As time went by, Shihouin Naraku's influence in the Anbu expanded rapidly. He personally requested funds from the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen to improve the treatment of Anbu members. With the addition of upgrades and maintenance of various equipment, Anbu had been completely transformed.
As a result, Shihouin Naraku was able to gain a foothold in Anbu in a very short period of time and developed his own power base.
As the vice-captain of Anbu, Naraku did not need to go on missions as frequently as other members. He would only personally lead a team to complete the most important and dangerous assignments.
The reason he was so busy when he first joined Anbu was mainly because Naraku was getting familiar with Anbu's operations and getting to know his subordinates. Once things were running smoothly, his schedule became less demanding.
After Anbu's matters were settled, Naraku turned his attention to the medical department. After all, he also served as the deputy director of the medical department.
...
"Naraku-sama, here is the detailed report on the Medical Emergency Team's recent activities."
"Elders Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu have already begun placing their people in Konoha Hospital. Currently, they only occupy positions in the administrative department, but the two elders have already shown signs of trying to win over our medical shinobi."
"In the emergency department, Yajiro Aoki initially wanted to take control of the medical funds, but he failed and was blocked by his subordinates."
"I thought Bansho Chino would continue to test him, but unexpectedly, she shifted her focus to the medical laboratory. I believe Bansho Chino must have allies in the laboratory, but I haven't discovered who they are yet!"
Shihouin Naraku finished reading the report and was very satisfied with his subordinates' work. A smile appeared on his face.
"You're doing excellent work. Keep it up."
"Yes, sir!"
"About the laboratory situation..."
"Continue your investigation in secret, and don't make anything public for now."
"Understood!"
After his trusted aide reported and left, another person appeared before Naraku.
The one who came to see Naraku was Inuzuka Tsume of the Inuzuka clan, also the mother of Inuzuka Kiba, one of the Rookie Nine of Konoha.
Inuzuka Tsume was the head of the animal training and rehabilitation division in the medical department.
Just from the name, anyone could tell what this division did, and the leader of this division had always been a shinobi from the Inuzuka clan.
After all, this family specialized in handling ninja animals.
This division also had the lowest profile in the medical department, even more discreet than the corpse handling division.
Inuzuka Tsume didn't have much to report, so she left shortly after.
The third person who appeared in Naraku's office was—
Yakushi Kabuto!
Head of the corpse disposal team!
In the original storyline, at this time, Yakushi Kabuto was following Orochimaru's orders, hiding in the Konoha Medical Department while learning medical ninjutsu and helping Orochimaru gather intelligence.
To avoid attracting attention, he deliberately suppressed his abilities and failed the Chūnin exam seven times in a row.
But Naraku didn't care what Orochimaru's plan was. He directly brought Yakushi Kabuto under his supervision and began to train him. Now, Yakushi Kabuto had become a Jōnin of Konohagakure and was in charge of the corpse disposal team.
Yakushi Kabuto also brought many benefits to Naraku. Not only did he work diligently under Naraku and contribute to the development of the medical emergency team, but most importantly, Naraku obtained a lot of information about Shimura Danzō from him.
...
"Naraku-sama!"
Yakushi Kabuto stood respectfully before Naraku and handed over the documents with both hands.
Naraku looked at the information and then asked directly.
"Yajiro Aoki has been contacting you!"
"Yes."
Yakushi Kabuto didn't try to hide it and admitted it directly.
It was indeed him that Yajiro Aoki had been seeking in the medical laboratory.
Naraku did not continue to inquire. It was normal for Yajiro Aoki to contact Yakushi Kabuto because Kabuto himself was a triple agent, with Shihouin Naraku, Shimura Danzō, and Orochimaru all behind him.
Glancing at Yakushi Kabuto, Naraku asked casually, "Has Orochimaru contacted you recently?"
"We just communicated a day ago and only exchanged experimental data."
Naraku knew that Orochimaru had already begun his plan to attack Konoha, but he didn't know how much Yakushi Kabuto was aware of at this point.
"Starting today, cut off all contact with Orochimaru. Do not send him any more data from the medical lab."
"Yes, sir!"
