"I knew it would turn out this way, which is why I didn't want to get involved."
In the Root's base, Danzo Shimura looked at Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu, whose expressions were not good after being rejected by Orochimaru, and was glad he hadn't gone.
"Danzo, we're doing this for Konoha!"
Utatane Koharu, seeing Danzo Shimura's gloating expression, pressed her hands on the desk and looked at him very unhappily, "Didn't you feel the power of the Zero-Tailed during the fight with that guy named Shinno?"
"The Zero-Tailed is not like the Nine-Tailed. Even if it's a monster created from a part of the Nine-Tailed, can Konoha find a second person to suppress a Tailed Beast? The Zero-Tailed is currently sealed by Orochimaru. Can you guarantee that the Zero-Tailed's Jinchuriki won't go berserk? Or are you unaware of how many times other Various Ninja Villages' Tailed Beasts have gone berserk? How much damage did they cause? If the Zero-Tailed Jinchuriki goes berserk in Konoha, whose responsibility will it be?"
Danzo Shimura looked at Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado, asking a series of questions. In his opinion, creating a Zero-Tailed Jinchuriki wasn't about enhancing Konoha's combat power; it was about adding a threat to Konoha. If the Zero-Tailed Jinchuriki went berserk, how much damage would it cause to Konoha?
And who would be responsible for the damage caused by the Zero-Tailed Jinchuriki?
"..."
The two were stumped by Danzo Shimura's barrage of questions.
Danzo Shimura, seeing that the two were silent, continued, "Koharu, Homura, you are too impatient. Second Hokage Tobirama-sama never considered the Nine-Tailed as Konoha's combat power. Grandma Mito sealed the Nine-Tailed to prevent others from using it, yet you want to personally create a Jinchuriki. This is cowardice, a fear of war! Are you worried that Konoha will fail before the war even begins?"
By the end, Danzo Shimura couldn't help but accuse them. In his eyes, their actions were a sign of fear towards the Four Great Shinobi Villages!
With Konoha's strength, why fear the Four Great Shinobi Villages?
Even if war broke out again, Danzo Shimura didn't think Konoha would lose.
Konoha was currently in a prosperous period. If it weren't for sending a large number of Ninja to prevent attacks from the Three Great Various Ninja Villages, leading to an internal emptiness in Konoha, how would the Sky Ninja have had an opportunity?
If Konoha hadn't been internally empty, the Sky Ninja's attack on Konoha would have been quelled in a short time. The most troublesome things were merely the Air Fortress and Shinno, who controlled the Zero-Tailed's power!
Most importantly, as Konoha's high-ranking officials, the four of them were still young. If war came again, they could still lead Konoha to victory on the battlefield.
Moreover, Konoha's new generation had also grown up. Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade, as Hiruzen Sarutobi's disciples, were all Jonin and had become capable of standing on their own.
"Who are you calling cowardly?!"
Utatane Koharu's face flushed red as she grabbed Danzo Shimura's collar.
"Koharu! Calm down!"
Homura Mitokado quickly hugged Utatane Koharu, trying to pull her away.
"Danzo is right, we were too hasty."
Homura Mitokado persuaded, believing that Danzo Shimura's words were not without reason. Konoha had not yet weakened to the point of needing to create Jinchuriki to boost its combat power.
Presumably, Hiruzen knew Orochimaru would refuse before letting them talk to her, right?
What a shameful thing to have done... "Sigh..."
Utatane Koharu released Danzo Shimura's collar, sighed, and said, "We still don't know what they got in Whirlpool Hidden Village. In the future, we might have to face Jinchuriki from various Various Ninja Villages on the battlefield, how can I not be anxious? Have you forgotten the Gold and Silver Brothers?"
Utatane Koharu didn't want to bring them up. They were so difficult to deal with precisely because they had obtained a portion of the Nine-Tailed's power.
And Shinno also used a portion of the Nine-Tailed to create the Zero-Tailed, which was why she was so anxious.
If a portion of the Nine-Tailed's power was so exaggerated, wouldn't other Tailed Beasts be even harder to deal with?
"If only Tsunade had inherited Shodai(1st)-sama's Wood Release..."
Utatane Koharu sighed again, and Homura Mitokado and Danzo Shimura fell silent.
Yes, if they had Shodai(1st)-sama's Wood Release, why would they worry about the Jinchuriki of other Various Ninja Villages?
The two Hokage Advisors did not stay in Root's base for too long before leaving.
"Orochimaru, what do you think?"
Danzo Shimura looked to the side and asked.
"I've heard of the Wood Release secret technique; it was the Ninjutsu used by the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, to pacify the warring states era."
