Escape from Konoha.

There are also serious hierarchical differences between the different branches of the family.

Given this situation, since leaving the Sakumo Squad, Shiraishi has only seen Ayane once outside, and the conversation never lasted more than five minutes.

In the shadows, of course, they also maintained contact and exchanged intelligence in secret.

However… what Shiraishi is most concerned about right now is undoubtedly the series of secret measures recently taken by the Konoha leadership—

Wood Release research experiment!

◎

"What exactly are those high-ranking officials in Konoha plotting?"

This is exactly what pains White Stone.

On the surface, Shiraishi didn't seem anxious about this, continuing to live in the village as a qualified Konoha ninja, but inwardly he was extremely wary of the Wood Release research experiments conducted by the higher-ups.

Shiraishi, who had never underestimated these high-ranking officials, mentally raised their level of danger to another level.

Shiraishi had never personally verified the power of Wood Release, but he had witnessed firsthand the terrifying power of a Tailed Beast when it went berserk.

That was only the power unleashed by the first tail. Regardless of whether it was in its complete form at the time, the strongest tailed beast is the Nine-Tails.

It was once suppressed by the First Hokage's Wood Release, which shows how extraordinary Wood Release is.

The terrifying power of the spherical chakra ejected by the tailed beast at that time truly startled Shiraishi.

This made him question the profession of ninja for a time.

The Wood Release technique, capable of suppressing the strongest tailed beast, should not be underestimated, even if it may not reach the level of the First Hokage.

According to the insect man and his companions, the strange white creature possesses an extremely strong ability to stealth. If one does not have the ability to sense natural energy, it would be difficult to detect the traces of this strange creature.

If the Konoha leadership truly used Wood Release to develop such a special stealth unit, then the purpose is self-evident: whether it's to gather intelligence on enemy ninjas or to monitor the village's interior, the level of observation would be several levels higher than that of the Anbu, making it extremely difficult to defend against.

Bai Shi wasn't too worried about the research being discovered here, as the stealth ability of these strange creatures could be sensed by natural energy.

No matter how troublesome the known issues may be, as long as we take precautions, there is nothing to be afraid of.

The problem lies in the unknown.

How many of these stealthy creatures are still in the hands of Konoha's higher-ups?

And where were these creatures placed respectively?

What secret plans are they plotting?

Has the Uchiha clan been infiltrated by the other side?

All of these are unknown.

Shiraishi's absolute confidence in his own safety stemmed from the fact that the Konoha leadership had made serious intelligence errors regarding him. Regardless of the circumstances, he maintained the initiative, which was the key to victory.

However, the Konoha leadership also possesses this trump card of uncertainty.

If the unknown and the unknown suddenly clash, things will become very troublesome.

"This is really a headache..."

If we could break this deadlock, or find out what the Konoha leadership is plotting, we wouldn't be in such a passive position.

We need to come up with a foolproof plan to regain control of the situation.

Facing a massive military organization like the Ninja Village, there was no chance of victory in a direct confrontation.

Just as Shiraishi was agonizing over this matter, Ruri had already come down the corridor of the underground laboratory.

When did you get back?

"just."

"Is it already this late?"

Bai Shi was oblivious to the passage of time.

Ruri's work hours at the security team are from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM.

There are two days off each week, which can be used for free time to do what you like.

"You haven't been worrying about the higher-ups' schemes all this time, have you?"

"Hmm, after all, it's related to Wood Release, and we can analyze it to find components similar to those of Tailed Beasts. We can't afford to be careless about that... What, you don't seem worried at all?"

Shiraishi then noticed that Ruri showed no sign of worry on her face, and was slightly surprised.

It should be noted that the relationship between some high-ranking members and the Uchiha clan is exceptionally bad, especially that of Danzo Shimura, the leader of the radical Root faction.

If it weren't for the Third Hokage's mediation, Root wouldn't have remained so obedient and inactive these past few years.

"Why should I worry about such things? Once I have the power to suppress all conspiracies and schemes, figuring out countermeasures is a complete waste of time and energy. I'd rather use that time and energy to improve my own strength."

"..."

It really is the same kind of power-oriented thinking.

Thinking about it this way, Shiraishi felt that he had worried about Ruri for nothing.

