Scientific Research

Wedding scene.

Taiichi looked at the densely packed crowd; the density of these ninjas was even greater than that of the Shinobi Army during battle.

He took a deep breath, trying to regain the composure he used when handling official business, and began to attempt to sort out the chaotic situation before him.

"Hiashi Rizu, this way please, your seat is here."

"Fugaku, Lady Mikoto, Itachi, please have a seat here. How is Shisui doing with the Anbu?"

"Shikaku, Inoichi, Choza, another guest has arrived over there. Please help look after them as well."

"This is Chief Shibi Aburame? I've heard so much about you, please come this way."

Taiichi tried his best to guide the important guests to the right places. However, the miscalculation of the wedding size could not be undone by adding one more person.

The crowds flowed like a tide, one wave subsiding only for another to rise.

Just after arranging Hyuga Clan, several elders from a collateral branch of the Akimichi Clan arrived and needed to be received;

Just after Fugaku, the head of the Inuzuka Clan arrived with several Ninja Dog (who were ordered to be chained outside) to offer his congratulations.

Taiichi felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of his Shadow Clone on the field; beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and the back of his dark blue kimono was slightly damp.

He usually handles so many training sessions at the same time with ease, but dealing with a wedding banquet full of social niceties and trivial pleasantries made him feel more mentally and physically exhausted than fighting a major battle, leaving him quite flustered.

"Taiichi, you've really worked hard!" Hiruzen Sarutobi with a smile, watching Taiichi bustling about. "I didn't expect the 'White Reaper,' who's invincible on the battlefield, to be so dazzling at a wedding banquet!"

Jiraiya joined in, a cup of sake in hand, and with a mischievous grin, patted Taiichi's shoulder forcefully. "Hahaha, kid! How's it feeling being the groom's best man? More tiring than dealing with Madara Uchiha? I bet you're even more nervous than Minato!"

He leaned closer to Taiichi, lowered his voice, and said with a hint of gossip, "Hey Taiichi, seeing Minato and Kushina get together, aren't you a little envious? Do you have a girl you like? Tell your master, I'm experienced, I can give you some pointers!"

Taiichi stumbled Jiraiya being slapped by Jiraiya, and rolled his eyes at the blunt "marriage urging."

"Jiraiya- sensei, you should think about yourself. You're already so old, don't worry us juniors."

Taiichi's words acted like a target switch, and everyone's eyes turned to Jiraiya.

Indeed, if we're talking about singles, there's an older man here.

Just as Jiraiya was feeling awkward, Taiichi had already secretly slipped away from the scene; there were still many things at the wedding that needed his help to coordinate and handle.

Just then, melodious traditional wedding music began to play, and the scene instantly fell silent. All eyes were focused on the entrance.

The bride, Kushina Uzumaki, dressed in her finest Shiromuku, slowly entered the courtyard, accompanied by Tsunade and several female ninjas.

Her fiery red hair was carefully styled and adorned with exquisite hair accessories. The usually fiery "Bloody Habanero" looked stunning at this moment, her face flushed with an unprecedented shyness and happiness.

Minato Namikaze stood before the ceremonial platform, his eyes filled with an intense, overwhelming love and nervousness. When his gaze met Kushina's, it was as if the entire world had shrunk to just the two of them.

The elaborate and solemn wedding ceremony was conducted under the supervision of a priest.

Exchanging glasses, reciting vows—every step is imbued with a sense of sacredness and commitment.

Taiichi finally caught his breath and stood at the back of the crowd, quietly watching the couple who had finally come together after going through so many hardships.

The ceremony concluded amidst thunderous applause and resounding blessings. The wedding banquet officially began, and the atmosphere grew even more enthusiastic.

Although Taiichi was still being pulled aside to deal with some trivial matters, he had relaxed considerably.

He moved through the crowd, helping to pass food and refill drinks, occasionally responding to good-natured jokes, a faint smile on his face.

A smile that reflects genuine happiness for a friend.

The day's hustle and bustle finally came to a close. Guests departed one after another, filled with satisfaction and blessings, leaving only a mess of dishes and a lingering festive atmosphere in the courtyard. Minato and Kushina—they were finally married.

Taiichi watched the newlyweds being escorted into their new room, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.

Naruto —he's not far off either.

The thought arose naturally, and then a barely perceptible shadow crossed his eyes.

The Night of the Nine-Tails —that cruel night that tore this happiness apart from its predetermined destiny.

Now that Danzo is dead, relations between the Uchiha and the village are improving, and he himself has gained greater power, will the wheels of history continue to turn along that tragic path?

He clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within him, his eyes regaining their firmness and depth.

"What's meant to happen will happen," Taiichi murmured to himself, his voice fading into the night breeze carrying the scents of wine and flowers. "But this time, the ending will be different." He turned and blended into the crowd tidying up the courtyard, continuing to contribute his last bit of effort to his newlywed best friend's perfect evening.

The Hokage doesn't get a honeymoon. On the second day after his wedding, Minato Namikaze was already sitting in the Hokage's Office early in the morning.

If the Hokage is like this, then everyone else has even less reason to slack off.

Taiichi and, after his usual morning exercise, it was already past 7 a. m.

The Shadow Clone Technique is used.

Eight Shadow Clone appeared beside Taiichi, accompanied by white smoke. This was the number of Shadow Clone Taiichi could maintain normally now, an improvement over a few months ago.

The Shadow Clone didn't need Taiichi further instruction; they readily accepted their tasks.

I'm going to Konoha Hospital.

"I'm going to the Ninja Academy."

"I'm going to Orochimaru's research department."

"The three of us will go practice Nature Transformation."

"I'm going to study Sealing Jutsu."

"I'm going to practice my swordsmanship."

Of course, the most fundamental physical and meditative training can only be done by the body itself.

This is Taiichi's arduous yet simple daily work.

Konoha Research Department.

Since Orochimaru took charge of establishing the research department, he has practically moved his entire household there.

Even on a day like the Fourth Hokage's wedding, he didn't leave his laboratory.

Taiichi, however, was one of the few regulars at Orochimaru's place.

As Taiichi entered the bright and spacious laboratory, Orochimaru had just finished observing the sample under the microscope.

"Taiichi, you've come at the right time! I've made a new discovery."

Orochimaru put down his pen, turned to Taiichi, and gave him a meaningful smile.

"You'd never guess what I found inside this white creature!"

After saying that, he pulled out one of the reports from the pile in front of him and handed it directly to Taiichi.

Taiichi was also intrigued by Orochimaru; judging from his expression, this was indeed quite a discovery.

Taiichi carefully analyzed the report in his hand. The content was very complicated and professional. If Taiichi hadn't been an expert in his field, he might not have been able to understand it.

The report mainly focuses on the cellular analysis of various body tissues of the White Zetsu.

As he turned the pages, Taiichi's brows furrowed more and more. Finally, Taiichi the report in his hand.

"Does this thing contain two different types of genetic information?"

It was said in a question, but the tone was quite certain. Taiichi actually had a guess in his heart, but he couldn't show it.

"Haha." Orochimaru excitedly licked his face, looking like he'd seen a new and amazing toy. "Take another look at the behavior of one of the cells. Does anything remind you of anything?"

Taiichi was happy to delve deeper into the report, and he carefully reviewed it again, pointing to a set of data.

"Isn't this cell too resilient, and also too aggressive? It doesn't seem like a normal cell would have these characteristics."

"As expected of Taiichi, he found the key right away."

Orochimaru stood up, went to Taiichi's side, took the report from Taiichi's hand, turned to a few more pages, and pointed to some of the data.

"Look here, and here too, Taiichi, didn't you make any connection?"

"Extraordinary vitality—and this infectivity— Wood Style— " Taiichi looked at Orochimaru in astonishment, "You mean—this is the First Hokage's cell?"

"That's right, you really did think of that." Orochimaru's lips curled up, revealing an approving smile.

"Konoha had previously studied the cells of the First Hokage, and their behavior was exactly the same as this. With this conjecture, I went to look up the previous experimental records."

Sure enough, these were the cells of the First Hokage, and they had fused perfectly with this creature.

Orochimaru became more and more excited as he spoke, as if he had seen a bright future.

"Taiichi, do you know why the Wood Style experiment failed back then?"

Orochimaru's eyes were shining, and without waiting for Taiichi's response, he began to speak on his own.

"It's because the First Hokage of cells was too aggressive; it would indiscriminately infect other cells around it, assimilating them into the same form as itself."

The experimental subjects often end up transforming into a deformed tree, and with this particular sample, if we can thoroughly study it, Wood Style might not be out of the question.

Taiichi wouldn't be as optimistic as Orochimaru. The White Zetsu's ability to fuse with Hashirama Cells was achieved by borrowing the power of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path or the God Tree.

It's not like you can fuse Hashirama Cells White Zetsu, but Taiichi won't dampen Orochimaru's enthusiasm for research.

"That's a good idea, but I still think that while Wood Style is powerful, the real power lies in the person who uses Wood Style."

