A truly peaceful life.
After retiring from the front-line missions and entering the Ninja School, Hakushi felt like he was living a retirement life that only the elderly could enjoy.
Every day, except for going to work at the Ninja School at 3 PM sharp, all remaining time was his to freely manage.
Even though he occasionally worked at the hospital, each work session was not very long. It could be said that Hakushi's current life was something many Konoha Ninja envied.
Researching, taking walks, going to work, and going home to rest on time.
Occasionally, he would go shopping with Ruri, but his encounters with Ayane were few and far between.
Since they left Sakumo's team, the three of them had their own necessary tasks to complete.
Ruri needed to work in the Security Team, responsible for the village's security issues and resolving civil disputes within the village.
Ayane, having already become a Jonin, was chosen early on by the elders of the Hyuga high-ranking members for her potential. At this moment, in the Hyuga Clan, she also held an important position.
After all, to become the future Hyuga Clan Leader's guard is not a position that a regular Hyuga Ninja could hold.
Clearly, Ayane's position within the Hyuga Clan is much higher compared to ordinary Hyuga Branch Family ninjas.
Even among the Branch Family, there are severe hierarchical disparities.
Due to these circumstances, since leaving Sakumo's team, Hakushi had only seen Ayane once outside, and even then, their conversation didn't exceed five minutes.
In secret, of course, they maintained communication and exchanged intelligence.
However... what Hakushi was most concerned about was undoubtedly the recent series of covert measures by Konoha's high-level authorities—
Wood Release research experiments!
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"What exactly are those Konoha high-ups plotting?"
This was exactly what Hakushi found troubling.
On the surface, Hakushi was not anxious about this and lived in the village as a qualified Konoha Ninja according to the usual routine. However, deep down, he was extremely cautious about the high-ups' Wood Release research experiments.
Never underestimating these high-level officials, in his heart, Hakushi upgraded the danger level of these high-level officials once again.
Hakushi had not personally verified the power of Wood Release, but he had witnessed firsthand the terrifying power of a rampaging Tailed Beast.
And that was just the power released by the One-tailed Beast. Whether it was in its complete form at the time or not was irrelevant; among the Tailed Beasts, the strongest was the Nine-tailed.
It was once suppressed by the First Hokage's Wood Release, which showed the extraordinary nature of Wood Release.
At the time, the sphere chakra ejected by the One-tailed Beasts, the explosion's terrifying power, indeed gave Hakushi a shock.
To the point where he began to doubt the profession of being a ninja.
Wood Release, capable of suppressing the strongest Tailed Beast, shouldn't be underestimated even if it doesn't reach the First Hokage's level.
According to what the Insect Man and others said, those peculiar white creatures have extremely strong infiltration abilities, and unless one has the ability to sense Natural Energy, it's challenging to detect the traces of such peculiar creatures.
If the Konoha high-level authorities indeed used Wood Release to research such special infiltration soldiers, then the purpose is obvious. Whether it's for intelligence gathering of enemy nation ninjas or for monitoring within the village, the level of observation would be several grades higher than the Anbu, making it difficult to guard against.
Hakushi was not overly concerned about this research being uncovered; this bizarre creature's infiltration ability can be sensed by Natural Energy.
Known threats, no matter how troublesome, are not frightening as long as proper precautions are taken.
The real trouble lies in the unknown.
How many such infiltrating creatures do the Konoha high-ups have?
Where have they placed these creatures respectively?
What unknown plans are they scheming?
Has the Uchiha Race already been infiltrated by the other side?
These are all unknowns.
Hakushi had absolute confidence in his personal safety, based on the premise that the Konoha high-ups have severely misjudged his intelligence. No matter what, he always held the advantage, which was the key to victory.
But this unknown, now the Konoha high-level authorities also have this trump card.
Unknown vs. unknown, if a conflict suddenly erupts, the situation would become very troublesome.
"It's really a headache..."
How to break the situation, or to understand what the Konoha high-level authorities are plotting, so as not to be so passive.
To reclaim the initiative, a foolproof plan must be devised.
Facing an enormous military institution like the Ninja Village, confronting it head-on is out of the question.
Just when Hakushi was troubled by this matter, Ruri had already descended the corridor of the underground laboratory.
"When did you come back?"
"Just now."
"Is it already this time?"
Hakushi was unaware of the passage of time.
Ruri's working hours at the Security Team were from 9 AM to 7 PM.
She had two days off every week to engage in personal activities and do what she liked.
"You wouldn't have been here all this time, worrying about the high-ups' plots, would you?"
"Yes, after all, it involves Wood Release and the potential of analyzing components similar to the Tailed Beasts. This cannot be ignored... why, you don't seem worried at all?"
Only then did Hakushi notice the lack of concern on Ruri's face, causing him slight surprise.
It's worth noting that certain high-ups have exceptionally poor relations with the Uchiha, especially the Root Leader, Shimura Danzo, from the radical faction.
Without the Third Hokage's mediation, the Root wouldn't have stayed so submissive and inactive these past years.
"Why should I worry about such things? As long as one possesses the power to suppress all conspiracies and deceit, devising strategies is a complete waste of time and energy. The time and energy would be better spent enhancing one's strength."