"You're too fixated on the so-called truth. That's how you've always been. You need to thoroughly understand the so-called truth."

"Exploring the truth is my job."

Shiraishi provides the answer.

"You clearly lack a sense of security."

Liuli had a 'don't try to fool me' look on her face, her eyes seemingly able to see through the essence of everything.

"Since you understand this, why say it out loud? It's hurtful."

Shiraishi forced a smile.

Just as he knew everything about Liuli, Liuli also knew everything about him.

Such a trick cannot fool the other party.

"Because I rarely see you looking so conflicted, it's quite amusing."

Liuli smiled and said this.

"You...you wouldn't happen to be Ayane transformed by her transformation jutsu, would you?"

Shiraishi hesitated for a moment before asking the somewhat impolite question.

As expected, after hearing Shiraishi's words, Ruri's dark pupils suddenly stared at Shiraishi without answering him, and the air around her seemed to slowly condense.

It looks like it's genuine.

Ayane doesn't have such a powerful and intimidating aura.

"How is the progress of the immortal techniques?"

Liuli asked about the topic she cared about most.

"In the most recent experiment, the success rate of synthesizing Sage Chakra has been steadily increased to over 80%. Give me another six months to a year, and it will be ready for official use."

Shiraishi gave a rather conservative timeframe.

Liuli nodded. Six months to a year was a time she could easily wait.

Anyway, she has a lot of free time now. As one of the squad leaders in the guard team, she can usually delegate the work to her subordinates. Only when she encounters a difficult problem will she, as the squad leader, step in to resolve it.

After Ruri left, Shiraishi fell into deep thought.

Indeed, as Ruri said, instead of speculating about what the Konoha leadership is up to, improving one's own strength will never be a loss.

"But no matter how much I improve myself in combat, I can't surpass Liuli. Her growth rate is too abnormal. My 'strength' is not reflected in combat..."

He abandoned all his cultivation time and devoted all his time, except for work and rest, to research. This was the only solution Shiraishi could think of.

Not only Ruri, but even Ayane's growth rate is no slower than his own.

Although his own cultivation talent was not bad, the gap between him and Liuli and Lingyin was negligible.

However, both of them have bloodline abilities that enhance their abilities; their Sharingan and Byakugan are top-tier bloodline limits in the ninja world.

This is an advantage that Shiraishi does not have.

As the holder continues to develop the power of the bloodline limit, its power becomes increasingly terrifying.

Not to mention, the two of them are geniuses in themselves.

Giving up cultivation time and devoting all energy to research is also a way to improve one's 'strength'.

Creating 'weapons' is my job; using 'weapons' to fight is Ruri and Ayane's job.

Bai Shi suddenly felt as if the clouds had parted and the truth was clearly revealed.

No one is perfect in this world.

Therefore, we need others to fill our shortcomings and advance and retreat together.

Compared to fighting, I am better at research, and I have knowledge and ideas that are ahead of the ninja era. This is what makes me stronger than Ruri and Ayane.

Therefore, there is no need for me to strive for excellence in combat right now; that is not the path I should choose.

Thinking about it this way, the secret plans of Konoha's higher-ups are not so important after all.

The important thing is to improve yourself.

◎

The weather in May is already quite warm.

A creature known as 'White Zetsu' has quietly infiltrated Konoha.

Compared to other villages, infiltrating Konoha is the most difficult of all these ninja villages.

The village is surrounded by a sensory barrier, and the Byakugan can see through objects. When White Zetsu sneaks in, they are extremely careful in everything they do.

There were three people who entered, while two White Zetsu were responsible for monitoring outside Konoha Village.

The three White Zetsu who infiltrated Konoha Village had very clear objectives: to find out if a previously missing White Zetsu was connected to the Konoha leadership, and to gather intelligence within the Uchiha clan's territory in search of a so-called 'representative'.

As for what kind of personality and talent a 'representative' needs to have, the White Zetsu are neither aware of it nor know for sure; everything needs to be decided by their 'Madara-sama'.

However, the age of the 'spokesperson' should not be too old; it is best to be between a few years old and a teenager, as that makes them easier to control.

Therefore, the Uchiha clan members they were closely monitoring were mostly young ninjas in their teens or children attending ninja academies.