"Kabuto, what are you doing here?"
Satoru appeared in the Technology Development Bureau's Thirteenth District laboratory, seeing Kabuto assisting Orochimaru, and looked curious.
Good heavens, he even managed to trick Kabuto into coming over. Orochimaru is amazing.
Now, Kabuto's understanding was different from before. Earlier, Satoru had also thought about inviting him.
But before he could act, Orochimaru beat him to it.
He wondered what method Orochimaru used to convince him.
Kabuto: "Lord Orochimaru's invitation, and such excellent research material—I'm willing."
His eyes looked at Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's body.
He hadn't expected Satoru to acquire such an experimental subject. No wonder Orochimaru invited him.
The difficulty was extraordinary.
Now, his idea was to minimize the time spent on research projects and save on expenses.
Orochimaru: "What are you, a busybody, researching? We never see you around."
He was referring to Satoru constantly using Shadow Clones to mislead them.
What kind of work could be more captivating than researching Ōtsutsuki?
He couldn't help but work day and night, researching constantly.
Even Kabuto was drawn in.
However, Kabuto was no longer the same as him; Kabuto had more ties.
"Of course, it's to improve my strength. Just because an enemy's weakness is exposed doesn't mean it can be exploited. Strength is still fundamental," Satoru said.
Recently, his research on World Harmony had failed again.
He could achieve the equal distribution of damage, but he couldn't transfer it to the World Shield.
There was still a long way to go.
Now that he was resting, and knowing Orochimaru had convinced Kabuto to come, he decided to visit.
Orochimaru: "You have a point."
He knew many things, but some of them hadn't translated into strength, which was why he couldn't break free from the Infinite Tsukuyomi's genjutsu.
If it happened again, he would definitely not fall for the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
So, he agreed with Satoru's words.
They all understood the importance of strength.
But intelligence was also a form of strength and couldn't be overlooked.
"Is Kabuto doing well here? Is it much better than your previous lab?"
Satoru asked.
Kabuto: "Aside from having slightly fewer assistants, there's nothing bad about it."
The main thing was that he was earning money.
Orochimaru: "It's going very well. The research on Urashiki has made some progress. As you said, his eyes can produce three or more special dōjutsu, all of which are very unique."
With the establishment of the Technology Development Bureau, which had been operating for several months, he had already achieved results in his research.
He had discovered many interesting things.
Especially Urashiki's eyes; they had already found three types of dōjutsu, and there might be more yet to be discovered.
He noted that the Uchiha Sharingan he had previously desired only had one type of dōjutsu.
And the power of these dōjutsu was also highly malleable.
However, he felt there was still a significant difference compared to the Sharingan.
The Sharingan's dōjutsu power increased through intense emotions, while Urashiki's eyes relied on raw strength.
There was a slight difference.
"Heh heh, well done. My investment wasn't in vain," Satoru said happily.
Orochimaru was indeed reliable.
Orochimaru and Kabuto exchanged glances, confirming that he hadn't focused on the financial aspect.
At the same time, they also confirmed that Satoru was now extremely wealthy.
They needed to exploit him thoroughly.
"These are the research data I've compiled. Take a look; it might be useful to you.
Aren't you trying to improve your strength? Would you like me to transfer his eyes to you?
It might be useful to you."
Orochimaru retrieved Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's research data from the database and said to Satoru.
He really wanted to know if, with his current technology, he could perfectly transplant Urashiki's eyes onto him.
At the very least, it would undoubtedly enhance his strength.
"Forget it. It's ridiculous to use the body of someone I killed. What's wrong with you, Orochimaru? Think of something better," Satoru said, not wanting those eyes.
Just a pair of eyes; his own were already excellent.
If he had needed them, he would have used the Sharingan long ago.
With his abilities, acquiring them in the past wouldn't have been too difficult.
He refused.
"—Now that I think about it, your body seems to have more research value," Orochimaru said, his eyes gleaming as he looked at Satoru.
Kabuto also looked at Satoru with great interest.
Indeed, for someone to defeat an Ōtsutsuki alone meant his body was more worthy of study.
Or rather, the method he used to defeat him was more intriguing.
"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! What are you two thinking? I'll beat you up if you're not careful.
By the way, besides wanting to see Kabuto, I also came to assist with your research.
I plan to find someone from the Hyuga Clan to cooperate with you."
Satoru thought it over and finally brought up his previous plan to give Byakugan dōjutsu to a Hyuga Clan member.
Since there was already progress in dōjutsu research and results had been achieved, he could have them cooperate first.
"Don't mess around. We now have a complete Hashirama cells cultivation system.
We don't need random experimental subjects."
Orochimaru politely declined.
He was no longer interested in those inferior experimental subjects.
Kabuto: "Lord Orochimaru, don't let the Ōtsutsuki blind your eyes. Since Senior Satoru has this idea, he must have some inspiration."
They really hadn't done much research on the Byakugan.
Thanks to the Hyuga Clan's Caged Bird system.
"You're right, I was mistaken," Orochimaru said with a laugh.
"Goodbye, I have work to do."
After memorizing all the data, Satoru eagerly left.
His recent research on World Harmony had nearly driven him mad.
It was simply too difficult.
"I say, did Dad forget about his son?" Keigo was like an invisible presence; his father left without mentioning him once.
"Come on, kid, your mind is sharp. You can provide us with a lot of inspiration."
Orochimaru was quite pleased with him.
Keigo had high comprehension and a strong desire for exploration.
He was very much to his liking.
And Kabuto looked at him with great admiration, thinking, 'Like father, like son.'
—Time passed quickly.
It passed during Satoru's research period.
The World Ninja Association, proposed by Satoru, was known to almost all countries, except for a few particularly isolated ones.
And it was highly regarded.
Ninjas who earned the One-Star Ninja title became sought-after assets for major companies and nations.
A commercial war began.
These Ninjas were hired at high prices.
However, the number of Two-Star Ninjas and Three-Star Ninjas was extremely scarce.
Even the One-Star Ninjas were not numerous.
Satoru was consequently known as the Honorary President of the Ninja Association; although he didn't officially hold the title, the rumor had spread.
Kakashi was also gradually settling into his role as Hokage.
The world was changing very rapidly.
In just over a year, skyscrapers had risen everywhere.
Konoha's territory also grew larger and larger.
From the moon in the sky, a shadow emerged.