Capítulo 86: Chapter 86: A Sudden Flash of Inspiration
The barbecue had an unusual vibe. Sakura realized that she had unintentionally dampened the mood, so she changed the topic to discuss the Chunin Exams with everyone. However, most people were already too preoccupied to enjoy the conversation.
Even Asuma and Kurenai were still pondering Sakura's innocent question about whether healing jutsu actually required hand signs.
Among everyone, the most conflicted was Ino. She had been thinking that passing the Chunin Exams meant she was a step closer to Sasuke, especially since Sakura hadn't even participated. But now her feelings were complicated. It felt like Sakura, her former rival, had suddenly changed directions. Rather than looking for a substitute, she was working on becoming someone Ino couldn't have imagined, someone exceptional.
Sakura herself felt bad for disrupting the atmosphere, but she didn't quite know how to make it up to everyone. Only now was she realizing that much of what Sensei Aoba had taught her might be more impressive than she'd initially thought.
When Ino had taken the seat next to Sasuke earlier, Sakura hadn't even noticed; her mind was completely focused on the challenges Aoba had set for her.
Aoba's approach to handling teenage girls was simple: more assignments and no time to daydream. And it was working; Sakura had become so absorbed in her studies and training that even Sasuke's presence had started to fade into the background of her thoughts.
Unintentionally, Sakura had become one of those rare students who actually enjoyed the process of learning.
Aoba did feel a little guilty for missing the barbecue outing with his students, though he felt more annoyed when he heard that Naruto had put the bill on his tab. Clearly, he thought, he wasn't giving these brats enough homework.
Perhaps due to some butterfly effect, the second exam round had turned out far bloodier than in the original timeline. After determining the remaining number of candidates, it was clear that no preliminary selection would be needed. Instead, they'd be given a month's rest before the final round.
This extended interval wasn't just for recovery. Since the Fire Country's Daimyo had been invited to attend, the finals had to wait until he arrived in a month.
Aoba knew that this month was the perfect window for Orochimaru to set his plans in motion. With Orochimaru's knowledge of the village, he'd have no trouble manipulating things from the inside.
In the original story, the Chunin Exams marked one of the most pivotal moments, shifting the entire narrative of Naruto from a tale of youthful adventure to something much darker. The further the story progressed, the deeper it went into that darkness. The original author skillfully designed Naruto's character arc to counterbalance this and maintain the essence of a shounen series.
Aoba had the power to stop Orochimaru's plan, but he ultimately chose to allow it to unfold. This decision had been a long time coming and wasn't made lightly.
There were several reasons for his choice. Chief among them was that he wanted to avoid any moral entanglements that could restrict him in the future.
Aoba wanted to change Konoha, but that was no easy feat. Konoha, like the rest of the shinobi world, may have been young in years, but its backward mindsets and rigid structures were deeply rooted. Changing Konoha would first require dismantling certain foundational elements—perhaps not the whole village, but certainly its established structure.
Sure, Aoba could handle the dirty work himself. Given enough time, he'd accomplish his goals, but maintaining secrecy would be challenging and could become a liability later. Orochimaru's Konoha Crush plan suited Aoba's needs perfectly—his goals could be achieved without having to take the blame himself.
After assigning his three students a large amount of homework, Aoba returned to his lab.
Shaping Hashirama's cells into desired forms wasn't difficult; the real challenge was ensuring they remained stable, even under attack.
Aoba had already crafted the first chakra battery, designed in the form of a shirt. After careful consideration, he figured that disguising the battery as clothing would provide the best camouflage and allow free movement. The only downside was that wearing it might feel unsettling, considering it was made from living cells.
The concept of biological armor was something Aoba had only seen in science fiction in his past life, yet here he was, making it a reality. By simply wearing this shirt, users could draw chakra from it with ease and fluidity, almost as if it were an extension of their own chakra network.
Technically, it was already usable, at least in controlled environments, but Aoba wanted more. He needed it to be resilient enough to withstand damage without malfunctioning. He experimented with adding White Zetsu cells and natural energy, which helped somewhat, but it wasn't sufficient.
Then, Yumi suggested something.
"Have you considered using Hidan's cells?"
"I've tried, but they're peculiar. Samples from his body lose their unique properties quickly once separated from him. His regenerative ability isn't like conventional self-healing; it's something entirely different. There's no compatible way to stabilize it."
Yumi sighed, feeling out of her depth. She was more of an assistant, mainly helping Aoba manage chakra flows for his experiments.
"Then give it a rest for now. I'll get dinner ready, and you should come get some fresh air."
Yumi reached over and took the chakra battery from Aoba's hand.
Laughing slightly, he said, "Technically, it's alive, but it's not exactly… 'alive' in the way you think. It's just some cells."
"Is that so?" Yumi raised an eyebrow. "So, if I twisted a chunk of your flesh into a new shape, you wouldn't care?"
"...That's not the same thing… Wait a minute…"
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