Sunagakure was in utter chaos, while its neighbor Konoha remained perfectly calm.
After returning home and getting a good night's sleep, Takeshi brought with him the scroll containing Gari's corpse and headed to Konoha's Research Bureau early the next morning.
"Ah, it's Takeshi!"
Just as he stepped into the main entrance of the Research Bureau, Takeshi heard a slightly surprised female voice.
A familiar scent came over him. Anko was still her usual careless self, not minding the fact that Takeshi was now the Hokage. She immediately draped her arm over his shoulder.
"You've finally come to rescue me? Please, Fifth Hokage-sama, let me fight on the frontlines!"
There was a pleading tone in Anko's voice. The surprise on her face quickly faded into hopeless despair.
She really couldn't stand her teacher Orochimaru anymore. Sticking by his side every day meant dealing with all sorts of bizarre corpses, sometimes even having to personally handle them herself.
Because of this, while her peers had all been promoted to Special Jōnin or even Jōnin, she herself was still only a mere Chūnin.
"Don't you like your teacher a lot?"
Struggling a bit but unable to shake off Anko's grip, Takeshi asked back helplessly.
"But… sensei never leaves the house now. I'm still young, I want to see a broader sky."
Anko looked pitifully at Takeshi, tightening her arm as if to say that unless he agreed, she would never let go.
"Alright, alright, I'll talk to Orochimaru."
Takeshi had no choice but to give a wry smile and agree.
"Yay!"
The moment Takeshi agreed, Anko gave him a fierce hug. All her despair instantly vanished, and she bounced off happily to take care of her business.
This girl…
Shaking his head helplessly, Takeshi straightened his collar and prepared to go find Orochimaru.
But then, hurried footsteps returned, and Anko came running back to Takeshi's side.
"Look at me, I was so caught up being happy I forgot to ask—who did you come here to find?"
She suddenly remembered she hadn't asked why Takeshi had come.
"Of course, your teacher."
...
Inside the laboratory, Orochimaru stared at the nearly dissected corpse of Setsuna lying on the operating table, his eyes filled with feverish curiosity.
Hashirama cells, once again, Hashirama cells.
That white creature before, and now this Uchiha remnant—both carried this material in their bodies.
The very subject he had struggled with during his cooperation with Danzō, yet it had already been mastered by outsiders.
Interesting…
Like a serpent flicking its tongue, Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, extracting a sample of Hashirama cells and placing it into a petri dish.
Using Uchiha bloodline to balance Hashirama cells was something Orochimaru had thought of before.
Unfortunately, at that time, Danzō suddenly cut off his research funding, preventing the project from being carried out.
But now…
With Konoha funding him generously, Orochimaru could freely unleash his genius without violating ethics.
"Fifth-sama, please come in."
Just as Orochimaru was about to continue dissecting Setsuna's corpse, Hiruko's voice reminded him that an uninvited guest had entered the lab.
"Fifth-sama?"
Hearing the title, Orochimaru turned and saw his little junior brother whom he hadn't met in a long while. His lips curled slightly.
"What a rare guest."
He was quite eager for Takeshi's visits, as each time the boy brought him new inspiration. Surely, this time would be no exception.
Indeed, after a brief greeting, Takeshi unsealed a scroll and summoned out a dried corpse.
Having handled countless corpses himself, Orochimaru wasn't the least bit frightened by Gari's grotesque appearance. Instead, he squatted down, studying it with great interest.
Running his hand across Gari's dried, blackened skin, Orochimaru quickly identified the jutsu responsible for the damage.
"This is Scorch Release."
"That's right. And this body belonged to someone quite significant—Gari, of Iwagakure's Explosion Release unit."
Gari's name carried some weight in the shinobi world. Hearing it, Hiruko immediately showed a hungry expression.
He had always been dedicated to researching the fusion of Kekkei Genkai, so this excited him greatly.
"Explosion Release… indeed fascinating."
Orochimaru nodded and gestured for Hiruko to take the corpse aside.
Takeshi watched as Hiruko licked his lips while dragging Gari's body away. Anyone who didn't know better might think the man had improper intentions.
"How goes the research on Setsuna's corpse?"
Not bothering to see what Hiruko was up to, Takeshi turned his question to Orochimaru.
"Very interesting. This one carried Hashirama cells, identical to that being called White Zetsu."
Hearing Takeshi's inquiry, Orochimaru returned to the operating table and casually flipped through a research journal.
"Can it be applied to human bodies?"
Takeshi knew the value of Hashirama cells. Possessing them could somewhat reduce the toll of the Mangekyō Sharingan, which was vital for Obito and Hikari.
In the future decisive battle, Konoha would still need the Uchiha to contribute.
"We'd have to test it to be sure."
Orochimaru cast a glance at Takeshi, almost as if he were considering him as a test subject.
"How high is the success rate?"
Takeshi swallowed. If the odds were good, he might even volunteer as a guinea pig.
"About twenty percent."
Orochimaru answered bluntly.
Forget it then.
Takeshi shook his head furiously, deciding to wait until the technology matured before making any decisions.
"However, with Yamato, the success rate would be ninety-nine percent."
Orochimaru's next words left Takeshi puzzled.
"But Yamato already has Wood Release. Wouldn't adding more be pointless?"
"Heh. That level of Wood Release?"
Orochimaru sneered, completely dismissive of Yamato's ability.
"Granted, it was a step from nothing to something, but its scale and power are nothing compared to the First Hokage."
Well, no kidding. The First Hokage was a man who could hold down the Nine-Tails with his bare hands. Compared to him, Yamato wasn't even worth a toenail.
"I can gradually strengthen Yamato's Wood Release, while using his research data to adjust dosages for others."
Orochimaru stared directly at Takeshi.
Takeshi, being Yamato's guardian, was bound by Konoha's current rules to consult him about this matter.
"I'll ask Yamato first before deciding."
Takeshi didn't want to make choices on someone else's behalf. Even with such a high chance of success, there was still that one percent risk of failure.
Though he often treated Yamato like a workhorse, the thought of him dying under Orochimaru's experiments made Takeshi feel reluctant.
After all, Yamato was one of the children he had watched grow up.