Showdown

Having finally captured a White Zetsu, Aoba immediately found an excuse to take leave and stay home.

It was worth mentioning that Konoha's upper ranks readily believed his explanation. Or rather, they were quite happy to see Aoba loafing around at home.

First, this was a time of peace, and there were not as many high-level ninja missions as one might imagine.

Second, Konoha's higher-ups did not particularly like seeing Aoba constantly steal the spotlight. So, they were more than happy for him to stay cooped up at home.

However, Kakashi knew that Aoba was definitely not as laid-back as he seemed. Whenever this guy was around him, he always seemed to reveal another side of himself, giving Kakashi a very dangerous feeling.

Yet Kakashi had never once considered reporting him. Even Kakashi himself found the strange balance between them surprising.

He could not help thinking again of the question Aoba had asked before. What exactly was Konoha?

That question had tormented Kakashi for nearly a year. He knew that, deep down, he already had an answer. He simply could not bring himself to say it aloud yet.

Aoba had already been resting at home for a month. Even Kakashi, who knew him well, felt that something was off.

This guy hadn't really run into some problem with his training, had he?

After completing a mission, Kakashi decided to pay him a visit.

Yumi answered the door. Kakashi had long known that Aoba lived with a beautiful mature woman, so he was not surprised.

"Ah, you're Kakashi, right? Come in. Aoba was just complaining that none of his friends had come to visit him."

Kakashi immediately felt a little awkward. He handed the fruit he was carrying to Yumi.

"What's going on with you? Don't tell me you really had some kind of problem with your training?"

"Something like that." Aoba glanced at Yumi, who naturally went off to prepare tea for them.

"What, a busy man like you actually had time to come see me?"

Kakashi hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Do you remember the question you asked me before?"

"Which question? I ask you a lot of things."

"The question about what Konoha truly is."

"Oh? Looks like you already have an answer."

"That's right. I have an answer. But before I say it, I want to hear your answer first."

Aoba looked at Kakashi. Their eye contact was rather interesting. Between the two of them, they only had one eye.

"My answer is simple. Konoha includes everyone. From the Hokage and ninja clans to Jonin... to orphans on the streets. Every single person is part of Konoha."

Kakashi looked at Aoba, then spoke solemnly.

"I agree with you."

"Very good. It seems we've reached a preliminary consensus."

For some reason, Aoba's words always gave Kakashi a strange feeling. He knew Aoba was doing something in secret, but he did not know exactly what it was.

"Aoba, what exactly are you trying to do? I admit you're strong, stronger than anyone realizes. But you still can't..."

"Kakashi, if you want to know what I'm trying to do, then you have to join my side. Join completely, in both mind and body. Just as you guessed, I'm doing some things that are highly secretive and dangerous.

I only tell such secrets to my own people. So tell me, Kakashi. Are you one of us?"

Kakashi froze. He could hear the gravity in Aoba's voice. Aoba had always spoken casually, but Kakashi had known him for many years. He knew that whenever Aoba used that tone, he was absolutely serious.

He thought for a moment, then asked something he had wanted to ask for a long time.

"Is training Sasuke also preparation for your plans?"

"You could say that."

"Will you harm Konoha?"

"I guarantee that I won't. On the contrary, I'll make it better."

Aoba answered decisively. This was a world where everyone was terrible in their own way. The Five Great Ninja Villages were each worse than the last. The other four did not even qualify to be changed. Only Konoha still had a sliver of hope. That was why Aoba had put considerable effort into Konoha.

"I'll join. I'll join your secret organization."

"Very good, Kakashi. Though at present, there is no so-called secret organization. But I do have some secrets that outsiders cannot know. Now, I can reveal them to you."

At that moment, Yumi came in carrying the tea.

"Yumi, let's go talk in the laboratory."

This was the first time Aoba's laboratory had welcomed an outsider.

In truth, his laboratory was not particularly large. After all, Aoba had cheats, and he had also been Orochimaru's assistant for over a year. He could avoid many detours from the start.

Moreover, he had a fixed goal. He did not need to be like Root, conducting countless human experiments without direction just to learn through trial and error.

Even so, Kakashi was stunned by the sight before him. As an Elite Jonin, he could tell at a glance that this was a biological laboratory, very similar to Orochimaru's previous laboratory.

"You're conducting human experiments here?" Kakashi was shocked on the spot.

"To be precise, they're only biological experiments. Well, there have indeed been human experiments, but only once."

As Aoba spoke, he took off his shirt. Kakashi was startled to discover that a patch of muscle on Aoba's back was continuously twitching faintly.

"What... did you do?"

"You still can't guess? I thought you'd figure it out at first glance, Kakashi."

"...First Hokage Cells. You're conducting First Hokage Cell transplant experiments here."

"That's right."

"You succeeded?"

Konoha had conducted who knew how many First Hokage Cell transplant experiments. Kakashi could not possibly be unaware of that. But as far as he knew, every experiment had failed. Konoha had completely banned this research.

"Konoha has never banned First Hokage Cell transplant experiments. Even now, Root should still be conducting them continuously."

"They're still experimenting, which means they haven't succeeded. But you did?" Kakashi's tone was filled with disbelief.

He could not believe that Aoba had completed, in this tiny laboratory, what Konoha had failed to accomplish for decades. And Aoba did not seem to have conducted large-scale human experiments.

Kakashi believed it was true. He understood Aoba. Although Aoba's moral limits were not particularly high, he was not capable of doing something like human experimentation. Still, all of this was simply too unbelievable.

"Strictly speaking, I've only succeeded halfway for now. As you can see, the fusion is not yet complete. At the current rate, I'll need roughly another three to five months to complete the fusion entirely."