Chapter 248: More Samples
Time flew by. The New Year approached.
Konoha Village's Hokage position remained vacant. Jiraiya had publicly declared himself lacking in virtue and talent, unable to shoulder the heavy responsibility of Hokage. Tsunade still hadn't returned to Konoha once. As expected, Elder Inuzuka Jaw's trip proved futile. Even with Kimeki Koto—Tsunade's former comrade-in-arms—attempting persuasion, it achieved nothing.
More awkwardly, Jiraiya's declaration had completely blocked the possibility of letting slightly weaker candidates inherit the Fifth Hokage position. If Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin, considered himself lacking in virtue and talent, who would dare shamelessly put on the Fifth Hokage's hat? Did they really think Konoha villagers' gossip couldn't drown someone?
Even with thick skin and disregard for rumors, thick skin alone couldn't block the missing-nin Uchiha Tatsuhata's butcher's blade.
Thus, the selection of Konoha Village's Fifth Hokage candidate remained unresolved.
Though Nara Shikaku had vigorously recommended Hyuga Ritsu to inherit the Fifth Hokage position at the leadership meeting, and his words sounded quite reasonable, garnering considerable support.
Hiruko, having come around mentally, naturally provided full support for his student's ascension. Uchiha Fugaku also spared no effort in expressing support. Relations between the Uchiha and Hyuga clans were currently quite friendly. Ritsu's ascension wasn't a bad thing for the Uchiha clan.
However—
Ritsu himself hadn't actively expressed his position.
Even though he indeed had ideas about inheriting the Fifth Hokage position, there was no need to appear too eager. Rushing to ascend now would make him seem like an impatient ambitious schemer. But if he delayed, letting the panic and unease from the Hokage vacancy deepen further into people's hearts...
At that point, when he stepped forward to accept this Hokage position like red-hot charcoal, his personal image and reputation would be completely different.
Anyway, given the current situation, Ritsu didn't think anyone could compete with him. Even if Jiraiya and Tsunade changed their minds, they couldn't hope to oppose him.
Moreover, he was currently focused on researching and pondering the Heavenly Transfer Technique. He felt it necessary to completely master this secret technique before becoming Hokage. Only then could he avoid losing the initiative in confrontations with Tatsuhata. Only then could he truly have confidence in protecting Konoha from Tatsuhata's harm.
Otherwise, he couldn't very well inherit the Fifth Hokage position while still trapped at Tamae Shrine, could he?
Speaking of which, Tatsuhata had remained silent since attacking the Interrogation Department. Who knew what scheme he had in stealing Nagato's corpse? But Ritsu was too lazy to investigate deeply.
Rather than being led by the nose by Tatsuhata, better to advance at his own pace.
Thus, days passed one by one.
The people's hearts in Konoha Village grew increasingly uneasy. Without a Hokage covering them from above, they inevitably worried. Especially as word of the Interrogation Department office building tragedy gradually leaked over time—not all the families of so many deceased could keep silent.
Therefore, calls to select the Fifth Hokage as quickly as possible grew louder and louder.
At Orochimaru's underground base somewhere in the Land of Vegetables, Uchiha Tatsuhata—currently a guest here—relied on intelligence transmitted through White Zetsu to monitor Konoha's changes in real time.
"The Fifth Hokage still hasn't been determined?"
Tatsuhata raised an eyebrow, looking at Orochimaru beside him. "Orochimaru, why would Jiraiya and Tsunade refuse to inherit the Fifth Hokage position?"
"Why ask that?"
Orochimaru didn't turn his head, staring fixedly at the laboratory beyond the one-way transparent glass.
"Curiosity."
"That fool Jiraiya was bamboozled silly by Mount Myoboku's toads. Tsunade is trapped by her boyfriend's and brother's deaths, unable to move forward."
Orochimaru casually revealed the truth, but his attention remained entirely concentrated on the laboratory.
However, to his disappointment, the research material in the laboratory still couldn't last more than half a minute before going berserk and losing control. The entire body began turning wooden. Tender green shoots grew frantically from the body. In the blink of an eye, it had transformed into a tree rooted in the laboratory. A twisted, agonized face still remained on the trunk.
"Failed again!"
Orochimaru sighed with regret.
Beside him, disappointment also flashed through Tatsuhata's crimson eyes.
