"That's complete madness!"
Tsunade's reprimanding voice echoed through the laboratory. Shizune and Anko, standing to the side, pulled Itachi into a corner, their eyes gleaming with curiosity. Shisui quietly stepped back.
"Splitting your own soul—do you even understand what you're saying?"
Tsunade's roar continued to shake the room. She glared at the silent Kagetsu and then shifted her gaze to Orochimaru, who stood nearby with his arms crossed, watching indifferently.
Realizing she couldn't stop Kagetsu, she decisively turned her anger toward his teacher instead.
"Are you really letting him do whatever he wants? The soul is not something to tamper with lightly. If anything goes wrong, even I won't be able to save him."
"Actually, I experimented on my own soul even before Kagetsu did." Orochimaru spread his hands, his hoarse voice calmly correcting her.
For a moment, Tsunade was caught off guard by his revelation.
"Of course, I paid the price for my past arrogance," Orochimaru admitted frankly after correcting her.
"The only thing fortunate about it is that my modifications had just begun. My soul hadn't been twisted beyond repair.
Because of that, it was still possible to restore it. I must admit, my research on the Hōgyoku has benefited me greatly. In a way, I turned misfortune into fortune, strengthening both my soul and my abilities."
"Did you hear that?" Tsunade assumed Orochimaru was siding with her, so she immediately turned her gaze back to Kagetsu, hoping to make him abandon his idea.
"I've seen your project proposal, Kagetsu. What you're aiming for—is it an eternal Shadow Clone that won't disappear?" Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with interest. Even he was tempted after reviewing Kagetsu's plans.
Shadow Clones were extremely useful, but they had limitations and side effects that couldn't be ignored.
"You could say that." Kagetsu nodded. "Time and energy are always too limited."
"That's exactly what I was thinking." Orochimaru nodded in agreement.
If possible, he too wouldn't want to waste time on anything outside of research. Right now, the only thing that interested him was pursuing grand research projects.
However, as a frontline commander, he obviously didn't have much time to dedicate to research. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on N0velFire.ɴet
In fact, to maintain his combat strength, he had to restrain himself from using Shadow Clones unless absolutely necessary.
"You guys are even more extreme than my second grandfather!"
Tsunade saw a shadow of her Second Grandfather in Orochimaru and his disciple. He, too, had been an energetic research fanatic.
"This is a necessary step to revive Nawaki and your loved ones. As long as I can successfully create a clone with its own independent consciousness and body, it means that the promise to let you see Nawaki and your lover is entering its final stage."
Kagetsu's words left Tsunade momentarily speechless. She waved her hand, signaling that she wouldn't interfere anymore.
"Tell me, what do you need me to do?"
Tsunade crossed her arms and spoke with a cold expression.
"I need a powerful body."
Kagetsu hesitated as he looked at Tsunade's cold face, unsure if he should say what came next.
Tsunade frowned. Kagetsu's hesitation gave her a bad feeling. Sure enough, in the next moment, his words made her furious.
"As powerful as the First Hokage."
Kagetsu still revealed his plan. After all, once the research started, even if they tried to keep Tsunade out of it, with her experience and knowledge, she would eventually figure out what they were doing.
Moreover, if the cloning project succeeded, the results couldn't be hidden from Tsunade.
Since the truth would come out sooner or later, there was no need for secrecy, which might only create conflict within the team.
"We will cultivate the body using the God Tree and the First Hokage's cells, then use the part of my soul I cut off as the main consciousness."
"You really dare to say that, huh?"
Tsunade's gaze toward Kagetsu turned dangerously sharp.
"Either way, with the project's progress, we would have had to involve their body tissues sooner or later."
Kagetsu, unfazed by Tsunade's anger, stated it matter-of-factly.
Tsunade glanced at the instruments around her and the preparations made in advance for the project. In the end, she didn't throw a punch.
If she destroyed this underground base, their losses would be huge.
Watching Tsunade leave in frustration, Orochimaru sighed slightly. In the past, with Tsunade's personality, hearing such words in front of her would have at least earned someone a punch.
If Jiraiya were here, he might've been used as a punching bag, taking more than just one hit.
The title of "Princess" was not just recognition of Tsunade's status—it also reflected part of her personality. Even against the Third Hokage and the two advisors, she had slammed the table and argued with them before.
"Forget about her for now. Since she didn't refuse, that means she agreed." Orochimaru spoke softly. "But this project needs to be postponed.
The war with Iwagakure has lasted until now, and both sides have reached the final stage.
I need your strength—and Shisui's."
Orochimaru had already realized that if the war with Iwagakure wasn't ended quickly, Konoha could end up as the loser.
The reinforcements consisted of only a dozen Chunin, two newly promoted Jonin, and the rest were all Genin.
This showed that after two years of war, no matter how much the village squeezed out its resources, it was already at its limit.
In fact, if it weren't for Healing Tags and the technological advancements accumulated by the Technology Development Department, Konoha's losses would have been even greater, making it impossible to sustain this two-year-long war of attrition against Iwagakure.
Inside Orochimaru's command tent, Namikaze Minato spoke instinctively as he looked at the area circled on the map.
"This is Iwagakure's supply line within the Land of Fire. They've guarded it well. But due to the last assassination mission, Iwagakure transferred many of their elite forces away from there—including the ones protecting the Five-Tails Jinchūriki, Han."
The frontline under the command of the Hidden Stone's Higashi Shibito was crushed by you, Minato.
Onoki was also injured in his battle with me.
As for the assassination squad led by the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, their mission failed—only four Iwagakure Jonin managed to escape.
At this point in the battle, Iwagakure no longer has the strength or manpower to stabilize all areas of the battlefield as they did before.
For the first time since the war began, Iwagakure has been forced to shrink its forces.
According to intelligence gathered by Root ninja, the guards and personnel stationed at Kannabi Bridge have been significantly reduced.
This indicates that they can no longer maintain the security and stability of this supply route as effectively as before.
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