"Hiruzen, you should talk to Orochimaru!"
In the Hokage office, Danzo and two advisors stared sternly at Sarutobi Hiruzen, who sat in his chair, looking troubled and puffing smoke.
Danzo slammed his cane against the ground, his face cold. "We must stop Orochimaru's research to enhance the Uchiha! We need to recall all the distributed pills! Uchiha who used those pills must also be monitored and reprimanded!"
"That's impossible!" Sarutobi Hiruzen rubbed his forehead in frustration, rejecting Danzo's suggestion.
"Don't forget the Second Hokage's evaluation of the Uchiha! They are a troublesome clan! With power comes undesirable thoughts!" Danzo harshly countered Hiruzen's words, firmly reiterating his demands.
"Uchiha should not be given a chance to enhance their power! Suppressing the Uchiha was a strategy set by the Second Hokage. Orochimaru has not handled this well," Koharu commented, bringing up their late teacher, Tobirama Senju.
"Hiruzen, we're not trying to pressure you. The unpredictability of the Uchiha is just too great. If they go out of control, the losses will be significant," Mitokado Homura spoke gently, trying to reason with the Third Hokage.
"The Uchiha has provided more than half of the funding for the Technology Development Department," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, puffing on his pipe, his face hidden in the rising smoke.
"It's all for the village. I believe Orochimaru can understand that," Danzo replied.
"Maybe we should encourage him to collaborate with other ninja clans," Koharu suggested.
"What other clan would be willing to invest as much as the Uchiha? The Hyuga? What do they need from the Technology Development Department?" Hiruzen glared at Koharu.
"But enhancing the Uchiha still poses risks," Mitokado Homura reminded.
"Why don't we give that technology to Root? I can talk to the Uchiha," Danzo suddenly spoke up amid the silence. "If the Uchiha has any complaints, let them come to me."
"You handle the talks with Orochimaru yourself," Hiruzen replied grumpily. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ novel[f]ire.net
Danzo and Mitokado Homura exchanged glances and decided not to press Hiruzen further. They hadn't expected a clear or definitive answer from him anyway.
As long as Hiruzen didn't refuse and remained ambiguous, that was enough for them.
The three of them knew Hiruzen's character all too well; he was no longer the decisive leader he once was. As long as he didn't outright stop them, Danzo felt bold enough to act under the Hokage's banner.
Following Orochimaru through the dark underground passage, they finally arrived at a chilling storage room filled with coffins. Looking at the frozen coffins, Kagetsu instinctively glanced at Orochimaru.
"What are these?" he asked.
"Corpses," Orochimaru replied, narrowing his eyes. "All of them are skilled ninjas or possess some unique bloodline limit."
Kagetsu realized something upon hearing this.
Aside from being known as the kid brainwasher, Orochimaru had a reputation as a corpse robber. Of course, that reputation was later amplified by Kabuto.
"Aren't you interested in studying bloodline limits? There are plenty of materials here, even if they are dead," Orochimaru said, leading Kagetsu between the frozen coffins and introducing each one.
Of course, the bodies of the Uchiha and Hyuuga clans lay with empty eye sockets.
"That's a branch member of the Hyuga clan. His eyes were damaged by a sealing technique. But during his life, he was very skilled in Taijutsu, and his body has some research value," Orochimaru said as he noticed Kagetsu's interest in the Hyuga bodies.
For Orochimaru, living subjects were always scarce, and only powerful kekkei genkai or Hashirama's cells could pique his interest in dead bodies.
"You can freely study the bodies here. Remember, a ninja's corpse holds a lot of useful information," Orochimaru told Kagetsu.
Kagetsu nodded vigorously.
"Also, you need to know your limits. Shadow Clones can help you multitask, but using them for a long time puts a huge strain on your mind and body. In severe cases, it can even destroy a person's will. Don't test your limits; you have plenty of time to grow, Kagetsu!" Orochimaru reminded him at the end.
Kagetsu had already made it a habit to use his three Shadow Clones to handle multiple tasks and learn at the same time. Seeing Kagetsu's increasingly troubled expression, Orochimaru worried that the burden of ninjutsu might break his spirit.
"I will take care of my body," Kagetsu replied, extending his shadow to bind two ice coffins and moving them away from the ice storage.
Orochimaru nodded in response and didn't say more.
It was well-known that the Nara clan excelled in body maintenance. After all, their physical abilities were not great under the pressure of Yin Release secret techniques.
The saying "a long illness makes one a doctor" applied to every Nara clan member, who was like a medicine cabinet waiting to be opened.
With Tsunade's guidance and his own knowledge of pharmacology and medical ninjutsu, Kagetsu truly didn't need to worry about this aspect. Orochimaru's reminder came from observing Kagetsu's fading spirit.
"In some time, you can visit Minato," Orochimaru continued, ignoring the two ice coffins behind Kagetsu. "If you want to learn advanced sealing techniques systematically, there are only a few people in the village who can teach you.
The old man, Jiraiya's disciple, Minato Namikaze, and Kushina Uzumaki from the Uzumaki clan. I've already spoken to Jiraiya, and after he talked to Minato, Minato is willing to teach you sealing techniques."
Orochimaru had a decent understanding of sealing techniques and had developed Cursed seals, but when it came to advanced sealing techniques, he couldn't surpass the Uzumaki clan.
Orochimaru had already laid a foundation of sealing knowledge for Kagetsu and confirmed he had some talent in that area before approaching Jiraiya.
Having already spoken to Tsunade once, it was no trouble to ask Jiraiya again.
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