There was a boy Yamato in the Anbu, who was a survivor of the Wood Style experiment. His Wood Style was worlds apart from that of the First Hokage.

However, this technique of fusing Hashirama Cells is indeed worth studying, as its applications in the medical field are quite extensive.

Orochimaru couldn't help but roll his eyes. "You really are a Medical Ninja. You can always think of things from a medical perspective."

However, Taiichi's words did indeed remind Orochimaru that what is powerful is the person, not the technique. He took this to heart and agreed with it.

"You brat—" Orochimaru pointed at Taiichi, "No matter what, we still have to try again. The growth potential and symbolic significance of Wood Style are incomparable to ordinary Ninjutsu."

"Yes, that's right. Let's go, let's go. I also want to explore the mysteries of Wood Style. Maybe I can develop Wood Style just like I developed Ice Release."

Taiichi also became interested and pulled Orochimaru towards the laboratory, reminding him as they walked, "This experiment involves Wood Style and Hashirama Cells, so don't forget to report it to the Hokage-sama."

"Okay, okay, Taiichi, you're just too rule-abiding. Otherwise, the experiment could have been completed at least 20% faster."

The two figures walked further and further away, their voices growing fainter and fainter.

"Maintaining it, only maintaining it is the key. Lord Orochimaru, you don't want the experiment to be stopped before it even makes progress, do you?"

The top of the Central Tower in Amegakure.

The cold dome seemed to support the entire leaden-gray sky.

Fine rain, carried by the wind, lashed against the huge French windows, making an endless rustling sound.

The air was thick with moisture and a lingering sense of oppression—a unique atmosphere characteristic of this war-torn village.

Four figures stood in pairs in the empty circular space in the center of the tower, forming a subtle yet tense standoff.

Deva Path Pain stood before the enormous floor-to-ceiling window, his back to the interior, the dim light illuminating him, making him appear like a cold, godlike sculpture overlooking humanity.

Konan stood half a step behind him, the white paper flowers in her hair trembling slightly. Her pale purple eyes held an unyielding worry, her gaze never leaving Pain's slightly stiff back.

Beneath the Spiral Orange Mask, Obito's Sharingan Obito in the shadows. He leaned against a cold, heavy stone pillar, his posture seemingly the most relaxed.

The pitcher plant-like Zetsu was not far from Obito, and now he had joined this new Akatsuki as an intelligence agent.

"The information on the current state of the Ninja World has been collected."

White Zetsu's flippant voice broke the deathly silence, carrying an unsettling merriment. Black Zetsu's deep, husky voice followed closely behind, like sandpaper being rubbed together.

"Although the Third Shinobi World War has just ended, the overall situation we face remains extremely unfavorable."

All eyes instantly focused on Jue.

"Sunagakure suffered the greatest losses. The village's ninja force can only maintain basic defense. It can be said that it has been severely weakened and will hardly achieve anything within ten years." Black Zetsu's voice was completely calm.

" In Iwagakure, that old stubborn Ōnoki is still holding on, but the village is dwindling in talent, and they can't even find a candidate for the Fourth Tsuchikage."

The Cloud Village, with its Fourth Raikage A, is indeed full of vigor, but unfortunately, the Third Raikage and a large number of elite troops have died in battle. Add to that the mess left by the Iwagakure Village, and he'll be dealing with a lot of headaches for a while. The Mist Village— "

Black Zetsu paused, a hint of amusement in his voice, "The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, didn't rise to power peacefully."

The smell of Bloody Mist grew stronger; they were too preoccupied with their own problems to care for themselves.

Zetsu's gaze slowly swept over the crowd, finally settling on Pain's unwavering back. His tone suddenly intensified. "Only Konoha!"

"The war went most smoothly, with relatively minimal losses. And—" Black Zetsu's voice carried an indescribable solemnity.

"The transfer of power after the war was shockingly smooth. Hiruzen Sarutobi voluntarily stepped down, Minato Namikaze was the popular choice, with almost no significant upheaval."

Their recovery speed far surpasses that of the other four great nations. Konoha now resembles a ferocious beast about to lick its wounds; its fangs, however, are even sharper.

Konan's breath hitched slightly, and a look of worry appeared in her pale purple eyes.

She took a half step forward, almost level with Pain, her cool voice carrying a hint of tension.

"Collecting the Nine Tailed Beasts means we will stand against the entire Ninja World. Konoha —now possesses the strongest power and the strongest cohesion."

With our current strength, can we really shake this tree? This is tantamount to declaring war on the entire Ninja World!