"I'm very interested in human research!" Naruto said with a gentle expression. Sunlight scattered down, falling on his warm face, making him look just like a super caring guy.
"You've got to be kidding!!! Naruto is actually interested in human research!!!!" Rock Lee was utterly shocked, almost speechless. How could the gentle Naruto he knew be interested in human research?!! Wait!! It must be that he has the public's well-being at heart and hopes to strengthen Konoha's power through human research so that everyone will no longer have to suffer! As expected of Naruto! Truly magnificent! Rock Lee's eyes instantly blurred with emotion.
"There's no need for an exchange. Let's return to Konoha first." Aburame Neri lifted her noble head like a proud peacock.
'Who would have thought this Aburame Neri was quite the tsundere.' Naruto smiled faintly, not minding her arrogance. He walked ahead, muttering to himself as if no one else was there, "Experimenting to create insects with special powers also seems like a good research topic. However, my research is still more focused on the field of Kekkei Genkai."
"If every insect could possess a Kekkei Genkai, would that mean it's possible to possess all Kekkei Genkai in the future?"
"This topic is very amusing."
As Naruto walked, he continued to muse aloud, occasionally bringing up a few speculations about Kekkei Genkai that he had discussed with Orochimaru. Those academic words piqued Aburame Neri's interest. Unlike Orochimaru, she couldn't learn and improve from some of the Second Hokage's experimental projects, nor had she undergone any systematic training. Her research had begun purely out of interest in the body. From initial ignorance, where she would only cut open body tissues and stare blankly, to later meticulous study and testing through various experiments, her research path had been full of obstacles. Danzo only thought Neri was somewhat interested in the human body and hadn't paid much attention to her research. So, until now, Neri had relied entirely on herself, never having had any exchange with peers in the field.
Naruto's words made Aburame Neri look at him with newfound respect. One had to understand that a person's energy is limited. According to intel, Naruto spent a vast amount of time training his Kekkei Genkai and taijutsu and had almost never been involved in scientific research projects. Even if he were interested in research, he would at most have a superficial understanding. Yet, unexpectedly, many of the points Naruto mentioned could even offer her some inspiration.
"Do you know a lot about human research?" Aburame Neri couldn't hold back any longer and blurted out the question.
"I know a little. We can exchange some ideas," Naruto immediately replied with a sly grin.
Along the way, Naruto and Aburame Neri communicated a great deal. Initially, there had been nearly a meter's distance between them. Later, the distance grew shorter and shorter, until they were almost walking shoulder to shoulder. During their conversation, Neri's perception of Naruto underwent a 360-degree change. Naruto wasn't the person she had initially thought—someone who only knew how to fight and was a little clever. Instead, he possessed great wisdom and was willing to ponder issues from their very essence. Although he hadn't conducted actual human experiments, he wasn't opposed to them. His attitude towards it was: "Every ninjutsu, every step of human evolution, is inseparable from humanity's own exploration of the body. The thirst for knowledge determines human evolution; without this thirst regarding the body, there would be no repeated evolution. And I am merely following my body's instincts."
This sentence brought sudden enlightenment to Aburame Neri. She finally understood why, every time she saw those corpses, an intense desire to dismantle them and explore them meticulously would well up inside her.
The two chatted cheerfully all the way, rather neglecting Rock Lee. In this joyful atmosphere, they soon returned to Konoha.
"A Konoha rogue ninja surpassing ordinary Jonin?" Danzo, the leader of Root, quickly received the mission details. The two Jonin who had been tailing them were both dead. One died at Kikui's hands, and the other was quietly killed by Naruto. However, the blame for both was undoubtedly placed on Kikui.
"It's actually an unannounced Konoha rogue ninja." Danzo's expression was grim. He immediately ordered his subordinates to search Konoha's past ninja archives for someone matching the description Neri provided. They quickly found a result: ANBU ninja, Murakami Ki, codename Guiche, Jonin, skilled in sword arts, no Kekkei Genkai, died during the Konoha Crush plan.
Based on the intelligence from Aburame Neri and Naruto, Kikui's taijutsu and Kenjutsu far surpassed that of an ordinary Konoha Jonin, and he hadn't used any ninjutsu during the battle. Naruto was the one who fought him last.
"When I arrived, Kikui's stamina was already mostly depleted. Plus, I used Kyoka Suigetsu, so I managed to kill him, but it was a close call." Naruto's explanation was watertight; Danzo harbored no suspicions. However, Kikui's motive baffled everyone.
"Kikui was always loyal to Konoha's ANBU. His body was even found during the previous tally. How could someone confirmed dead suddenly appear on the Land of Fire's border, possessing even greater strength than before?" Danzo was completely mystified. The image of that black monster suddenly flashed in his mind. "Could it be related to that monster?" he muttered to himself.
On a Konoha training ground. Crackle, crackle. A lightning phenomenon appeared in the sky. Uchiha Sasuke was bathed in electricity, his expression fierce, the ground beneath his feet cracking layer by layer. "Hah!" He pushed off with his legs, instantly creating a sizeable crater beneath him, with fissures spreading outwards. The next moment, he appeared twenty meters away before a large tree, thrusting out two fingers that pierced straight through its trunk. The extreme heat burned the wood black, emitting a foul odor. "Huu." After doing all this, he exhaled deeply, the lightning around him subsiding.
"Wow, Big Bro Sasuke is so amazing!! Big Bro Sasuke is invincible, unparalleled in the world!" The Konohamaru Corps clapped with faces full of admiration, their eyes shining.
"Big Bro, what's this move called?" Konohamaru trotted over and asked worshipfully.
Sasuke smugly placed his hands on his hips and said with a feigned cool expression, "This is Lightning Style: Thousand Years Finger!!!"
"By infusing lightning, the fingers become the hardest part of the human body. Accelerated by Lightning Style, you instantly thrust your fingers into the opponent's vulnerable spots. This is a killing technique with extremely low chakra consumption yet incredibly high destructive power!"
"Wow!! Big Bro Sasuke, what are the vulnerable spots?"
"Eyes and throat, of course. Want to learn?"
Seeing the Konohamaru Corps nodding their heads like pounding garlic, Sasuke nodded in satisfaction. "As long as you master your own chakra nature transformation, you can infuse energy of different attributes into your fingers. This will be your most powerful ninjutsu."
During this period, Sasuke had come to acknowledge these juniors in his heart and would often train with them. Everything was going well. There was only one thing that annoyed him: the person who had replaced Naruto on his team was an emotionless, utterly indifferent guy. The mere thought of having to go on a commission with that fellow in a few days gave Sasuke a headache.
"Hey, Sasuke, long time no see." Just then, Naruto's gentle voice suddenly sounded from above the large tree where Sasuke was.
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