For Danzo, watching Aomizu rise to prominence once again was more painful than death itself.
Every report of Hirakawa Aomizu's growing reputation felt like a blade twisting in his chest.
It was that innately troublesome brat who had reduced him — Shimura Danzo, the Hokage's right hand, the shadow of Konoha — to nothing more than a prisoner.
Once, he had stood behind the throne, guiding the village from the darkness.
Now he sat behind iron bars.
How could he not hate him?
Danzo's hatred for Aomizu had long since seeped into his bones. It festered within him day and night. In his dreams, he carved the man into a thousand pieces. Sometimes he imagined tearing him apart with his own hands. Other times he saw Aomizu kneeling before him, begging for mercy.
But every morning, he awoke to the same cruel truth.
He was still imprisoned.
And Aomizu's fame continued to grow.
The injustice gnawed at him like poison.
"Go and ask Orochimaru why nothing has been done yet."
Danzo's voice trembled with restrained fury as he gave the order to Aburame Ryoma.
"Yes, sir."
Ryoma bowed and immediately departed.
He understood the urgency in Danzo's tone. For Danzo, every extra day Aomizu remained alive was an unbearable humiliation.
Orochimaru's Delay
Aburame Ryoma arrived at Orochimaru's hidden research base not long after.
He did not approach recklessly.
Orochimaru's laboratory was layered with traps and serpentine sentries. Any intruder who stepped beyond the permitted boundary would be attacked without hesitation.
Moments later, the door opened with a slow creak.
Orochimaru emerged, pale and composed, golden eyes gleaming with quiet amusement.
"Lord Danzo wishes to know why you have not yet taken action," Ryoma said respectfully.
A faint, sinister chuckle escaped Orochimaru's lips.
Danzo truly has no patience.
Without proper preparation, how could they possibly confront Hirakawa Aomizu?
But that was only part of the truth.
Although Orochimaru had agreed to assist Danzo, his personal ambitions came first.
Recently, his research had centered on the Impure World Reincarnation Technique — a forbidden jutsu that called the souls of the dead back into the world of the living.
Within that technique, he had glimpsed something extraordinary.
Immortality.
Not immortality of the body, but of the soul.
If the flesh was fragile and temporary, then abandon it.
Let the soul persist.
The idea had seized him completely.
For a researcher like Orochimaru, inspiration was sacred. Once a new path revealed itself, it had to be pursued relentlessly. Until he encountered an insurmountable barrier, he would never stop.
Of course, he could not explain that to Danzo.
Instead, he offered a practical answer.
"The Impure World Reincarnation is a forbidden art. I have yet to master it completely. Until I do, I cannot confidently confront Hirakawa Aomizu."
He paused briefly before adding,
"Moreover, the intelligence your Root gathered on him is insufficient. Your last operation ended in total failure. Every operative was killed. No bodies were recovered."
That, at least, was true.
Without corpses, they had gained no data.
Without data, they could not analyze weaknesses.
"I require time to observe him personally and craft a strategy suited to him," Orochimaru concluded.
Then he turned and walked back into the laboratory, leaving Ryoma with no further explanation.
Danzo could either accept it.
Or find another assassin.
Danzo's Powerless Fury
When Ryoma relayed Orochimaru's message, Danzo nearly crushed the armrest of his chair.
His anger surged violently, yet he had no means to act upon it.
Orochimaru was indispensable.
And Danzo had no one else capable of killing Aomizu.
After a long silence, he forced himself to calm down.
"Fine," he said coldly. "Let Hirakawa Aomizu live a little longer."
"Consider it my final mercy."
If Aomizu had heard those words, he would have laughed aloud.
Danzo, who lacked the strength to act, still clung to the illusion of superiority.
His skin was thicker than castle walls.
The Secret Base
Meanwhile, after spending time with Kushina, Aomizu quietly left Konoha.
As the original body controlling the Six Paths of Pain, he could use Summoning Jutsu to call any Pain to his location.
Conversely, they could reverse-summon him to theirs.
With this method, he could leave the village without detection.
Before departing, he left behind a Shadow Clone at home.
If anyone sought him out, the clone would respond and immediately dispel itself, allowing Aomizu to return at once.
Within the Secret Base, only Pain – Hiruko was present.
Pain – Kakuzu had already been dispatched to the Land of Rain, secretly protecting Konan from afar. He avoided direct contact; neither he nor Aomizu wished for her to become complacent.
