Konoha: Naruto, trained by Aizen

Upon hearing Jiraiya's answer, Tsunade felt immense pressure.

Because she hadn't returned to the village for so long, she had little influence in Konoha and could only barely be considered as inheriting the power behind the third generation.

But the third generation will definitely be pointing fingers and giving orders.

In addition, Danzo was also eyeing the opportunity.

It's easy to imagine how frustrating it would be to hold the position of Hokage.

"The position of Fifth Hokage will be difficult this time, Jiraiya. I need you to stay and help me," Tsunade said in a deep voice.

"I understand." Jiraiya nodded seriously.

"By the way, Sakura Haruno has a good talent for medical ninjutsu. I'm planning to take him on as my apprentice," Tsunade said with a smile.

.......

Everything proceeded as expected.

Naruto and Haku later passed by the royal treasury of the Land of Snow, politely took some money, and left a note.

"This money is a reward for helping you resolve the turbulent situation. You're welcome. I wish you continued success in your future development and that you will become a great power."

Naruto considered himself kind, so he kept doing things.

They left half for the other party.

He said he would leave 10% to Bai so that Bai could build his own power in the future.

Afterwards, they captured several Snow Ninjas with decent strength, which became material for Danzo to report.

Naruto then sent his clones to the town to pick up the two children, and then headed towards Orochimaru's Sound Village.

The original body then returned to Konoha.

The first phase of the incubation period is now over, and we can begin planning for the second phase.

Naruto's clone and Haku, each carrying a child, swiftly traversed the jungle.

The two children were astonished to discover that the gentle, harmless Bai possessed such terrifying strength, and their eyes shone brightly.

"Brother Bai? (Sister Bai), you're so amazing! Can you teach us ninjutsu?"

Upon hearing this, Haku looked at Naruto, as if seeking Naruto's opinion.

“It’s not wrong to crave power, but you must understand that gaining power means taking on greater responsibility,” Naruto said slowly.

Chapter 149 The Hollow Experiment, Meeting Orochimaru

Inside Orochimaru Sound Ninja Village.

"Roar!

"!" A mournful, shrill roar, filled with negative emotions, echoed from the basement.

Those weaker junior ninjas couldn't help but flinch at the thought.

The faint cry can awaken the deepest fears in a person's soul.

"As expected of a monster transformed from a soul, truly astonishing." From the floor-to-ceiling window at the top of the basement, Orochimaru watched the Hollows fighting below with a blank expression.

Of the original 20-plus Hollows, only three remained after the fierce battle.

They are all among the best of these Kylians.

After a fierce battle, they reached a delicate balance, each occupying a territory and not invading the other, but this balance was soon to be broken.

Because devouring their own kind is an instinct ingrained in their very bones.

To survive, one must constantly devour one's own kind.

Theoretically, a Gillian needs to devour hundreds of its own kind to have a chance to evolve into an Adjuchas.

However, after the fusion and mutation of chakra and spiritual pressure, the conditions for the evolution of Gillian are not as strict as before.

These Gillian, which have devoured dozens of their own kind, have already become noticeably stronger. It is believed that they will be able to complete their evolution by devouring fewer than a hundred Gillian.

"Buzz." The only door leading to the laboratory slowly rose, revealing three tigers hidden behind it.

These creatures, which were originally at the top of the food chain in the animal kingdom, now huddled in a corner like provoked cats, trembling and emitting terrified whimpers.

The cage containing three tigers was pushed into the room, and then the laboratory door was closed.

"Roar." The next moment, the three Hollows that had been resting suddenly charged toward the cage.

Accompanied by the tiger's agonizing roars and the eerie, terrifying sounds of flesh being torn apart, the laboratory fell into an eerie silence once again.

"A Hollow possesses spiritual pressure and chakra, and has a killing desire for any living being. It never tires and will use all its strength to devour all its own kind and any creature that possesses chakra within it. It has no interest in devouring ordinary creatures; it will only kill them." Inside the French windows, Orochimaru spoke in a deep, muffled voice with a smile on his face.

Behind him, several researchers were writing furiously.

Shuimen leaned against the corner of the wall, expressionless.

