The Ketsuryugan, like the Sharingan, is a genjutsu eye. In terms of ocular power, it is comparable to the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, but it seems unable to evolve continuously like the Sharingan.
Under normal circumstances, the final form of the Sharingan is the Mangekyo Sharingan.
If siblings also awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan, obtaining each other's eyes is necessary to evolve into the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.
So, what is the basis for the Mangekyo Sharingan evolving into the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan?
The combination of ocular power?
A bond of bloodline?
Based on the information currently available, it seems both are required.
So, what about the Sharingan of the clones?
Do the Sharingan of the clones, possessing pupil power and bloodline, have the potential to evolve a Mangekyo Sharingan into an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan?
Orochimaru propped her chin with one hand, writing her analysis of the Ketsuryugan in her notebook, but her thoughts drifted to the Sharingan.
The problem was, she didn't have any adorable Uchiha with Mangekyo Sharingan under her command, so her understanding of the Sharingan was purely theoretical, never having conducted any true research.
Orochimaru's current understanding of the Byakugan far exceeded that of the Sharingan; there was no avoiding it when Hyuga Mio was constantly around her, making it impossible not to learn.
Is this a problem that my current abilities make difficult to solve, something I can only put off until later... when my research into cloning technology advances further, I can clone some Uchiha as test subjects.
The reason the Lightning Country Daimyo's family hired the Uchiha Clan to guard the Chinoike Clan was very likely because the Sharingan countered the Ketsuryugan.
Orochimaru didn't believe the Chinoike Clan would accept their banishment to Hell Valley, which meant they must have not only tried to communicate with the Uchiha Clan but also fought for their freedom.
The result was obvious: if they had succeeded, the Chinoike Clan wouldn't be holed up in Hell Valley, hating the Uchiha Clan.
The Ketsuryugan's abilities manifest in genjutsu and the manipulation of blood... The Chinoike Clan member wanted to control Tsunade with genjutsu, so it's likely the Ketsuryugan's genjutsu can immobilize an enemy's movements.
It can also use its own blood to manipulate Water Release Chakra into various forms of attack... The most troublesome aspect is creating biological bombs with that special Chakra; the special Chakra enters the body through wounds, and if not removed in time, the victim will be turned into a bomb.
If the Sharingan counters the Ketsuryugan, it should be able to ignore or even reflect the Ketsuryugan's genjutsu, and also undo the Ketsuryugan's ability to create biological bombs. Otherwise, with the Ketsuryugan's power, why would the Chinoike Clan be forced to live in Hell Valley, guarded by the Uchiha Clan?
The Chinoike Clan's Bloodline Limit, the Ketsuryugan, possesses very dangerous abilities, which is beyond doubt.
Therefore, before the Chinoike Clan joined the company, she would teach the Eye Sealing Curse Mark to Uzumaki Chigusa and Uzumaki Nano; if any members of the Chinoike Clan were disobedient, she would brand them with the Eye Sealing Curse Mark.
A Chinoike Clan member unable to use the Ketsuryugan would be nothing more than an ordinary Ninja, easily manipulated by the Iburi Clan and the Uzumaki Clan, wouldn't they?
I wonder how the Transformation Formula experiment is going... The scratching sound of writing was particularly clear in the quiet room.
Tsunade crouched low, tiptoed closer to Orochimaru, and reached out a fair hand, painted with pink nail polish, gently pulling the pen from her hand.
"Orochimaru, shouldn't we go to the hot springs?"
Tsunade put her arm around Orochimaru's shoulder, leaning in to look at the analysis of the Chinoike Clan's Ketsuryugan written in the notebook. She wasn't interested in it at all; she was more interested in going to the hot springs with Orochimaru!
"Alright."
Orochimaru closed the notebook, stood up, took the pen from Tsunade's hand, placed it on the notebook, and walked out.
"By the way, Orochimaru, are you still writing that... forbidden book?"
Tsunade followed behind Orochimaru, suddenly remembering the forbidden book she was writing.
"Of course, my fans are all over the world."
The money earned from writing was a very small income for Orochimaru, but she had too many fans, and the books she wrote were being adapted into movies... When it came to making movies, Orochimaru was very puzzled. The forbidden books she wrote were either about fighting a BOSS or on the way to fight a BOSS, full of variety. Could such a thing really be shown in cinemas?
If it weren't for Goro from the publishing house saying it would be screened in cinemas, she would have suspected that some country's Daimyo had bought the rights to star in a personal movie to collect.
This was not without factual basis; the sales distribution of shimura herbal tea clearly showed who the biggest buyers of shimura herbal tea were.
The hot spring was filled with steam, and the rain, which had just stopped, began to fall again.
The pattering rain fell into the hot spring, creating ripples.
Splash—!
Orochimaru was fully submerged in the hot spring, leaning back against a rock, gazing up at the sky.
The misty steam floated upwards, and the cold rain fell downwards.
