Chapter 550: Kakashi's Hashirama Cell Experiment
When Shinnō heard Ishiro's words, his expression wasn't one of shock, but of joy. He asked, "Will Iwagakure also be participating in the attack on Konoha?"
Ishiro shook his head. "Shinnō-senpai, you must be joking. We in Iwagakure are peace-lovers. How could we possibly attack Konoha?"
"I came to find you, Shinnō-senpai, to ask for a small favor."
When Shinnō heard Iwa would not be participating, his disappointment was immense. If Iwagakure joined, his long-held dream of destroying Konoha would have been realized.
Hearing the next part, Shinnō immediately put his guard up. "I wonder what Lord Tsuchikage is referring to?"
This was the Fox of Iwa. Shinnō didn't dare agree to any request easily. Who knew what kind of trap it was?
Ishiro waved his hand. "No need to be so nervous, Shinnō-senpai. My request is not difficult for you at all. Our village has two children with excellent talent in medical ninjutsu. I would like to ask you to guide them for a time."
After a pause, Ishiro added, "Guide them... without reservation."
Shinnō's brow furrowed. Hearing "without reservation," it furrowed even deeper.
Medical skill was one of his greatest assets. He hadn't even taught the surviving Sky Ninja. Why would he teach two Iwa ninja?
Just then, Ishiro added, "Formally accept them as disciples."
Shinnō's brow twitched. He understood Ishiro's meaning but wanted to hear him say it. "Lord Tsuchikage's meaning is...?"
Ishiro said, "I have already accepted those two as my disciples. I will also have them publicly become your disciples. This will be a gesture to show that Iwa will always be friends with Soragakure."
Shinnō's eye twitched several times. This could be interpreted in two ways. It could be taken at face value.
Or, it could be understood as: If you refuse, Iwa and Soragakure will be enemies.
At that point, forget destroying Konoha; Shinnō wasn't confident he could even protect his remaining forces. If Ishiro could find him, he could find the others.
Seeing Shinnō hesitate, Ishiro added, "Of course, a tutelage fee is essential. Iwagakure is willing to pay a sum... to be used for the improvement of the Soragakure's Sky Fortress."
A chill shot up Shinnō's spine.
Ishiro even knew about the Sky Fortress, their secret weapon that had taken decades to research?
If he knew about the fortress, did he also know its location? Was his entire hand exposed?
What didn't Ishiro know? Did he know about the Zero-Tails?
For a moment, Shinnō's mind was in chaos.
A moment later, he forced a smile. "To be valued so highly by Lord Tsuchikage is my honor. I wonder, when do we begin?"
Ishiro smiled. "No hurry. My two disciples are in the village. You can go whenever you are free, Shinnō-senpai. Also, as one of the conditions of our alliance, I promise that when your Konoha Crush Plan succeeds, I will see to it that one-quarter of the Land of Fire's territory is ceded to you, as a new base for Soragakure."
With that, Ishiro took his three disciples and left without a backward glance.
That last line was, of course, an empty promise, but it still made Shinnō's expression change drastically.
After Ishiro left, Shinnō's face cycled between joy and worry.
Finally, he grit his teeth and decided to trust Ishiro.
If the Konoha Crush Plan truly succeeded, the re-enthroned Danzō would no longer be Iwa's ally. To counterbalance Konoha, it wasn't impossible that Iwa would cede territory to Soragakure, creating an enemy on Konoha's border.
How many years had Soragakure been wandering? They desperately wanted a stable base.
Most importantly, he was going to cooperate with Danzō anyway. This just meant teaching two extra students.
The more he thought about it, the more he couldn't resist the temptation. He stood up, found one of his subordinates in the Land of Hot Water, gave him a few instructions, and then left for Iwagakure.
...
Ishiro had indeed left, but he had only gone a few dozen kilometers away. Shinnō's every move was still within his perception.
He then turned his attention to Shinnō's subordinate. The man changed his identity several times before heading to an uninhabited mountainous region on the border of the Land of Hot Water.
After confirming the general direction, Ishiro stopped tracking him. It wasn't time to disturb Soragakure just yet. Doing too much could easily turn an ally into an enemy.
From the Soragakure base, Ishiro went to Iwagakure's Land of Hot Water branch.
There, he met the representative Danzō had sent to trade for supplies.
Ishiro could tell at a glance that this was just some random person Danzō had temporarily grabbed.
Ishiro told him, "This is a serious matter. Go back. For the first transaction, I must speak with Danzō in person. Tell him, same place as last time. We meet tonight."
That evening, Ishiro took his three disciples to the izakaya and met Danzō.
Danzō said, "Tsuchikage-dono, your efficiency is not very high."
Ishiro replied, "My apologies, Hokage-dono. The village has been busy. I was on the moon for a bit and couldn't attend to matters here."
Danzō frowned, not understanding what Ishiro's "trip to the moon" was alluding to.
