Hashirama's Cells!
"How can he have grandfather's cells inside him?"
Tsunade turned, her expression grim and solemn as she asked.
Shizune was also startled and said, "Asuma, I remember on the Mist battlefield, you said he was a Mist ninja spy, right?"
Sarutobi Asuma smiled and shook his head, "That wasn't just me saying it..."
Tsunade stared at White Zetsu and said coldly, "Could it be that the experimental Hashirama Cells from the village back then were leaked, and the Mist Village used them to create this kind of vegetative state person?"
Vegetative state, literally.
Because Tsunade sensed that within White Zetsu, aside from Hashirama Cells, its structure was exactly like a plant.
Sarutobi Asuma shook his head, "Kirigakure doesn't have this kind of power."
"It would be more believable if Senior Orochimaru created him."
Tsunade nodded in agreement, then asked seriously, "Asuma, did the intelligence department get any useful information from this guy's head?"
"I didn't hand it over to Konoha's intelligence department."
Sarutobi Asuma said, his expression also becoming serious. Facing the confused looks of Tsunade and Shizune, he explained, "Because Konoha's intelligence department isn't needed, I already know his origin."
"Or rather, after developing Electromagnetic Release, I can obtain people's thoughts by analyzing human bio-electrical current pulse signals."
Both Tsunade and Shizune were shocked to hear this.
Turning to look at White Zetsu, Sarutobi Asuma spoke slowly, "This guy is from Uchiha Madara!"
"Uchiha Madara?"
Tsunade and Shizune exclaimed in unison.
"Asuma, didn't Uchiha Madara die long ago?"
Shizune exclaimed.
Tsunade frowned and calmly said, "Shizune is right. In the battle at the Valley of the End back then, grandfather won, Uchiha Madara perished, and his body was even brought back to Konoha."
"Sister Tsunade, don't forget Shadow Clones."
Sarutobi Asuma reminded them, "And the forbidden Sharingan jutsu Danzō used before, Izanagi!"
"In that battle, Uchiha Madara had the chance to obtain flesh and blood from the First Hokage-sama, thereby acquiring his cells."
"And according to the information I obtained, this guy was created by Uchiha Madara using the First Hokage-sama's cells, combined with the power of the Rinnegan to summon a Gedo Mazo."
Rinnegan!
Tsunade was shocked again.
The information Sarutobi Asuma provided was overwhelming!
Uchiha Madara was not dead, and he possessed the legendary Rinnegan.
Wait...
Tsunade suddenly remembered the three children she met in the Land of Rain. She said in a deep voice, "During the Second Ninja World War, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and I encountered three children in the Land of Rain. One of them had the Rinnegan, and Jiraiya took them as disciples."
Sarutobi Asuma nodded, "I went to see him. His name is Nagato, and he has the Uzumaki bloodline, just like sister Kushina!"
"His parents died at the hands of Konoha ninja!"
Tsunade keenly sensed the implication in Sarutobi Asuma's words and exclaimed, "You mean, Nagato's parents died at the hands of Konoha ninja, and Uchiha Madara was manipulating things?"
"And his Rinnegan, did it also come from Uchiha Madara?"
Shizune's eyes widened, "This... this can't be possible, right?"
"The Rinnegan is said to be able to control life and death. If Uchiha Madara had the Rinnegan, why would he give it to that Nagato?"
"Madara should have taken the Rinnegan from Nagato!"
On the operating table, the immobilized White Zetsu's eyes widened, "Impossible, how could he know so much?"
He was just an ordinary White Zetsu, he didn't know that much.
Sarutobi Asuma ignored White Zetsu and said, "Shizune, because the Rinnegan is very special."
"The strongest of the three Great Dojutsu, the Rinnegan, is rumored to have been possessed by the progenitor of ninjas, the Sage of Six Paths."
"The Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan both originated from the Sage of Six Paths."
"The Uzumaki Clan is related by blood to the Senju Clan, and their bloodline can also be said to originate from the Sage of Six Paths."
"However, according to some records and legends, the possibility of an Uzumaki clan member awakening the Rinnegan is almost zero."
"Instead, the Sharingan evolves from One Tomoe to Mangekyo..."
Shizune was surprised, "Mangekyo? Isn't Three Tomoe the highest level for the Sharingan?"
Tsunade said, "The Mangekyo Sharingan is a profound secret of the Uchiha clan. Uchiha Madara back then possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan, far surpassing the Three Tomoe Sharingan."
Sarutobi Asuma said, "Sister Tsunade is correct. Mangekyo is something that can easily control Tailed Beasts. This might be one of the reasons why the Second Hokage-sama was wary of the Uchiha clan."
"Although there's no evidence right now, my guess is that the battle at the Valley of the End back then was possibly orchestrated by Uchiha Madara himself, all to obtain First Hokage's cells while faking his own death."
"The power of the Uchiha Clan, combined with the power of the Senju Clan, would push the Mangekyo Sharingan to evolve into the Rinnegan, the eyes that control life and death!"
This theory stunned Tsunade as well.
As for White Zetsu, its already simple mind completely froze.
"This theory is too unbelievable!"
Shizune exclaimed in disbelief, "The legendary Rinnegan can control life and death. With such powerful eyes, why would Uchiha Madara transplant them onto that Nagato person?"