Orochimaru felt that soaking in an open-air hot spring in this weather was a bit crazy, and coincidentally, she was one of those crazy people right now.
Regardless of whether the Transformation Formula experiment succeeded or not, the research on Jiongu was pretty much concluded.
I wonder if Kakuzu will be willing to modify his Jiongu after learning the research results... This would be equivalent to modifying his body, after all, he is currently equivalent to the Jiongu itself.
Splash—!
The sound of water brought Orochimaru's thoughts back as she looked at Tsunade, who was approaching.
"Hehe, tell me what happened during my training at Shikkotsu Forest!"
Tsunade leaned against Orochimaru, her arm around her shoulder, and grinned, "Orochimaru, you wouldn't want me to return to the Village without knowing what happened, would you?"
"Quite a lot has happened, and it might be a long story. Do you want to hear it?"
Orochimaru smiled faintly; she didn't mind telling Tsunade.
"Yes, I do!"
Tsunade nodded vigorously, then added, "I also want to know about your experiences in Ryūchi Cave!"
"Alright."
Orochimaru began to recount from the moment she left Konoha, how she inexplicably arrived at Ryūchi Cave, passed the trials of the Three Snake Princesses, and how she trained in Sage Mode.
Is Sage Mode that dangerous?
Tsunade hadn't realized that Orochimaru's Sage Mode training would be so perilous; a single misstep could lead to her being eaten as food by the White Snake Sage and the Three Snake Princesses.
"Jiraiya trained at Mount Myōboku, and I never saw him get eaten by a toad! Ryūchi Cave is too dangerous!"
"The training methods of the Three Great Sage Locations are different. While Ryūchi Cave's training method is dangerous, the rewards are also the richest."
Orochimaru smiled and continued to recount her training in Ryūchi Cave, soon reaching the Great Snake Nest.
"Blue Snake is too cunning!"
Tsunade listened to Orochimaru recount how Blue Snake led her to beat up all of her enemies, letting out a laugh like a silver bell. When she heard about Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure's actions against Konoha, the smile on her face turned serious, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she learned that the Three Great Shinobi Villages' true target was not Konoha.
When she heard Orochimaru say that the Four Great Shinobi Villages' target was Whirlpool Hidden Village, her relaxed heart tightened again.
"What happened to Whirlpool Hidden Village now?"
Tsunade gripped Orochimaru's arms with both hands, urging her to continue.
"Whirlpool Hidden Village was destroyed. The survivors now live in the Land of Waves, and most work for the White Snake Company."
Orochimaru deeply respected the choices of the Whirlpool Hidden Village survivors; she arranged suitable jobs for those who wanted to work for the company and didn't force those who didn't.
"Eh! Destroyed! Then! What about Konoha? Didn't Konoha go to help?"
Tsunade frowned, unconsciously tightening her grip on Orochimaru's arm. Konoha and Whirlpool Hidden Village had signed a friendship treaty; if Konoha knew that Whirlpool Hidden Village was being attacked by the Four Great Shinobi Villages, how could it not intervene?
"You're gripping too tightly."
Orochimaru patted Tsunade's hand.
"Sorry..."
Tsunade quickly released her grip, saw the handprint she had left on Orochimaru's arm, and wanted to heal it with Mystical Palm Technique.
"Don't worry about it; this level doesn't need healing."
Orochimaru stopped Tsunade, then continued, "Konoha was attacked by Sky Ninja. The ruins of the Sky Ninja's Air Fortress are just outside the Village; you'll see them when we go back."
"So that's how it is... I knew it, how could Konoha ignore Whirlpool Hidden Village?"
Tsunade relaxed, then asked, puzzled, "Then why didn't the survivors of Whirlpool Hidden Village join Konoha? With Grandma there, who would dare bully them in Konoha?"
Orochimaru poked Tsunade's forehead and said, "Tsunade, you're thinking too simply."
"Can the survivors of Whirlpool Hidden Village let go of their hatred for the Four Great Shinobi Villages? Can Konoha avenge Whirlpool Hidden Village? If they join Konoha and become Konoha Ninja, and then encounter Ninja from the Four Great Shinobi Villages on missions, will they abandon the mission for revenge? And will their pursuit of revenge bring negative consequences to Konoha?"
"Isn't it just joining the Village? Why is it so complicated?"
Tsunade thought it was a simple matter, so why had it become so complex?
"These are matters for Lord Sarutobi and the survivors of Whirlpool Hidden Village to consider. The survivors of Whirlpool Hidden Village, whose homeland was destroyed by the Four Great Shinobi Villages, cannot simply let go of their hatred. If not handled well, it could become a hidden danger for the Village."
Orochimaru poked Tsunade's forehead repeatedly.
"You need to learn to think. Many things are not as simple as they appear on the surface. As the Hokage of Konoha, Lord Sarutobi has many issues to consider, and the same goes for Assistant Hokage Lord Danzo, and Hokage Advisors Lord Koharu and Lord Homura."
