What Is Konoha?

The Mayfly Technique was a ninjutsu exclusive to Black Zetsu. It was difficult to define which nature transformation it belonged to.

Once activated, this technique allowed its user to move freely through networks of earth, plants, and even underground rivers. It involved earth, wood, and water. At its core, it was an extremely advanced infiltration technique.

Moreover, when White Zetsu used it, they did so silently and without needing hand seals like ordinary ninja. It was almost an instinct, or a Kekkei Genkai.

As such, it was nearly impossible to counter this technique through elemental attributes. The only option was to catch them off guard.

But even catching them off guard was no simple matter.

Most White Zetsu were not particularly strong in combat, but there were simply too many of them. Among a hundred thousand White Zetsu, there were bound to be quite a few powerful ones.

And the ones monitoring Konoha could not possibly be mediocre. Aoba believed they should at least possess Jonin-level strength.

At the same time, White Zetsu possessed another formidable trait: extraordinarily powerful vitality. Conventional methods made them difficult to kill.

These things were no longer truly human. Their essence was closer to that of plants. And plants could not be killed with a single sword thrust.

So if he wanted to ambush one and restrain it immediately, Aoba had to return to his current area of study: Sealing Jutsu.

Aoba needed to develop a convenient Sealing Jutsu that could immediately lock down all of a White Zetsu's chakra and mobility.

How should he put it? It was difficult, very difficult. After researching it for several days, he still had almost no leads.

It was not that similar Sealing Jutsu did not exist. The problem was that they were all too slow, even slower than ordinary ninjutsu.

Such techniques were generally only used after the enemy had been subdued, to ensure they could not recover their chakra, escape, or counterattack. In short, the Shinobi World currently had no Sealing Jutsu like the one Aoba envisioned, capable of instantly sealing all of an enemy's chakra.

If such a Sealing Jutsu truly existed, would it not be more powerful than ninety-nine percent of all ninjutsu?

But one day, while eating with Kakashi, he casually mentioned the idea. Kakashi gave him an unexpected answer.

"Are you talking about the Interrogation Unit's shackles?"

Aoba realized that he had made an error born of habit.

When he had previously researched a formula for sealing vitality, he had developed it bit by bit from nothing. When it came to sealing chakra, he had instinctively wanted to do the same.

But he had forgotten that this was a world of chakra. There were countless sealing formulas designed specifically for chakra. While using those formulas directly was not practical enough, they could be used in conjunction with tools.

The Interrogation Unit possessed more than one set of such special devices. Once they were locked onto a prisoner, even the strongest enemy could not use a single trace of chakra. They could even leave the restrained person limp and powerless. They were tools designed specifically for ninja.

These things were of limited use in actual combat, because in battle, one faced people. In the time it took to lock shackles onto someone, one could have stabbed them three times. Besides, they were not easy to use at all. Their design was not suited for combat.

But Aoba was dealing with White Zetsu, creatures that were extremely difficult to kill. They were precisely the sort of targets that would not die even after being stabbed three times and had to be controlled through restraining methods.

"Kakashi, are you familiar with Ibiki?"

"More or less. We dealt with each other often when I was in ANBU."

"Then I need to trouble you with something. Can you help me borrow a set of shackles from the Interrogation Unit so I can study them?"

The Sealing Jutsu formulas used in the Interrogation Unit's specialized tools were among the few absent from Orochimaru's materials. Uncle Snake had probably never imagined that Aoba would have such an absurd request.

Orochimaru's materials should actually have been enough to derive a similar formula. But since there was already a ready-made example, Aoba decided to use it directly. There was too much to research and too little time.

"What do you need that thing for?"

"I've recently been researching a special kind of Kunai. The kind that can restrict an enemy's chakra after hitting them."

"Restricting chakra is clearly a thankless and laborious idea. If you want to increase a Kunai's lethality, you can simply coat it with poison. The Aburame Family sells similar toxins, and you can also extract some snake venom yourself in the forest."

"..." Discussing this kind of matter with a professional was troublesome in exactly this way. He could not bluff his way through it.

Aoba sighed helplessly.

"Fine. It actually concerns a special project of mine. A very special one."

The moment Kakashi heard that, he understood it was the sort of matter that was inconvenient to discuss in public. However, he did not press further. Primarily because obtaining the Interrogation Unit's shackles was, naturally, very troublesome.

Those shackles were forged from special Chakra Metal. They were expensive to make, and their numbers were limited.

Yet in another sense, they were not troublesome at all, because even the members of the Interrogation Unit rarely paid attention to how many of them there were.

Only prisoners who were both exceptionally strong and exceptionally valuable would be fitted with such things. Under normal circumstances, the Interrogation Unit's members only needed a few conventional methods to completely cripple a ninja. There was no need for such expensive tools.

After considering it for a while, Kakashi said,

"Aoba, I can help you with this. I can also refrain from asking why. But you need to promise me that your research will not harm Konoha."

Aoba did not answer directly. Instead, he asked,

"Kakashi, why do you think I would harm Konoha? I have never done anything to betray Konoha."

"But you think so, Aoba. I can tell that you resent Konoha for marginalizing you back then. No, it is not merely resentment. You hate them."

This was the first time Aoba realized that it was not only he who understood Kakashi. Kakashi understood him just as well. Aoba had thought he concealed it perfectly, yet Kakashi, one of his few friends in Konoha, had seen through some of the things he had hidden.

Though it was not entirely accurate. Aoba did not hate Konoha's higher-ups; he disliked them. His marginalization had, in fact, partly been the result of his own deliberate maneuvering. But his disgust toward Konoha's higher-ups was genuine.

And Kakashi had interpreted that hidden emotion as hatred for Konoha.

"I have to say, Kakashi, your cold exterior always makes people overlook how sensitive you are inside. But before I answer that question, I need to ask you one first. If you can answer me, then I will answer you."

"...All right. Ask."

"Very well, Kakashi. Tell me, what exactly is Konoha?"

After saying that, Aoba did not wait for Kakashi's response. He simply stood up, paid the bill, and left.

"Think carefully, then answer me."