Escape from Konoha.

"They sent out a distress signal... but they only took one person with them..."

A middle-aged man with red hair said this with his head down, and you could hear him crying. The insect man's question seemed to have stirred up some unpleasant memories in his past.

It has been less than ten years since the Kingdom of Whirlpools was destroyed.

For this middle-aged man, it was a painful experience he had personally gone through.

Bearing the title of slaves of a conquered nation, he wandered the ninja world, ostracized and captured.

At that time, he clearly remembered that Konoha did not offer any help.

Whether before or after the event, the distress signals they sent were like stones sinking into the sea; all they ever received was despair.

The thought of seeking help from Konoha must have faded a long time ago.

The insect man could only offer his condolences for the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools.

Perhaps in the future, his former homeland, the Land of Rain, will also follow this path and become a victim of a powerful nation.

At that time, the people of the Land of Rain will become like the current Uzumaki clan, rats that cannot see the light of day in the shadows.

People who see the people of the Rain Country also refer to them as slaves of a conquered nation.

The so-called alliance was just a piece of paper.

It's just a worthless piece of paper.

"I sympathize with your plight. Seeing our country being trampled upon, the heart-wrenching feeling is the same for everyone."

The insect man felt this deeply.

"Our organization is recruiting outstanding talents. If you are willing to join, we will be comrades. We will provide you with a good living environment, clean water and food, and security, but in return, we will require your loyalty. If you do not agree, we will not make things difficult for you; you can live your own lives."

These people looked hesitant, their expressions a mixture of worry and hope.

These people are already too fragile to be trusted. All that is needed to give them hope followed by despair is enough to drive them to suicide.

The insect-man chuckled, "Our leader said he wouldn't save those who only pray for rain all day. There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Gaining greater benefits while doing good deeds will give us even more motivation to do good."

The benefits that the Uzumaki clan can provide are undoubtedly their bloodline and their abundant sealing techniques.

Even those whose countries have been destroyed will eventually come in very useful.

"Whether you live like a human being or like a dog, there's no need to feel ashamed. What matters is the future. As long as you're alive, there's always the possibility of changing your fate. Anyway, your country is gone, and now all you have is a worthless life. What else is there to lose? Who wasn't once a homeless dog?"

The insect-man looked on with a sigh.

Because of the war, his family was torn apart. He then made a living by robbery and murder. He was then captured and used as a tragic experimental subject. Thinking about those years makes him feel horrified, and he breaks out in a cold sweat.

Fortunately, after the storm comes the rainbow. I've come to terms with many things and am no longer as naive as before.

That's just how the world is.

He hoped that these survivors of the Whirlpool Clan would make a choice they wouldn't regret.

The important thing is to get them into the organization first.

That way, you'll have money, women, mansions, and everything else.

This is the principle behind his "insect man" doing good deeds.

◎

Shiraishi's daily work involves arriving at the Ninja Academy before 3 PM to assist Tsunade in teaching the experimental class students medical ninjutsu.

In addition, they are occasionally pulled into hospitals to work as laborers.

Most of the time, I stay in the lab, quietly doing research.

Of course, there was also a troublesome brat named Uchiha Obito who would occasionally cause him trouble at school.

Kids these days are really scary; they're only five or six years old and they already know how to be jealous.

The key point is that he didn't do anything to the girl named Lin; he just taught her some medical knowledge every day after school.

In many ways, the world of ninjas cannot be understood using common sense.

The more you infer, the more outrageous the answers become.

For example... the white humanoid creature now lying on his lab table.

He was an unidentified person whom the Insect Man and his group had captured before. They discovered him while he was monitoring Akatsuki, killed him, and sent him here.

After that, Shiraishi became fascinated by these white creatures with their simple life structures.

However, after dissecting the entire corpse and revealing its secrets, Shiraishi received an answer that left him even more bewildered.

The energy extracted from this organism can revitalize a withered tree branch, causing it to sprout new buds.

Wood Release?

Moreover, it also has an aura that is somewhat similar to that of a tailed beast.

What is the origin of this creature?

A combination of tailed beasts and Wood Release?

so weak.

