Kakashi Steps In

It was a little regrettable that he had not achieved everything in one step, but Aoba had prepared for Yin Release chakra as well. It would just take a little more time.

The data the laboratory could test was limited. More detailed data would still have to be explored continuously in future combat.

But this level was enough for Aoba now. At the very least, he had completely shed the weaknesses of a civilian ninja: insufficient chakra, poor stamina, and weak recovery.

Now, with Sage Mode, Aoba had begun to possess the qualifications to clash with the Shinobi World's top-tier fighters.

But this alone was still far from enough. This level of strength might suffice for the next two years, but in a few more years, it would barely be worth mentioning.

In fact, that was only assuming he did not encounter Nagato or Obito. No one in the Shinobi World could currently confront Nagato's Rinnegan head-on.

Although Aoba knew Obito's intelligence, he did not know Flying Thunder God. Even if he did, without the Fourth Hokage's move that took Flying Thunder God to another level—Flying Thunder God: Second Stage—he still would not be able to handle Obito.

Akatsuki was still in its period of accumulation and hiding, so there was no immediate danger of encountering them. But Obito was the sort to drop by Konoha every so often.

Especially since Aoba had captured a White Zetsu, there was an even greater chance of drawing Obito's attention.

Fortunately, over the past few months, Aoba had not noticed any trace of Obito. That put his mind slightly at ease. It seemed Obito was still controlling the Mizukage and tormenting Kirigakure. In the original story, Obito had practically ruined the village that had caused Rin's death.

Aoba's success seemed to have spurred Yumi on. More than once, she proposed trying it on herself.

But Aoba still had reservations. Yumi could not use Sage Mode. If he transplanted Hashirama Cells into her, the danger would be extremely high.

But if she did not undergo the transplant, Yumi did not have much time left.

Karin did not know about this, but both Yumi and Aoba knew very well. Aoba especially knew better than Yumi herself, since he examined her once every three days.

According to his examinations, Yumi had roughly half a year left to live. It did not show on the surface because Aoba had been supplementing her with Life Potions.

But Life Potions treated the symptoms, not the cause. They could heal external injuries, but they were powerless against the fundamental depletion in Yumi's case.

Therefore, the only hope at present was Hashirama's cells. After all, Hashirama Cells would reconstruct Yumi's body from its foundation. If the transplant succeeded, it would naturally replenish her vitality.

"Have you thought about this, Yumi? This is not just your decision. Karin has the right to know."

That was also why Yumi and Aoba had hesitated. This matter was somewhat cruel for Karin. She was, after all, only a little girl who had just adapted to a brand-new life.

She had a home now, a mother, and friends. She was living so happily. Telling her now that her happy life was about to end was truly cruel.

Aoba did not continue trying to persuade her. Instead, he left the decision to Yumi.

The next morning, Aoba noticed that Karin had not gone to school. He realized that Yumi had probably already made her decision at the memorial hall.

"Have you made up your mind?"

"Yes. I'm completely certain now. I told Karin everything. Now, I have to face my fate."

"Alright. I'll notify Kakashi and have him come assist."

Yumi had originally been Aoba's surgical assistant. Now that Yumi was the patient, Aoba could only drag Kakashi over as forced labor.

"You want to transplant Hashirama's cells into Uzumaki Yumi?"

Kakashi's face was filled with shock.

"Do you know what you're doing? Those are the First Hokage's cells. Do you know..."

Kakashi was somewhat agitated. He could barely understand Aoba transplanting them into himself, because he knew Aoba had ambitions and wanted to accomplish great things. But he could not understand Aoba doing this to someone close to him, because Aoba had told him before.

Even with all the necessary conditions met, the transplant's success rate was only around seventy percent. And Uzumaki Yumi was not even a ninja. She had only just extracted chakra. Under those circumstances, her chance of success might not even reach fifty percent.

"What exactly are you thinking? Creating an army of Wood Release users and unifying..."

"Kakashi, Yumi is dying." Aoba's casual words instantly left Kakashi stunned.

"...What do you mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. Yumi and Karin are both members of the Uzumaki clan. Sometimes, members of their clan develop a special constitution. Once their bodies are wounded, their life force leaks out.

"In other words, if someone is injured, they only need to bite them once to recover from their injuries quickly."

Kakashi was no innocent. Over the years, he had carried out countless dark missions in ANBU and seen who knew how many dark sides of the Shinobi World. He immediately understood that if outsiders discovered this constitution, it would be an absolute disaster for Karin and her mother.

"Where... did you find them?" Kakashi had already guessed something.

"Kusagakure."

"...A year ago, Kusagakure held negotiations with Konoha. Some of their ninja had died along the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass, and they requested the Land of Fire's assistance in investigating. But nothing ever came of it.

"Thinking about the timing, you probably brought them back around then. So you did not save them from bandits. You took them from the Land of Grass. You killed those Grass Ninja."

"That's right."

Kakashi had wanted to say that the Grass Ninja were Konoha's allies. But after thinking about it, he kept silent. He had been to Kusagakure and knew exactly what kind of people those Grass Ninja were.

"Yumi's body was there..."

"That's right. Both Yumi and Karin were. There, they were worth less than dogs. They were nothing but two lumps of rotten flesh, the kind anyone could walk up and bite whenever they wanted. Yumi's body had been drained of too much life force. She was already at the end of her rope."

"For more than a year, I used every method I could think of, but they all treated only the symptoms. She looks fine on the surface, but in truth, she has less than half a year left to live."

"..." Kakashi stood frozen. He could not imagine that Karin, that innocent, lively, even somewhat mischievous little girl, had endured such horrifying experiences. He could imagine even less what Yumi, who was older than her, had gone through during those years.

"Does Karin know all this?"

"Yumi has already told her. This was their joint decision. Yumi... is trying very hard to live."

This time, Kakashi truly fell silent. Only after a long while did he finally speak.

"When does the surgery begin?"

"As soon as we have an assistant."

"Good. Let's go."