Chapter 276: The Experiment Begins
Land of Rain, Amegakure Village.
Jiraiya watched as Orochimaru stuffed the scroll into a snake's stomach and dispelled the summoning. His expression was extremely strange.
"Orochimaru, don't you think what you wrote is a bit… ambiguous?"
As the author of 'Icha Icha' Jiraiya was more than qualified to raise that question.
"As long as the meaning is delivered and the objective achieved, that's enough."
Orochimaru was fiddling with a lump of cells in a petri dish, completely unconcerned with Jiraiya's comment.
"I'm afraid the meaning won't be delivered and will be misunderstood instead."
Jiraiya looked worried, "What if Sasuke thinks you're planning to make a move on him, and he decides he'd rather die than submit? If you tell him not to do something, he'll do exactly that."
"He could start frantically 'taking off' blind his eyes, wreck that thing, and make himself infertile. Then you'd never be able to get his body or his Sharingan."
"What would you do then?"
"Sasuke isn't as stupid as you. He's read the experimental records I left in the Otogakure Village. He should be able to guess that I don't need those things to allow someone to have offspring."
Orochimaru glanced at Jiraiya, then refocused on the specimen in his hands.
"You're right."
Jiraiya nodded seriously, "In that case, since Naruto and Sasuke are both training hard, I need to work hard too. I can't let the younger generation surpass me so easily."
"Oh."
Orochimaru remained unmoved.
He knew exactly what kind of personality Jiraiya had.
Previously, even after Orochimaru had sealed both his front and back, Jiraiya had still continued lying flat and had even started writing depressing novels. What more was there to say?
"Orochimaru, I'll be honest with you. I've mastered Sage Mode, but it's imperfect. I need five minutes of preparation time to summon Shima and Fukasaku to help me gather senjutsu chakra…"
"Sigh, perhaps I'm just too sentimental, too emotional. I simply can't enter the calm state that the Toad Sage described for training Sage Mode."
"But this time is different. Naruto truly is worthy of being my disciple, Minato's son, the genius ninja who developed the Seduction series of ninjutsu and the Number One Unpredictable Ninja in the world!"
"Orochimaru, remove my seal. I want to use this method to properly master perfect Sage Mode as well!"
Jiraiya lifted his head with a solemn expression and closed his eyes.
Do not assume he was acting or merely making an excuse to have Orochimaru remove the seal.
Jiraiya was genuinely sincere.
Do not forget where the seal was located, and what would have to be done to remove it.
Back then, Jiraiya had shouted in despair at Orochimaru, "Don't touch it!"
And now, Jiraiya was willing to set aside his inner discomfort and allow Orochimaru to touch it again for the sake of mastering Sage Mode. He had indeed gone through considerable mental struggle.
However…
"I refuse."
Orochimaru rejected him mercilessly.
Again, because he understood Jiraiya.
Perhaps at this moment Jiraiya truly meant it, but that had nothing to do with the Jiraiya who would exist after the seal was removed.
"Eh?"
Jiraiya opened his eyes. Seeing how decisively Orochimaru had refused, he knew there was no use begging further.
He could only sigh, leave the laboratory, and find somewhere to continue writing his gloomy literature.
Fortunately, the Second Hokage's plan to push Naruto forward, combined with Naruto's number-one unpredictability, had given him hope.
Perhaps before long, he would be able to rely on Naruto to remove the seal. He would not need Orochimaru at all.
"That brat finally left."
Sarutobi Hiruzen muttered while flipping through documents nearby.
"How is it?"
On the other side, Senju Tobirama asked Orochimaru.
"Almost ready. We can have Shiromo-kun come over."
Orochimaru placed the petri dish on the table.
With the addition of "Professor of Ninjutsu" Sarutobi Hiruzen, research progress had accelerated yet again.
The main direction of the laboratory remained at the cellular and genetic level.
The foundational theories were universal. What differed were the practical applications.
The first direction was what Orochimaru had promised the future Sasuke: creating a daughter for him.
But this kind of artificial human differed from Amado's cloning.
It was closer to Mitsuki's type of artificial human.
Through genetic optimization, various aspects of the artificial being could be enhanced and altered.
Amado's modifications were largely mechanical.
The Delta he created looked like his daughter, but her personality was completely different.
The Koji Kashin he created looked like Jiraiya, yet his personality was also entirely different.
The people Orochimaru created, on the other hand, barely resembled him at all. In fact, they somewhat resembled the Second Hokage.
Following hints given by Shiromo, Orochimaru continued along his original path while not abandoning exploration into machinery… or rather, scientific ninja tools.
After all, weren't the earliest scientific ninja tools those used by the Otogakure Village's minor characters?
This led to the second application direction: enabling Hyuga Hanabi to obtain Ōtsutsuki chakra and thereby awaken the Tenseigan.
That was the experiment they were now preparing to conduct.
After Shiromo arrived at the laboratory, Orochimaru explained the situation to him.
"Wait. I recall that Black Zetsu is quite adept at suppressing chakra, correct? Let him come help as well."
Orochimaru suddenly added.
"Uh, that works."
As the only one who truly knew what the current "Black Zetsu" actually was, Shiromo hesitated slightly, but agreed.
After collecting the tailed beast chakra from the Limited Tsukuyomi, Shiromo had proposed postponing Kaguya's revival in order to guard against Isshiki and ensure absolute certainty.
Everyone approved of this.
To them, not only Isshiki, but even Kaguya herself was an unknown.
Delaying was a good thing. First strengthening the ninja world aligned with all of their expectations.
For Shiromo, whether he revived Kaguya first and then persuaded and won her over, or won her over first and then revived her, the result was the same.
The difference was that under current circumstances, the latter seemed easier.
Creating an atmosphere where others were in the open while she remained in the shadows would provide a great sense of security and increase trust.
A few minutes later.
On the laboratory operating table, a White Zetsu lay in the center. Around it stood Orochimaru, Shiromo, and Black Zetsu.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Senju Tobirama, having nothing to do, observed from a certain distance.
"Black Zetsu, I'll leave it to you. Suppress as much as possible the chakra that appears, as well as any will that may manifest."
"Shiromo-kun, place Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki's power onto it."
Black Zetsu said nothing. He extended a hand and pressed it onto the White Zetsu. A mass of black substance spread over the White Zetsu's body.
Shiromo then took out the disc representing Momoshiki's Kāma and inserted it into the White Zetsu's body.
Tattoo-like markings immediately spread across the White Zetsu's form.
Seeing this, Orochimaru excitedly picked up his scalpel.
(End of this chapter)