Danzo had considered that Orochimaru might have come to demand an explanation, and had even prepared words to deal with him.
Everything was for Konoha; Danzo had no choice.
He never expected that Orochimaru wouldn't mention Nawaki's death at all, and there was even an unexpected delight.
Nawaki's death had stimulated Orochimaru, sparking his interest in life research.
Danzo's voice was hoarse, unable to conceal his excitement:
"Orochimaru, you are the junior I hold in the highest regard.
You have sufficient talent, sufficient disposition, and sufficient effort. However, your commoner physique, lacking a Kekkei Genkai, limits your upper potential.
In the face of Kekkei Genkai, effort is worthless.
I have arduously practiced Wind Release for forty years, and then what? Before a true Kekkei Genkai powerhouse, I am Vulnerable.
You have arduously practiced Earth Release and Summoning Techniques, and then what?
You haven't witnessed the grace of Lord Hashirama and Uchiha Madara on the battlefield; that is how true powerhouses should be.
Like you, I am also troubled by the limits of my physique.
Giving up is not our ninja way; the problem of physique is not insurmountable.
Lord Tobirama had some conceptions that were never implemented, but I believe they hold great promise.
As long as you are willing to conduct research on shinobi life and physique for the village, I am willing to provide all support.
Lord Tobirama's research notes on transplantation, physique, Kekkei Genkai, and so on, I will give them to you tonight.
During the war, all prisoners from enemy villages are your test subjects.
After the war ends, we can also recruit volunteers from the Anbu; Anbu shinobi, after years of disciplined training, have very high Awakening.
Furthermore, once the experiments yield phased results, I am even willing to become your test subject myself.
I have some materials related to transplantation, but I have been hampered by the lack of mature transplantation techniques."
Orochimaru thought to himself that what Danzo wanted to transplant must be the top-tier materials in the shinobi world. He said, "I wish to begin research tonight."
A rare smile appeared on Danzo's face:
"Tonight, I will prepare experimental equipment for you and send all the prisoners from the camp to your tent.
Ōnoki killed the Senju young clan head Nawaki; Konoha will inevitably retaliate.
I will order the Anbu to capture Iwa-nin alive and deliver all live subjects to you.
During the war, your test subjects will be continuous; do not spare them, the research progress is more important.
However, I hope to specify the initial research direction."
"Oh? What direction?"
Orochimaru became interested, wondering what exactly Danzo wanted to transplant.
Danzo said, "I hope you begin with eye transplantation."
Orochimaru understood in his heart.
Danzo's teammate, Uchiha Kagami, died with his body lost.
It seemed Uchiha Kagami's Sharingan was in Danzo's possession.
As for whether it was a deathbed entrustment or seized by force and the body destroyed, that was unknown.
"Orochimaru, from today on, you are the head of the Root laboratory, codename Kō."
Orochimaru asked, "Why Root shinobi, and not Anbu?"
Danzo said:
"Hiruzen is unwilling to bear the infamy, even the infamy that follows the Anbu after they complete missions in the shadows.
From now on, all the village's infamy will be borne by me and Root.
To protect Hiruzen's honor, we have altered Root's duties. Not only do we train new recruits for the Anbu, but we also secretly complete missions that even the Anbu find inconvenient to handle.
Rest assured, Hiruzen will soon learn of and agree to your joining Root."
Orochimaru turned and left the tent.
Danzo, seeing that Team Fox was on guard duty outside the tent, shouted, "Fox, come in!"
Yōkō received a mission: to deliver all the prisoners in the camp to Orochimaru's tent.
Simultaneously, Danzo informed him that Orochimaru was now a member of Root, the head of the Root laboratory, with the authority of a Battalion Commander.
Arriving at the prisoner enclosure, Yōkō had his three squad members tie up the five Iwa-nin prisoners with ropes and take them away.
These prisoners had been drugged by interrogation shinobi, unable to extract chakra or resist.
One prisoner asked fearfully, "Where are you taking us? Is our village arranging a prisoner exchange?"
Yōkō thought for a moment and said, "If I'm not mistaken, the era of prisoner exchanges is over. From today, Konoha will no longer exchange prisoners with any village."
"Wh-why? Why is Konoha so cruel?"
Yōkō shook his head, thinking to himself, It's because you didn't commit suicide.
When they brought the prisoners to the outside of Orochimaru's tent, Yōkō saw a youth already waiting at the entrance.
The tent flap opened, and Orochimaru stepped out, first looking at the several prisoners.
Through the gap in the flap, Yōkō saw two large tables inside, equipped with simple surgical knives, scissors, tweezers, awls, and other tools.
The youth shouted excitedly:
"Teacher Orochimaru! Please control your grief!
Nawaki's unfortunate sacrifice... I will train even harder, practicing twice as hard to make up for Nawaki's share of regret!
I formally ask you to accept me as your disciple! I will absolutely not fail your expectations!"
Orochimaru's gaze as he looked at the prisoners seemed rather dissatisfied. He withdrew his Sight and looked at the youth.
