"The rocking horse is too shaky." Naruto commented honestly.
"Alright." Sakura pursed her lips and obediently stood up, asking an unrelated question, "When can things start over there?"
"Soon, in a few days." Naruto replied vaguely, stopping his movements, "We're waiting for responses from Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Kumogakure."
"I'm a bit curious… how did you persuade them?" Sakura asked.
"Nothing much, just some small tricks. It's hard to explain in a short time," Naruto responded, closing his eyes as he mentally calculated that abandoning Kirigakure might not have much impact anyway.
Somewhere in a dark cave.
Kabuto had not undergone the Rinnegan transplantation surgery, as he didn't trust others. Instead, he prepared an experimental puppet vessel infused with mature Hashirama's cells to serve as the container for the Rinnegan.
"Orochimaru's development of Hashirama's cells is truly admirable." Black Zetsu remarked as he watched Kabuto make preoperative preparations.
"Indeed. I've also added some of my own insights to it." Kabuto turned his head slightly, revealing a sinister smile.
"The power of the Rinnegan is too immense, while the White Zetsu's strength is too weak. Based on the current situation, transplanting the Rinnegan into a puppet is the best option. I hope you understand."
"Mm." Black Zetsu nodded, thinking to himself, 'What choice do I have even if I don't understand?'
At this point, Kabuto had already learned the Sage Mode of Ryuchi Cave, and his displayed talent even seemed slightly superior to Orochimaru's. What could Black Zetsu say? Start an internal conflict?
Obito had already gotten himself killed, Madara hadn't been revived yet, and Orochimaro's whereabouts were unknown. Black Zetsu didn't have many allies to turn to, so he could only compromise for the time being.
"Then… when will the enhancement of the 100,000 White Zetsu's army begin?"
"Soon, after the transplantation surgery is completed." Kabuto's eyes shifted as he looked at Black Zetsu, "But before that, we need to obtain a more powerful Hashirama's cells specimen."
"Who?"
"Yamato, Konoha's Jonin," Kabuto said with a smile, "We've already gathered enough materials for the Impure World Reincarnation these past few days. All we need now is the final ingredient."
"Understood. I'll go capture the target right away." Hearing this, Black Zetsu was about to turn and leave.
"Wait, there's something I need to give you." Kabuto called out to him, using the snake tail behind him to hand a vial to Black Zetsu.
"What is this?" Black Zetsu glanced down at the green liquid in the vial.
"Hashirama's cells inhibitor, it can suppress the activity of Hashirama's cells in Yamato's body." Kabuto explained while performing the transplantation surgery on the puppet.
"Inject this into Yamato, and capturing him will be easy. No need to waste Chakra or risk exposure."
"You even developed something like this… How terrifying!" Black Zetsu stood still, staring at him.
"This isn't my research. It's something left behind by Orochimaru-sama. I merely inherited his work and reproduced it." A smile appeared on Kabuto's face.
"Oh, and one more thing… I need Yamato alive, not a corpse."
"Got it." Black Zetsu replied before sinking into the ground and disappearing.
…
Konoha.
Sakura had already quietly left the village, slipping unnoticed through the Gate of the Underworld to Amegakure. Konan received her and arranged her accommodations.
At the dining table, Sakura gazed out the window at the heavy rain, put down her chopsticks, and frowned slightly.
"If we're building a laboratory here, the weather will be a problem too."
According to Naruto's plan, he intended to establish the genetic research laboratory in Amegakure. The village bordered the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Earth, giving it a strategically advantageous location.
Moreover, Amegakure had another irreplaceable advantage… industrial infrastructure. Poor as it was, it could still scrape together enough resources to support a genetic lab.
"So what should we do?" Konan, who hadn't eaten much either, asked from the other end of the table.
The sound of pouring rain filled the air as Sakura fell into thought, not answering immediately.
After a long pause, she looked up at Konan and said, "We can figure out the equipment. Amegakure will need to provide a sterile, dust-free environment with controlled temperature. We'll find a way to solve those issues later. For now, I need to ask Naruto for some personnel."
"Mm." Konan nodded in agreement. She knew the other party would handle everything, and all she needed to do was follow her lead.
Even though Sakura was much younger than her, Konan didn't show the slightest hint of negligence. Naruto had already informed her in advance about the plan to build a genetic laboratory, yet he had only sent Sakura over.
Konan understood very well that this girl must have earned Naruto's deep trust, whether in terms of ability or other aspects.
The next day, Naruto arrived in Amegakure via the Gate of the Underworld.
"You want people?" Naruto was slightly startled, then turned to Sakura, "That's no problem. How many do you need? Any specific requirements? And what other difficulties are you facing? Just tell me directly."
Hearing this, Sakura's eyes curved into crescents.
"Great!"
"Find me four or five trustworthy people, preferably Medical-nin with some foundation in Medical Ninjutsu. But no one from Konoha's medical department… it'd be too troublesome with confidentiality issues."
"Equipment procurement costs money, plus daily expenses, and we'll need skilled workers. The construction standards for the lab's interior and exterior have to be up to par. Besides that, there's also..."
Sakura rattled off a long list of demands, spilling everything out in one breath. By the end, Naruto was starting to regret his earlier generosity, 'Maybe I shouldn't have promised so much. I should've just told her to tough it out.'
But there was no medicine for regret in this world.
"Uh… Alright, I'll ask Sunagakure if they can spare a few people." Naruto said after some thought, "I'll figure out the equipment and funding. Everything should be ready in a couple of days."
"Huh? So you didn't actually prepare any money at all?" Sakura was dumbfounded, "You made me quit my job, and now you're telling me nothing's ready? Am I just here on vacation?"
"Well… Not exactly. To sum it up, we're temporarily short on funds… no money, no equipment yet." Naruto laughed awkwardly, "But don't worry, everything will be sorted out in two days."
"In the meantime, I'll get you the people first, and you can start training them."
"Fine." Sakura pouted. After years of being used to high-pressure work, suddenly having nothing to do felt oddly uncomfortable.
Konan stood silently to the side, saying nothing.
"Oh, by the way, how's the village's recovery going?" Naruto caught sight of Konan out of the corner of his eye and asked casually.
"The reconstruction preparations are almost done. The thermal power plant is already built, but… we're a bit short on funds." Konan admitted somewhat sheepishly.
'Money? No money.'
Naruto really wanted to slap himself, 'Why did I have to open my big mouth? If I hadn't asked, there wouldn't be a problem. Now where am I supposed to get the money? Gato's grave was already overgrown with weeds.'
"Don't worry, I'll think of something." Naruto forced a smile.
"Really?" Konan clearly hadn't expected Naruto to care about such matters, and her face lit up with pleasant surprise. "That's… that's really wonderful."
"Haha, yeah." Naruto's smile remained, though his eyelid twitched slightly.