"Hm? Rei-kun, did you solve the problem this quickly?"
Sensing that the contract between himself and one of Ryuchi Cave's great snakes had been triggered, Orochimaru, who was currently directing Kabuto Yakushi to prepare experimental equipment, naturally turned around and prepared to greet Rei Kaguya, who had returned through his summoned creature by Reverse Summoning.
Then, because of the appearance of the red-haired woman currently being supported by Rei Kaguya's shoulder, his face filled with confusion.
"What is it, Orochimaru? You look like you have seen something you cannot understand."
Rei Kaguya placed the weak and powerless Kushina Uzumaki onto a bed prepared nearby for volunteers participating in experiments and asked casually.
"If I remember correctly, Rei-kun, before you set out, what you told me was that you were going to help Konoha resolve the war started by Root, correct?"
Orochimaru walked closer and confirmed Kushina Uzumaki's appearance again.
"But if the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki has appeared here… did you resolve Konoha itself?"
"Why would you come up with such an outrageous idea?"
"Isn't what Rei-kun is best at going with the flow and taking advantage of disasters?"
Orochimaru spread his hands and gave a sharp assessment without personal grudge or emotion.
"If Konoha had already been mostly dealt with by Root when you arrived, then fishing more benefits out of an already fragmented Konoha is exactly the kind of thing you would do, is it not?"
"Unfortunately, Konoha's resistance still had some effect. I brought the Fourth Hokage's wife here not because I coveted the Nine-Tails, but because I want you to try and see if you can save her…"
"Save her?"
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.
"The Nine-Tails inside her was extracted?"
"Yes. The contingency Madara Uchiha left behind was fairly useful. Even with only one Mangekyo Sharingan, it could make the Nine-Tails completely obey commands…"
Listening to Rei Kaguya's information, Orochimaru nodded thoughtfully.
Then he turned his gaze toward Kushina Uzumaki, who was looking at him in shock, and grinned.
"Interesting. Is the Uchiha clan's suppressive power over Tailed Beasts even greater than the Uzumaki clan's?"
"Not necessarily. After all, she was ambushed by Obito Uchiha while weakened after giving birth. It is normal that she could not put up a qualified resistance…
"By the way, when Nagato came over earlier to fulfill his promise, you should not have used up all the blood, cells, and the like you collected from him, right, Orochimaru?"
Rei Kaguya pulled off his blindfold, sat down on another bed surrounded by various research instruments, and asked casually.
"Not for now. After all, it is a bloodline capable of bearing an ocular power like the Rinnegan. Even if there are channels to replenish the materials, they should still be used sparingly in experiments."
Orochimaru nodded with a gentle and satisfied smile.
"Furthermore, judging from the excellent compatibility between Uzumaki clan cells and Hashirama cells, the kinship between the two sides may be even closer than we originally imagined…"
"In that case, it seems there should be more than a ninety percent chance of replenishing the vitality you lost, Madam Kushina."
Listening to Rei Kaguya and Orochimaru openly discuss a topic that sounded like human experimentation no matter how one heard it, Kushina Uzumaki's instinct for self-preservation made her subconsciously hug her own body.
Trembling, she asked,
"S-so the method you mentioned that could let me keep living is… is having Orochimaru implant the First Hokage's cells into my body!?"
"What else?"
Orochimaru spread his hands.
At the same time, he gently gestured with his chin toward Kabuto Yakushi, who was passing by holding a culture dish, indicating for Kushina Uzumaki to look in Kabuto's direction.
"Other than Hashirama cells, which can grow with incomparable tenacity even after leaving Hashirama Senju's body, and even after he himself has died, what else could possibly fill the vitality loss caused when a Jinchuriki has their Tailed Beast extracted?"
Kushina Uzumaki stared blankly at the "First Hokage" inside the culture dish.
It looked vivid and lifelike, even showing faint breathing movements like a living person.
While feeling that her view of life and the world had both suffered an earth-shaking shock, she could not help muttering nonsense-like words:
"D-don't tell me… Orochimaru, before Lord Third exiled you, the forbidden research you were doing was… was this?"
"Partly. But reaching the current level is still thanks to Lord Mizukage's enlightened attitude."
Orochimaru looked Kushina Uzumaki up and down.
Seeing her weak aura and helpless state, he could not help beginning to consider a deeply wicked question—where exactly should he graft Hashirama Senju's face onto her?
"If not for his generosity in contributing blood and cells from himself, Hyuga Makoto, Shisui Uchiha, Nagato, and numerous Kirigakure Kekkei Genkai shinobi for my research, relying only on myself to collect materials, I probably still would not have fully solved the problem of Hashirama cells growing out of control even now…"
"You people… are insane."
As a shinobi long educated—or rather, poisoned—by Konoha's Will of Fire, Kushina Uzumaki still found it difficult to accept the practice of treating precious Kekkei Genkai as experimental materials, with no concern at all for the consequences should such things be exposed.
She breathed desperately, trying to draw enough air and strength from the laboratory's strong disinfectant smell to continue speaking.
Intermittently, she said,
"This kind of… forbidden experiment… will… will destroy shinobi…"
"Exactly. At this rate, those conservatives who cling stubbornly to ancient traditions will soon be left far behind by the results of our research."
The one who spoke was not Orochimaru, who was mainly responsible for carrying out the experiments.
Instead, it was Rei Kaguya, who was currently receiving Kabuto Yakushi's help as various instruments measuring bodily data were attached to his body.
He turned his face sideways and looked at Kushina Uzumaki, whose face had suddenly turned deathly pale.
Calmly, he said,
"And after trampling all those rigid shinobi who cling to outdated traditions beneath our feet, we, who have truly explored the ultimate mysteries of ninjutsu and chakra, will be able to redefine the rules of the entire world and return chakra—a power that has been distorted into a tool of war—to the position it should have had from the beginning."
"A tool of production."
"Well, although I do not completely agree with Lord Mizukage's ideas, I am very interested and motivated when it comes to exploring the root of ninjutsu and chakra… Hidden Shadow Binding Snakes!"
The Hidden Shadow Binding Snakes, modified from the lethal Hidden Shadow Snake Hands, shot out from Orochimaru's sleeves.
With irresistible force, they bound Kushina Uzumaki's body to the hospital bed in a spread-eagle position.
Before she could react, Kabuto Yakushi reached out from the side and lightly pressed her neck.
Chakra disrupted the bioelectric flow inside her body.
In an instant, without harming her already extremely fragile body, he knocked Kushina Uzumaki unconscious.
"Kabuto, your fine chakra control is becoming more and more outstanding."
"Y-you praise me too much, Lord Orochimaru…"
Orochimaru generously praised his young assistant.
Then he and the somewhat embarrassed Kabuto began arranging the same life-sign detection equipment used on Rei Kaguya onto Kushina Uzumaki's body.
"Kabuto, bring some secret medicine first to stabilize her vital signs. We cannot let her die from excessive weakness while I test her compatibility with Hashirama cells…
"Then activate the instruments and check Lord Fourth's latest physical data. Let us see whether, after experiencing such an intense battle, his overly destructive Kekkei Genkai remains within the safe and controllable range we previously predicted."
Listening to Orochimaru's methodical arrangements, Rei Kaguya slowly exhaled and gradually closed his eyes.
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