"Such complicated matters should be left to others! I'm not interested in the position of Hokage at all!"
Tsunade didn't continue to dwell on why the Whirlpool Hidden Village survivors hadn't joined Konoha. She was a little worried about Uzumaki Chigusa and Uzumaki Nano, who often visited their grandmother in Konoha, and thought that she definitely had to visit the Land of Waves when she had time.
Oh, who knows, maybe you'll become Hokage someday!
Orochimaru didn't care who became Hokage, as long as it wasn't her. She wouldn't waste her time managing the Village. She stood up and said, "It's not good to soak in the hot spring for too long."
"Speaking of which, Orochimaru, why did you place the Yin Seal on your abdomen?"
Tsunade looked at the diamond-shaped Yin Seal mark on Orochimaru's abdomen.
Orochimaru looked down at the Yin Seal mark on her abdomen and explained, "The abdomen is where Chakra is refined. Placing the Yin Seal here allows for faster storage of Sage Chakra, and it's also very discreet."
"I see..."
Tsunade rubbed her nose and averted her gaze, always feeling that the Yin Seal mark on Orochimaru's abdomen was very alluring.
After the hot spring, back in the room, Orochimaru successively received the memories of her Shadow Clones. The idea of engraving the Transformation Formula using blood vessel tentacles as a medium had succeeded, which was excellent news.
It seemed she would soon be able to show Kakuzu the research results.
Orochimaru yawned, lay down in bed, and felt the tatami mat beneath her, her mouth twitching.
Compared to tatami mats, she still preferred a soft bed.
Tsunade walked into the room mysteriously, approached Orochimaru, her hands as if cradling something.
"Orochimaru, look!"
"Hmm?"
Orochimaru looked over. Tsunade opened her hand, and in it was a Slug, entirely white with blue stripes on its back. From its size, it wasn't even as big as Tsunade's palm.
"Hello..."
The Slug politely bowed and greeted her, its antennae-like eyes curiously examining Orochimaru. She was the person Tsunade often mentioned during her training at Shikkotsu Forest.
Orochimaru could tell the Slug was trying very hard to cooperate with Tsunade, and she smiled, saying, "Hello, it must be hard for you to cooperate with this idiot."
"No, I am voluntarily cooperating with Lady Tsunade."
The Slug's eyes darted, secretly glancing at Tsunade.
Unexpectedly calm... The Slug had thought Tsunade would become very irritable because of Orochimaru's words; in its impression, Tsunade's temper wasn't very good.
"Lady Tsunade?"
Orochimaru was very confused. Why would the Slug call Tsunade "Lady Tsunade"?
It was known that the Slug was a Splinter of the Slug Sage of Shikkotsu Forest; one could say it was the Slug Sage itself.
"I lost a bet..." The Slug lowered its head.
"I see..."
Orochimaru thought the tiny Slug was quite cute.
Although she was curious about what bet it had made with Tsunade, now was clearly not the time to ask such a thing. She assumed it was related to training.
"How about it? This is my summoning animal, the Slug from Shikkotsu Forest!"
Tsunade said proudly, not getting angry over Orochimaru's use of the word "idiot."
"Very impressive."
Orochimaru gave Tsunade a thumbs-up, then lay back in bed, "It's getting late, let's sleep."
"Mhm!"
Tsunade skillfully burrowed into Orochimaru's bed.
"Yours is over there."
Orochimaru pointed to Tsunade's bed next to them.
"No, we haven't slept together in a long time!"
Tsunade reached out and hugged Orochimaru, accidentally using too much force due to her excitement.
"Tsunade! Are you trying to kill me?"
Orochimaru suppressed the urge to kick Tsunade out. She didn't want to be the first person in the Ninja World to be crushed to death by a Senju Clan member's monstrous strength.
"Sorry, sorry!"
Tsunade smiled apologetically, hugging Orochimaru and whining, "We haven't slept together in over half a year! I'm a little excited! You won't blame me, will you?"
"Sleep…"
Orochimaru helplessly hugged Tsunade, gently patting her back.
"Hehe, I knew you wouldn't be mad at me."
Tsunade grinned, her mood excellent.
Today was simply the best day; not only did she clean up at the Casino, but she also got to sleep with Orochimaru tonight!
Orochimaru pinched Tsunade's cheek and grumbled, "Really, Tsunade, it's about time you learned to sleep by yourself. You're not a child anymore, still wanting to squeeze in with others."
"I don't know about others, I just want to squeeze in with you."
Tsunade's cheeks puffed out slightly, her good mood ruined.
"Alright…"
Orochimaru had no way to deal with Tsunade, wondering if she had spoiled her.
Did you two forget about me?
Katsuyu felt her two eyes faintly glowing. Seeing that Tsunade had forgotten her, she could only return to Shikkotsu Forest, disappearing with a 'bang' in a puff of smoke.
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