He wasn't simply idling away at Orochimaru's place. After his attempt to resurrect Nagato failed, he'd sought out Orochimaru with a last-ditch mentality, trying to see if he could gain some ideas from him.
And wouldn't you know it—
This genius Orochimaru hadn't disappointed him.
After hearing his request, Orochimaru had immediately claimed to have a solution.
"Orochimaru, are you certain you can actually create a puppet capable of wielding the Rinnegan?"
Tatsuhata, carrying tremendous pressure, asked once again.
Creating a puppet capable of wielding the Rinnegan—this was the solution Orochimaru had proposed.
"Theoretically there's absolutely no problem. Wielding the Rinnegan requires life force massive enough to support the consumption, plus adaptability to the Rinnegan. So I'm planning to transplant the First Hokage's cells into the experimental subject, giving the subject life force comparable to the First Hokage."
"Similar experiments already have successful cases. I myself am the best example. But the First Hokage cells I transplanted are low strength, just barely balanced against these Sharingan. What you need, Tatsuhata, isn't a half-finished product like me..."
Orochimaru rambled on with explanations.
But Tatsuhata's head ached listening. He had no patience for this jumbled nonsense and couldn't understand most of it anyway. He simply interrupted Orochimaru and said irritably, "Stop, stop, stop. Don't say these useless things. Just tell me directly whether you can or cannot create a puppet capable of wielding the Rinnegan."
His crimson eyes stared fixedly at Orochimaru.
Orochimaru wasn't helping him for free. As payment for assistance, Orochimaru could conduct a certain degree of contact and research with the Rinnegan—the reanimated Madara constantly watched the Rinnegan to ensure no damage occurred.
But overall, he hoped Orochimaru could produce results quickly. Otherwise, dragging this out, he feared he'd have to become the Rinnegan's vessel himself. At that point, leadership of the Moon's Eye Plan would have to return to Madara.
"I can."
Orochimaru nodded decisively, but then added, "However, the problem is this isn't something achievable in a short time. I need time to research."
Intense disappointment surfaced in Tatsuhata's eyes, but he still asked, "How much time do you need?"
"Judging from current experimental progress, without more reference samples, approximately ten years of trial and error."
"Ten years?"
Tatsuhata's brow furrowed tightly. "That's too long."
"That's assuming smooth experiments. If there are delays midway, even longer might be needed. Of course, with more reference samples, this time could be drastically shortened. If the sample quality is high enough, perhaps the time could be reduced to a few months."
A few months?
Tatsuhata showed no joy. He stared at Orochimaru, mentally guessing how many lies this cunning black-hearted snake had mixed into these words.
His intuition told him Orochimaru was using him.
But even knowing he was being used, he was helpless. He had few choices now. He could only walk this path he'd already chosen to the bitter end.
Tatsuhata took a deep breath. "Where would these reference samples you mentioned be obtained from?"
"Konoha."
Orochimaru answered with a smile.
"Konoha?"
Tatsuhata wasn't surprised by this answer. He stared at Orochimaru and pressed further. "Where in Konoha?"
"Not where."
Orochimaru shook his head. "The samples I'm referring to are people."
"What people?"
"The master-student pair Hiruko and Hyuga Ritsu. They've researched a forbidden technique capable of seizing multiple bloodline limits and successfully merged multiple bloodline limits into one body. If we could capture them, perhaps in less than a month I could create a puppet capable of bearing and wielding the Rinnegan!"
Hearing Orochimaru's tempting voice, Tatsuhata's brow couldn't help but furrow.
The master-student pair Hiruko and Ritsu weren't easy targets!
The former was manageable, but the latter—
His mind involuntarily recalled that night's experience. The technique Ritsu had deployed with astonishing destructive power had frightened him into breaking out in cold sweat. The Wood Golem was defeated. Susanoo was pierced through.
Finally, feeling he had no hope of winning, he'd decisively fled.
His subsequent attack on the Interrogation Department building had also been quick and decisive, trying to avoid encountering Ritsu.
"Orochimaru, you really know how to make things difficult."
Tatsuhata complained unhappily.
Orochimaru didn't care, answering with a smile. "It's not that I make things difficult. It's that matters in this world are inherently this difficult. Of course, if you feel you lack confidence, you can also wait patiently. Ten years shouldn't mean much to you."
Tatsuhata frowned without speaking.
