Chapter 589: Will the Shinobi World Change Because of Me?

Chapter 589: Chapter 589: Will the Shinobi World Change Because of Me?

Iruka still couldn’t quite bring himself to accept it. "But displaying the examination results on the notice board outside the school... wouldn’t that be..."

Kagami glanced at Iruka and casually asked, "Iruka, how long do you think it should take someone to learn one of the Three Basic Techniques to be considered qualified?"

"Well..." Iruka froze for a moment before tentatively asking, "One month?"

Kagami shook his head. "If someone can’t learn even one of the Three Basic Techniques within a week, it means they have no talent for ninjutsu!"

In truth, this standard was already quite lenient. By Orochimaru’s standards, anyone who couldn’t master one of the Three Basic Techniques within a single day could already be classified as an idiot.

As for geniuses like Sasuke, Neji, and Kimimaro, they could all master the Three Basic Techniques in just a few hours.

Kagami had given the students a full two weeks. Even the civilian students who had never encountered the Three Basic Techniques before should, by any reasonable standard, have mastered at least one of them by now.

Iruka’s expression darkened. "You mean Lee has no talent for ninjutsu? Are you planning to expel him from the Ninja Academy?"

Kagami shook his head. "I already told you, Rock Lee is a genius unlike anyone else. Right now, every setback he experiences will only become fuel that drives him forward."

Seeing that Kagami had no intention of expelling Rock Lee, Iruka let out a long sigh of relief. He then asked, "But aren’t we being a little too harsh on him?"

Kagami turned his gaze toward the window.

"The shinobi world as it stands today doesn’t allow us the luxury of being softhearted!"

After Iruka left, Kagami set the grade book aside, took a set of experimental data from his drawer, and resumed studying it intently.

During the week or two that Danzo spent recovering from his surgery, Kagami hadn’t been idle either. He had been concentrating on his cell fusion experiments and the cultivation of his Earth Release clone.

Just as the equipment had previously indicated, Deidara’s cells, which possessed an extremely violent chakra nature, were highly incompatible with Kagami’s own cells. As a result, the success rate of fusing the two was extremely low, almost approaching the success rate of fusing Uchiha cells with his own.

However, thanks to upgraded equipment and technological advancements, he now had a guaranteed baseline success rate. Through a large number of experiments, Kagami had managed to obtain more than thirty successfully fused cell embryos.

He immediately selected the ten groups with the highest cellular activity and placed them into large nutrient tanks, beginning the cultivation of his Earth Release clones.

The experimental data he was currently holding had been delivered by a ninja crow from the Third Kazekage Human Puppet, which was stationed in the laboratory. It contained information on the ten Earth Release clones currently being cultivated in the large nutrient tanks.

According to the data, all ten clones were developing normally, with neither deformities nor mutations.

Consequently, Kagami found it difficult to decide which clone he should develop further. He would need to continue monitoring the development of all ten clones and conduct another detailed examination once they had fully matured and their conditions had stabilized.

Even with the upgraded equipment, cultivating a clone still required two months.

Based on his calculations, the matter involving Danzo should have reached a conclusion before this batch of Earth Release clones was fully developed...

...

Inside the Hokage’s office.

The Third Hokage set down his pipe and asked Kakashi, who stood before him, with a grave expression, "Have you investigated everything thoroughly?"

Kakashi nodded slightly. "Yes. According to my investigation, Lord Hokage has recently mobilized more than a thousand personnel, and the vast majority of them have already secretly left the village."

The Third Hokage furrowed his brows. "Do you know where they’ve gone?"

Kakashi shook his head.

The Third Hokage felt a growing sense of unease. "Why is he suddenly mobilizing so many of the village’s personnel? What exactly is he planning?"

Danzo’s secret mobilization of the village’s shinobi might have escaped everyone else’s notice, but it couldn’t escape the Third Hokage’s.

However, Danzo had been exceptionally discreet this time. Moreover, as the Acting Hokage, he possessed the authority to temporarily mobilize Konoha’s shinobi. Thus, although the Third Hokage had noticed something unusual, he still had no idea what Danzo was actually planning.

Kakashi also expressed his concern. "According to reports from the ANBU, Lord Hokage appears to be continuing to mobilize personnel. He’s even secretly transferred some of the medical shinobi from Konoha Hospital under the pretext of a classified mission!"

The Third Hokage was puzzled. "Could he be planning to start a war?"

A force of over a thousand shinobi was more than sufficient to launch a war of annihilation against a small nation.

However, due to the existence of Akatsuki, Konoha and nearly all the surrounding shinobi villages were currently allied. The Third Hokage was therefore deeply concerned that Danzo might be plotting something against one of their neighboring allies.

Kakashi hurriedly asked, "What should I do now?"

"Track the shinobi Danzo has secretly mobilized. You must find out where they’ve gone and what they’re planning to do!"

After a brief pause, the Third Hokage added another reminder.

"And make sure you look after your own safety!"

Whoosh...

Kakashi nodded and immediately disappeared from the office.

After Kakashi left, the Third Hokage paced back and forth across his office.

The more he thought about it, the more worried he became. Finally, he ordered the subordinate stationed outside his office, "Go and summon the advisory elders!"

...

Inside a volcanic cavern in the northern region of the Land of Fire.

Orochimaru stood on a ledge along the cavern wall, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth as he surveyed the enormous volcanic cavern before him, where even the air was permeated with the smell of scorching.

Without a doubt, this volcanic cavern was the location Danzo had chosen for his Kekkei Genkai Fusion Ritual. At this very moment, hundreds of Root shinobi were busily working inside the cavern.

Some were constructing the ritual altar at the center of the cavern according to the blueprints. Others were inscribing sealing formulas along the surrounding cavern walls to reinforce the structure. Still others were laying out complex chakra transmission lines, conducting preliminary preparations and rehearsals for the chakra transmission array that would be used later.

Watching the scene before him, Orochimaru was filled with excitement. He chuckled to himself.

"Will the shinobi world change because of me? Heh, I can hardly wait!"

Orochimaru had devoted no less effort to the upcoming Kekkei Genkai Fusion Ritual than Kagami himself.

And he had done all of it willingly.

Even though the person he was serving was Danzo, whom he despised, he felt not the slightest regret.

After all, merely imagining himself participating in such a plan to create a god was enough to make every cell in his body tremble with excitement!

The limitations that bloodlines imposed on the upper limits of civilian shinobi, along with the short and fragile nature of human life, had always been the things Orochimaru cared about most and desperately wished to change.

And now, that change was becoming a reality.

Once Danzo’s Kekkei Genkai Fusion Ritual succeeded, the future of the shinobi world would be changed forever because of it...