The bookshelves were piled high, filling nearly half the study with various scrolls and ancient texts. The sheer sight of it was breathtaking.
Among the scrolls Tsunade had brought back this time were not only Water Release jutsu created by Tobirama but also numerous ancient water techniques passed down by the early Senju clan. Additionally, there were countless training notes, insights on jutsu development, and spontaneous records of inspiration left behind by predecessors.
All of these had been carefully reorganized and annotated by Tobirama himself.
For any Water Release user, such a collection would be a dream come true. Yet, Tsunade treated it as if it were nothing more than trash. She casually tossed the scrolls aside, dusted off her hands, and returned to her room to continue developing her jutsu.
"You're amazing! Just say the word if you ever want something to eat~" Kei didn't hold back in flattering her.
This kind of collection could single-handedly support the foundation of a ninja clan. It wasn't something money could measure. It was the very essence that ensured a family's legacy and stability!
As long as such knowledge was preserved, even if future generations were talentless or mediocre and the clan declined, a single talented individual could use this inheritance to restore the family's strength and keep it thriving.
With such a valuable gift from Tsunade, if he still had any sense of shame left, he might have thrown it aside just to hug her leg and sing a heartfelt "You've Got a Friend in Me."
Of course, if he really did that childish display, Tsunade would likely send him flying through the nearest wall. She was never known for having a good temper. And for anyone acting too familiar or crossing boundaries with her, she had a well-practiced and highly effective countermeasure—usually involving her legendary strength.
Suppressing his wild thoughts, Kei forced himself to focus. With an overwhelming urge to bury himself in books, he dived headfirst into the study, immersing himself in absorbing the knowledge left by his predecessors.
He had just completed a mission yesterday.
Unless there was an emergency requiring his unique skills, he wouldn't be getting another assignment anytime soon. Given Konoha's current mission workload and the Third Hokage's leadership style, it would probably take at least ten days or half a month before he was sent out again.
That gave him plenty of time to study and absorb all this invaluable experience and knowledge.
"By the way, Kushina, how's Kurama today?"
Recalling how he had pranked the Nine-Tails yesterday, nearly causing it to go berserk, he asked with slight concern.
"Don't worry, don't worry~ I soothed it properly today! It was laughing so much—gahaha~!" Kushina burst into laughter, her voice turning into a goose-like cackle.
Still, it was clear that under her relentless efforts and various suppression techniques, Kurama had little room to cause trouble.
"Don't keep bullying the Nine-Tails. That old fox has had it rough."
"But weren't you the one who started it yesterday? Now it's even learning the curses from your ninjutsu!"
"... I seem to recall a sealing technique called the Silencing Seal."
"Yeah, but it's kinda weak. The seal strength isn't high enough. Kurama can break free with just a bit of effort."
"Tomorrow, Honoka is coming over. You two can work on an advanced version together."
"Eh? Eh?! Eh!! She's coming over?!"
"Yeah. She's undergoing reverse-hypnosis interrogation in the ANBU today. After that, she probably won't have much to say."
"Honoka is the best~!"
Kei and Kushina chatted away as they skillfully handled ingredients in perfect harmony.
The three students stared at the scene in a daze. For some reason, this once spacious kitchen suddenly felt a little crowded.
Orochimaru opened the door to Danzō's hospital room.
He glanced at the barely-attached door hanging in his grasp, knowing that if he let go, it would immediately fall off its hinges.
Since when did doors just fall off like that?
His gaze shifted to the slightly deformed doorframe and the heavily creased door. Then, remembering that today was the day Tsunade was scheduled to treat Danzō, everything became clear. Carrying the door into the hospital room, several spotted pythons slithered out from Orochimaru's sleeves and carefully reattached it to the frame.
"It seems like you had quite an eventful day."
The snakes slowly retreated back into his sleeves.
Orochimaru's lips curled into a faint smirk. His usual eerie demeanor now carried a hint of wicked amusement. He was certain that Tsunade hadn't been able to completely solve Danzō's problem. However, she must have given him some kind of inspiration—otherwise, there was no way Danzō would be this eager to summon him to Konoha Hospital.
"I need a power that can completely resist or neutralize physical attack." Danzō ignored Orochimaru's mocking tone. Right now, he only wanted to resolve his current predicament as soon as possible.
Hiruzen was too indecisive, lacking the decisiveness and strength a Hokage should possess.
With tensions rising in the shinobi world, if something were to happen to him, Hiruzen likely wouldn't be able to handle the situation.
"Body modifications… Bloodline limits."
A glint flashed through Orochimaru's snake-like eyes, and he licked the corner of his mouth, instantly grasping Danzō's intent.
"What are the success rates for gaining Magnet Release, Shikotsumyaku, and the Hōzuki clan's bloodline limit?"
Danzō's sharp gaze locked onto Orochimaru's snake-like pupils, waiting for his response.
"Magnet Release is uncertain—we don't have any experimental subjects with that ability. As for the Kaguya and the Hōzuki clan, the success rate is currently around 30%."
"I need more test subjects… and more bloodline samples." Orochimaru suppressed the excitement bubbling inside him, maintaining his usual cold and composed expression.
He knew his experiments wouldn't be possible without Danzō's support. And this time, he had caught Danzō at the moment he needed him the most. Gaining Danzō's backing now would be unprecedented.
This could push his dream one step closer to immortality. Such an intoxicating and desirable pursuit…
"My patience is running thin."
"As long as I get the test subjects, give me one month—at most. I'll raise the success rate to over 80%."
"You better follow through." Danzō tapped his index finger against the back of his left hand.
His words were full of warning, but they didn't faze Orochimaru in the slightest.
After all—he was lying.
He truly didn't have enough data on Magnet Release, making it difficult to predict the likelihood of a success.
The Shikotsumyaku was indeed extremely aggressive, and past experiments had only yielded around a 30% success rate.
But the Hōzuki clan's bloodline limit wasn't a dominant ability like the others. If it was merely about gaining the aptitude to learn the Hydrification Technique, he was already over 80% confident.
After all, his dear friend Hiruko was even more obsessed with bloodline limits than he was.
After years of experimentation and research, they had already developed a relatively mature transplant method and a well-established theoretical foundation.
What a fascinating jutsu.
If Hiruko hadn't been so greedy—trying to go even further by merging multiple bloodline limits at once, attempting to surpass both bloodline limit and bloodline selection—that guy might have already obtained power beyond the reach of ordinary people.
Such a greedy man. Just like me.
"Well then, if there's nothing else, I'll be taking my leave."
Orochimaru snapped out of his thoughts, glanced at the barely fixed door, and decisively jumped out of the window.