A Sage's Pursuit of Power

Aoba's words sounded pessimistic, but Tsunade couldn't refute them. Deep down, she recognized the truth in what he said.

Human nature, inherently flawed and self-serving, often dictated actions in the shinobi world.

The reality was that even if Konoha stayed silent, both Iwagakure and Kumogakure had likely already detected the presence of Madara Uchiha. Yet neither had taken any action.

Aoba had no doubt that if given the chance, they would attempt to contact Madara and even try to cooperate with him.

Whether it was Kumogakure or Iwagakure, their behavior was predictable.

This was precisely why Aoba had never considered using Madara's existence to unite the shinobi world. He knew it was a futile effort.

At least until the arrival of the 100,000 White Zetsu army, such unity was simply out of reach.

Thus, the most viable path was to conquer and absorb the other shinobi villages. Throughout history, unification was rarely achieved without the use of force.

In truth, both Kumogakure and Iwagakure were acutely aware of Konoha's ambitions.

When Ōnoki personally traveled to Konoha for negotiations, it was merely to buy time. He offered numerous concessions to feign weakness.

But Konoha knew well that this was a delaying tactic.

"According to our intelligence, after returning, Ōnoki immediately held a secret meeting with the Raikage. We don't know the details of their discussions, but we can guess. They're likely exploring deeper collaboration to counter Konoha."

"Let them collaborate," Aoba said with a dismissive wave. "It'll just save us time when we crush them together."

"But Iwagakure is at nearly full strength, and Kumogakure has immense wartime potential. If they truly join forces, we can't underestimate them."

"Trust me, they won't amount to anything significant," Aoba replied confidently.

While the paper strength of an Iwagakure-Kumogakure alliance seemed daunting, Aoba had a different perspective. The Fourth Raikage had lost an arm, and Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, was dead. Kumogakure's high-level combat power was effectively crippled.

Iwagakure's foundation was solid, but Ōnoki was well past his prime. While his Dust Release was dangerous, Aoba, armed with the Flying Thunder God Technique, could handle him with ease.

Most importantly, Konoha now had four Hokage hidden in reserve. Senju Hashirama's reanimated body had been specially cultivated by Aoba, allowing it to wield 70-80% of Hashirama's original power. Such strength alone was enough to dominate the current shinobi world.

In reality, Konoha now had the strength to sweep through the entire shinobi world, though very few knew it.

Aoba's decision to refrain from outright conquest stemmed from two key factors. The first was the dormant threat of Madara Uchiha and Black Zetsu. The second was Nagato and the Akatsuki.

The current shinobi world was divided into four major factions: Konoha and Sunagakure as one bloc; Iwagakure and Kumogakure as another; Kirigakure, under Madara and Black Zetsu's control, as a third; and finally, the Akatsuki.

The landscape was clear, an era of gods clashing had arrived, a reality that was brutally harsh for most shinobi. For top-tier shinobi, sheer numbers were no longer a viable threat.

Aoba himself belonged to the pinnacle of the shinobi world, but he didn't relish seeing the world evolve in this way. With Madara and Black Zetsu entering their dormancy, Aoba chose to hold Konoha's movements in check.

From his perspective, both Hashirama and Madara, while exceptional, were limited by the constraints of their era and information. They couldn't see the broader picture.

In many ways, the only figure who came close to Aoba's mindset was Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, sealed on the moon.

Back then, after betraying Isshiki Ōtsutsuki, Kaguya knew retaliation was inevitable. Her plan wasn't to run but to consolidate the shinobi world's power to resist future threats from her clan.

However, Kaguya's solution was to funnel all of the world's strength into herself, while Aoba sought to elevate the shinobi world's overall power instead.

Having recently undergone Eternal Mangekyō surgery, Aoba was still in recovery, unable to personally conduct tests. Instead, he relied on Sakura's reports.

"The second-generation Chakra Cloak has begun live testing," Sakura reported. "We expect practical trials to commence within two months."

Aoba had deliberately withheld the first-generation Chakra Cloak technology for a long time. In this world, where bloodlines determined one's potential, civilian-born shinobi were often unable to keep up, even when opportunities were handed to them.

To prevent further entrenchment of societal hierarchies, Aoba restricted the Chakra Cloak's development to the lab. He had no plans to release it until the second-generation model was ready.

Through extensive experimentation, Aoba had unraveled why the first-generation Chakra Cloak failed to benefit civilian-born shinobi.

To understand this issue, one had to start with Kaguya.

Kaguya was the progenitor of chakra. Though she didn't spread it herself, the source of chakra lay with her. Later, the Sage of Six Paths introduced it to the world, creating the shinobi way.

Thus, every shinobi capable of refining chakra was, in essence, a descendant of Kaguya or the Sage.

Ninja clans were born from war, that was a crucial point.

In the early wars of the shinobi world, countless ninja fought and died. The clans that survived and thrived were the strongest, with superior techniques or bloodline limits.

Even seemingly ordinary clans like the Sarutobi harbored latent traits distinguishing them from civilians.

Aoba's research into Konoha's genetic database revealed one undeniable truth: any clan that endured to the present day possessed genetic distinctions from ordinary people.

In reality, all shinobi clans share a unique commonality. At the genetic level, there is a distinct tendency or inclination.

The source of this inclination is not directly observable, but it can be inferred. It likely originates from the Sage of Six Paths or even Kaguya Ōtsutsuki herself.

Aoba formulated a theory regarding this phenomenon: he posits that all shinobi clans, and by extension all shinobi, are essentially descendants of Kaguya.

This descent isn't necessarily biological but rather emerges from the influence of chakra. Chakra, in turn, retroactively affects genetics, shaping the current state of shinobi and their clans.

As descendants, some are more closely related than others. Clans like the Uchiha, Senju, Uzumaki, and Hyūga can be considered direct descendants, whereas other shinobi clans represent more distant branches.

Even those clans without unique techniques or kekkei genkai exhibit a genetic predisposition distinct from ordinary people.

While not an entirely accurate comparison, this predisposition could be understood as a "Ōtsutsuki genetic concentration", it was an effect of chakra retroactively influencing the body to create a certain genetic alignment.

Each shinobi, through refining chakra and strengthening themselves, unwittingly influences this genetic concentration within their bodies.

This influence is exceedingly subtle, nearly imperceptible. However, Aoba had his suspicions from the beginning. After comparing hundreds of different samples and conducting thousands of tests, he confirmed the existence of this hidden phenomenon.

Upon uncovering this realization, Aoba secluded himself in the lab for an entire day and night. When he emerged, he acted as though nothing had happened, halting all further research into this phenomenon. It was as if the discovery had never occurred at all.

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Currently on Chapter 246 - Hidden Agendas