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Chapter 346: Wood Style Ninja: Daigo!
Chapter 346: Wood Style Ninja: Daigo!
"Kakashi...?"
Hari looked at the open door, Kakashi in the middle of the crowd, and the Root Ninja bound beside him, his expression grim.
He had already guessed the situation.
Kakashi had been sent on a mission by Hari, and now the mission was complete, but others had also discovered it.
Indeed!
Previously, Kakashi had found a document during his search of Orochimaru's mansion, which recorded the Wood Style research.
There was nothing to say about this; Hari naturally knew about it, but he didn't hold out any hope.
If it were going to succeed, it would have done so long ago; how could it have waited until now?
However, the document stated that in previous experiments, there had already been test subjects who had mastered Wood Style, and they had been hidden by Root.
This was unacceptable!
Hari could tolerate everything else, but this was truly intolerable.
Because Wood Style was too important to Konoha, he immediately arranged for Kakashi to find a way to bring the person back.
It wasn't that he didn't want to send anyone else; it was that he was well aware of how seriously Root had infiltrated the ANBU, so for secrecy's sake, he could only send Kakashi.
Now the mission was both a success and a failure.
They had successfully brought back the test subject, but they had failed to maintain secrecy.
"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama!"
Kakashi bowed his head, filled with remorse.
Although his face was hidden behind the mask, anyone could sense his guilt.
"You've done well to complete the mission!"
Hari didn't blame Kakashi either.
After all, it was already impressive to bring back a Wood Style ninja from Root, and to ask for secrecy on top of that was indeed too much to ask.
This was also Dong Ping's plan.
If the Wood Style research documents were handed to Hari, he would naturally handle it with discretion.
Even if he, as the Hokage, were assassinated by Root, he would deal with it with a 'light-hearted' attitude, let alone something like this.
Therefore, it was necessary to let others know as well.
Achieving this was extremely easy; they just needed to choose the location where the person was captured.
With Hyuga Cangyue present and knowing Akira's approximate intelligence, they had already locked onto the target's movements. They waited until the target left Root and was surrounded by Leaf Ninja Clan members before making their move.
As long as the target resisted, they would use Wood Style, thus achieving their goal.
Kakashi even prolonged the fight, allowing several clan leaders who had rushed over to witness the residual traces of Wood Style.
Naturally!
Kakashi's execution of the mission was flawless, without a single flaw, yet the matter was exposed.
It seemed perfectly normal, but it was all a setup.
"Hokage-sama, we need an answer!"
Nara Shikoku stood up helplessly under the gazes of the other clan leaders.
There was no choice; being a member of the Hokage Clan and the Leaf Strategist, if he didn't stand up at a time like this, when would he?
If any other clan leader had stood up, there would be suspicions of forcing a confrontation, but not for the Hokage Clan.
This was Wood Style!!!
The 'God of Shinobi' had once conquered the ninja world with Wood Style, pushing through the entire ninja realm. Now that it had reappeared, who wouldn't be shocked?
In fact, compared to this matter, Orochimaru's desertion was insignificant.
But there was one person in the office whose emotions were surging like a raging storm.
Danzo!
He had immediately recognized the masked Root ninja captured by Kakashi.
Akira! He wouldn't be this excited if it were any other subordinate.
The problem was that this person was the only test subject who had mastered Wood Style in his collaboration with Orochimaru.
"Hari!" Danzo suddenly turned to Hari and asked, "How did you know...?"
He truly hadn't expected that Hari would know about this.
After all, even Orochimaru was unaware of this.
Akira was a test subject who had miraculously survived the experiments, and Orochimaru had always believed that the Wood Style bloodline limit had not been successfully transplanted.
But if even Orochimaru, who was involved in the collaboration, didn't know about this, how could Hari?
It was evident that Dong Ping had played this hand very interestingly."
Since Danzo had hidden the person, he naturally wouldn't proactively seek out Orochimaru for answers, and Hari couldn't have learned about Akira's existence from Orochimaru, as he wasn't aware of Akira either.
And even if they had the chance to hear Orochimaru's explanation later, both of them would only think that he was intentionally lying to them.
