XX-level Hokage

"Would you like to have a child of your own?" Mashiro pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked. "If possible, I might not mind," Red said, her eyes somewhat dazed.

"I see." Mashiro seemed to remember something. She turned and walked away.

Chapter 54: Interstitial Cells

"Lord Mashiro, Lord Kabuto has something to report to you." A member of the research institute suddenly reported from the Root headquarters office.

After Mashiro became the leader of "Root", she gathered the research team that Danzo had previously established and turned it into a research institute. Kabuto served as the director of the research institute, and most of the research institute members, including Kabuto, were gathered in Otogakure at this time to study the scientific research results left behind by Orochimaru.

"Kabuto's looking for me? I'll go over there." Mashiro put down his pen and said. "Yes, Mashiro-sama." The research institute members respectfully left the office. Then, Mashiro disappeared into the shadows.

In Orochimaru's research institute in Otogakure, Kabuto is standing in front of a large glass container, constantly recording something.

"Kabuto, is there anything you need to report to me personally?" Mashiro emerged from the shadows and said. "Lord Mashiro," Kabuto put down the data he was recording, turned around, and bowed to Mashiro.

After bowing, Kabuto respectfully said, "A few days ago, in Orochimaru's biological laboratory, I discovered that a clone that should have died was showing signs of life. After observing and recording it for the past few days, I found that this life form is growing at an incredibly fast rate. It has already developed from an embryo into an infant and is still developing. It may soon become a mature individual."

Then Kabuto pointed to the huge container behind him, which was filled with green nutrient solution, and in the center of the container, an infant was curled up.

"This batch of clones was created by Orochimaru using the genes of the Uchiha clan. It was unsuccessful at the time, as it seemed that some key part was missing. Even Orochimaru could not solve the problem of that missing part, so he stopped the plan to clone the Uchiha clan."

Because of this precedent, I examined the other clones in detail as well, but unfortunately, none of the experimental subjects came back to life. "Kabuto continued to explain.

Mashiro walked up to the container, reached out and touched the glass wall of the container, and then started rolling her eyes.

"He is indeed a pure-blooded Uchiha," Mashiro said, and there was a faint sense of familiarity about him.

"I'll take full responsibility for this experimental subject. Move all other research materials out of the lab and then seal it off," Mashiro said.

"Yes, Dou has no objection to this."

Since receiving the reward of mastering medical ninjutsu, Mashiro has possessed strong research capabilities. Although he is not as talented as Orochimaru or Kabuto, he is more than capable of researching a mere clone.

"Furthermore, Lord Mashiro, there have been results in the research on the Senju cells in Danzo's body," Kabuto suddenly said.

"Oh?" Mashiro hadn't expected Kabuto to break through the research on the Senju cells so quickly. "Please come with me, Mashiro-sama," Kabuto said.

Then Mashiro followed Kabuto to a small laboratory in a corner of the research institute.

In the laboratory, Danzo's right arm was placed on the experimental table, and Danzo's body was soaking in nutrient solution in the corner.

"This arm is a special product made from the Senju cells of the Hokage, imbued with Senju chakra. This was researched by Orochimaru when he was still in Konoha. I did not participate at the time, so due to the lack of theory and samples, my research and that of other researchers were at a bottleneck for a long time."

"It wasn't until we accepted Jugo that we discovered that Hashirama's cells and Jugo's cells were highly similar, both containing abundant natural chakra. Therefore, we tried to combine Jugo's cell tissue with Senju chakra, thus forming a Hashirama cell that was almost identical to the original," Kabuto explained to Mashiro.

Then he took a bottle of medicine from the cabinet in the laboratory, walked over to Danzo's body after removing him from the nutrient solution, and injected the medicine into Danzo's left hand with a syringe. After a while, Danzo's left hand turned pale.

Kabuto pulled out a dagger and slashed Danzo's left hand. There was no blood; the wound disappeared instantly, demonstrating an extremely strong regenerative ability.

Then Kabuto injected chakra into Danzo's left hand, and then formed hand seals to use Lightning Bolt to attack Danzo's left hand. The moment the lightning struck Danzo's left hand, his left hand turned into a tree and blocked the attack.

"Through research, we have achieved the first phase of results. The natural potion is a kind of fluid form of pseudo-Hashirama cells. Injecting this potion can make the injected body parts pseudo-Hashirama cells, greatly increasing recovery and attack power, and also giving them the ability to release wood. However, the drawbacks are also very obvious. First, mass production is difficult, and second, the pseudo-Hashirama cells in the body will lose sensation."

Of course, these problems will all be resolved in our second phase of research, which focuses on the physicalization of intercolumnar cells.

"The resulting Hashirama body, building upon the first stage, will be able to regenerate severed limbs, replace limbs, and enhance vitality and chakra reserves," Kabuto said, supporting his eyes.

"Kabuto, you did a great job. You are indeed an exceptionally talented person. With your help, peace in the ninja world is just around the corner." Mashiro said with a smile. Kabuto's ability to combine Senju chakra with Jugo's cells to create a pseudo-Hashirama cell truly impressed Mashiro with Kabuto's creativity.

