After the Medical Department's tireless efforts day and night, and a certain degree of cooperation with the Research Department, Tsunade finally developed the antidote.
This antidote was specifically designed for those who had taken the secret medicine; anyone who had taken the secret medicine and undergone certain physical changes would experience an even more violent reaction from this antidote.
"According to the reports submitted, prolonged use of the secret medicine leads to a decline in physical sensation, as if losing the sense of pain, and even emotions gradually fade," Fumori masaki asked.
"Given an enemy like this, can this antidote still quickly incapacitate them?"
Sitting in front of Fumori masaki were Tsunade and Orochimaru.
To quickly analyze the components of the secret medicine and counteract it, Tsunade sought out Orochimaru for cooperation.
Orochimaru was not only talented in jutsus but also had profound knowledge in medicinal research.
Moreover, although those skilled in medicine are often skilled in poisons, there can be differences due to varying focuses.
Tsunade had always been dedicated to healing and saving lives; even if she knew how to formulate poisons, she rarely had practical experience with harmful ones.
She also didn't need poisons as an auxiliary like ordinary medical ninjas; she could just punch her enemies directly.
But Orochimaru was different.
Besides ninjutsu combat, Orochimaru used poisons quite frequently.
Don't forget that his summoning beasts came from the Snake Clan of Ryūchi Cave.
Fumori masaki was very surprised when he learned that Orochimaru had already signed a contract and was part of the Snake Clan, but he later understood that Orochimaru had simply encountered the Snake Clan from Ryūchi Cave by chance and had not truly found the location of Ryūchi Cave.
In the original work, Orochimaru also found clues to Ryūchi Cave's location while researching Jugo's body cells, and only then did he seek it out.
However, he didn't achieve the Sage Mode he desired.
In his pursuit of immortality, Orochimaru's body could no longer withstand the influx of natural energy, and no matter how much he studied, he remained a half-baked practitioner.
Instead, Yakushi Kabuto, using Orochimaru's cells and his own much better physical and mental state, attained Sage Mode.
Although in Fumori masaki's view, Yakushi Kabuto, by concentrating a large number of kekkei genkai within himself, while learning Sage Mode, maintained a delicate balance of power within his body.
Any slight imbalance would lead to a complete collapse, posing an extremely high risk compared to normal Sage Mode.
Although Orochimaru in this world hadn't found Ryūchi Cave, the Orochimaru-style secret techniques from the original work were gradually emerging.
The use of snake secret techniques would definitely involve poisons.
Even the venom of lower-ranking snakes was extraordinary, and after Orochimaru's research, he could create even more powerful venom, which was very helpful in combat.
The current Orochimaru was completely different from his original counterpart; not only did he look better, with healthier skin, but his entire demeanor was also different.
He now wore plain glasses and the uniform of the Research Department, exuding an unexpectedly refined aura, which greatly surprised Fumori masaki.
Orochimaru appeared very calm on the surface, but he was somewhat nervous internally, not because Fumori masaki was the Hokage, but because Fumori masaki was Akemi's father.
After the Second Shinobi World War, perhaps due to witnessing the loss of life in the war, the restraints that had always lingered in Orochimaru's heart gradually disappeared.
He was touched and fond of Akemi's enthusiasm, and their relationship grew closer.
Because of this, he felt a bit uncomfortable in front of Fumori masaki.
Fumori masaki was well aware of this matter, but looking at the current Orochimaru, he wasn't as resistant, though he still needed to observe and test him properly.
Hearing Fumori masaki's question, Tsunade thought for a moment and said, "If an ordinary person loses their sense of pain and emotions, it means that some nerves in their body have become numb.
While simple poisons would damage their bodies, they might still be able to move freely for a short time, but we also considered this point."
"Yes, we understood that the users of the medicine might experience such physical changes, so during the development of the poison, we made it even more destructive to the body's nervous system.
Even if they lose their sense of pain and forget fear, their physical movements still depend on nerves.