In any case, the truth of this matter could only be revealed if the three of them confronted each other honestly and believed each other's words without reservation.
But is that even possible?
It might have been in the past, but ever since Orochimaru's defection, such a thing is no longer feasible.
Facing Danzo's inquiry, Hari suddenly stood up and roared,
"Danzo, how dare you use the body of Hashirama..."
He was like a provoked lion, as if Danzo's answer was slightly amiss, he would pounce and tear him apart.
'So clever!'
Dong Ping, who had retreated to the corner, couldn't help but marvel. Compared to Danzo, Hari was indeed smarter in political matters.
The leaders of various Ninja Clans couldn't help but harbor suspicions about him as the Hokage, but his stance was almost as if he was claiming ignorance of the matter.
This way, he shifted all the blame onto Danzo, while maintaining his own 'innocence'.
Hmm... even if he genuinely didn't know.
"Danzo..."
Tenkai Kokonoe also looked at Danzo in disbelief.
The name Senju Hashirama was synonymous with the Leaf Village; using his body for experiments was akin to courting death.
"I did this for the Leaf Village, and even my teacher would forgive me!"
Danzo's face showed no hint of fear.
Because that's exactly what he believed! His research on Wood Style was solely to make the Leaf Village great again, without any personal gain.
As for his teacher?
Sorry, the coffin lid was sealed tight, and the teacher couldn't possibly jump out of the coffin to scold him, so it was considered 'implied' that he consented to the experiment.
One could only say that Danzo was truly stubborn.
Even in front of so many people, he showed no signs of weakness.
"You... you..."
Hari felt his chest about to explode with anger.
You desecrated the previous Hokage and still act as if you've done nothing wrong; are you trying to infuriate me?
Most importantly, with so many Clan leaders present, if Danzo wasn't punished, the consequences would be unimaginable.
This set a terrible precedent.
If you could use the First Hokage's body for experiments in pursuit of Bloodline Limits, what would others think?
The Hyuga Clan, the Uchiha Clan... all possessed Bloodline Limits. Would the village leaders capture them for experiments, attempting to seize their Bloodline Limits?
Don't think it's impossible! If you dare to target the First Hokage, what else is off-limits?
Even the leaders of Secret Technique Ninja Clans would feel threatened.
One could only say that Danzo set a terrible example, which is why Hari was so furious.
"Danzo, he must be handed over!"
Mizuki En's gaze fell on Akira, who was bound and gagged.
Other matters could wait, but this Ninja, who had mastered Wood Style, must first be handed over to the Hokage.
For example, in the Leaf Village, Wood Style was akin to the 'Imperial Seal', symbolizing the legitimacy of the Hokage. Naturally, it could only be possessed by the Hokage; if others held it, it would undermine the Hokage's authority.
"You're right, Danzo, the Ninja must be handed over to Hari!"
Tenkai Kokonoe also realized this point and agreed.
"Impossible! Akira is a member of Root, and we won't hand him over to you!"
Danzo was enraged.
He had invested heavily in Akira's cultivation, and now, with a single word, they wanted to take him away. He couldn't possibly agree.
"Danzo, this is the village's notification to Root, and from now on, he will be known as 'Daigo', the Leaf Village's Daigo!"
Hari's anger subsided, and he appeared calm.
But facing Hari in this state, Danzo could only grit his teeth and nod,
"Yes!"
If he continued to resist, Hari would undoubtedly strike without hesitation. In their years together, he had only seen Hari like this a couple of times, and each time, it was awe-inspiring.
Thus, the decision regarding Akira's custody was made.
"Everyone, I will have the ANBU investigate this matter and provide you with an explanation later!"
After suppressing Danzo, Hari began to appease the leaders of the various Ninja Clans.
Ten minutes later!
The Hokage's office finally quieted down.
Although the matter was temporarily settled, it didn't mean it was over. Later, they still needed to find a way to explain to the others.
However, those issues could be dealt with later; the most crucial task now was to confirm the status of Daigo, the Ninja who had mastered Wood Style. If he had truly inherited Wood Style, could he make the Leaf Village reign supreme among the Five Great Ninja Villages once more?
(End of Chapter)
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