Ishiro didn't explain. "Allow me to introduce you. These are my new disciples: Aono Shinichi, Shizuka Minamoto, and Rion. Shinichi-kun, Shizuka-chan, Rion-chan... the man behind the mud barrier is the Sixth Hokage of Konoha. Pay your respects."
The three stood up. "Greetings, Lord Hokage."
Danzō frowned, his voice dark. "Tsuchikage-dono, are you trying to insult me?"
In Danzō's view, Ishiro introducing three genin to him was a way of demeaning his status.
Ishiro waved his hands. "Hokage-dono, you're overthinking it. I am going to be investing heavily in these three. The price for today's transaction... I'm letting them negotiate it with you. Whatever price you agree on, I won't interfere. I'll pay it."
Danzō felt that Ishiro was toying with him, but he truly needed the funds. He'd rather try to gain an advantage from three kids than be fleeced by Ishiro.
Ishiro then turned and walked out of the izakaya, leaving the negotiation to his disciples.
He waited outside for a while, not bothering to listen in.
A short time later, the negotiation ended. The three came out, crestfallen.
Ishiro took the price list from their hands and smiled. "How was it? Danzō is still pretty sharp, isn't he?"
The three nodded. Ishiro had given them a detailed briefing on Danzō. They had assumed that as a failure who was begging Iwa for help, they would hold the advantage.
Instead, they were completely defeated. The final price was nearly double what Ishiro had set as their baseline.
(Though, even at double the price, Iwa was still making a massive profit.)
"Come with me," Ishiro said.
Danzō saw them re-enter. "Is the Tsuchikage going back on his word?"
Ishiro smiled. "Hokage-dono jests. I always keep my word. This is the payment."
He handed Danzō a scroll.
After inspecting it, Danzō stored it.
Ishiro didn't leave. "I have one more thing to ask of you, Hokage-dono."
Danzō frowned. "What is it?"
"I'd like to ask you to look after these three children. They greatly admire your style and wish to follow you and learn for a while."
Danzō's scowl deepened. "Tsuchikage-dono, are you sending spies to watch me?"
Ishiro waved his hand. "This isn't surveillance. Three genin monitoring the Kage of the world's greatest shinobi village? What a joke. I want them to gain experience. Any trivial matters you don't want to handle, you can give to them. I just hope you'll show them the world."
Danzō thought, unable to guess Ishiro's angle.
Ishiro added, "With them by your side, it's also more convenient for us to communicate, isn't it? If there's anything you want to cooperate on, you just have to convince these three. I will seriously consider it."
This piqued Danzō's interest. "Including dispatching Iwa's army?"
Ishiro smiled. "As I said, Iwa will not participate in the Konoha Crush Plan. But if you need Iwa's help with other things... and they agree... I'll consider it."
Danzō hesitated, then said, "Fine. I agree to keep them with me."
Danzō had, in fact, run into a small problem. He was severely short-handed for his piracy operations. He, the Sixth Hokage, had to personally handle the guard ships, which was fine, but personally carrying the loot afterward was beneath his dignity as a Kage.
Since Ishiro said these brats were in charge, Danzō wouldn't be polite.
Ishiro stood up. "Then I'll leave my three disciples in your care, Hokage-dono. I only ask that you refrain from using your Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal or Kotoamatsukami on them. I will retrieve them before the Konoha Crush Plan begins."
With that, Ishiro left, not even sparing a final word for his disciples.
As he walked out, he even dispelled the mud barrier.
Aono Shinichi, Shizuka Minamoto, and Rion looked at Danzō, then at each other. Were we just... abandoned?
They looked back at Danzō, who suddenly seemed much colder.
Aono Shinichi swallowed and stood up. "Lord Hokage, what are your orders?"
Shizuka and Rion quickly stood as well.
Danzō was surprised by their composure. He sighed inwardly. Iwagakure is truly lucky.
These three were weak, but their character was good. Especially this Aono Shinichi, adapting so quickly to the pressure. If he weren't so reliant on Iwa right now, Danzō would have been tempted to kill them.
But overall, he was in a good mood. He had a stable income. It was time to start recruiting some of Konoha's civilian-born ninja.
While Ishiro was dealing with Danzō, back at the Konoha Hospital, the Seventh Hokage, Kakashi Hatake, was undergoing his first Hashirama cell transplant experiment.
He wasn't hiding it from the high command. As he was in surgery, a spiritually-drained Hiruzen Sarutobi and a conflicted Shikaku Nara waited outside.
The surgery was a success. There were a few small complications—when the Yang chakra spiked, the medical-nin had to implant three Sharingan into his special left arm (the Zetsu arm) to find a balance.
But the results were good. Kakashi was not consumed by the Wood Release.
Because Kakashi's own Mangekyō Sharingan was very "obedient," he was more compatible than Danzō had been. In the end, his special left arm only required three Sharingan to stabilize.
