Chapter 79

It's truly a peaceful life.

After retiring from frontline missions and entering the Ninja Academy, Shiroishi felt as if he had entered a retired life, one that only the elderly would enjoy.

Every day, he would go to the Ninja Academy at exactly 3 PM, and the rest of the time was entirely at his disposal.

Even though he would also work at the hospital, each shift was not very long. One could say that Shiroishi's current life was one that many Konoha ninjas envied.

Research, strolling, working, and returning home on time to rest.

Occasionally, he would go shopping with Ruri, but the number of times he saw Ayane could be counted on one hand.

After they left the Shomatsu team, each of them had their own tasks to complete.

Ruri had to work in the Security Team, responsible for the village's security and resolving civil disputes.

Ayane, having become a Jonin and recognized for her potential by the Hyuga elders, held a significant position within the Hyuga clan.

After all, becoming the guardian of the future Hyuga clan leader was not a task that any ordinary Hyuga ninja could undertake.

This showed that Ayane's current status within the Hyuga clan was much higher than that of ordinary branch family ninjas.

There were also significant differences in rank among the branch families.

Given this situation, since leaving the Shomatsu team, Shiroishi had only seen Ayane once outside, and their conversation did not last more than five minutes.

Of course, they still maintained secret contact and exchanged information.

However... what Shiroishi was most concerned about at the moment was undoubtedly the recent series of secret measures taken by the Konoha leadership—

Wood Release research experiments!

◎

"What are the Konoha leaders plotting?"

This was what Shiroishi was most troubled about.

On the surface, he did not appear anxious, living as a qualified Konoha ninja according to his usual routine. However, he was highly vigilant about the Konoha leadership's Wood Release research experiments.

Shiroishi, who had never underestimated these leaders, now considered them even more dangerous.

Although he had not personally witnessed the power of Wood Release, he had seen the terrifying strength of a tailed beast's rampage.

And that was just the power of the One-Tail. Whether it was in its complete form or not, the strongest tailed beast was the Nine-Tails.

The First Hokage's Wood Release had once suppressed the tailed beasts, demonstrating its extraordinary power.

The explosive force of the One-Tail's chakra sphere had genuinely shocked Shiroishi.

It even made him doubt the profession of a ninja for a moment.

Wood Release, which could suppress the strongest tailed beast, even if it did not reach the First Hokage's level, could not be underestimated.

According to what the insect users said, those peculiar white creatures had extremely strong stealth capabilities. Without the ability to sense natural energy, it was difficult to detect their presence.

If the Konoha leadership really used Wood Release to develop such a special stealth unit, the purpose would be clear. Whether it was for gathering intelligence on enemy countries or monitoring the village, the level of observation would be several grades higher than the Anbu, making it almost impossible to guard against.

Shiroishi was not particularly worried about the research being discovered. The stealth capabilities of these creatures could be detected by natural energy.

No matter how troublesome known things are, as long as proper precautions are taken, there is nothing to fear.

The problem was the unknown.

How many such stealth creatures did the Konoha leadership have?

Where were they placed?

What secret plans were they plotting?

Had the Uchiha clan already been infiltrated?

All of these were unknown.

Shiroishi had absolute confidence in his own safety, based on the Konoha leadership's severe misjudgment of his information. No matter what, he always held the initiative, which was the key to victory.

But this unknown factor was also a trump card in the hands of the Konoha leadership.

If an unknown conflict suddenly erupted, things would be very troublesome.

"Such a headache..."

How to break the deadlock or know what the Konoha leadership was plotting would not leave him so passive.

He needed to come up with a foolproof plan to regain the initiative.

Facing such a massive military institution as a ninja village, there was no chance of winning in a direct confrontation.

Just as Shiroishi was troubled by this, Ruri had already walked down the corridor of the underground laboratory.

"When did you come back?"

"Just now."

"Already this late?"

Shiroishi had not noticed the passage of time.

Ruri's working hours in the Security Team were from 9 AM to 7 PM.

She had two days off each week to do as she pleased and engage in activities she enjoyed.

"Are you just worrying about the leadership's plans all this time?"

"Yeah, since it involves Wood Release and can be analyzed to have components similar to tailed beasts, this cannot be ignored... Why do you seem so unconcerned?"

Shiroishi noticed that Ruri's face showed no worry, which surprised him.

After all, some of the leadership had a particularly poor relationship with the Uchiha, especially the radical leader of the Root, Danzo Shimura.

If it weren't for the Third Hokage's mediation, the Root would not have been so restrained in recent years.

"Why should I worry about such things? As long as I have the power to suppress all conspiracies, worrying about strategies is a waste of time and energy. It would be better to use that time and energy to improve my own strength."

"..."

Indeed, it was a typical power-oriented mindset.

Thinking about it, Shiroishi felt he had needlessly worried about Ruri.

"You are too fixated on so-called truths. You were like this in the past, always needing to thoroughly understand so-called truths."

"Exploring the truth is my job."

Shiroishi gave his answer.