The ninja world was merciless.
Weakness invited death.
Aomizu stepped forward and handed Pain – Hiruko a sealing scroll.
Inside was Chakra extracted from the Nine-Tails.
Hiruko took the scroll and approached a massive nutrient tank.
Floating inside was a single enormous wing.
It belonged to the Seven-Tails.
Ever since Kakuzu had brought it back, they had cultivated it carefully.
Months had passed.
Yet its growth had been negligible.
Hiruko opened the sealing scroll.
Ferocious Nine-Tails Chakra surged outward before being guided into the nutrient tank.
The Seven-Tails wing absorbed it eagerly.
After all, both originated from the Ten-Tails.
They shared the same root.
The effect was immediate.
The wing expanded visibly, its Chakra density increasing dramatically.
Fortunately, the tank was large enough to withstand the change.
Aomizu observed closely.
"If it can devour the Chakra of all Tailed Beasts," he murmured, "perhaps it can evolve into something resembling a pseudo Ten-Tails."
After careful recording of the data, Hiruko summoned a bizarre creature.
It looked grotesque — as if assembled from mismatched animal parts.
Because that was precisely what it was.
The creature was the result of combining Ninjutsu with the perfected Kiyomi no Jutsu.
Originally, the technique extracted from Hiruko's memories had been incomplete.
But after acquiring Orochimaru's advanced scientific knowledge, Aomizu had resolved its flaws.
The forbidden art was now perfected.
Unlike the original Hiruko, Aomizu had no intention of using the technique on himself.
He refused to transform into something neither human nor ghost.
He had no need.
Hiruko lifted the enlarged Seven-Tails wing and prepared the fusion.
The Kiyomi no Jutsu activated.
At first, the integration proceeded smoothly.
The wing merged seamlessly into the creature's body.
Then—
The creature screamed.
Its body convulsed violently.
Within seconds, it exploded.
Blood and fragments splattered across the chamber.
The fusion had failed.
Aomizu remained calm.
"The summoning beast was too weak," he concluded. "It could not withstand the power of the Seven-Tails wing."
After absorbing Nine-Tails Chakra, the wing's energy had become overwhelming.
They would require far stronger vessels.
"Prepare more suitable summoning beasts," Aomizu ordered.
Phase Two Begins
Several days later, Aomizu returned to the Ninja Academy.
Today marked the beginning of Phase Two for the Medical Special Training Class.
In theory, they should continue studying medical theory.
But they were still children.
Instead, Aomizu decided to reward them with Chakra-control training.
He entered the classroom.
"From today onward, we begin Phase Two. Follow me."
Excitement erupted instantly.
Even normally composed students like Kurenai Yuhi, Rin Nohara, and Shizune showed visible enthusiasm.
Outdoor training was far preferable to endless lectures.
Aomizu led the twenty-three students who had passed Phase One to the training ground.
A row of sturdy trees lined the edge.
Perfect tools.
"Today, I will teach you tree-climbing."
He approached the central tree.
Without forming visible hand seals, he placed one foot against the trunk — and walked upward as though gravity no longer existed.
He stopped halfway, standing horizontally relative to the ground.
Gasps erupted.
"Amazing!"
Only Kurenai and Shizune maintained composure, though their eyes sparkled.
Aomizu descended calmly.
"This exercise strengthens Chakra control," he explained. "Even if you never become Medical Ninja, this will benefit you."
He described the principle:
Concentrate Chakra at the soles of your feet. Adjust the output precisely. Too little and you fall. Too much and you repel yourself.
"After mastering trees, we will move to water-walking."
He performed Water Release, creating a broad pond.
Then he stepped onto its surface and walked effortlessly.
Again, astonished murmurs filled the air.
"This," he said, stepping back to shore, "requires even finer control."
"There is no shortcut. Only practice."
They had one month remaining, with four classes scheduled.
Tree-climbing.
Disturbed tree-climbing.
Water-walking.
Disturbed water-walking.
In the "disturbed" exercises, he would deliberately interfere.
A true ninja must maintain control under pressure.
"On the first day of next term," Aomizu continued, "I will hold an assessment."
"Those who cannot walk on water will be removed from the class."
The excitement sobered instantly.
"If you do not wish to fail," he added calmly, "do not waste your holiday."
The challenge had been issued.
And the true training had only just begun.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)