"Now that the Hashirama cell problem has been solved, there's no point in keeping Danzo around. Let's find a suitable place and get rid of him," Mashiro said calmly.

Then, the shadowy ninja emerged from the shadows, carrying Danzo's body as he sank back into the shadows. Mashiro and Kabuto also disappeared into the shadows. In a cave in Wano Country, the three figures reappeared.

Mashiro reached out and summoned a Shadow Eater soldier the size of a dog.

Because it devoured Danzo's shadow, this Shadow Eater soldier could no longer return to the Shadow Kingdom. Therefore, it was usually left in the yard by Mashiro and raised as a strange-looking dog by Hanabi, Hinata, and Temari.

Controlling the Shadow Eater soldier to spit out Danzo's shadow, Mashiro then put the shrunken soldier into her pocket. "I'll find him another shadow to eat later, since he's usually treated like a house dog," Mashiro thought to herself.

The shadow entered Danzo's body, and Danzo slowly woke up, feeling weaker than ever before.

Danzo struggled to get up, but he had no feeling in his left or right hands, and Shisui's Sharingan in his right eye seemed to have disappeared. At this moment, Danzo did not even have the ability to get up from the ground.

"Looks like you've woken up, Lord Danzo. I wonder if you slept well?" Mashiro summoned a ninja soldier to help Danzo up and lean him against a rock, and said.

Upon seeing Mashiro, Danzo's memories gradually resurfaced, and he felt an overwhelming rage: "What did you do to me?"

"What? It's just removing your Shisui-infused kaleidoscope, taking off your right arm made of Hashirama cells, doing some research on what's inside your body, and then soaking you in nutrient solution for a few years," Mashiro said with a smile.

"Hyuga Mashiro!!!" Danzo roared in fury.

"Kabuto, the rest is up to you. Do whatever you want, but be careful of the Four Symbols Seal on him. Also, I wish you a happy revenge." Mashiro said and disappeared from the spot.

"Thank you, Shin-hi Tenjin." Kabuto respectfully bowed to Shin-hi Tenjin.

After Mashiro left, Kabuto walked up to Danzo and said softly, "Do you remember me? Lord Danzo." Looking at Kabuto's face, Danzo felt a chill and said, "You're Yakushi Kabuto?!"

"It's an honor that you still remember me." Kabuto said, adjusting his glasses and pulling out a scalpel. A moment later, Danzo's scream echoed from the cave.

Chapter 55: Dawn

Amegakure, the base of Akatsuki.

The members of the Akatsuki organization are gathered here at this moment.

Apart from the deceased Juzo Biwa and the defector Orochimaru, the Akatsuki currently has nine members.

The leader of Akatsuki, Pain, codename: Zero Burial. The angel of Akatsuki, Konan, codename: White Tiger. The mysterious creature, Zetsu, codename: Black Tortoise.

The tailless beast, Kisame Hoshigaki, codename: Nanto. Sasori of the Red Sand, codename: Tamamo.

Art master, Deidara, codename: Azure Dragon. Eternal life, Kakuzu, codename: North Star. Immortal, Hidan, codename: Three Stars.

The filial son who massacred his clan, Uchiha Itachi, codename: Suzaku.

"I heard that Hokuto and Yu Nu captured the Two-Tails not long ago, but then released her. What happened? I heard the Two-Tails' Jinchuriki is a woman. Could it be that you..."

"The two of them have their eyes on her, hahaha." Hidan mocked Kakuzu and Sasori, who arrived late.

He has always resented Kakuzu for abandoning him and teaming up with Sasori.

"None of your business." Kakuzu ignored Hidan's provocation and silently walked to his seat.

Sasori was even more direct. Several poisonous needles flew out from Hiruko's tail and hit Hidan. He said coldly, "If there's a next time, I'll cut you into pieces and bury you underground."

Hidan pulled out the poisoned needles from his body, paying them no heed. He then drew his scythe, eager to test its power. The smell of gunpowder quickly filled the air, while the others watched silently as the events unfolded.

Some viewed everything with indifference, while others were quite interested.

"Santai, Yu Nu, what are you doing!" Konan, the angel of Amegakure, Akatsuki no Byakko, appeared and reprimanded them.

"The angel has arrived. Hokuto and Tama recently captured the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, but instead of bringing him back to the organization, they released him directly. You should know that the second phase of our organization is to capture Jinchuriki. With teammates like this, the plan will be very difficult to succeed," Hidan said with a laugh.

"Is this true? Big Dipper, Jade Maiden?" Xiao Nan asked the two of them.

"I have no obligation to answer," Sasori replied. Kakuzu remained silent.

At this moment, Pain appeared, his Rinnegan displaying immense pressure. Then, Pain's voice rang out: "Hokuto, Tathagata, what's going on?" With Pain's appearance, Kakuzu and Sasori finally became more serious.

"Cats have nine lives. We did capture Matatabi, but after we caught her, she bit off her tongue and committed suicide. Then, her body unleashed an extremely powerful force that neither of us could withstand, allowing her to escape quickly." Kakuzu said, presenting the reason that Mashiro had prepared beforehand.

