Konoha's Intelligence Room.
This was a dedicated facility set up for the Yamanaka Clan, located in one of Konoha's most secure areas. It was surrounded by hidden sentries on constant watch and equipped with an independent sensory barrier. If an external enemy attempted to invade, the barrier would activate immediately and relay the information to Konoha's Barrier Team.
Currently, a newly developed piece of equipment had been in operation for some time. It was designed to work alongside the Yamanaka Clan's secret techniques, allowing them to extract information from the minds of the deceased. This method of intelligence gathering was unique to Konoha and beyond the capabilities of other villages.
Without the equipment developed by the Research Division, even the Yamanaka Clan's secret techniques would not suffice to directly read the memories of the dead.
In the spacious room, a wall filled with pipes stood prominently, and before it lay the device used for extracting memories from the deceased.
The semi-circular platform was embedded with numerous enigmatic pipes, and in front of it was a dome-shaped device resembling a low, half-formed igloo. Extending from the edges of this dome toward the semi-circular platform were three concentric rings of intricate black seals.
These black seals were not limited to the dome-shaped device; the semi-circular platform also had three specific locations inscribed with similar black seals.
The central point of these seals served as the transfer point where the Yamanaka Clan could invade the mind of the deceased.
This device was a combination of ninjutsu and technology, greatly enhancing the Yamanaka Clan's ability to retrieve memories, marking a significant leap forward in their techniques.
Intelligence was crucial for any shinobi village, affecting many aspects of strategy. During battles, it was common for shinobi to choose suicide to protect information, especially when falling into the hands of enemies who would resort to brutal interrogation methods.
In situations where capture was inevitable, rather than endure torture to extract information, it was often easier to end one's own life.
This phenomenon of sacrificing oneself to protect intelligence was quite common. However, with the advent of this device that worked in tandem with the Yamanaka Clan's secret techniques, Konoha had overcome this limitation. Even suicide could no longer prevent Konoha from obtaining crucial intelligence.
Thus, this was an invaluable and rare technology that only Konoha possessed.
At this moment, Kotoe, one of Ye Zi's close associates, was brought to the intelligence room before being sent to the autopsy room. The aim was to extract her memories to obtain valuable information.
Kotoe's body was placed inside the dome-shaped device, leaving only her pale face visible, eyes closed, positioned at the center of the circular seals.
The task was executed by four members of the Yamanaka Clan, with Inoichi Yamanaka taking the lead at the central dome-shaped platform. The remaining three members were stationed at the semi-circular platform.
Apart from the four members of the Yamanaka Clan, Jiraiya and Minato were also present in the intelligence room.
"Begin," Minato said.
"Yes!"
The four members of the Yamanaka Clan responded in unison and moved to their respective positions.
While Inoichi stood before the dome-shaped platform, extending his hand to touch Kotonoha's head, the other three members placed their hands on the seals embedded in the semi-circular platform.
Jiraiya and Minato silently observed the process. If they could extract Kotoe's memories, they would likely pinpoint Ye Zi and Orochimaru's hideout as well as uncover the secret behind Wood Release.
These pieces of information were of immense importance, especially the secret to mastering Wood Release. Once the memories were extracted and the secrets obtained, Kotoe's body would be sent to the autopsy room for Tsunade to handle.
With everyone in place, the memory extraction technique was officially initiated.
Inoichi closed his eyes, his hand on Kotoe's head emitting a faint blue chakra glow.
In an instant, the four members of the Yamanaka Clan found themselves in an enclosed space. The surroundings were filled with walls covered in pipes, and at the center was a massive brain-like structure with four columns extending outward from within.
The four members of the Yamanaka Clan floated silently in the air, ready to delve deeper into the memories.
Inoichi nodded to his three companions, and each of them placed their hands on the flat surfaces of the columns, beginning the memory extraction process.
This scene, however, was invisible to Minato and Jiraiya. From their perspective, the four members of the Yamanaka Clan appeared to have simply closed their eyes, their minds delving into the lifeless brain of Kotoe.
Half an hour passed, and the memory extraction jutsu was released. Inoichi, standing in the central position, slowly opened his eyes.
"How did it go?" Minato asked.
Inoichi revealed a pleased expression and replied, "We've retrieved a substantial amount of useful intelligence."
The other three Yamanaka Clan members had played supportive roles, helping Inoichi gather the information and reducing his workload. Once key pieces of intelligence were identified, they were transmitted directly to him.
Inoichi then relayed the obtained intelligence to Minato and Jiraiya.
The information included the location of a base in the Land of Stone and details about how Hashirama's cells were used to acquire Wood Release abilities. Essentially, everything Kotoe knew had now fallen into Konoha's hands.
With the intelligence in hand, Minato and Jiraiya returned directly to the Hokage's office, while Kotoe's body was sent to Tsunade for further examination.
To gain mastery over Wood Release, implanting Hashirama's cells was essential. Even with the information extracted from Kotoe, the success rate wasn't guaranteed. However, Hashirama's cells could at least be extracted from Kotonoha's body.
Now that they also had the location of the base, Minato saw no reason to let this opportunity slip away.
The base in the Land of Stone housed nearly a hundred children in training, along with Nanako, Orochimaru, and Ye Zi. This posed a potential threat to Konoha.
Although Ye Zi had managed to escape during the Uzushiogakure mission, he had suffered severe injuries. It was uncertain if he had fully recovered, making this an ideal chance to strike.
After discussing the matter with Jiraiya and their advisors, Minato decided to send a team to capture the base. The base also contained a significant supply of Hashirama's cells.
The team size was determined to be seventy individuals: thirty jonin and forty chunin.
The mission objective was to capture the base, with an allowance to retreat if enemy resistance proved too overwhelming.
While finalizing the personnel, Shikaku suggested sending a letter to Sunagakure in the Land of Wind, sharing intelligence about Ye Zi's base and inviting the Sand Shinobi to collaborate on the mission.
Since the Land of Stone bordered the Land of Wind, and given Sunagakure's deep-seated grudge against Ye Zi, it was expected that the Sand Shinobi would be eager to cooperate.
Thus, the team targeting Ye Zi's base was soon finalized. With the addition of the Sand Shinobi, it became a formidable force.
The children inside the base were not a significant concern. The primary threats were the three key combatants: Orochimaru, Ye Zi, and Uchiha Jin.
They could only hope that Ye Zi had not yet recovered from his injuries…
With the team assembled, Konoha's forces set out on their mission to attack Ye Zi's base.
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