"You are clearly lacking in security."

Ruri had a "don't try to fool me" look, as if her eyes could see through everything.

"Since you understand this, why say it? It's hurtful."

Shiroishi gave a helpless smile.

Just as he understood everything about Ruri, she understood everything about him.

Such tricks could not fool her.

"Because I rarely see you in such a conflicted state, it's interesting."

Ruri smiled.

"Are you... Ayane in disguise?"

Shiroishi hesitated for a moment, asking this somewhat impolite question.

Sure enough, after hearing Shiroishi's words, Ruri's black eyes suddenly fixed on him, and the air around her grew cold.

It seemed she was the real Ruri.

Ayane did not have such a powerful and intimidating presence.

"How is your Sage Technique progressing?"

Ruri asked about the topic she cared most about.

"The success rate of synthesizing Sage Chakra in the latest experiment has steadily increased to over 80%. With another six months to a year, it can be put into practical use."

Shiroishi gave a more conservative estimate.

Ruri nodded. Six months to a year was a reasonable time to wait.

After all, she now had a lot of free time. As a squad leader in the Security Team, she mostly delegated tasks to her subordinates and only handled difficult issues herself.

After Ruri left, Shiroishi fell into deep thought.

Indeed, as Ruri said, instead of speculating about what the Konoha leadership was planning, improving his own strength would never be a loss.

"But no matter how much I improve in combat, I can never surpass Ruri. Her growth rate is too abnormal. My 'strength' does not lie in combat..."

He decided to abandon all training time, dedicating all his time outside of work and rest to research. This was the solution he could think of.

Not just Ruri, but Ayane's growth rate was also faster than his.

His training talent was not bad, and the gap between him and Ruri and Ayane could be ignored.

However, they had bloodline abilities, the Sharingan and Byakugan, which were top-tier bloodline limits in the ninja world.

This was an advantage Shiroishi did not have.

The power of bloodline limits became more formidable as the user developed them.

Not to mention, they were both geniuses.

Abandoning training time and focusing all his energy on research was also a way to enhance his 'strength.'

Creating 'weapons' was his job, while using 'weapons' in combat was Ruri and Ayane's job.

Shiroishi suddenly felt a sense of clarity.

No one in the world is perfect.

Therefore, one needs others to complement their weaknesses and move forward together.

Compared to combat, he was more skilled in research, with knowledge and ideas that surpassed the ninja era. This was where he was stronger than Ruri and Ayane.

Therefore, he did not need to strive for perfection in combat, as that was not the path he should choose.

Thinking about it, the Konoha leadership's secret plans were not such an important matter.

What mattered was improving himself.

◎

The weather in May was already quite warm.

A creature named "Shirozetsu" had quietly infiltrated Konoha.

Compared to other villages, infiltrating Konoha was the most difficult due to the village's sensory-type barrier and the Byakugan's ability to see through solid objects.

The Shirozetsu that infiltrated Konoha were very cautious.

Three Shirozetsu entered the village, while two others remained outside to monitor.

The three Shirozetsu inside the village had clear objectives: to find out if the missing Shirozetsu was related to the Konoha leadership, and to gather information in the Uchiha district to find the so-called "representative."

As for the characteristics and talent requirements of the "representative," the Shirozetsu were not clear. Everything would be decided by their "Master Madara."

However, the "representative" should not be too old, preferably between a few years to a dozen years old, making them easier to control.

Therefore, the Uchiha clan members they focused on were mostly young ninjas in their teens or children attending the Ninja Academy.

One was responsible for investigating the leadership, one for the Ninja Academy, and one for the Uchiha district. The three Shirozetsu had clear roles.

They were already skilled at gathering information, and even in the most difficult village to infiltrate, they could establish an information network with enough time.

The Shirozetsu responsible for the Uchiha district moved through the ground like a ghost, undetected by anyone.

Even the Uchiha clan could not detect his presence.

This Shirozetsu was quite pleased with himself.

Although most Shirozetsu had weak combat abilities, their stealth capabilities were excellent. Only a few special sensory-type ninjas could detect their presence.

The Uchiha clan did not have any sensory-type ninjas.

Therefore, eavesdropping on the Uchiha was the easiest task for him.

He was about to report to Master Madara soon. The Shirozetsu was quite pleased.

Just as he was about to continue, a sudden chill ran down his spine, as if he was being watched by some creature.

He stopped moving in the soil, turning his head and almost screaming.

A pair of black eyes suddenly appeared in the soil next to him, staring at him without warning.

What is this?

Before he could think further, the soil around him began to move, contract, and become incredibly soft, like a swamp. The Shirozetsu felt a suffocating pressure and then lost consciousness.

Everything happened so suddenly that the Shirozetsu did not even see what the enemy looked like.

—When he woke up, the Shirozetsu found himself sitting on a stone chair, bound by restraints.

The room was a secret chamber, dimly lit by a yellowish light, barely illuminating the space.

In front of him stood a boy and a girl, both around fifteen or sixteen years old.

The girl wore