Minato has been cooperating with these inhumane experiments for a month now, and he's gotten used to it.

As the former Fourth Hokage of Konoha, he had long since lost his naivety.

Konoha has a history of conducting similar cruel experiments.

So he was already used to it.

Without these ethically questionable experiments, there would be no new breakthroughs.

The Second Hokage created ninjutsu through numerous experiments.

Now, Danzo and Orochimaru are on the same path.

"The number of experiments isn't enough. I want to witness the birth of Adjuchas with my own eyes. I'll have to trouble you with the rest, Minato." Orochimaru smiled at Minato, sticking out his scarlet tongue and gently licking his lips.

"I understand." Minato nodded expressionlessly and followed Orochimaru's subordinates to other laboratories, where he injected spiritual pressure into fresh souls.

Soon, several fresh Kylian were born.

Orochimaru calmly looked at the four-year-old Gillian, his eyes filled with worry.

"We're running out of experimental materials. It seems we need to expedite the deal with Danzo," he murmured.

The strongest Gillian now possesses strength consistently exceeding that of a Special Jonin, and it is believed that after evolving into Adjuchas, he may be able to break through to Kage level.

For any ninja village, even an unstable Kage-level strength is a huge treasure.

But the resources required behind this are unimaginable.

At least with the current resources of Otogakure, it cannot afford to do so.

Moreover.

Every day, these virtual cities riot, and maintaining the base is a considerable expense.

Since the experiment began, the financial situation of Otogakure Village has been deteriorating day by day.

This greatly troubled Orochimaru, and he also encouraged his trusted subordinates to take on more commissions to earn money to support the Hidden Sound Village.

At that moment, a subordinate entered the laboratory and said respectfully, "Lord Orochimaru, two men have entered Otogakure with two children, saying they are looking for you." The subordinate then informed Orochimaru of the details.

"Naruto-kun actually brought a ninja here? It seems he has quite a bit of freedom in Root."

Orochimaru's eyes lit up.

With his intelligence, he had already guessed that Naruto was planning to place his subordinate in Otogakure, and that subordinate might be a Shinigami!

It seems I'll be getting another helper.

Naruto is really quick; in such a short time, another Shinigami has appeared.

It seems he has far more freedom at the root than he thought.

He gave a sinister smile: "I'll go see them now."

......

Inside the Hidden Sound Village.

Compared to Konoha, Otogakure is undoubtedly a tiny ninja village.

However, its internal prosperity is not much different from that of Konoha Village.

The villagers lived a simple life, with men farming and women weaving, while ninjas patrolled the streets to ensure the villagers' safety.

Orochimaru established an extremely meticulous intelligence and scouting network within Otogakure.

Ordinary villagers focus on agriculture, forming a healthy internal cycle in Yinyin Village.

The core ninjas would take on commissions, and a portion of the commissions they earned would be taken by the village to fund the village's operations.

There was almost no discrimination against the villagers by the ninjas, and everyone got along quite well.

This demonstrates Orochimaru's talent in management.

This peaceful and beautiful scene initially shocked Shuimen as well.

If you put yourself in the position of the leader of Otogakure.

He might not be able to do better than Orochimaru.

This made him sigh with regret.

Orochimaru is ruthless and decisive, and he will not allow any other forces within the village to influence his power.

At the same time, he was engrossed in research and disdained becoming an extreme politician.

If Orochimaru had become the Fourth Hokage, Konoha might be even more beautiful now than it was during the Third Hokage's tenure.

However, what Minato didn't know was that in Orochimaru's heart, experimentation always came first. In the future, Orochimaru neglected the management of Otogakure because of his experiments, which ultimately led to the destruction of Otogakure.

Naruto and Haku stood at the entrance of Otogakure with two children, their gaze passing over the guards and landing on the village behind them.

Looking at the smiling villagers coming and going, Bai revealed a gentle smile.

Two children peeked out from behind Shiro, curiously watching Otogakure.

"This village is managed quite well," Naruto said with a light laugh.

As a Root ninja, he had naturally seen many harsh realities in small towns and ninja villages.

The Hidden Sound Village is already quite good.