After the surgery, Kakashi was already able to walk.
Seeing him safe, Hiruzen Sarutobi was relieved. He ordered the ANBU to protect Kakashi, then went home. The days without Danzō were unbearable.
Shikaku Nara and the others had mixed feelings, but they congratulated Kakashi.
Only when Kakashi announced that he would be focusing on training his Wood Release and space-time ninjutsu—and that he would be leaving village affairs to them—did they relax.
Kakashi was cautious. He didn't immediately start training. First, he spent time with Might Guy, doing basic exercises to let his body adapt.
Kakashi's plan was clear: 1. Adapt to the cells. 2. Strengthen his Wood Release. This would improve his chakra (solving his "low battery" problem) and accelerate the recovery of his Mangekyō Sharingan, which was nearly blind from overuse. 3. Learn the Flying Thunder God.
Shikaku Nara saw this long-term plan and realized it would take Kakashi a long time.
While Kakashi was busy, Shikaku could... reallocate... Konoha's resources to strengthen the Nara clan and their allies.
He discreetly shared this idea with the other clan heads. They all agreed: before Kakashi officially took back the reins, they would grab as much as they could. They would at least recover the losses Danzō had inflicted on them.
When Kakashi returned, they would hand power back, and he couldn't very well punish them for "past mistakes," especially if they all promised not to do it again.
And so, under Kakashi's "permitted" neglect, the great clans of Konoha reached even further.
Hiruzen and Danzō had also engaged in graft, but only Danzō had done it so brazenly. When he was in power, only he could do it. If anyone else tried, they'd be sent on a suicide mission.
But now, all the clan-born ninja in key positions were digging at Konoha's foundations.
Individually, their greed was nothing compared to Danzō's. But all of them together... the effect would have terrified Danzō himself.
For example, the budget for the new Land of Wind branch had been paid out dozens of times. According to the books, the branch should have been in its final stages.
In reality, construction hadn't even begun.
The entire budget for a new branch—a sum that even Iwagakure would find enormous—had left Konoha's public accounts and simply... vanished.
It was obvious whose pockets it had ended up in.
Kakashi, busy with his training, signed off on all these "grand projects," thinking Konoha was in a period of great reconstruction.
In reality, nothing was happening. Even the village's normal defensive barriers weren't being repaired. The clans would just approve the repair budget and pocket the money.
Kakashi didn't know. Hiruzen was too depressed to care. Shikaku Nara, using his superhuman intellect, was pulling off countless grand heists.
Luckily for them, Ishiro also didn't know. His intel hadn't picked up on this internal corruption.
If it had, Ishiro would have leaped to his feet. "Konoha is Iwa's ally! We cannot stand by while these parasites destroy it! Mobilize the army!"
...And then he would have launched a "war" that ended with him receiving a massive new round of reparations from Shikaku Nara.
Alas, with the Konoha Crush Plan in the works, Ishiro wasn't paying attention to Konoha's internal drama.
He had another matter to attend to.
He went alone to Uchiha Izumi's residence.
Izumi lived on the outskirts of the village, near a large training ground. This wasn't discrimination; it was because of her neighbor: Uchiha Shisui.
Shisui was imprisoned next door, well-fed and cared for.
He also had a job. He was a high-priced sparring partner. Iwa ninja could pay contribution points to fight him. A sealing team would adjust the seals on him to match the challenger's request.
Nearly every day, some Iwa ninja would come to challenge the legendary "Shisui of the Body Flicker."
Unfortunately for them, even at an equalized power level, and even though Shisui was blind, the Iwa ninja usually lost.
Shisui had tried to escape, but it was impossible. He was guarded by ANBU, Izumi, and worst of all, Chiga. He couldn't hide.
Sōkai was a regular here. When Ishiro arrived, Sōkai was sparring with a fully-unsealed Shisui.
They were using wooden swords. Sōkai had his three-tomoe Sharingan active. Shisui was blind.
And Shisui was dominating him.
Even without his eyes, Shisui's speed was undiminished. He left afterimages all over the field, forcing Sōkai's Sharingan to spin wildly just to keep up. Sōkai was entirely on the defensive.
Ishiro watched for a while, stunned.
He realized Shisui had completely adapted to his blindness. After all this time, Shisui could now fight at a Kage-level without his eyes.
His combat instincts had been honed to a razor's edge by these daily fights.
Without his Mangekyō dōjutsu, the current Shisui was actually stronger than he had been before Ishiro took his eyes.
Ishiro was dumbfounded.
Ishiro's own strength was greater, but he was a power-type. He won by overwhelming his opponents. He had none of the pure, refined combat skill that Shisui was demonstrating.
(End of Chapter)
♧♧♧
-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE
-> FOR EVERY 200 PS = BOUNS CHAPTER
♧♧♧
-> 35 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.patreon.com/c/Segais
(Just remove the hyphen to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you