upon arriving at the hospital, Aoki walked into the director's office under the reverent gazes of the medical ninjas. Inside, Tsunade was deeply engrossed in studying Medical Ninjutsu, with Shizune assisting by looking up materials nearby.
Seeing Aoki enter, Tsunade paused her work, her tone carrying a hint of teasing. "What? Remembering me now? Not spending time with your two little secretaries anymore?"
Hearing Tsunade's words, Aoki immediately looked embarrassed. These days, he had practically been living and eating in his office, with Pakura and Mabui attending to him closely. Yet, all the document approvals and decision-making arrangements for subordinates were handled personally by him, which was precisely why he always stayed in the office.
Ahem.
"Now that the Ninja World has just been unified, the documents to process are increasing. It's not that I don't want to come—I come as soon as I have time!" Aoki hurriedly explained.
Tsunade was clearly not satisfied with this answer but didn't say more. She raised an eyebrow and glanced at Shizune beside her. Shizune instantly blushed, hastily picked up a few documents, and left the office, leaving only Aoki and Tsunade inside.
Aoki thought to himself that things were about to go wrong. Sure enough, Tsunade playfully moved closer. Before he could speak, his lips were sealed by hers. Tsunade whispered softly, "Tell me, what brings you to the hospital today? Or are you feeling unwell these past few days? Do you want me to give you a thorough check-up?"
As she spoke, under Aoki's astonished gaze, Tsunade slowly crouched down and began carefully examining him.
This sudden move made Aoki gasp, a tingling sensation shooting from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, spreading throughout his body. And Tsunade, fully focused, continued her examination.