After the two reached an agreement, the atmosphere relaxed once again.
As a scientist driven by an obsessive thirst for knowledge, Orochimaru could barely contain his eagerness to learn about the Sage Mode he was most curious about.
"Sage Mode?" Hayashi paused thoughtfully and said, "It's too abstract to only explain with words. I'd better show you."
With that, he began to gather natural energy. After a long moment of concentrated effort, he succeeded and entered Sage Mode.
Orochimaru watched silently until the distinctive sage markings appeared on Hayashi's face, then his expression shifted with interest.
"Demonstrate a Ninjutsu…"
Hayashi nodded. A crackling lightning serpent materialized in his hand, but he refrained from striking the wall. The lab was deep beneath the desert; a collapse here would be disastrous.
"Now show me a Wind Release."
"Then Fire Release."
Hayashi continued, cycling through Water, Earth, and Lightning Elements with precise control. Only after he had displayed all five elemental Ninjutsu did Orochimaru nod appreciatively.
"As you said, your power has multiplied significantly."
"In general," Hayashi explained, "the stronger a release technique, the greater the strain on the user's body. But in Sage Mode I feel a profound vitality within me."
"Fascinating…"
Orochimaru circled him, sometimes sighing, sometimes explaining, and occasionally appearing puzzled. The intensity of his interest made Hayashi slightly uneasy. What if the snake‑like man suddenly decided to bite him just to understand his power?
Of course that wouldn't happen. Orochimaru wasn't that bizarre… yet. He turned and picked up a large syringe from the operating table, speaking in an unusually gentle tone:
"I will draw a small vial of blood for examination."
Hayashi's eyes twitched. A "small vial" my foot.
After drawing the sample, Orochimaru sealed it thoughtfully, adding with regret, "It is a pity that such remarkable power was attained through the snake‑taught Sage arts."
He had heard Hayashi describe the method of learning Sage Mode, and he understood the dangers of failure. The snake‑based method at Ryūchi Cave was notoriously risky.
Honestly, even though Hayashi had succeeded, Orochimaru still didn't trust the snake's method. In comparison, training at Mount Myōboku and learning Sage Mode from toads seemed significantly safer — at least there was no risk of being bitten and failing catastrophically.
This made snake‑taught Sage training far less reliable than toad‑taught Sage training. Thus, unless necessary, Orochimaru had no intention of using that method himself.
Now that he had Hayashi as a successful case, he could study this power gradually. Once he understood how natural energy integrated with chakra, he might devise a gentler approach.
In his mind, relying on fangs or primitive methods was crude. Whether it was toad oil or serpent instinct, the existing techniques were rudimentary.
While those methods worked for toads and snakes — their physiology aligned with how natural energy was integrated — human bodies were different. Forcing it could bring severe consequences.
Orochimaru wanted a Sage Method suited for humans — not without risk, but at least reliably safe.
Hayashi knew Orochimaru would eventually create something akin to the cursed seal, but he didn't argue. He simply reached into his pocket and tossed a black scroll to Orochimaru.
"Inside is some Sage Chakra I have extracted. See if it is useful for your research, Sensei."
Orochimaru caught it and glanced at the intricate sealing patterns, impressed.
"I did not expect your mastery of sealing techniques to be so advanced," he remarked, his tone thoughtful.
"And that abnormal amount of chakra… you truly do not have Uzumaki lineage?"
Orochimaru frowned. He was seriously questioning the origins of Hayashi's power, yet had no firm evidence. At that time, no male members of the Uzumaki clan were known to be in Konoha.
"Haha, Tsunade said the same thing," Hayashi said, unaware of Orochimaru's suspicion and simply laughing it off.
That was one advantage of life in the Ninja World: almost every oddity could be explained away by talent or bloodline.
Orochimaru placed the scroll and blood sample together, feeling conflicted. He now needed to study the Sharingan, Sage arts, and prepare for the coming war — time was scarce.
As Orochimaru thought about this, he asked, "Hayashi, do you know which shinobi in the world developed the most Ninjutsu?"
"In terms of sheer inventiveness," Hayashi answered without hesitation, "that would be the Second Hokage."
The Second Hokage's talent for creating techniques was legendary. The First Hokage would often ban his creations for being too dangerous. In the end, nearly half of Konoha's sealing scrolls were attributed to the Second Hokage's genius.
He could rightly be called the Prince of Forbidden Jutsu.
"Indeed, his mastery was formidable…" Orochimaru said with reverence. It was clear he held the Second Hokage in high esteem.
"In fact," Orochimaru continued, "much of what I am researching now was first touched on by the Second Hokage. His work on ocular power and sealing was extensive. Entire rooms of documents exist on these subjects…"
The implications were considerable. The Second Hokage's research involved illicit examination of Uchiha Ninja and others. Human experimentation had clearly been an essential part of uncovering forbidden techniques.
Hayashi was not surprised. As a ninja, he knew that many great techniques were born from harsh trials and sacrifice.
But one point troubled him more: Danzo had again begun to court him.
From what Orochimaru had revealed, Danzo was the only person who could help him access the Second Hokage's sealed documents.
Hayashi had long since abandoned any hope of stopping Orochimaru from dealing with Danzo. He needed Orochimaru's understanding of Wood Release and Sharingan — and currently, only Danzo had access to the forbidden resources required.
A collaboration between them was inevitable.
And as Orochimaru said, the Second Hokage's wealth of knowledge was too vast to ignore. Starting from scratch was impossible. As a great scholar once said: if you wish to see farther, you must stand on the shoulders of giants.
The Second Hokage was a giant. Danzo was the ladder — flawed, but necessary.