"The evolution of the Rinnegan isn't that simple," Sarutobi Asuma stated. "Besides, don't forget Uchiha Madara's age."
"While the Rinnegan is powerful, the Sage of Six Paths is already a myth. I suspect the power of these eyes also has its limitations."
Tsunade gritted her teeth, "He wants to use Nagato's power to resurrect himself?"
"The legendary eyes that control life and death!"
"The Uzumaki Clan has always been known for their immense vitality. Jiraiya also mentioned that those three children were all exceptionally outstanding."
"Descendants of the Uzumaki Clan are, aside from the Senju Clan, almost the most suitable vessels for the Rinnegan!"
"Uchiha Madara is just too old!"
At this moment, White Zetsu recovered, "Sarutobi Asuma, there's no way you could know these things!"
"Of course I don't know," Sarutobi Asuma chuckled. "But I know now that my theory isn't too far off!"
White Zetsu was stunned.
Sarutobi Asuma said to Tsunade and Shizune, "The reason this place is so heavily guarded is to guard against beings like him."
"If I hadn't obtained related research on First Hokage's cells from Senior Orochimaru, even with my perceptive abilities, I wouldn't have been able to detect his presence."
"This kind of thing can move at high speed underground. Before my fight with the Third Tsuchikage, I sensed a similar 'plant person' monitoring me, but unfortunately, I couldn't capture it."
Tsunade immediately bristled with anger, "Do you know where Uchiha Madara is hiding?"
"That guy is lurking in the shadows, possibly plotting some conspiracy!"
"We must find him!"
Sarutobi Asuma shook his head, lying, "I don't know!"
"This plant person doesn't know much, after all, it's an artificial being, a plant person."
Tsunade was unconvinced.
Once the rationale for Uchiha Madara's existence was explained, many seemingly conspiratorial things could be attributed to him.
"Then let's get our hands on the Rinnegan and lure Uchiha Madara out!" Tsunade declared.
Sarutobi Asuma shook his head again, "That's not a good method!"
"The power of the Rinnegan is unpredictable!"
In reality, he feared that if he pushed Uchiha Madara too hard, he might "create" Black Zetsu prematurely and then control Nagato to perform Rinne Tensei no Jutsu, resurrecting Uchiha Madara.
At that time, with the Rinnegan, could he even handle Uchiha Madara himself?
Although it was possible that Nagato's current power wouldn't allow Uchiha Madara to be resurrected in his peak state.
However, with the Rinnegan, Sarutobi Asuma wasn't confident he could deal with Uchiha Madara, even with his Truth-Seeking Balls.
This was because his Chakra reserves limited his performance.
The consequences at that time would be unpredictable!
"Besides, perhaps Uchiha Madara is already dead by now," Shizune reminded them.
"If Uchiha Madara is dead, then how can he be sure that Nagato, who has been transplanted with the Rinnegan, will resurrect him?" Tsunade pondered. "Therefore, there must be someone hidden behind the scenes, carrying out Uchiha Madara's plan for him."
"Even if Uchiha Madara isn't dead now, he's so old that he's probably immobile, and he still needs someone to execute his plan!"
Sarutobi Asuma immediately gave a thumbs-up, "As expected of one of the Sannin!"
Tsunade snorted lightly, then asked, "Why didn't you tell the old man about this?"
Sarutobi Asuma shook his head, "The current environment isn't suitable!"
"I have a feeling that Uchiha Madara has a grander conspiracy."
"There are still many things we don't know."
"Moreover, we need to maintain our intelligence advantage. The fewer people who know, the better."
Shizune was taken aback, "Hey, Asuma, don't you trust the Third Hokage?"
"No, you don't trust Danzō!"
Sarutobi Asuma gave a thumbs-up and then said, "Alright, what we need to do next is study this guy!"
"Understood!"
Tsunade and Shizune nodded in unison, then took out their tools and began to cut with extreme seriousness and focus.
In the following days, the experimental base became a frequent haunt for Tsunade and Shizune.
Sometimes, they even stayed up all night.
Various results continued to emerge, making Sarutobi Asuma incredibly pleased.
Indeed, it was the right decision.
And Tsunade was worthy of being the number one in Medical Ninjutsu.
Of course, in terms of research, Orochimaru might have been even more skilled.
But Sarutobi Asuma's relationship with Orochimaru was currently a simple transactional one, and it was difficult to obtain research results without compensation.
Time flew by, and it was October 3rd. Yūhi Kurenai finally returned to Konoha.
Sarutobi Asuma, in rare form, spent a day off with her, but the day was ruined by a piece of news.
A ninja defending the southern part of the Land of Fire from Mist Ninja sent back a distress signal.
"Kurenai, I need to go. Kakashi and Rin might be in danger."
Since Sarutobi Asuma had been closely monitoring the news from the south, the Shadow Clone immediately notified his main body upon receiving the message.
"I know, then you be careful!"
Yūhi Kurenai understood and nodded.
Not to mention their relationship with Hatake Sakumo, they themselves had a deep connection with Kakashi and the others.
Shouldering his scroll, Sarutobi Asuma immediately flew into the sky, then extended his senses towards the Shadow Clone he had left in the southern part of the Land of Fire earlier.
This wasn't a widespread scan, but rather an awareness of the general location, using sensory perception like radio waves.
"I've sensed it!"
A short while later, Sarutobi Asuma connected with the Shadow Clone and then swapped positions.
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