If the nervous system is severely damaged, they won't be able to move for long," Orochimaru added.
"Is that so? That truly is a formidable poison," Fumori masaki nodded slightly.
"This is just a specialized poison for those who have taken the secret medicine; for normal people, its effects are not as pronounced as other poisons," Tsunade smiled.
"That secret medicine has a particularly significant effect on the human body, completely unlike other drugs, possibly due to that special chakra," Orochimaru said.
"If one continues to take it, it will likely completely erode the brain, turning them into ignorant, senseless 'puppets'."
"Puppets?" Fumori masaki noticed this term.
"Yes, we believe that the person who created this secret medicine likely has ill intentions, and these cultists will eventually become such living puppets," Tsunade said with a serious expression.
In the early days of Sunagakure's research into puppet jutsu, the farsighted Second Kazekage, Shamon, recognized the practical value of human puppets.
However, due to the overly cruel nature of this technique, after careful consideration, Shamon ultimately ceased in-depth research into it.
Yet, there were still some in Sunagakure who couldn't forget about it.
However, without official support from Sunagakure, no resources, and no access to relevant data, research into human puppets made no progress.
In the original work, only Sasori of the Red Sand—an unprecedented genius puppeteer—dared to commit crimes like assassinating the Third Kazekage, let alone creating human puppets.
And it was in the hands of this genius that the human puppet technique saw rapid development and ultimately bore fruit.
Besides Sasori's talent and his ability to access early human puppet data due to his status, another point was his complete disregard for human life.
He could experiment on others without any qualms.
Although their relationship wasn't good during their partnership with Orochimaru, they were both of a kind—madmen devoid of human morality!
It's worth noting that even Chiyo, who dabbled in the forbidden art of human puppets, only dared to modify her own body with puppet mechanisms, not daring to touch anyone else in the village.
Although the human puppet technique was powerful, due to its cruel nature, unless one was a madman or utterly emotionless, no one would accept such a technique.
Everyone in Sunagakure generally disliked human puppets.
After Bunpuku became Kazekage, he followed Fumori masaki's example of destroying the Impure World Reincarnation data and destroyed all the human puppet data kept as a memento, preventing anyone from touching it again.
Others who wanted to research it would have to start from scratch, which was often very troublesome.
And now, there was a secret medicine that could artificially create such living puppets—real living bodies, yet controllable by others like puppets.
If this secret medicine were widely used, it would cause a great deal of trouble.
Although Fumori masaki believed that with that special chakra, this secret medicine probably couldn't be mass-produced, it was still better to deal with the enemy as soon as possible.
"Alright, I understand.
You two should immediately start preparing this antidote.
Also, please help treat those who have taken some of the secret medicine, and try to help them return to normal life as soon as possible," Fumori masaki said.
With the efforts of the Intelligence Department, they had completely analyzed the confused memories of the innocent civilians, confirming their identities as innocent and free of any suspicious elements.
They also used mental secret techniques to sort out their chaotic mental worlds.
Now, they needed good recuperation, and this task fell to the Medical Department.
"Don't worry, leave it to me," Tsunade intended to pat her chest in assurance, but her hand stopped halfway and she put it down, feeling a little embarrassed, and smiled.
"Hmm, you two get back to work," Fumori masaki nodded, then got up and left, with Tsunade and Orochimaru seeing him out.
"Thank you for your help this time," Tsunade said to Orochimaru after Fumori masaki left.
It was thanks to Orochimaru's assistance that the secret medicine could be developed so quickly.
"It's nothing, we are all Konoha ninjas, isn't it only right to work together?" Orochimaru smiled slightly and said.
"To be honest, I always thought you were unapproachable before, but now it's different; you seem much more approachable," Tsunade said, carefully scrutinizing Orochimaru.
"Is that so? I don't feel anything," Orochimaru said.
"How could you not feel anything? You should be able to feel it when interacting with others," Tsunade smiled and patted Orochimaru's shoulder.