The specific abilities of the tailed beasts are unknown to anyone except in actual battles, so they can be made up however they want.

Pain readily believed Kakuzu's words and coldly said, "Since it escaped from the hands of the two of you, then you shall capture the Two-Tails and bring it back."

"I have no objection," Kakuzu said. Sasori nodded in agreement.

Then Konan said, "The Akatsuki meeting begins."

Then Payne said, "Thanks to everyone's joint efforts, Akatsuki has raised enough funds. The first phase of the plan has been successfully completed, and the second phase has officially begun."

As you all already know, the second phase involves capturing the Tailed Beasts and using the combined power of the nine Tailed Beasts to awaken the Ten-Tails.

Pain was speaking at length, but no one was listening except for Konan. Itachi, a spy for Konoha, was currently pondering Sasuke's situation.

Zetsu was the architect of ninja history; Nagato's plans were like children playing house to him.

Deidara was preoccupied with how to defeat Itachi Uchiha through explosions; he cared nothing for Pain's plans. Hidan was a lunatic; he joined Akatsuki not for peace in the ninja world, but simply to find a better place to kill.

Sasori joined Akatsuki simply to more conveniently pursue the meaning of eternity and incidentally study Konan, a member of the Akatsuki organization. Now he knows that the meaning of eternity he seeks has been achieved in another world with the help of Uchiha Zero. As for the research, Uchiha Zero can provide him with more research samples.

Therefore, the reason he is still in the Akatsuki is because of the needs of the Uchiha Zero Plan, so he doesn't care about Pain's words at all.

Kakuzu joined Akatsuki for money and a place to stay, but in Akatsuki, money had to be obtained by hunting down rogue ninja. However, Mashiro could directly teach him how to invest, and the interest on money could be much greater than what could be gained by hunting down rogue ninja.

As for a place to stay, Uchiha Zero promised to clear his name and let him live in Konoha. In that dream, Uchiha Zero did indeed do so, and his life was very comfortable. Seeing is always better than receiving a check out of thin air. All the katana betrayed Akatsuki very decisively.

Kisame joined Akatsuki because of the pursuit by the Land of Water and his inability to find meaning in his existence. Pain and Madara's descriptions are very appealing, but not as appealing as what Zero Uchiha did. In that dream, with Zero Uchiha's help, Kisame successfully found meaning in his existence. Zero Uchiha even found him a job as a teacher in Konoha.

All of this filled Kisame with longing. He originally thought it was just a dream, but after receiving news from Sasori and Kakuzu that Uchiha Zero truly existed, Kisame realized that some things might not be a dream. That's why he was so excited when he accompanied Itachi to Konoha, the place where he would live in the future.

Amidst this superficial harmony and lack of genuine engagement, Pain finished his speech. "Then, starting with the One-Tailed Beast, the Azure Dragon and the Three Stars are yours to handle." The meeting then ended, and all members left one after another.

Kisame caught up with Sasori and Kakuzu and asked, "Is there anything I need to do for the plan?" "Just wait for his instructions," Kakuzu replied.

"Will the two of you stay in Konoha from now on?" Kisame continued to ask.

"I don't know, but that guy did promise me the position of director of the research institute," Scorpion said.

"I will stay in Konoha. My investments have flourished throughout the village, and I will enjoy my retirement there," Kakuzu said, a strange excitement creeping into his words as he spoke of his businesses.

"I'll be staying in Konoha as a teacher then, but I don't know anyone there. We can get together often then." Kisame smiled憨厚ly and extended his hand to the two of them.

Kakuzu left without saying a word.

"Boring." Sasori finished speaking and turned to leave, leaving Kisame bewildered in the wind.

Soon after, Mashiro in Konoha received news that Akatsuki's second phase had begun.

"They've started collecting the Tailed Beasts? Looks like I'll have to make a trip to the Land of Rain when I have some free time, because the eyes of Shisui I got from Danzo... can Kotoamatsukami be used again?"

"I'll have to make good use of this since I only got to use it once," Mashiro muttered to himself.

"What are you talking about?" asked Handhan, who was tidying up the table.

"It's nothing, just a small matter." Mashiro shifted her position and continued watching TV.

"Are you having some strange thoughts?" Tehan clutched his chest, blushing as he looked at Mashiro, seemingly remembering something. "Don't worry, I'll make you beg me to do things for you," Mashiro said with a smile, recalling the plan to capture the One-Tailed Beast.

"Only a fool would beg you." Shouhan ignored him and continued wiping the table. "Let's just wait and see." Zhenbai picked up the remote and changed the channel. A movie starring Feng Hua Xiaoxue was playing on TV.

"Wind, flowers, and light snow? Let's find some time to visit the Land of Snow." Mamoru recalled the night after he reclaimed the Land of Snow in his previous life.

Gin: Come here and give me a hug, bro!

Chapter 56: The Cat-Eared Maid's Hand

News of the attack on Sunagakure and the abduction of the Fifth Kazekage quickly reached Konoha. Upon hearing this news, Tehan had been kneeling on the ground for a long time.