"You're thinking too simply, Jiraiya."
Homura Mitokado spoke up:
"A guy like Orochimaru, even if his memories are wiped, will return to being like that before long."
"That guy is a demon to his core; he has no humanity to speak of."
Homura Mitokado's words carried disdain; he felt Jiraiya was laughably naive.
If you wipe a wolf's memory, is it no longer a wolf?
"Yes, even if memories can be changed, a person's nature cannot be altered, Jiraiya."
"I think we should consider this a bit more."
Utatane Koharu also advised.
Being rejected repeatedly, Jiraiya's face showed his embarrassment.
The two old-timers' words weren't exactly unreasonable; in fact, they were quite pertinent.
But Jiraiya still turned his gaze toward Hiruzen Sarutobi, hoping his teacher would stand up and support him.
Feeling Jiraiya's gaze, Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed.
But he didn't give his answer immediately; instead, he spoke of something else:
"During the last Quiz, I received a punishment where my memory of the Dragon Fire Technique was wiped. Everyone remembers that, right?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi brought this up out of the blue, catching everyone off guard for a moment.
But they immediately nodded in response; after all, only three months had passed.
Besides, that experience had left a deep impression on everyone; it wasn't something easily forgotten.
"After that, I went home and reopened my Ninjutsu manual to start learning the Dragon Fire Technique again."
"It only took an hour to master the Ninjutsu once more."
At this point, a complex light appeared in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes as he scanned the group:
"I'm mentioning this not to brag about how quickly I relearned the technique."
"But rather to say that although my memory of the Dragon Fire Technique was wiped..."
"...I had already learned the technique long ago, so relearning it was much easier and simpler."
"It's the same with Orochimaru."
"Perhaps his past memories can be wiped, but if he ever steps onto that path again, repeating his mistakes will only happen faster and more completely."
"Do you understand, Jiraiya?"
Fearing Jiraiya might not understand, Hiruzen Sarutobi specifically explained it to him in very blunt terms.
After hearing this, Jiraiya silently lowered his head, his expression very dejected.
Hiruzen Sarutobi relearning a Ninjutsu and Orochimaru returning to the path of research...
The two seemed different on the surface, but they were essentially the same.
Wiping memories isn't permanent; as long as the inclination exists, one can learn it again.
This was exactly what Hiruzen Sarutobi feared.
Given Orochimaru's personality, even if his memories were wiped, who's to say when he might start human experimentation again?
"Jiraiya-sensei..."
Minato Namikaze looked at Jiraiya's dejected state, feeling a bit of pity.
In his memory, Jiraiya had always been an optimist, usually grinning and appearing carefree.
But this Quiz session had shown Minato Namikaze another side of Jiraiya.
He also saw Jiraiya's vulnerable side.
He really wanted to stand up and support Jiraiya just like before.
But his responsibility as the Hokage left him hesitant to speak.
Knowing full well that Orochimaru was a time bomb, how could he possibly agree to let him return to Konoha Village as a Ninja?
Suddenly, Nara Shikaku, who had been quietly listening, spoke up and asked Tsunade:
"Lady Tsunade, I have a question I'd like to ask."
"Speak."
Tsunade crossed her arms, constantly restraining herself from looking at Jiraiya.
She knew that if she saw Jiraiya's pitiful state, she might impulsively support him.
"Is it possible for you to erase someone's memory?"
Nara Shikaku asked.
"It's difficult; I haven't performed similar experiments before."
"Most of the time, I encounter patients who have lost their memories due to accidents; my job is to help them recover their memories, so I have some experience in that area."
Tsunade answered truthfully.
As the founder of Konoha's Medical Ninja system and the peak of Medical Ninjutsu in the entire Ninja World, if she said it couldn't be done, then no one in the world could do it.
But there was one thing Tsunade kept hidden.
That was, erasing a portion of someone's memory was impossible.
But if it were to erase all of a person's memories, she could do it.
Because human memory is a whole; pull one thread and the whole thing moves.
The brain is such a precise organ, packed with dense nerves; touching any one of them could potentially cause damage to the entire brain.
Trying to delicately remove a specific part is complete wishful thinking.
But to remove everything, isn't that just a matter of one cut?
Just scoop out the entire brain in one go, and all memories will naturally vanish.
Of course, this was just a metaphor; Medical Ninjutsu wouldn't be that simple.
Nara Shikaku's question to Tsunade was just a setup; he wasn't actually expecting Tsunade to do it.
He had other ideas in mind.
"Lady Tsunade, I understand."
Nara Shikaku nodded, then turned to speak to Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu:
"Elders, your concern is that even if Orochimaru's memories are wiped, there's still a possibility of recovery."
"Because that is Orochimaru's nature, you fear that over time, he will once again do things that harm Konoha, right?"
"Exactly, we absolutely cannot let that happen!"
Homura Mitokado replied.
"Then, wouldn't it be fine to simply ask this Excellency to change Orochimaru's nature, turning him into someone who loves Konoha and its villagers, someone willing to give everything for the Village?"
"In that case, Orochimaru would no longer pursue immortality, and the results of his experiments over the years could even be used to benefit the Village."
"Wouldn't that be the best way to honor the deceased?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the whole room was shocked!
Good grief, what a bizarre way of thinking!
An excited expression appeared on Jiraiya's face as he clapped his hands vigorously:
"That's right! Why didn't I think of that? If we turn Orochimaru into a complete good guy, then he won't do bad things anymore, will he?"
"You're really something, Shikaku!"
Jiraiya gave Nara Shikaku a thumbs up.
The two old-timers, Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu, looked at each other, too stunned to speak.
Although they wanted to argue, it seemed like what was said made a lot of sense.
*Cough, cough.*
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a bit excited; he couldn't help but cough twice and asked in a raspy voice:
"Can something like this really be done?"
"Wouldn't we know if we just asked this Lord directly?"
Nara Shikaku turned to ask Ye Chen:
"My Lord, if I wish to change Orochimaru's personality, turning him into a thorough good person who spends the rest of his life atoning for his crimes and protecting Konoha with all his might..."
"...can that be achieved?"
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