Naraku knew that although Yakushi Kabuto agreed verbally, he would definitely still exchange information with Orochimaru in secret. However, he only said this to protect himself in case this relationship was exposed in the future.
The Konoha Medical Laboratory was established by Naraku himself, mainly for developing various new medical ninjutsu. It was also where Konoha medical shinobi conducted experiments.
Orochimaru had always been very interested in Naraku's potential, but unfortunately, he did not take him along when he defected.
So when he learned that Naraku had established a medical laboratory, Orochimaru immediately became interested.
With Yakushi Kabuto's help, he learned about most of the medical ninjutsu and other achievements that were developed and improved in the laboratory.
Of course, if that were all, Naraku would have killed Yakushi Kabuto long ago. In exchange for this information, Orochimaru's knowledge and achievements were fed back to Naraku through Yakushi Kabuto.
This kind of secret exchange could be considered a tacit understanding.
Both Naraku and Orochimaru benefited from this arrangement, but neither would ever admit to it.
However, Naraku was now cutting off this connection. One reason was that Orochimaru's plan to attack Konoha was about to unfold, and the other was that with the promotion system in place, Naraku no longer needed to worry about improving his strength through risky collaborations with Orochimaru.
...
"You young people have so many ideas that an old man like me can hardly keep up."
Third, Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen picked up the document that Shihouin Naraku handed him and read it with amusement.
"Splitting up the medical emergency squad?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the document, and his face became serious. After roughly understanding it, he closed his eyes and thought for a while, then said hesitantly: "It seems quite sudden. The medical emergency team is very important right now. In this case..."
"It's not that sudden. The medical emergency team should have been reorganized a long time ago."
"Now, the emergency team not only has to manage Konoha Hospital, laboratories, and many other medical institutions but is also responsible for the medical affairs of all Konoha shinobi. The entire organization has become too bloated."
Naraku spread his hands and explained his reasoning.
In fact, the medical emergency team should have been split up after it grew significantly, but Naraku was the director at that time, and he would not have wanted to weaken his own power base.
Now, it was different. Splitting the medical emergency team would actually benefit him.
"First, we need to build a new medical facility to serve the daimyo, nobles, and wealthy merchants from various countries so they don't complain about being treated in the same place as common people. This can also avoid potential security risks..."
"The location of the medical laboratory also needs to be relocated. The current location has too much foot traffic, so a more secure and quiet place would be more suitable..."
"Many shinobi are not suitable for treatment in public hospitals due to their identities and other reasons. Security and confidentiality are equally important..."
"The medical shinobi training program set up by Tsunade-sensei also needs to be improved. There are still too few medical shinobi in the village..."
Shihouin Naraku spoke at length about his plan, and by the end, Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes were wide open, not knowing how to respond.
"You've made excellent points. Let's proceed as you suggested."
Sarutobi Hiruzen came back to his senses and heaved a sigh of relief when Naraku finally finished speaking and immediately agreed.
He might not know as much as Naraku about medical matters, but after being the Hokage for decades, he could still recognize how much benefit it would bring to Konohagakure if the medical emergency squad was improved according to Naraku's plan.
Of course, if the plan described in the document was actually completed, Naraku's prestige in Konoha Village would definitely rise to an even higher level.
"Tsunade found herself a talented student."
Sarutobi Hiruzen felt somewhat proud; after all, Shihouin Naraku was also part of the Hokage's legacy.
"But this is troublesome. Naraku now fully meets all the requirements to become Hokage."
Strength, qualifications, reputation, and connections—Shihouin Naraku had them all!
Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't think that when he first took office, he himself had the advantages that Naraku now possessed.
In this situation, Sarutobi Hiruzen was secretly worried. If Naraku really became Hokage, would there be anyone who could check and balance his power?
This concern arose because Sarutobi Hiruzen sensed a potential threat from Shihouin Naraku!
Even if Naraku was not Tsunade's student, a junior of the Hokage lineage, secret suppression had occurred before.
Hatake Sakumo's rising influence had been so threatening that Shimura Danzō suppressed him and forced him to commit suicide. Did Sarutobi Hiruzen really not know about this?
Perhaps Hatake Sakumo had also been perceived as a threat to the Third Hokage at that time!
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