Bab 44: Chapter 44: Showdown
Having successfully captured a White Zetsu, Aoba immediately found a reason to take a leave of absence from his duties at home.
It is worth mentioning that the higher-ups in Konoha easily believed his excuse. Or rather, they were quite pleased to see Aoba taking a break.
Firstly, it was a time of peace, and high-level ninja missions were not as frequent as one might think.
Secondly, the higher-ups in Konoha were not fond of seeing Aoba constantly in the spotlight. So, they were quite happy to have him stay at home.
However, Kakashi knew that Aoba was far from being as laid-back as he appeared. Aoba always seemed to show a different side of himself around Kakashi, giving him a very dangerous impression.
Yet, Kakashi never thought of reporting him. The balance between them surprised even Kakashi himself.
He couldn't help but recall his previous question: What exactly is Konoha?
This question had troubled Kakashi for nearly a year. He knew that deep down, he already had an answer. However, he was not yet able to articulate it.
Aoba had been resting at home for a month. Even Kakashi, who knew him well, felt something was off.
Could it be that there was really a problem with his training?
After finishing a mission, Kakashi decided to pay him a visit.
The door was answered by Yumi. Kakashi knew that Aoba lived with a beautiful woman, so he was not surprised.
"Ah, you must be Kakashi. Come in. Aoba was just complaining that none of his friends come to visit him."
Kakashi felt a bit awkward and handed the fruit he was carrying to Yumi.
"What's going on with you? Could it be that there's a real problem with your training?"
"Pretty much," Aoba said, looking at Yumi as she naturally went to prepare tea for them.
"So, you, the busy man, actually have time to come see me?"
Kakashi hesitated for a moment and then said:
"Do you remember the question you asked me before?"
"Which question? I've asked you so many things."
"About what Konoha really is."
"Oh? It seems like you've found your answer."
"Yes, I have an answer. But before I tell you, I want to hear your answer first."
Aoba looked at Kakashi. Their eye contact was quite interesting. Together, they had only one pair of eyes.
"My answer is simple. Konoha includes everyone. From the Hokage, the ninja clans, to the high-ranking ninjas... and even the orphans on the street. Every person is a part of Konoha."
Kakashi looked at Aoba and said seriously:
"I agree with your statement."
"Good. It looks like we've reached a preliminary agreement."
For some reason, Aoba's words always gave Kakashi a strange feeling. He knew that Aoba was doing something secret, but he didn't know exactly what.
"Aoba, what exactly do you want to do? I admit you are strong, stronger than anyone I've seen. But you still can't..."
"Kakashi, if you want to know what I want to do, you'll need to join me. Join me in every way, from ideology to physical involvement. As you suspected, I'm engaged in some very secretive and dangerous activities.
Such secrets are only shared with those who are part of my circle. So, tell me, Kakashi. Are you one of us?"
Kakashi was stunned. He could sense the seriousness in Aoba's voice. Aoba usually spoke casually, but Kakashi had known him for many years. He knew that when Aoba used such a tone, he was always very serious.
He thought for a moment and then asked a question he had wanted to ask for a long time.
"Are you cultivating Sasuke as part of your plan?"
"One could say that."
"Will you harm Konoha?"
"I guarantee not. On the contrary, I will make it better."
Aoba's response was firm. This world was rotten. The five major ninja villages were all corrupt. The other four had no right to change. Only Konoha had a glimmer of hope. Thus, Aoba had invested a lot of effort into Konoha.
"I will join, join your secret organization."
"Very well, Kakashi. Although, at present, there is no so-called secret organization, I do have some secrets that cannot be known to outsiders. Now, I can reveal them to you."
At this moment, Yumi entered with tea.
"Yumi, let's go straight to the laboratory."
This was the first time someone had entered Aoba's laboratory.
In reality, his laboratory was not very large. After all, Aoba had a special advantage and had worked as an assistant to Orochimaru for over a year, allowing him to bypass many detours.
Moreover, he had a clear goal, unlike the Root which used a lot of trial-and-error human experiments aimlessly.
Nevertheless, Kakashi was stunned by the sight before him. As an elite Jonin, he could immediately tell that this laboratory was a biological research facility, very similar to Orochimaru's laboratory.
"Are you conducting human experiments here?" Kakashi was shocked.
"To be precise, it's just biological research. Well, there was indeed one human experiment."
As Aoba spoke, he took off his shirt. Kakashi was astonished to see a muscle on Aoba's back constantly twitching.
"What... have you done?"
"Can't you guess? I thought you'd figure it out immediately. Kakashi."
"... It's the First Hokage's cells. You're conducting experiments with the First Hokage's cells."
"That's right."
"Have you succeeded?"
Kakashi knew that Konoha had attempted the First Hokage's cell transplant experiments countless times. All of them had failed, and Konoha had completely banned the experiments.
"Konoha has never banned the transplantation of the First Hokage's cells. To this day, Root should still be conducting experiments."
"They're still experimenting, which means they haven't succeeded. But you have?" Kakashi's tone was filled with disbelief.
He couldn't believe that Aoba had completed an experiment that Konoha had failed to achieve for decades in this small laboratory, and it seemed he hadn't done extensive human trials.
Kakashi believed it was true. He knew Aoba, and while Aoba had low moral standards, he wouldn't do something like human experimentation. Yet, this was still too astonishing.
"To be precise, I've only achieved half success. As you can see, the fusion is not yet complete. At the current rate, I estimate it will take another three to five months to fully complete the fusion."
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