Konoha: Offer your heart to the Hokage!

Even if he came to Konoha, it would be to become emperor and establish his own dynasty. The so-called fair election was, in the end, nothing more than a formality to appease the villagers.

If that's acceptable, then the villagers of Konoha are good citizens.

I don't accept...

Those are troublemakers, and not just any troublemakers.

The police department and its undercover agents, which are rife with hardened thugs, must take strong measures to rectify these malpractices.

Class assignments are now complete.

The instructors of each class began to lead the students from the auditorium to the outskirts of town to begin their respective lessons.

Teaching styles vary, but one thing is certain: one of the classes will inevitably start the classic "bell-grabbing" battle.

Soon, the once-crowded auditorium became empty, with only Shen'er's seventh class remaining.

She walked slowly toward them.

Tsunade immediately waved her hand excitedly: "Master!"

"Lord Hokage!"

"Sir Sir."

Three people, each with a completely different title, spoke at the same time.

Shen Er corrected him, "From now on, when the class gathers, just call me teacher."

"Yes!"

Tsunade raised her small face, and the change in address from "Master" to "Teacher" was a big step forward for her.

"Teacher, what should we do next?"

"Should we leave the village to carry out missions like the other ninja teams?"

The system of the ninja class is not a secret; all ninja academy students are aware of the procedures after graduation.

Typically, a senior ninja leads a team through simple missions, gradually increasing the difficulty. New recruits accumulate experience and grow stronger through countless missions and life-or-death trials, eventually completing the generational transition and stepping onto the historical stage.

A highly formulaic, assembly-line method of training ninjas.

"I am the Hokage, and I don't have time to accompany you on your missions."

"Eh, how did this happen?" Tsunade looked disappointed. "Then..."

“Your talents have a better place.” Shen Er smiled slightly: “Come with me.”

Shen Er led the Seventh Squad to the Dark Side's stronghold at the edge of the Death Forest.

After three years of continuous development, the secret base expanded once again.

The surface is the stronghold of the Dark Organization, while underground is a massive research base of Konoha.

The Dark Division is responsible for surface security and guarding, and is dedicated to protecting this Root Research Institute.

The research institute is divided into several specialized groups, including those for developing secret techniques, researching and developing puppets, and developing scientific ninja tools.

Tsunade and her two companions felt as if they had stumbled into a completely new world, their eyes brimming with curiosity as they surveyed the underground space. Here, they encountered several senior students from the medical class who had disappeared for several years.

Clearly, they were sent here after graduation, burying themselves in secret research for the village day after day, year after year.

But their expressions were fervent, showing no sign of repression or resentment.

Although they lost a certain degree of freedom, without exception they were branded with the mark of being cursed for their tongues.

However, the village offered extremely generous treatment, far exceeding the standards of an ordinary ninja squad. Without having to fight or face death, they could enjoy such excellent conditions; everyone knew perfectly well which was better.

What is this little grievance of the root of all evil?

Shen led them to his office at the root.

Tsunade, who was best informed, probably knew something and said pitifully, "Teacher, can you please not hit me?"

"Why did I hit you?"

“I heard that if it gets to the root, you have to inject it with a tongue-curing agent to expel it… I’m afraid of the pain.”

"...You don't need to."

The art of using the tongue to prevent leaks is primarily used to prevent the leakage of secrets.

These three little ones in front of him, one calls him his advisor, another is his adopted son, and even the least trusted one, Birukhu, has been brainwashed into a fanboy by his stories. They can be completely trusted.

Furthermore, given that they are destined to become the core pillars of various fields in Konoha in the future, it is only natural for them to enjoy this special treatment.

“You are my students. You are here primarily to learn and assist in advancing the research, not as full-time researchers.” Shen Er made it clear, “I have only one strict requirement for you: you must spend at least four hours a day at the research institute, and another four hours specifically for practicing ninjutsu.”

"You are free to allocate the remaining time as you wish; you can continue to follow up on research projects or practice ninjutsu if you wish."

“I will check on your performance at the research institute regularly.”

"Tell me what kind of ninjutsu you want to learn, and I will specially select suitable ones for you."

Konoha has its own eight-hour workday.

Even though the three of them are exceptionally talented in scientific research, they cannot completely abandon their ninja training.

This is, after all, the ninja world.

All research is tied to the ninjutsu system, and many problems that are stuck at key points cannot be solved without sufficient strength and vision.

Take Tsunade as an example. Her core ninjutsu, Hundred Healings Technique and Creation Rebirth, are both ultimate combat-type medical ninjutsu. To develop them, one must first master the Yin Seal. She cannot be treated merely as a research tool; one must first lay a solid foundation and learn the Yin Seal.