"You came to find me; does your Clan Head Danzo know?"
"No, I haven't seen the Clan Head; Lord Clan Head might still be in the village."
This Shimura clan youth didn't even know if Danzo had come to the front lines.
He had occupied a spot in Nawaki's squad. Now, seeing Nawaki dead, he thought his opportunity had come.
Orochimaru let out a strange laugh and said, "Good, then you go in first."
Orochimaru turned to Yōkō:
"Take the prisoners into the tent. You all stay, wait outside, and dispose of the bodies tomorrow."
"Understood, Lord Orochimaru."
Miserable screams came from inside the tent. Orochimaru found them noisy, and the screams abruptly ceased.
Throughout the entire night, there were only muffled groans of pain from the tent, making one's scalp tingle.
The next morning, Orochimaru emerged from the tent.
Sunlight shone on Orochimaru's pale face. He actually seemed to enjoy it somewhat, though it was unclear whether he was enjoying the experiment or the sunlight.
He waved his hand, signaling Team Fox to enter and dispose of the bodies.
The six bodies were mutilated beyond recognition.
Wait, weren't there five prisoners? Why was there one extra body?
The Shimura clan youth had actually been dissected by Orochimaru?
Did Danzo know about this? Should it be reported?
After thinking it over, Yōkō decided to report it.
Orochimaru wasn't his direct superior, but Danzo was his superior's superior's superior.
The prisoners' bodies were directly taken outside the camp to be incinerated; the Shimura clan youth's body was kept for now.
Yōkō hurried to Danzo's tent and reported the dissection of the Shimura clan youth to Danzo.
Danzo was first stunned, then said, "I know."
Danzo thought to himself that to transplant eyes onto himself, some costs must be borne.
His own clansmen were most similar to himself; Orochimaru wasn't acting entirely recklessly. He just needed to restrict the numbers in the future and not dissect too many from the Shimura clan.
Yōkō thought, That's it?
He quickly withdrew and did not inquire further about the matter.
The Shimura clan's youth's body was directly incinerated.
Watching the body slowly shrink in the flames, Yōkō sighed; Danzo was truly a ruthless man.
Ruthless to others, and ruthless to his own people.
This kid, too, why bother creating that 'next Nawaki' persona for nothing? Died so miserably.
Especially the black, empty eye sockets, who knows where the eyeballs went.
Squadron Leader Black Gorilla's injury recovery was progressing remarkably well. He returned to duty early, coming from the village to the front line.
"Long time no see, Fox."
"Long time no see, Squadron Leader."
Yōkō looked down; Black Gorilla's broken leg was a full size thinner than his good leg.
Poor Black Gorilla, not only did he lose an arm, but one leg was also not in good shape.
Black Gorilla said:
"In the coming period, we need to capture at least 3 Iwa-nin alive; the higher their strength, the better.
Fox, your squad is the strongest in the squadron. You will take the lead from now on.
I won't let your efforts go unrewarded. I just applied for an Earth Release jutsu scroll for you; you can select one jutsu from it."
Hearing this, Yōkō was very excited.
He had completed many Anbu missions and could finally exchange for a jutsu.
The Anbu didn't have a clear standard – how many B-rank missions for a jutsu of what grade, how many A-rank missions for a higher-grade jutsu.
Rewards depended not only on mission records but also on the firmness of one's Will of Fire.
The firmness of the Will of Fire was entirely based on the subjective judgment of superiors.
Black Gorilla believed Fox's Will of Fire was like steel; another superior might not think so.
Yōkō took the Earth Release jutsu scroll and scanned the table of contents.
Yōkō currently mastered three elemental jutsu: Earth Release: Fish in Earth Reflection Technique, Earth Clone, and Water Release: Water Formation Wall.
Infiltrate, substitute, defense – still missing an attack-type jutsu.
Yōkō saw a familiar name: Earth Release: Earth-Style Rising Spears.
During the reconnaissance before the Ushiga Mountain battle, he had seen an Iwa-nin jonin use this jutsu.
Inject chakra into the ground, and sharp stone spears thrust out from the earth, instantly piercing the enemy.
The attack angle was tricky; it could ambush enemies from behind. A good offensive Earth Release jutsu.
"Squadron Leader, I choose this B-rank jutsu."
Black Gorilla saw the name and felt a lingering fear:
"My leg was shattered in a fight against this very technique. It's an excellent jutsu."
He opened the corresponding section of the scroll and let Yōkō copy the jutsu.
After Yōkō finished copying, Black Gorilla said, "We leave the camp tomorrow night to capture Iwa-nin. Learn this jutsu as soon as possible."
Yōkō didn't sleep and went to the camp's training ground to practice the jutsu.
The reason he chose this jutsu was that it required only one hand seal.
Just the Ram seal was needed to perform this jutsu.
In his previous life, he saw a piece of news where a general said, 'Aim? Just raise your rifle and fire! Suppressing the enemy with firepower is king!'
Combat between shinobi was the same; a one-seal jutsu was stronger than a three-seal jutsu.
