chapter 99 part 5
He then looked at Orochimaru. "Although you are the one performing the surgery, and Lady Touka is a suitable test subject, this will also put us in a very troublesome situation."
"...Of course, I will never disappoint the Village's comrades, and I will respect everyone who takes risks," Orochimaru said. "Tsukasa-kun must hold the same thoughts, right?"
Tsukasa Kaede's expression subtly shifted as he gazed meaningfully at Orochimaru's profile.
Sure enough, Orochimaru seemed to have made up his mind to push forward regardless of the cost. This also meant Orochimaru was prepared for the worst, even if his relationship with Tsunade turned frosty.
Tsukasa Kaede had to prepare thoroughly. This concerned his future and allowed for no mistakes. He would rather make some sacrifices than fail to achieve his ultimate goal.
Tsukasa Kaede didn't mind kicking aside minor obstacles in this process. Favors were ephemeral; one's own strength was what truly mattered.
"However, if I obtain what I desire, I wonder what my situation will become. It shouldn't come to Village defection, though; I still have many unfinished matters in this Village."
This thought flashed through Tsukasa Kaede's mind, but he quickly suppressed it, watching Toka Senju get onto the operating table.
As Orochimaru's assistant, he began connecting Toka Senju's body to various instruments, dedicated to perfectly mastering all data to prepare for the transplantation of Hashirama's Cells.
At this moment, not just Orochimaru, but even Tsukasa Kaede felt a ripple of emotion.
Even if she could only contain a small amount of Hashirama's Cells, as long as Toka Senju could powerfully bind them within her own body as a Vessel, she could theoretically obtain the Wood Release Bloodline Limit! Danzo could achieve balance with an arm made of Hashirama's Cells and ten Three-Tomoe Sharingan; there was no reason Toka Senju, performing the procedure herself, couldn't suppress a small amount of Hashirama's Cells.
However, it was hard to say. Toka Senju was, after all, a Yang Release-oriented Ninja. Carrying Hashirama's Cells, which were a culmination of Yang Release power, might also inadvertently accelerate the Cells' proliferation.
Orochimaru watched the various data on the instruments and asked, "Tsukasa-kun, you know your mission, right?"
Tsukasa Kaede calmly said, "Of course, I know what to do. The moment there are signs of loss of control, I will intervene."
Toka Senju quietly listened to their conversation. Many of the technical terms she didn't understand; she simply adjusted her physical state, awaiting the start of the transplantation surgery.
When Orochimaru implanted Hashirama's Cells into Toka Senju's forearm, the human experimentation officially began. It was too late to turn back now.
Tsukasa Kaede watched closely.
"Come on, let me see if, with our current technological level, we can achieve stability..."
If this were the technology from around the Fourth Great Ninja War, it wouldn't be this difficult at all.
While Kabuto could transplant Hashirama's Cells into the dying Sasuke, and Naruto could transplant an arm made of Hashirama's Cells, it was certainly related to their immense power. But at that time, the utilization of Hashirama's Cells had reached unimaginably high levels, and many of the current risks simply didn't exist then.
"Body temperature is rapidly increasing, and cellular activity is surging. This isn't a good sign."
Orochimaru watched as a visible wriggling appeared on Toka Senju's arm, as if some strange object was undulating within her body.
This indicated that Hashirama's Cells were proliferating wildly, drawing nutrients from Toka Senju's body without regard for cost to strengthen themselves.
Toka Senju showed a pained expression, desperately trying to suppress Hashirama's Cells with her own power, but the effect seemed less than ideal.
"This is the First Hokage's power. It's unimaginably overbearing, and these are just a few Cells. It's truly incredible," Toka Senju said, deeply shocked despite her pain.
The First Hokage had his entire body composed of such Cells, and he could control them powerfully!
After waiting a little longer, Toka Senju sat up, her face filled with pain. The arm into which Hashirama's Cells had been injected had already swollen, clearly due to the rampant expansion of Hashirama's Cells, compressing the original flesh and blood.
"Then, it's about time I made my move."
Tsukasa Kaede stood before Toka Senju. Under Toka Senju's questioning gaze, he placed a hand on her arm.
Corpse Release: Zombification Jutsu!
With Hidan as a prior example, and Tsukasa Kaede having secretly dissected White Zetsu countless times over the past year, he clearly gained a deeper understanding of Wood Release's power and largely figured out how to counter it.
"This is... so this is the method you're using, Tsukasa-kun? You didn't even tell me. You truly keep things well-hidden."
A strange light gleamed in Orochimaru's eyes. He saw it clearly: Tsukasa Kaede was using the power of Corpse Release to turn a Living Human into a corpse! Hashirama's Cells plundered the Host's nutrients to expand their cell count, and Tsukasa Kaede's Corpse Release was doing the same thing, plundering the Host's nutrients to expand the Virus count.
These two life forms, both existing for the purpose of plundering and expansion, immediately clashed violently, using Toka Senju's body as their battlefield.
With Tsukasa Kaede's relentless augmentation, the changes in Toka Senju's body were soon significantly alleviated.
But it was only an alleviation. This extremely fragile balance needed to be maintained with utmost care; a slight lapse and it would collapse—even Danzo in the original Timeline had to seal his arm and Sharingan, only releasing them when needed. Toka Senju's situation couldn't possibly be better than Danzo's.
"You're very fortunate, Lady Touka; your life has been temporarily saved. However, this state is unsustainable and could spiral out of control at any moment. If you wish to forcefully use Wood Release, it's not impossible, but each time you do, you must be prepared to die... Either become a tree, or become my corpse."
Tsukasa Kaede spoke, but his attention was no longer on Toka Senju. Through her human experimentation case, all doubt in his mind had vanished.
Thus, he could officially begin cultivating a body tailored for himself. And for that, he would need that man as material... Madara!
(end of chapter)