According to the insect man, this creature is extremely weak in combat and can be easily dealt with with a single hand or a single move, without even needing ninjutsu.

"It seems Xiao has a problem."

Although this creature was weak, the secrets it contained shocked Shiraishi.

Both Wood Release and Tailed Beasts have extremely fascinating legends.

The former is the power of the ninja god who pacified the chaotic world.

The latter is a chakra demon that has existed since ancient times, an immortal being, a transcendent being that cannot be resisted by human power.

Bai Shi believes there must be more to this story than meets the eye.

Who is behind the white creature?

Why are you monitoring Akatsuki?

Is this creature truly created using Wood Release and the power of the Tailed Beasts?

If that's true, where did Wood Release come from?

Since the death of the First Hokage, Wood Release, which could suppress the power of Tailed Beasts, has disappeared from the ninja world and become a legend.

Shiraishi considered a very strong possibility.

Konoha's high command!

They are secretly conducting research on reviving Wood Release.

Extracting hidden cells from a corpse, just like he did, would certainly not be a difficult task for Konoha.

Because only a few people, including them, had access to the First Hokage's corpse.

They extracted cells containing Wood Release power from the corpse of the First Hokage, then used human subjects for experiments to mass-produce Wood Release ninjas.

And the creature in front of us is the result of their research.

So the question is, why send someone to monitor Akatsuki?

If you really think an organization of only eight or nine people, mostly young boys and girls, is a threat, you can simply send your secret service to eliminate them.

There's no need to go to such lengths to monitor them.

When Bai Shitou was in pain, many things seemed contradictory, but based on the information he had, this was a fairly reasonable deduction.

What exactly are the Konoha leadership plotting?

Just as Shiro was wondering what the Konoha higher-ups were about to do, the clods of earth on the floor loosened, and the head of a mud figure made of yellowish-brown mud emerged from the ground, its dark eyes staring at Shiro.

A scroll emerged from the mud, was placed on the ground, and continued to serve as a perfect communication tool as it burrowed underground.

Shiraishi didn't care about his 'stupid son's' sudden departure; he didn't have high hopes for his intelligence for the time being.

Unraveling the scroll with a spell, it turned out to be the scroll that the Insect Man and his companions had mailed to them.

The scroll's contents were very simple; Shiraishi glanced at it and understood its general meaning.

"The Uzumaki clan? I thought they were all dead."

Bai Shi pondered for a moment, then immediately took out a blank scroll, wrote a few words on it, rolled it up, and sealed it with a spell.

"Give this scroll to them."

It was spoken to the earthen people underground.

The clay figure reappeared on the surface, its empty eyes now seemingly filled with a human-like melancholy.

Nevertheless, it obediently accepted the task entrusted to it by Shiraishi.

At just six months old, he single-handedly accomplished the feat of traversing most of the ninja world.

Without a doubt, it was the perfect tool that Shiraishi envisioned.

Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Hidden Hand in the Shadows

The guard unit is a significant part of Konoha's history.

Founded during the reign of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, its members were all Uchiha clan ninjas, responsible for maintaining order in the village.

This is both an affirmation of the Uchiha clan's ninja strength and, in a sense, a form of prevention and surveillance.

Because most Uchiha clan ninjas who awaken the Sharingan have unstable emotions, these individuals require close monitoring.

However, regardless of the circumstances, because the security force wielded such immense power, and the Uchiha were Konoha's top-tier bloodline limit ninja clan, even the Hokage often gave them face.

The guard unit building is where the guard unit members work. Most of the people who come and go here are Uchiha clan ninjas. Occasionally, ninjas or civilians who have committed offenses are brought inside for reprimand. These ninjas and civilians may have violated some village rules, but it was nothing serious and was considered a civil dispute. At most, they would be detained for a few days or half a month.

If the offense is serious, the offender will be sent to Konoha Prison for rehabilitation.

The workflow generally doesn't require reporting to the Hokage; as long as there aren't any major problems, the Hokage won't bother with such matters.

Although there are already several baskets of complaints about the garrison's arrogance and arbitrary detention of people.

Some were genuinely wronged due to negligence, while others were instigated by others to slander the Uchiha clan.

After joining the security force, Ruri sees these kinds of trivial matters every day.