"Hiruzen-sensei has already agreed to peace talks."
Inside an underground base in the Land of Fields, Orochimaru spoke to Kagetsu, "The Tailed Beast Jinchūriki will be returned to Iwagakure."
"I never intended to keep them for long anyway." Kagetsu replied calmly, showing no surprise.
"So, you've already done what you wanted to do, haven't you?" Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, sensing something.
No researcher would be uninterested in Tailed Beasts, these creatures of pure chakra.
Just like himself—during the war, he had infiltrated Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning, provoking the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki into going berserk just to extract a portion of the Eight-Tails' chakra.
In the end, though, his focus had shifted entirely to the White Snake Sage. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel-fire.ɴet
Kagetsu had also shown interest in Tailed Beasts before, even conducting research on them. He had even transformed a split fragment of the Two-Tails into a unique chakra entity.
Every time Orochimaru saw that Two-Tailed cat, its flames having turned from blue to black, he couldn't even be sure if it could still be classified as a fragment of the original Two-Tails.
It had already become a creature leaning toward Yin Release and soul-based abilities.
A guide for wandering souls, leading them to the Pure Land and Hueco Mundo.
"I only studied their Kekkei Genkais and bodies a little." Kagetsu admitted without hesitation. He still had a fragment of the Five-Tails stored in the Nara Clan's deer park.
Apparently, that fragment was well-loved by the clan's elders. After all, they were deer enthusiasts, and among all the Tailed Beasts, the Five-Tails was the one most similar to a deer.
It was even said that a dispute had broken out among the elders over who would have the right to care for the fragment.
As for the Four-Tails, it would likely be divided as well, providing further material for research and observation.
"What a pity... It would have been better if we could have just killed both Jinchūriki." Orochimaru muttered softly.
The best course of action for the village is undoubtedly to eliminate the two captured Jinchūriki. That way, the Tailed Beasts would die with them.
Although the Tailed Beasts will reincarnate after death in the future, during this period, without Tailed Beasts and with the loss of two Jinchūriki who are skilled at using their powers, Iwagakure's strength would be significantly weakened.
Especially after the Tailed Beasts are revived, Iwagakure would need to invest considerable human, material, and time resources to recapture and seal the Four-Tails and Five-Tails, as well as select suitable Jinchūriki.
In Orochimaru's view, this could restrain Iwagakure, forcing them to shift their attention elsewhere.
"Wait until you're Hokage, then you can talk about that," Tsunade muttered. She was busy preparing for the early stages of the resurrection ritual.
She was working on cultivating a suitable, healthy clone.
Her busy schedule left her with little patience as she glared at Orochimaru, who seemed relaxed, filled with visible annoyance and hostility.
The quiet and observant Shizune and Anko, along with the young Itachi, knew how to read the room and kept quiet, doing their best to minimize their presence.
Although it hadn't been long, Itachi, who was quick to learn, had already adapted well to the dynamic between Shizune and Anko.
The three of them shared a remarkable unspoken understanding at times .
"Who's trying to start another branch?" Orochimaru shrugged off Tsunade's glare. He was experimenting with improving the Edo Tensei technique.
After all, when the clone body was ready, Edo Tensei would be essential to accurately summon the soul from the Pure Land back into the ninja world.
"The Medical Department has to produce something!" Tsunade, who had recently taken charge of the Medical Department—or rather, automatically assumed the position of head upon returning to the village—was somewhat displeased that the Healing Tags came from the Technology Development Department.
Although the Medical Department contributed significantly to the creation and development of the Healing Tags, the original Healing Tag technology undeniably came from the Technology Development Department.
The Medical Department's later modifications and innovations were just building on what was already done.
Among the three legendary Sannin, Tsunade is undoubtedly the best when it comes to medical ninjutsu, healing patients, and detoxifying.
However, when it comes to human cloning and Kekkei Genkai experiments, Orochimaru surpasses her.
During her time back, Tsunade has been trying to learn from both Shinnō and Orochimaru's research on human dissection, biological cloning, and other related knowledge.
This even inspired her to apply cloning technology to ninjas who have lost limbs in the aftermath of war.
By using their own cells to clone the corresponding limbs and organs, she would then use medical ninjutsu to transplant and observe them.
If successful, ninjas who have suffered bodily harm during war and had their lives impacted would be able to regain their former strength.
Right now, she is using her experience and experiments to summarize a set of related treatment systems and aims to spread this knowledge, teaching more people in the medical department.
Just like she did in other areas of medical ninjutsu before.
Why is it difficult for other ninja villages to establish a medical department as comprehensive as Konoha's?
The main reason is that they don't have someone like Tsunade, who is highly skilled in medical ninjutsu and also able to categorize and pass down her experience and techniques.
Surgical procedures such as limb transplants and nerve reconnection are not difficult for medical ninjas who are skilled in medical ninjutsu.
Even a talented genin can quickly perform such surgeries after systematic learning and practice.
Some individuals with strong physical talents or special powers might not even need a medical ninja to transplant limbs or reconnect nerves themselves.
What Tsunade needs to do is refine Orochimaru's cloning technology and combine it with medical ninjutsu.
She must then summarize the potential issues they might face and provide solutions.
If everything goes smoothly, this research could be completed and spread quickly. Ninjas who have lost limbs in the war could recover and return to their roles as ninjas or even teachers.
Just like medical ninjutsu, this would significantly reduce the loss of ninjas in Konoha, ease the burden on the village, and allow the healed ninjas to become an asset to the village once more.
The only thing to consider is whether those old, useless men will veto her proposal.
After all, the initial stages of this plan, such as training personnel and purchasing the necessary equipment, would require a large sum of money.
And with the village still in a state of war and recovery, it's uncertain whether the old men will be able to scrape together that amount of funding.
"How about, after the Third Ninja War ends, you take over Hiruzen-sensei's position? At that time, I'll bring Jiraiya along, and together we'll push him to retire," Tsunade suggested, turning her focus to Orochimaru.
In her mind, getting the Third Hokage to agree to her request seemed much harder than having Orochimaru take the position and agreeing to her proposal.
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