"Orochimaru-sensei, this base is pretty big. Must've been a nightmare to build, right?"
"It wasn't too troublesome. If you're proficient in Earth Release, you save yourself a lot of work."
Gen noted that down mentally.
Looks like I need to invest more into earth-style in the future. If I'm going to do research, I'll need a base of my own.
"Orochimaru-sensei, the people you use for… human experiments, you don't get them from the village, do you?"
"No. Some are prisoners of war, others come from the black market."
"The higher-ups forbid experiments on people from the village, even on citizens of the Land of Fire."
"Huh… so it's not completely rotten." Gen let out a quiet breath.
Truthfully, it didn't shock him much. In his previous world, governments had done worse and even on their own citizens. When you grow up surrounded by absurd, worldview-breaking headlines, your threshold for horror gets high.
Orochimaru's lips curled faintly. "These are necessary sacrifices on the path to immortality."
"It's not that they should sacrifice," Gen replied coolly. "It's just that we're stronger than them… so they have no choice."
"If necessary, even people from the Land of Fire or the village could..."
"Sensei," Gen cut in sharply, voice flat, "don't touch anyone from the village. And it's best not to touch anyone from the Land of Fire either."
"If you're short on materials, the Uchiha can fund black market purchases. And if that's still not enough and if the clan refuses, I'll lead a team myself to collect what you need from the wider shinobi world."
"Some lines shouldn't be crossed. Once they are, there's no going back."
If word ever got out that Orochimaru was running human experiments, there'd still be room to maneuver; so long as the victims weren't their own.
The village might grit its teeth and share the blame. But target villagers or Fire Nation citizens, and even a hero would become a rat to be crushed on sight.
Gen didn't want Orochimaru to defect like in the original story. Whether he could save Minato's life was still uncertain and if Minato still fell, Orochimaru would be the best choice for Fifth Hokage.
Jiraiya and Tsunade had no appetite for the position right now. If Orochimaru stayed, his chances were high. And with him as Hokage, much of the darkness ahead could be avoided and as his disciple, Gen would stand to gain plenty.
Orochimaru stopped and turned, golden slit pupils locking on Gen. His expression was blank, his tone cold, a snake's killing intent coiling around them both.
"Are you teaching me how to do my work?"
Gen's Sharingan spun into two tomoe, his gaze unwavering.
"Yes. I am."
"I've been with you long enough to know this... your obsession with immortality runs deeper than mine. I'm trying it. If I fail, I'll accept it. But you… you must succeed."
"And if materials run short, and every other route is blocked, you'll be tempted to act against our own people. That's the road to ruin. It will erase everything you've built."
"Maybe you don't care. But as your disciple, I won't allow you to make that mistake."
The killing intent bled away. Orochimaru's lips curved. He turned, walking on, voice low and hoarse.
"Selfish motives or not… I think taking you as my disciple was the right call."
"If I need materials in the future, I'll come to you and the Uchiha first."
Gen's Sharingan faded, and he smiled faintly. "I'll serve you gladly, sensei."
"Heh… what if I never become Hokage?"
"I'll still help you. I can't promise the clan will feel the same, but I'll try to sway them."
"Good. Enough talk; time to prepare for the experiment."
"What can I do?"
"Right now, your job is to learn. How to handle, maintain, and repair lab instruments. How to fetch tools, prep materials. And you should study medical ninjutsu. It'll help me greatly."
"How's your chakra control?"
"Excellent."
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. "Confident, are you? Medical ninjutsu demands precise control."
"No matter how precise, I can manage it," Gen said without hesitation. His mental power, bolstered by the Soul-Soul Fruit and absorbed souls, had long since reached a razor edge.
"In that case… after today's experiment, take a medical ninjutsu scroll and start practicing. Show me results quickly."
"No problem."
The clan had medical ninjutsu, but nowhere near as broad as Orochimaru's collection.
The Uchiha had never specialized in the field, and now that the war was over, even getting basic resources from them required service and merit. Orochimaru's path was easier and came with scientific knowledge as a bonus.
Gen wasn't chasing the truth of the world. His focus was pushing the Sharingan to Mangekyō and beyond with the Soul-Soul Fruit's power. Leaving it to stagnate felt like ants crawling under his skin.
"Alright. First, go to the storage chamber and bring me a fresh body."
"Got it."
Gen left the bright lab for the hall, found an unused storage chamber, studied its controls, and lowered it. Inside, a body floated in strange liquid. He carried it back to the lab.
Once Orochimaru began working, he entered a near-possessed state, studying for hours without pause. If Gen weren't in top condition, he'd have collapsed long ago.
Eventually, he had to be the one to call time, dragging Orochimaru out of his research haze.
By the time they returned to camp, it was past eleven. If Orochimaru weren't commander, they'd have gone hungry.
From then on, Gen's days were split between morning training and afternoon experiments, returning late at night.
Within five days, his chakra control had let him master a C-rank medical ninjutsu, enough to impress even Orochimaru.
Theory was just as important, so Gen spent spare moments studying that too. Human experiments required deep medical knowledge, and Orochimaru's understanding was second only to Tsunade.
Two weeks later, Gen had mastered every basic lab skill... though he still had far to go before independent research.
Then the word came: the first wave of ninja replacements was returning to the village.
The front line stirred like a classroom on the last day before vacation.
The war arc was ending and a new chapter was about to begin.