Orochimaru emerged from the shadows, wearing a robe made of white snake skin, "Danzo-sama, I don't think blindly trying to recreate the Wood Release is a good option."
Orochimaru hadn't expected the Konoha Higher-Ups to have the idea of recreating Senju Hashirama's Wood Release at this time. She disagreed with conducting Wood Release experiments, especially using living people.
Moreover, she already knew the results of the experiments. Those who voluntarily participated in the Wood Release experiments, harboring the vision of being able to recreate the First Hokage Senju Hashirama's Wood Release, were met not with the recreation of Wood Release, but with tragic deaths.
The Hashirama cells devoured their cells and transformed into wood spikes, erupting from within their bodies.
"Instead of thinking about those impractical things, I suggest Konoha establish a Sealing Team specifically to restrain the Jinchuriki of hostile Various Ninja Villages."
Orochimaru offered her suggestion. Sealing Technique was still the most effective against Jinchuriki, so why didn't Konoha establish a Sealing Team in advance and gather those with a talent for learning Sealing Technique?
Yamato's appearance was, after all, merely a coincidence of coincidences.
She was not the Orochimaru from the original work; she couldn't bring herself to conduct human experiments on children.
If she could have brought herself to do human experiments, she would have done so long ago, and biotechnology wouldn't have progressed so slowly.
"Indeed, but if we start training Sealing Ninja now, will there be enough time?"
Danzo Shimura thought Orochimaru made sense. Since Tailed Beast Jinchuriki were so difficult to deal with, why not just seal them? Not to mention, the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Technique was effective against Tailed Beast.
"Danzo-sama, it might be difficult for one person to perform a Sealing Technique, but we can break down the Sealing Technique. Each person can be responsible for a different step. This way, with multiple practitioners performing one Sealing Technique, the time needed to learn the Sealing Technique is greatly reduced, not to mention that the Chakra of multiple practitioners far exceeds that of a single practitioner, and the sealing effect will also be greatly enhanced."
Orochimaru felt this was not difficult to solve. Having learned many of the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Technique, she had the most authority to speak on the matter.
Danzo Shimura's left eye widened a bit, his expression showing that he had never thought Sealing Technique could be performed in separate steps.
If one person was responsible for one step, it would indeed greatly reduce the learning difficulty and time.
"Danzo-sama, there is no Sealing Ninja in Konoha more excellent than Grandma Mito, and even when the Whirlpool Hidden Village was not destroyed, there was no one more excellent than Grandma Mito in the Whirlpool Hidden Village."
Orochimaru thought of Uzumaki Chigusa, who was still recuperating in the Land of Waves. After a while, she would secretly arrange for her to meet Grandma Mito, so that she wouldn't worry.
"Most importantly, learning Sealing Technique is to prevent Konoha from being attacked by other Village's Tailed Beast Jinchuriki. Grandma Mito will not refuse."
Orochimaru had often wondered why Konoha, despite having a powerful Sealing Ninja like Uzumaki Mito, didn't even have a Sealing Team? And only a few people knew Sealing Technique.
Even now, she didn't understand. Was establishing a Sealing Team such a difficult thing?
"Orochimaru, you have solved another major problem for Konoha!"
Danzo Shimura said with a smile. He knew that calling Orochimaru over in advance would yield results. Wasn't this the surprise he was waiting for?
It's that you didn't use your brains where they should be used, okay? You just kept thinking about taking shortcuts.
Orochimaru looked at Danzo Shimura speechlessly. He knew that Tailed Beast could be sealed by Sealing Technique, yet he never thought of using Sealing Technique against Jinchuriki.
The Orochimaru in the original work even knew to use the Five Elements Seal to interfere with Uzumaki Naruto's use of Nine-Tailed Chakra!
Look at you all... Sigh... "Danzo-sama, if you have nothing else, I'll head back. I'll be quite busy recently."
Seeing that Danzo Shimura had nothing more to say, Orochimaru decided to go home and study the Forbidden Technique scrolls she found in the Air Fortress ruins.
"Feel free to tell me if you need anything. Don't be polite with me."
Danzo Shimura knew Orochimaru wanted to research the Zero-Tailed, and reminded her, "When you're researching, don't cause too much of a stir."
"I understand."
Orochimaru smiled slightly, her figure disappearing from the spot.
After Orochimaru left, Danzo Shimura thought about how to tell Hiruzen Sarutobi about Orochimaru's suggestion. He decided to go himself, and at the same time, mock him for the good things he had done, failing to persuade Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu. This move was bound to cause Orochimaru's goodwill towards the Konoha Higher-Ups to plummet.
As long as it didn't affect him, that was fine.
Sometimes, choice outweighs effort, and he had made the right choice at the right time.
