Secret Base

Uchiha Nara's admiration and comfort made Hiruko feel as though he would gladly die for someone who understood him.

"I've been in Konoha for over twenty years. I never thought I'd be branded an S-rank rogue ninja. It's hard to leave Konoha behind. But you're right, Lord Naraku. As long as I gain greater strength—or you become Hokage—I can still return."

Hiruko had only wanted to grow stronger and catch up with the Sannin. He never expected the Hokage to brand him an S-rank rogue ninja, and the news had left him deeply saddened.

"Haha, exactly. With enough strength, even the rules can be changed. And becoming Hokage takes great strength. I'll need your help with all of this."

Naraku laughed as he replied. Hiruko could never have guessed that he had been branded an S-rank rogue ninja precisely because the Hokage wanted to console Uchiha Nara and give the Uchiha Clan an explanation.

He had been specially elevated to that rank. Konoha's Jonin were certainly capable, but not everyone received S-rank treatment.

"You don't need my help to be powerful, sir. I'm only here to make things even better. I'd be more than happy to serve you."

"Good. Let's leave our conversation here for today. Hiruko, you'll have to spend one more night in prison. Tomorrow night, we'll smuggle you out."

"Yes, sir!"

Uchiha Clan Compound

Clan Affairs Hall

Clan Leader's Office

Nara sat at his desk, writing something with a pen.

Four young ninja stood below him in silence, backs straight.

Uchiha Akabi was the leader of Nara's four-man Guard Corps. Its members were Uchiha Akabi, Uchiha Seki, Uchiha Ruofeng, and Uchiha Hyaku.

Uchiha Akabi was nineteen and had a Three-Tomoe Sharingan. He specialized in Fire Style, Lightning Release, and Shuriken, and served as the captain of Nara's Guard Corps.

Uchiha Seki was fifteen and had a Two-Tomoe Sharingan. He specialized in Fire Style and Earth Style, and served as one of Nara's guards.

Uchiha Hyaku was sixteen and had a Two-Tomoe Sharingan. He specialized in Fire Style and Water Style, and served as one of Nara's guards.

Uchiha Ruofeng was fifteen and had a Three-Tomoe Sharingan. He specialized in Fire Style, Wind Style, and Lightning Release, and served as one of Nara's guards.

They were all promising young members of the Uchiha Clan, and they were powerful. Uchiha Seki and Uchiha Hyaku were strong enough to be promoted to Jonin, but Konoha refused, keeping the number of Uchiha Jonin down.

Uchiha Ruofeng was the most outstanding young ninja after Nara, Fugaku, and Yashiro. Fewer than ten members of the Uchiha Clan had mastered Lightning Release: Chidori, including Akabi and Ruofeng.

Now, because they served as Nara's guards, the two of them were studying Lightning Release: Chidori Current.

On paper, neither of them would lose to an average Jonin. But because they were Uchiha, they rarely left the village, so their actual combat ability was open to question.

After all, ninja were assassins who operated in the shadows. They had countless tricks, schemes, and poisons at their disposal. Strong ninjutsu alone wasn't always enough.

"Akabi, sneak out tonight with Hyaku and Seki and head to Hiruko's old secret base. Set up surveillance equipment. The forbidden techniques Hiruko studied could be very useful to me, so make sure the place is watched closely."

"Yes, sir!" x3

"Go and get the equipment ready. Ruofeng, you can go train too. I won't need a guard today."

"Yes, sir!" x4

Smoke billowed through the room, and the four vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.

Nara rubbed his chin, impressed by the technology of the Shinobi World. Their communication methods were backward, yet they had computers and surveillance equipment.

Konoha's Jonin and officials with ulterior motives all liked to build secret bases outside the village. Shimura Danzō, Orochimaru, and Hiruko were a few examples.

As for Shimura Danzō of Root, his secret bases weren't limited to Konoha. They were spread across the Five Great Nations. With a steady flow of funding from the Hokage and Danzō's careful management,

his intelligence network was connected far and wide. At the slightest disturbance in the Shinobi World, Danzō would know almost immediately.

He also carried out forbidden experiments, including Wood Release experiments that had been ordered to stop. Danzō continued them in secret with great enthusiasm. In Konohagakure, he would answer to the Hokage, but otherwise he barely listened to anyone and did as he pleased.

After the ninja forces returned, Orochimaru had disappeared from public view. Rumor had it the Third had sent him to Root to serve as Danzō's deputy. Sarutobi Hiruzen's intentions were obvious.

Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to suppress the Uchiha Clan, and Root was no better. By sending Orochimaru there, he was clearly positioning him as Danzō's successor.

What Sarutobi Hiruzen hadn't expected was that Shimura Danzō, who often came off worse in their face-to-face encounters, was just as skilled as he was at brainwashing people behind the scenes.

Orochimaru had come to believe that human life was too short. Danzō's many dark experiments caught his interest, and he soon forgot all about watching Danzō and taking over from him.

Konoha Hospital

Director's Office

"Knock, knock."

Princess Tsunade had returned to the village after the Second Shinobi World War. Now twenty-five or twenty-six, she had a voluptuous figure and had not yet lost her youthful softness. She wore a mesh top under a white T-shirt.

At that moment, she was curled up on her desk, eyes wide with fear. She had just been experimenting with Medical Ninjutsu and accidentally drawn blood from a white mouse. Some of it had gotten on her hand.

She seemed to have suddenly shut down. It was hard to imagine that Princess Tsunade, the renowned Konoha Sannin, suffered from Hemophobia.

Medical Ninjutsu didn't just arise on its own. It required extensive practice and experimentation.

As Konoha's leading medical ninja—and even a pioneer in establishing the Medical Corps across the Shinobi World—Tsunade had to constantly experiment and develop new Medical Ninjutsu.

"Strange. I remember Lady Tsunade came to the hospital this morning..."

The Medical Team ninja who had knocked found that Director Tsunade wasn't responding. Muttering to himself, he turned and left.

The ninja had come to report on the purchase of medical equipment. Uchiha ninja had arrived to buy a large quantity of supplies, so he had come to report the unusually high amount. Instead, he'd been left waiting outside.

Konoha Hospital was the headquarters of the Medical Corps. The Medical Emergency Squad, whose members were all ninja, was one of its important departments and was under the command of Tsunade, captain of the Medical Corps.

Konoha's Medical Corps included Konoha Hospital and squads such as the Medical Emergency Squad, the Corpse Disposal Squad, and the Beast Taming and Care Squad. Tsunade also served as the hospital's director.

Because she oversaw Konoha Hospital and saved lives, Tsunade had the greatest reputation among the Sannin. Countless ninja she had treated were her devoted admirers.

Yet Tsunade, whose reputation in Konoha was so great, could now only handle tasks like training. She was no longer capable of performing practical work or experiments.

The Third already knew about this, but he was so busy with affairs of state that he hadn't yet realized how serious the problem was.

Uchiha Yashiro had received Nara's orders and brought several clan members to Konoha Hospital to buy medical equipment. The purchase had gone much more smoothly than expected. The ninja who had supposedly needed to consult a superior had quickly accepted the money and sold them the equipment.

Many Konoha ninja experimented with ninjutsu or raised Summoning Beasts and other creatures, so they bought this kind of equipment. But they were required to register their purchases.

The inspections weren't strict, and medical equipment from Konoha Hospital was even sold to other Great Nations, making it one of Konoha's important sources of income.

The Medical Team ninja, skilled in Medical Ninjutsu, would never have guessed that these buyers used the equipment for cruel experiments.