As long as he used the jutsu first, forcing the enemy to dodge, the battle would enter his rhythm.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Rising Spears!"
An earthen spear thrusts out from the ground, hitting the wooden stump opposite.
Unfortunately, the spear's strength was too low, only slightly harder than soil. It shattered upon impact with the stump.
Practicing a jutsu himself was much more effortful than the system granting it.
Yōkō trained repeatedly, slowly increasing the chakra strength of the Earth-Style Rising Spears.
Ten repetitions per set, resting for a while after each set, then continuing.
By the time sunlight illuminated the training ground, the Earth-Style Rising Spears could already pierce through the wooden stump.
Looking at the pierced hole in the stump, Yōkō nodded repeatedly; this power was sufficient for actual combat.
Next was the work of persistence, making the jutsu faster and stronger.
Mastery of jutsu lies in refinement, not quantity.
Hatake Kakashi, who claimed to master over a thousand jutsu, only regularly used three to five.
At night, the Black Gorilla Squadron set out to complete the mission of capturing prisoners.
Leaving the forest on the border of the Land of Fire, they entered the endless grasslands of the Land of Grass.
Konoha shinobi were accustomed to operating in forests. Suddenly facing a plain was like running naked, feeling extremely uncomfortable all over.
Black Gorilla instructed the three squad leaders:
"Advisor Mitokado Homura achieved good results from his talks in Kumogakure. Kumo has decided to take advantage of Iwagakure's weakness, attack the Land of Waterfall, and declare war on Iwagakure.
The Iwa-nin in the Land of Grass direction might retreat.
We need to move fast, or we won't catch any prisoners."
The Battle of Ushiga Mountain became the turning point in the war between Konoha and Iwagakure, with Konoha shifting from defense to offense.
White Sheep used his Byakugan to search for enemy traces for the squadron and soon found an Iwa-nin squad by a small river.
White Sheep said, "A four-man Iwa-nin squad. They just fetched water from the small river and are moving towards the 2 o'clock direction."
Black Gorilla said, "Good! Before they spot us, White Sheep Squad and I will advance from the center. Team Fox and Leaf Monkey Squad will flank from both sides, surround them!"
Battalion Commander Yellow Dog had specially come to assess Black Gorilla's recovery. Black Gorilla had to prove with practical action that he was capable of completing Anbu missions.
Yōkō led his squad to the small river and jumped.
While in the air, Yōkō suddenly felt slight discomfort in his nostrils.
After acquiring the Senju of the Forest Kekkei Genkai, Yōkō's physique had strengthened, making him sensitive to all stimuli.
It seemed he had just inhaled something unpleasant.
The smell came from the water's surface.
But at a glance, the river water appeared normal.
Seeing the distant Leaf Monkey Squad moving quickly, Yōkō maintained his speed and continued forward.
How strange, why did the river water emit an irritating smell?
Suppressing his unease, Yōkō prepared to complete the mission first.
The four Iwa-nin soon discovered three Konoha Anbu squads approaching from three directions!
The Iwa-nin squad hurriedly attempted to break through.
This Iwa-nin squad was quite strong; the weakest was at least chūnin level and very fast.
Yōkō channeled chakra into his arm and threw a kunai with all his strength.
After his physique enhancement, his taijutsu and tool-throwing skills had improved by an entire level.
The kunai flew extremely fast, skimming over the grass, and hit the last Iwa-nin's calf.
The Iwa-nin let out a scream and rolled on the ground.
The other Iwa-nin ignored him and continued fleeing madly.
Black Gorilla couldn't help but praise, "Fox! Well done!"
After not seeing him for a while, Fox's strength had increased again.
Purple Cat immediately followed up, using the Mind Body Switch Technique to control the fallen Iwa-nin, while Antelope force-fed poison to the Iwa-nin.
The Iwa-nin lost the ability to resist and became Team Fox's prisoner.
What followed was a tedious pursuit. The two remaining members of the Iwa-nin squad took turns acting as rearguard, buying time for their captain.
The Black Gorilla Squadron's mission was to capture prisoners alive. Capturing them alive was much more troublesome than killing the rearguard Iwa-nin, costing a lot of time.
The Iwa-nin squad captain made a wide arc and ran back towards the small river.
White Sheep suddenly shouted, "Something's wrong! It's an ambush!"
The Black Gorilla Squadron had been chasing for half an hour, moving far from the river, exceeding the Byakugan's observation limit. The enemy had set an ambush by the river.
Over thirty shinobi jumped out from the river. Their distinctive gas masks identified them as Rain-nin.
After Konoha and Kumo decided to join forces against Iwa, Iwagakure, having ceded some unknown Benefits, actually managed to persuade Rain's Hanzo. Iwagakure and Amegakure formed an alliance!
Rain-nin entered the Land of Grass, Intervention intervening.
Yōkō suddenly remembered the faint, pungent smell when crossing the river earlier. Could that have been the Rain-nin's poison?
"Be careful! Poison!"
(End of Chapter)