Hokage Building
"Danzo, why are you here?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was having a headache, looked at Danzo Shimura walking in. That expression, as if something good had happened, was particularly irritating in his eyes.
"Hiruzen, I'm bringing you good news this time."
Danzo Shimura relayed Orochimaru's idea of establishing a Sealing Team to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"A Sealing Team, huh… This is indeed a way to restrain Tailed Beast Jinchuriki."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Danzo Shimura with a hint of surprise and suspicion in his eyes, not quite believing it was his idea. Even if he thought of something, it would never involve Lady Mito.
"Danzo, was this your idea?"
"No, this is Orochimaru's method."
Danzo Shimura raised an eyebrow, a hint of triumph on his face as he looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was already in a bad mood, clenched his fists. His own disciple had such a good solution, yet she told Danzo and not him.
"Sigh… Hiruzen, I understand you."
Danzo Shimura patted Hiruzen Sarutobi's shoulder and left gracefully.
What do you mean you understand?
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face turned red with anger as he watched Danzo Shimura leave, feeling incredibly frustrated and resentful. It wasn't as if he hadn't tried to organize them.
"Sigh…"
A thousand words converged into a single sigh. Hiruzen Sarutobi felt that being Hokage was simply too stressful.
Lord Tobirama, why did you choose me to be Hokage back then?
In the bright Laboratory, Orochimaru looked at the scrolls her snakes had found.
"This is…"
Orochimaru picked up the scroll found in the ruins of the Air Fortress, and as she looked at the Forbidden Technique recorded in it, her pupils constricted slightly.
This scroll recorded a Forbidden Technique called Flesh Rebirth, which could reverse the cells in the body, eliminating the limit on the number of divisions.
However, this was based on utilizing the Chakra and life force of the Zero-Tailed.
In other words, it actually consumed the Chakra and life force of the Zero-Tailed.
To put it plainly, it was using the Zero-Tailed's Chakra and life force to prolong one's own life.
It was precisely because of this that Shinno was able to hold out for so long under the siege of Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other three, emphasizing the idea that 'you can't kill me, so I'll exhaust you.'
However, this Forbidden Technique was not without its merits.
Especially the reversal of cells in the body, which eliminated the fixed number of cell divisions.
However, Shinno also relied on the Chakra and life force of the Zero-Tailed to achieve this. Once he lost the Zero-Tailed, he reverted to his original form, becoming a gaunt, stick-like figure, as if a gust of wind could blow him away.
Orochimaru believed that overcoming the limitation of cell division was the key to completing the Regeneration Technique. Only when cells no longer had a limit on the number of divisions could the drawback of Regeneration Technique consuming lifespan be resolved.
To solve the problem of cell division limitations, there were research directions: the first was the Zero-Tailed, and the second was herself.
Orochimaru's current appearance was no different from an ordinary person, but internally, she was infinitely close to the Three Snake Princesses and the White Snake Sage. Her cells were no longer ordinary human cells.
The number of cell divisions was also different.
More than half a month had passed since the Four Great Shinobi Villages' operation against the Whirlpool Hidden Village.
The ruins of the Whirlpool Hidden Village had been visited by countless people, but the Mask Storage Temple, the most important site for the Uzumaki Clan, became something those investigating Ninja disdained.
One night, the Mask Storage Temple disappeared, leaving only a huge pit in the ground, as if something had been dug out.
The news reached the Five Great Ninja Villages, who all suspected each other of digging up the Whirlpool Hidden Village's Mask Storage Temple. What they cared about most was what lay beneath the Mask Storage Temple.
The contradictions between the Four Great Shinobi Villages, which had cooperated once, grew even larger, as they all believed the other party had caused the deaths of their people.
The peace maintained by the Five Great Nations became precarious, and friction between Various Ninja Villages gradually escalated.
Land of Waves, White Snake Pharmaceutical Technology Company.
"Isn't this perfectly normal…"
Orochimaru sat on the sofa, a cold smirk playing on her lips. The intelligence scroll in her hand turned to ash. She was not at all surprised that the relationship between the Four Great Shinobi Villages had worsened after their cooperation.
Various Ninja Villages were inherently bound by interests. Once there were no common interests, there was no need to cooperate, and this bond naturally broke.
The actions of the Four Great Shinobi Villages against the Land of Fire and Land of Whirlpools were like a key, a key that officially opened the prelude to the Second Shinobi World War.
Judging by the reactions of the Four Great Shinobi Villages, they clearly blamed the other Various Ninja Villages for the Ninja who died in the Whirlpool Hidden Village.
Even if Hanzo hadn't declared war on Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Konoha, the full outbreak of the Second Shinobi World War would only be a matter of time.
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 40 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[patreon.com/Greyhounds]
Thank you so much for your support!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"