Chapter 75: Tanggu and the Fusang Tree!
Chapter 75: Tanggu and the Fusang Tree!
After entering the base, Danzo quickened his pace, surveying the chaotic scene before him. He moved through the passage created by the attack, entering the laboratory that had been reduced to ashes by the flames.
"..."
The silence was deafening.
After a moment, a Root shinobi began to report the damage, seemingly oblivious to the surrounding flames and smoke.
"Sir, the enemy has retreated. The base has suffered...!"
Honestly, the damage to the base wasn't as severe as it seemed. But the most crucial elements were gone.
The cells of Hashirama could be cultivated again, but it would require a significant amount of resources. The real issue was the loss of the experimental data, which had taken a tremendous amount of time and effort to gather. Now that it was gone, all the previous work was in vain.
More crucially, the people were gone.
Researchers weren't like cabbages; you couldn't just have as many as you wanted. Skilled researchers were already few and far between, and this field heavily depended on natural talent. No matter how hard you tried, if you didn't have the aptitude, you simply couldn't succeed.
Just like how, when pushed to the limit, people could do anything...
Except math!
Research work was no different.
These researchers had been obtained through various means by Danzo. Now, with their loss, how could he continue the experiments? Even with money and resources, it was impossible.
"By any means necessary, find those who dared to attack Konoha!"
Danzo gritted his teeth as he issued the order. If the attackers were before him, he would have devoured them alive—without soy sauce!
This showed just how intense his hatred was.
"What about the research...?"
A figure in a high-collared cloak, wearing gloves and sunglasses, asked in a low voice. The Aburame clan! It was clear that this Root shinobi belonged to that clan.
"..." Danzo pondered for a moment, then made his decision. "Suspend the research and take everything with us!"
He already had a plan in mind, but he had been hesitant to make the final decision. Now, he was ready to act.
Find a collaborator!
The best candidate was Orochimaru. He had exceptional research capabilities and a dark heart, making him an ideal partner to also weaken Hiruzen.
As for Uchiha Dohei, who Danzo had always wanted to capture and use for his own purposes, he was now seen as a problem that needed to be dealt with.
"Yes, sir!"
The Aburame shinobi bowed his head.
After giving the order, Danzo left the base, his anger still burning within him. He didn't need to oversee the investigation; as an elder of Konoha, he couldn't stay away for long.
Once the laboratory was left with only the Aburame shinobi, he slowly approached a charred corpse, the remains of a Nara clan shinobi.
Snap!
Suddenly, the Aburame shinobi twisted off his 'friend's' head.
True.Friend.jpg!
Of course, he wasn't desecrating the body but gathering intelligence. For a shinobi, a corpse was a source of information. Even the dead could speak.
"Goodbye!"
The Aburame jounin silently stood up, carrying his friend's head away from the scorched laboratory.
The base would be abandoned, and the body couldn't be returned to the family. But that was the fate of Root—silently serving Konoha, dying in the shadows, and accepting their destiny.
Elsewhere, Dohei had already returned Hyuga Aozuki to Konoha. From her, he learned that she would soon be heading to the battlefield and would try to team up with Yamashiro Koji.
Together, they wouldn't need to worry about their safety; it would be the enemies who should be concerned.
A near-Kage-level powerhouse and a shinobi with the strength of an upper-level jounin...
But both of them were ‘crippled’ genin, making the deception all the more convincing.
After all, who would pay attention to a pitiful, weak, and limping branch family genin of the Hyuga clan?
As for Danzo?
Even if he had suspicions, he had no evidence.
Right now, he was busy with the ‘distracting the Sand ninja’ mission, leaving him no time to act, not to mention the lack of power and information.
So, Danzo never suspected him.
Thus, Douhei successfully pulled off a hidden operation.
As long as the other party still posed a threat, any suspicions in the future would be futile.
Next, he planned to head to the Land of Wind.
His goal was to plant the Fusang Tree there.
The Fusang Tree thrived in environments with ample sunlight.
And when it came to sunlight, what place could be better and more hidden than the Land of Wind, with its endless deserts and scorching temperatures?
Additionally, he didn’t need to worry about the Hidden Sand Village.
They controlled only the fringes, with a few oases scattered around, so there was no risk of the Fusang Tree being discovered.
With Taichi serving as his mount, travel was swift.
In less than two days, Douhei had already ventured deep into the desert, thousands of kilometers into the Land of Wind, arriving at a forbidden area.
The Death Desert!
This region was barren, with no sign of life.
And this was Douhei’s ‘Promised Land.’
Kwa!
Taichi slowly folded his wings and landed.
Even with chakra, continuous flight was exhausting.
“Not a bad spot. From now on, this place will be called ‘Tanggu,’ and it will be my new holy ground, a sanctuary of my own!”
Douhei glanced at the specially chosen, massive sandy valley.
Perfectly hidden!
Who would ever think to plant the Fusang Tree here?
Even if they did, it would be impossible to find it in the vast, endless desert.
The first step was to transplant the Fusang Tree.
Uchiha Mei’s courtyard was now off-limits to everyone.
The environment was too strange!
The natural energy was so dense that it was almost liquefying.
Once natural energy could liquefy, what did that mean?
Sage Mode!
Like the toad oil from Mount Myoboku, the snake venom from the Ryuchi Cave, and the bone-eroding liquid from the Wet Bone Forest—these were essential aids for learning Sage Mode, products of natural energy liquefied by the sanctuaries.
Thanks to these substances, the three great sanctuaries could teach their contract holders Sage Mode.
Now, do you understand the value of the Fusang Tree?
The allure of Sage Mode was why Douhei was in such a hurry to transplant it.
Once he mastered Sage Mode, even if he couldn’t become a ‘forefather,’ he would have the power to protect himself and live however he pleased.
Sage Mode!
This was Douhei’s current goal.
The Senju cells and the Fusang Tree were all in service of this.
Boom!
Taichi spewed a massive fireball, blasting a deep hole several meters into the sandy ground.
The Fusang Tree would benefit the most from its growth, so it was working hard.
“Good job!”
Douhei praised him.
Kwa!
Taichi, still unable to speak, called out proudly.
The several-meter-tall Fusang Tree was carefully placed into the deep hole by Douhei, who then covered its roots with sand.
This marked the initial transplant.
There was no need to worry about its survival.
Even with only the roots remaining, as long as it received enough sunlight, it would gradually come back to life.
“Next, it’s time to witness the miracle!”
Douhei took out something, murmuring to himself with an expectant expression.
(End of Chapter)
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