He was in his prime with many more decades to waste. He didn't fear being unable to wait. But a fire burned in his heart, unwilling to languish in such idle waiting. Moreover, the reanimated Madara's existence was like a blade pressed against his back, constantly reminding him to quicken his pace—
"Madara."
Tatsuhata turned to look at the reanimated Madara standing beside him. "That Hyuga Ritsu—do you think we could handle him if we joined forces?"
He possessed considerable self-awareness.
Even relying on his Mangekyō technique Toyoakitsushihime to master over a thousand techniques, this was ultimately only knowledge, not experience. His combat experience compared to Madara's was like a pond versus an ocean.
"If it were me in life, I could eliminate him alone."
The reanimated Madara's attitude was arrogant. "But in my current state, my strength is greatly reduced. I can't even use Susanoo. Even joining forces, our chances aren't high."
He spoke honestly.
Not empty boasting.
Unable to win meant unable to win. This wasn't shameful. Otherwise, he wouldn't have so easily retreated with Tatsuhata initially, nor would he have spent so much time quietly watching Tatsuhata and this fellow called Orochimaru tinker here.
Precisely because Ritsu made him realize that obstacles potentially interfering with the Moon's Eye Plan still existed in the current ninja world.
With just this reanimated body, he couldn't yet rampage without restraint!
Hearing this, the light in Tatsuhata's eyes dimmed.
Seeing this, Orochimaru quickly said, "The samples I need don't actually require entire people. Just obtaining some blood, skin, or other body tissue would suffice."
Tatsuhata glanced sideways.
This was clearly using him to target the master-student pair Hiruko and Ritsu. But since this pair were also obstacles to his advancing the Moon's Eye Plan, eliminating them also benefited him. Otherwise—
To use him without paying sufficient price wouldn't do!
"If it's just obtaining some blood, it should still be possible."
The reanimated Madara considered seriously. "That Hyuga brat has astonishingly powerful life force. This also means he doesn't avoid injury. For us, that's an opportunity. If manipulated well, obtaining some blood or body tissue still holds hope."
His words made considerable sense.
In the previous battle, Ritsu had taken the replica Tobirama's attack head-on, using his pierced heart as the price to directly eliminate the replica Tobirama. This had forced Tatsuhata to perform Reanimation Jutsu again and re-copy the Second Hokage Tobirama's chakra.
"Orochimaru, you come too!"
Tatsuhata stared at Orochimaru, issuing an invitation that brooked no refusal. "You're the one who needs reference samples. So I think you'd best participate in collecting samples too. That way if any problems arise, they can be discovered promptly."
Orochimaru stuck out his tongue and licked his lips, his smile wickedly brilliant. "No problem. I'm very happy to join."
Before anyone realized, the New Year had drawn near.
Yet Konoha Village's streets and alleys showed few people. This year's New Year atmosphere was nothing like last year's liveliness. The impact of the vacant Hokage position was just this significant. Many people had no heart for celebrating the New Year, instead pondering how to select the Fifth Hokage as quickly as possible.
However, unlike the village's coldness, the Hyuga clan grounds were decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers.
Though the village faced continuous turmoil, and the Fourth Hokage's sacrifice had interrupted the village's rising momentum, the Hyuga clan's gradual prosperity remained largely unaffected. So regardless of the village's condition, the Hyuga clan living together bustled with excitement. Clan members who'd worked hard for a year rarely enjoyed such leisurely good days.
At Tamae Shrine, Ritsu's mood was exceptionally good.
Just before the New Year arrived, his research on Lightning Release had finally achieved a crucial breakthrough. He'd completely grasped all the mysteries of Heavenly Transfer Technique and had full confidence in using it.
However, he'd restrained the urge to test it.
The reason was simple. The Heavenly Transfer Technique created quite a commotion when used. The light shooting skyward couldn't be concealed at all. Konoha Village certainly had White Zetsu constantly spying. Once he used Heavenly Transfer, this intelligence would quickly be grasped by Tatsuhata.
So he'd controlled his desire to test Heavenly Transfer, preparing to save the first use of this technique as a surprise for Tatsuhata.
He just didn't know how long he'd have to wait before delivering this surprise to Tatsuhata. In the meantime, he figured he might try releasing some information to test the villagers' views on him inheriting the Fifth Hokage position!