"Master Scorpion, cut him from the middle!"
"Orochimaru's little trick might be slicker than the Golden Seven-Lock Technique… but you're not locking down a person—you're locking down a puppet."
"Huh? He's not fighting? He's running?"
From his vantage point, Haruya watched Kakuzu and Scorpion sprint after the fleeing Orochimaru until the pale figure vanished into the wilderness. Haruya folded away his binoculars with zero surprise.
Kakuzu had been fighting Orochimaru evenly. But the moment Scorpion joined in, the balance snapped—Orochimaru was instantly at a disadvantage. And a man obsessed with immortality is the last person who would gamble his life.
If he couldn't win, the only option was escape.
Haruya waited in place for roughly half an hour before Kakuzu and Scorpion finally trudged back. Predictably, they carried neither Orochimaru's body nor his head.
Of course. That snake is far too stubborn to die that easily.Still, Haruya could guess he'd been seriously wounded.
"What you wanted."
Kakuzu didn't mention Orochimaru at all—probably too embarrassed—only handed over the storage scroll. "The commission is done. Go claim payment at the Black Market. We'll take our leave."
Haruya smiled, pocketed the scroll, and nodded. Kakuzu and Scorpion turned and headed back toward Tanchu Street, both following the mercenary code:
Never ask the employer's business.Do the job, take the pay, walk away.
Once they were gone, Haruya exhaled softly, shifted into his real body, returned to Konoha, and opened the storage scroll.
Inside were nine test tubes.
He had never actually seen Hashirama cells, so their authenticity wasn't certain. But he could test them.Hashirama cells behaved like the most aggressive cancer cells imaginable—endless growth, endless division. If the host couldn't handle them… the result was a tree sprouting from the body.
A gruesome but reliable test.
Haruya considered his options, then brought a tube to the orphanage and found Kabuto.
"Help me extract a trace?"
Kabuto didn't even blink. "That's simple. Come with me."
He led Haruya into Nonou's small lab. After performing a series of steps Haruya couldn't follow at all, Kabuto handed him a syringe.
"Any white rabbits here?"
"No rabbits. But we've got guinea pigs."
"That works."
Haruya grabbed one of the mice and took Kabuto to a secluded corner of the orphanage—one they often hid in when escaping chores.
"Kabuto… what I'm about to tell you might scare you."
"…Huh?" Kabuto tilted his head, bewildered. "What exactly are you holding?"
"It's not a 'thing.' It's… a kind of life. A very rare one."
Haruya injected the Hashirama cells into the mouse.
Moments later, the mouse writhed and shrieked as branches burst through its flesh. Within seconds, it twisted into a small, hideous tree.
The sight shattered Kabuto's worldview.
Animals turning into plants?Even for a medical prodigy, that was… insane.
"Haruya!" Kabuto almost yelled. "You'd better explain!"
Haruya raised an eyebrow—an expression oddly reminiscent of Orochimaru.
No wonder Kabuto eventually dove into research.
"You cannot tell anyone. This stays between us. If it leaks, both of us die."
Kabuto froze, then slowly nodded. After everything Haruya had done for him—from the war to the orphanage—his trust was absolute.
"This is the First Hokage's tissue. Hashirama Senju's cells. If transplanted correctly… you can gain Wood Release."
Kabuto's brain malfunctioned on the spot.
Wood Release… from a transplant?But the bigger question—
How did Haruya even obtain Hashirama's cells?
Through Tsunade?Impossible. She'd never desecrate her grandfather's grave.
"I know what you want to ask. I'll explain later." Haruya pressed the test tube into Kabuto's hand. "For now, I want you to research Hashirama-cell transplantation."
"Me…? Research?" Kabuto pointed to himself, stunned. "Aren't you giving me too much credit?"
"You're giving yourself too little."Haruya clapped his shoulder. "Come on. Let's go see Lady Tsunade. Then you'll realize how terrifying your talent actually is."
Kabuto didn't quite believe him—but meeting Tsunade made him visibly happy.
They returned to Hashirama's old residence, but Tsunade wasn't home.
"Shizune, where's Tsunade-sensei?"
Around outsiders, Haruya always used formal titles. Calling her "Sis Tsunade" in front of Kabuto might melt the poor boy's brain.
"She's at Konoha Hospital," Shizune replied, still rattled. "Orochimaru appeared at the village gate—seriously injured. Everyone rushed to the hospital."
Haruya pieced it together instantly.
There was no way Orochimaru could fully shake off Kakuzu and Scorpion quickly. Tanchu Street was relatively close to Konoha—so the best escape was straight through the village gates. Exposure didn't matter when death was on your heels. And Orochimaru was clever enough to spin any story.
Tsunade didn't return until evening.
She opened the door and immediately recognized Kabuto from the day she adopted Haruya. The two boys had bonded well back then.
"Nats—Haruya, did you bring a friend over today?" she asked, stepping out of her sandals.
"Tsunade-sama." Kabuto bowed respectfully.
Haruya approached, sneaked a glance at her bare feet, then tugged her hand with a bright, innocent smile. "Sis— ahem, Tsunade-sensei, my friend just learned a medical jutsu. I think he's pretty talented. Could you maybe… take him as a student?"
Tsunade swallowed the urge to scoop him up, then glanced at Kabuto. "Show me what you've learned."
Since Haruya requested it, she would at least give the boy a chance.
Kabuto took a deep breath and raised his hands. Soft green chakra glowed around them.
"Palm Healer's Technique…?"
Tsunade's calm expression broke into genuine surprise.
Shizune was even more stunned—Palm Healing required refined chakra control and deep understanding. Most adult medics struggled with it.
[Because of your actions, Kabuto Yakushi's fate has changed. You've gained 48 Fate Points.][Because of your actions, Karin's fate has changed. You've gained 69 Fate Points.]
The Holy Ring's notification chimed in Haruya's mind. Tsunade had clearly decided to take Kabuto as a disciple.
Kabuto's fate shifted again—but not as dramatically as before. Even without Tsunade, Kabuto would eventually become a top-tier medical ninja. Haruya had simply accelerated the process.
Karin's reward was smaller simply because she had fewer scenes—less chance to influence her fate.
But regardless…
Haruya had profited nicely.