The Yin Seal requires the user to have extremely high precision in manipulating chakra, and to cultivate this ability, one must first practice with various conventional ninjutsu.

The entire ninjutsu system is interconnected, and there is no situation where ninjutsu is abandoned in order to pursue pure scientific research.

I have made the following arrangements.

"Tsunade, Hiruko, go to the Secret Techniques Research Group."

Orochimaru to the Puppet Research Group.

Hiruko corresponds to the technique of Oni-Garara; Orochimaru corresponds to the Impure World Reincarnation.

They didn't even assign them any tasks at the beginning.

Initially, they are allowed to accumulate experience and, once their abilities are mature enough, they are then supported to take charge of their own research projects.

Especially the Impure World Reincarnation, which touches upon a taboo in the ninja world, cannot be directly stated. However, it shares essential commonalities with puppetry, so having Orochimaru first come into contact with puppetry is actually facilitating the in-depth development of the Impure World Reincarnation.

None of them had any objections.

Tsunade, however, made a ridiculous face, rubbing her hands together like a fly: "Sensei, what about our mission?"

Missions are the main source of income for ninjas.

If she didn't have money, how could she go to the casino to act recklessly?

"The rules are the same as when you interned at Evangelismos Hospital."

"Make an effective contribution and record it according to the corresponding task level based on the results; if there is no output for the time being, as long as you participate in learning and research on time every week, it is equivalent to completing a D-level task."

"Great."

Soon enough, Nara Masato was summoned.

The other party bowed and said, "Third Generation."

“Director Masato, these three are my disciples. From now on, they will stay at the research institute for at least four hours every day to participate in research. This is Orochimaru. You will personally mentor him and follow up on projects related to puppetry.”

"Understood!"

"Go."

Shen Er simply waved his hand without saying anything more.

Only after leaving the underground research institute would he occasionally take out the telescope to observe the actions of the others.

...

Orochimaru was seeing the First Kazekage puppet for the first time.

This item has always been a top secret of Konoha. Sunagakure has been secretly investigating it for many years, but they have not been able to find out that the puppet actually fell into Konoha's hands, let alone Orochimaru, who was once a student.

Orochimaru was completely captivated at first glance.

In his eyes, puppetry was not art, but a rigorous science.

It involved a great deal of complex knowledge, which fascinated him.

Holding a paper research document in his hand, Orochimaru couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice, "This is incredible... a puppet made from a ninja's corpse can actually retain the power of the dead."

His words revealed a mad fervor that sent a chill down Nara Masato's spine.

The others themselves had little interest in modifying corpses to create puppets, and some even felt aversion towards it. Their dedication to puppet research was largely driven by a collective sense of duty that outweighed their personal aversion, all in order to realize the vision of "making Konoha great again" depicted by the Hokage.

But Orochimaru gives off a completely different vibe; he genuinely enjoys this.

To this, Nara Masato could only sigh in his heart: the Third Hokage's disciple was indeed extraordinary. He could only hope that in the future, he wouldn't end up like Shimura Danzo was to the Second Hokage.

...

At the other end of the research institute is the area for the secret techniques research and development group.

The laboratory was filled with numerous biochemical chambers arranged in a neat row of four horizontal and sixteen vertical columns, each filled with a pale green special liquid. The figures immersed within were motionless, as if lifeless…

In a small biochemical chamber to the side, various human organs were placed.

With each step he took, the faces inside the bio-pod changed. During this time, Hiruko even saw Senju, Uchiha, and Hyuga clan ninjas… they seemed to be dead.

Besides their own people, there were also ninjas from other villages whose chests were rising and falling slightly.

Even through the glass, Hiruko still felt a strong sense of suffocation.

The most cruel side of the ninja world was laid bare before his eyes.

In contrast, Tsunade's condition was much more stable. Although it was also her first time seeing such a large-scale morgue, she had already been exposed to medical anatomy during her training at Evangelion Hospital, so she was quite used to ninja corpses.

Because the veteran ninjas of the Bronze Age had either died or grown old.

Modern people's understanding of the taboos and red lines set by the First Hokage has gradually faded. Especially in recent years, he has even actively weakened the old rules, leading Konoha to a leftward turn.

The equation "The First Will is equal to the Will of Fire, and the Will of Fire is equal to the will of Shen, the chief architect of the Will of Fire" is deeply ingrained in people's minds.

What was once an absolute taboo has gradually been forgotten and accepted by the new generation of ninjas.