In truth, when it came to solving the physical problems caused by Kimimaro's Shikotsumyaku, there was still one fairly promising direction of speculation. This treatment method could be called simple, but if one called it difficult, it was equally difficult.
It was simple because this solution was very easy to think of, and there was a high chance it would succeed.
After all, in this world, there existed something almost like a cure-all. That thing was called…
Hashirama meat.
Cough. Wrong.
It should be called Hashirama cells.
Although the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, was dead, the Wood Release cells he left behind possessed extremely powerful vitality and self-healing ability. That regenerative ability could even greatly delay the blindness caused by the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Theoretically speaking, Wood Release cells would probably have the same effect on the Shikotsumyaku. After all, everyone came from the same ancestor. Their bodies were all flowing with alien bloodlines and genes from asexual reproduction.
As for the "difficulty" involved, that was not hard to understand either. The problem was that Hashirama's Wood Release cells had too much vitality, to the point that they carried an irresistible devouring nature. They would completely devour the person who received his transplanted cells…
Power and risk were equivalent. Wood Release cells were not something ordinary shinobi could control.
In the matter of researching Hashirama cells, if Tsunade were willing to put in the effort, she should be even better than Orochimaru. After all, as a member of the Senju clan, she had considerable advantages in this field. The problem was that this kind of behavior involved ethical issues, so she might personally feel some resistance toward it.
For example, in Konoha's Anbu, there was a porter named Tenzō. Maybe it was precisely because he carried her grandfather's cells that Tsunade ordered him around every day like he was her grandson.
As for other methods of increasing physical strength and vitality to resolve the hidden dangers of the Shikotsumyaku, they were not impossible to imagine. Senjutsu, for example. But senjutsu could not really be considered a normal, constant state. There was always a time limit when using it. Furthermore, learning senjutsu had extremely strict prerequisites. Kimimaro might not necessarily be able to do it.
In truth, the latter point might not necessarily be unworkable. What Hagoromo did not know was that the Earth Cursed Seal used by the "original" Kimimaro essentially shared the same origin as senjutsu. However, perhaps because the cursed seal's energy was more violent, it did not have any positive effect on the Shikotsumyaku. One could even say it was completely the opposite.
By reducing the frequency with which Kimimaro used the Shikotsumyaku and supplementing that with medication to suppress it, Tsunade could temporarily control the hidden danger of Kimimaro's Shikotsumyaku so that it would not worsen. As for completely eliminating the problem, that still required long-term consideration. It needed to be solved step by step and would be very difficult to accomplish all at once.
This answer from Tsunade actually allowed Hagoromo to feel much more at ease. After all, Kimimaro was not yet in such danger that he could drop dead at any moment.
After clarifying this matter, during the following month, Hagoromo really did search for traces of Orochimaru according to the requirements of his Fifth Hokage boss. Listening to the new boss was a quality every veteran employee should have…
There was no helping it. By now, Tsunade already somewhat had the air of a newly appointed official. She especially liked assigning Hagoromo all sorts of miscellaneous tasks and sending him off to work.
In many cases, if the one giving Hagoromo instructions was the Third Hokage, he might directly refuse. But Tsunade was different. Hagoromo could ignore the Third Hokage, but he could not ignore Tsunade.
So, when this new village official in her fifties was about to take office, Hagoromo became busier than usual. Certain tasks would be thrown onto him with no room for refusal. The most typical example this time was searching for the missing Uncle Snake.
Unfortunately, although Konoha was only the size of a booger, when one truly wanted to find certain people, they absolutely could not be found. Without a doubt, Orochimaru had hidden himself very securely.
Uncle Snake was like a household nail clipper. When you did not want to use it, it would sit right under your eyelids all day long. But when you really needed it, you would be unable to find it no matter how hard you searched.
Of course, when Tsunade searched for Uncle Snake, the question was not whether there was a need to do so. Rather, if they truly caught him, Konoha would have to consider whether or not to kill him. Although that was somewhat simple and crude, this question was indeed worth taking seriously.
As for Uncle Snake, he naturally also knew that Konoha was now a dragon's pool and tiger's den. Although he wanted to do something here, he also did not wish to actually die. So, of course, he had to hide himself extremely securely.
If he also set up some sort of anti-detection barrier for himself, lowering his radar cross-section to 0.01, then even Mirai's Mind's Eye of the Kagura would be helpless against him.
Hagoromo naturally believed that Uncle Snake, who wanted to stir up trouble, had hidden himself nearby. But the truth was not so.
During this current period, it was perfectly normal that Konoha could not find Uncle Snake, because for a very Virgo and obsessive-compulsive reason, Orochimaru had temporarily left the village.
His operation had already begun.
Not finding Orochimaru could not be considered a bad thing. Maybe he had simply come here for a tour and then left.
In his heart, Hagoromo still hoped that Orochimaru would stop blindly stirring up trouble. Wouldn't it be much better for him to obediently hide in some cave and do research?
Please look here…
Hagoromo was actually advising someone else not to stir up trouble. Just how much sincerity did that require?
As for the activities of the others, before the exam, Jiraiya seemed to intend to give Naruto special training. Following the principle that herding one sheep was the same as herding a whole flock, the children's group also entered Jiraiya's reinforcement month together.
Likewise, on Kakashi's side, he also captured Sasuke and took him away. It seemed he had finally realized that he needed to properly train his student. After all, now it was not only the genin of Hagoromo's Team Six who possessed strength far beyond the ordinary level. Even Guy's Team had become rare formidable opponents. On top of that, Sasuke's next opponent was the son of the Fourth Kazekage, so the dead-fish eye finally had a moment when he was not lazy.
Because Haku had forfeited, Kakashi did not know exactly what level that expressionless, panda-eyed shinobi named Gaara from Sunagakure had. But in the first half of the second exam, he had passed without so much as a scratch.
More importantly, according to Hagoromo's report, the village had already learned that his true identity was the One-Tail's jinchūriki. So…
Deadpan Sasuke Number Two had to deal with a jinchūriki?
If Kakashi still did not take this seriously, wouldn't that be the same as sending the Uchiha clan's last surviving seedling up to be served on a platter?
Although Kakashi's actions came a little late, last-minute cramming before an exam was still extremely important.
As for the Sunagakure people, especially Gaara, although he did not cause any trouble in Konoha, he spent every day keeping one eyeball peeled off and secretly peeking around. Usually, no matter who he looked at, he had an expression that said, "Careful, I might kill you at any moment."
Honestly, this person's mental state was very worrying…
But that was understandable too. After all, in the twelve years since he was born, he had never had a single good night's sleep. It would be strange if he did not suffer from nervous exhaustion.
Before the final stage of the Chūnin Exams arrived, everyone had their own thoughts. Hagoromo had Hagoromo's considerations, Orochimaru had Orochimaru's plan, and the Third Hokage had the Third Hokage's response. No one could predict whether events would proceed according to their own expectations.
But one thing was certain: although Konoha Village remained incomparably peaceful so far, once the time came, there would not be only one person starting trouble.
Everyone stirring up trouble together was what truly counted as stirring up trouble.
And perhaps until the very last moment, certain people's true intentions would finally be revealed.
Amid this process where some people worked hard, some people waited, and some people had nothing to do, the final stage of the Chūnin Exams drew closer day by day.
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