"Anyway, let's work hard together in the future.
Who knows, maybe our relationship will become even closer."
If it were an ordinary person, they might have thought Tsunade's words had another meaning, but Orochimaru was not one to flatter himself.
He understood that Tsunade was referring to his relationship with Akemi.
The reason she said this was because Tsunade had a particularly good relationship with the Kazamori family, and after her grandparents passed away, she considered herself a member of the Kazamori family.
"What are you talking about? Let's get back to work!" Orochimaru was a bit flustered, turning to leave.
Halfway there, as if remembering something, he asked, "By the way, how's that guy Jiraiya doing?"
"Ah, why are you asking about that guy?" Tsunade, who had been secretly chuckling at Orochimaru's embarrassment, immediately raised her eyebrows when she heard him mention Jiraiya.
Orochimaru turned his head with a half-smile and said, "Didn't he always follow you around?"
Jiraiya and Tsunade had a rivalry since childhood, which later, due to their teacher, turned into a love-hate relationship.
As they grew up, Jiraiya sensed an unclear relationship between Orochimaru and Akemi.
He declared that he couldn't lose to Orochimaru and also wanted to find a girlfriend as good as Orochimaru's.
Given Akemi's status as the Hokage's daughter, Jiraiya set his sights on Tsunade.
However, Tsunade was not the kind of girl who could be easily won over.
As the granddaughter of the First Hokage and the Slug Princess of Konohagakure, she possessed an inherent arrogance.
Jiraiya's behavior seemed particularly frivolous to her, and she never gave him a good look.
But Jiraiya was thick-skinned; he constantly followed Tsunade around, acting like a fawning dog, without any shame, which both angered and amused Tsunade.
"So what? Just let that guy be," Tsunade pouted and waved her hand.
"Don't you think Jiraiya might be worth a try? Although he appears aloof on the surface, I know that there's more to him than meets the eye," Orochimaru said.
"Oh? Didn't you always look down on that guy?" Tsunade was a little surprised to hear such an evaluation from Orochimaru.
"That guy can be really stupid sometimes, but other times he gives off a feeling of great wisdom disguised as foolishness," Orochimaru paused.
"I used to not have a good impression of him, but that changed later.
He's a worthwhile friend."
"That's your feeling, it has nothing to do with me," Tsunade waved her hand.
"In my opinion, there are many people more excellent than him.
For example, during the Second Shinobi World War, I met a man named Kato Dan; he was powerful and had a good personality, making him a good candidate."
"But you didn't go after him, did you? You haven't accepted any blind dates all these years, and even if you went, you directly rejected them.
I heard your parents are almost dying of worry," Orochimaru said.
Given Tsunade's status, many people would naturally be concerned about her marital status, so the fact that Tsunade had no one in mind was no secret.
"I will find someone, but not now; it's just not the right time yet," Tsunade softly hummed.
"Heh heh, I think you might want to seriously consider Jiraiya.
After all, you haven't rejected that guy, have you?" Orochimaru said.
"Who said I haven't rejected him? Every time he came at me with that playful smile, didn't I always punch him away?" Tsunade frowned, looking at Orochimaru.
—But you never actually said it, those words of formal rejection; you were just expressing your dissatisfaction with Jiraiya, while those blind date candidates were rejected mercilessly.
Orochimaru didn't say these words aloud, but he looked at Tsunade meaningfully.
Tsunade felt a bit uncomfortable and quickly pushed Orochimaru out: "Alright, alright, go do your own work.
Honestly, you haven't even sorted out your own feelings, yet you have the nerve to meddle in others'.
I don't know what you're thinking."
After pushing Orochimaru out the door, Tsunade eagerly closed it and leaned her back against it, as if worried Orochimaru might come back in.
She let out a long sigh.
After what Orochimaru had just said, she inexplicably recalled Jiraiya's usual demeanor.
After a while, she softly hummed: "What am I thinking? Time to work, time to work."