The conflict between Konoha and the Cloud Ninja ultimately didn't escalate.
Aoba didn't know how this had ended in the original history, but this time, his severing of the Raikage's finger was undoubtedly a key factor.
The Raikage needed time to adapt to fighting with three fingers. Though Konoha was weakened, a starved camel was still bigger than a horse—it wasn't something the Cloud Ninja could easily push around.
A month later, the Cloud Ninja officially withdrew from the border, and Konoha achieved the "peace" it desired.
Of course, the most relieved was the Land of Hot Water. Sandwiched between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning, the Cloud Ninja's military presence at the border meant stationing troops on their territory. Not only that, the Land of Hot Water had to supply provisions, leaving them overburdened—worse off than modern-day South Korea.
Still, that conflict sparked massive debate. The most notable outcome was that Aoba's moniker, "Wind Chasing Sword," finally spread throughout Konoha.
Having faced the Raikage head-on without losing ground—even severing the Raikage's finger to gain the upper hand—Aoba instantly became the pillar of Konoha's new generation of ninja.
He was hailed as the second coming of Konoha's White Fang.Originally, Aoba's limelight had been overshadowed by Jiraiya and Danzo. However, Jiraiya's final act of letting the Raikage escape allowed Aoba to step forward once again, forcibly making his presence known.
Thus, his reputation inevitably spread.
The key difference was that Aoba's approach this time was entirely unlike the controversial actions of Sakumo Hatake in the past. He faced the Raikage head-on in battle. Whether from a moral standpoint or political correctness, his actions were impeccable.
Even Danzo couldn't find fault with him.
Most crucially, after that battle, Danzo developed a "fondness for talent" and attempted to recruit Aoba into Root multiple times. However, Aoba refused every offer.
Perhaps it was because Aoba's displayed combat prowess was unusually high. Or perhaps it was because Aoba clearly wasn't as naive as Sakumo Hatake had been.
Danzo proceeded with caution this time, refraining from immediately taking any action against Aoba.
During this period, the most uncomfortable figure was the Third Hokage. Despite having already explained his decision to let the Raikage escape—citing the village's difficult circumstances, his love for peace, and unwillingness to sacrifice the village's ninja—such post-event justifications paled in comparison to the shock of witnessing it firsthand.
Were it not for the considerable prestige he had accumulated over his years in office, that incident might have subjected him to severe criticism.
Fortunately, after a period of cooling off, the people of Konoha had gradually begun to forget about the incident.
After all, people are forgetful.
......
Konoha, Aoba's underground laboratory.
Aoba exhaled a burst of flames from his mouth, reducing the writhing, proliferating mass of half-flesh, half-plant matter before him to ashes.
"Seventy-ninth Hashirama Cells fusion experiment—failure."
Yumi, standing nearby, dutifully recorded the results.
"Are you really planning to transplant that thing into yourself? It looks incredibly dangerous."
Aoba's previous experiments had involved attempting to fuse his own cells with Hashirama's. Unsurprisingly, his cells were instantly overwhelmed and consumed, leading to uncontrollable cellular proliferation.
He had tried various methods to facilitate the fusion, but the results remained largely the same.
"At this point, it seems biologically impossible to achieve this fusion through conventional means."
"But you've also tried using Chakra as an aid, and that didn't work either."
In fact, Aoba hadn't just used Chakra—he had specifically employed Yang Release Chakra as a mediating agent. His initial reasoning was that since Hashirama possessed a natural Sage Body, it should be most compatible with Yang-based Chakra. However, the result was that infusing Yang Chakra only made Hashirama's cells more aggressive, transforming them into monstrous hybrids of flesh and vegetation.
Aoba didn't possess all five Chakra natures.
However, in this world, lacking a particular Chakra nature didn't necessarily prevent one from using corresponding techniques. With sufficient training, it was possible to convert Chakra into a specific nature and perform jutsu.
The problem was that ninja combat prioritized speed. The process of converting Chakra before executing a technique made it impractical for real battles.Therefore, lacking a certain attribute doesn't mean one absolutely cannot use that type of Chakra. It merely means they can't employ ninjutsu of that nature in actual combat.
Aoba didn't possess Yang-attribute Chakra. Yet in the laboratory, he could still conduct similar experiments.
Up to now, he had attempted stimulation with Chakra of all attributes. But none had achieved the desired effect.
Aoba felt somewhat helpless. Hashirama Cells were this world's cheat code. But who could use this cheat still depended on luck, and perhaps some higher power's arrangements.
Just as Aoba was preparing to conclude today's experiment, he suddenly thought of a new direction.
Besides Chakra, there was another energy he hadn't tried yet - natural energy.
"Prepare for the eightieth experiment."
Yumi never questioned his decisions. She immediately began preparations. Though not a ninja herself, she had learned considerable professional knowledge from Aoba. All preparatory and auxiliary tasks were handled with practiced ease.
Aoba drew a small amount of his own blood and once again added Hashirama's cells.
This time, Aoba abandoned all biological neutralizing agents. Because Hashirama's cells were simply too dominant. Most biological neutralizing agents would just become nutrients for them.
So this time, Aoba directly injected natural energy, then observed the results.
At first, Hashirama's cells still rapidly activated and began devouring Aoba's cells. But this time, Aoba's cells contained natural energy. The consumption didn't proceed as smoothly.
Normally, ordinary cells exposed to natural energy would immediately turn to stone. But Hashirama himself possessed Sage Body. His cells were naturally adapted to natural energy. Thus, the entire process was much more stable than previous experiments.
Unfortunately, this state didn't last long. As the natural energy was exhausted, the previous frenzied proliferation reappeared.
After the test subject was once again reduced to ashes, Aoba wasn't discouraged. Instead, he felt somewhat excited. Because this experiment had finally produced something different.
Though natural energy hadn't helped him complete the experiment, it had clearly had an effect. With White Zetsu still unavailable, this was already the best experimental result possible.
After concluding the experiment, Karin's voice came from upstairs.
"Mom! Mom! Where are you? I'm starving to death!"