Danzo unconditionally supported Orochimaru's research.
After all, Orochimaru was creating talents for him, an invaluable asset to his ambitions. Danzo had no reason to object.
Moreover, the First Hokage's cells might have been a closely guarded secret to others, but to Orochimaru, it was hardly classified information. For that reason, Danzo didn't hesitate to bring him to see the remains of Senju Hashirama.
"Open it," Danzo ordered.
Two Root operatives stepped forward, quickly unlocking the thick chains and removing the seals. As the heavy locks clicked open, the solid lid of the coffin was lifted.
Inside lay the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, a black-haired man dressed in simple trousers but shirtless, his body unnervingly well-preserved.
Orochimaru stepped forward slowly, his golden eyes studying the legendary figure in the coffin. Even he couldn't help but marvel. This truly is the God of the Shinobi World, he thought.
Even in death, Hashirama's body radiated an otherworldly vitality.
His cells continued to regenerate and reproduce, a phenomenon unheard of in normal humans. Uchiha Madara had bitten off a piece of Hashirama's flesh in the past, and even Danzo had once grafted the cells onto his own body. Yet now, Hashirama's body appeared completely whole, with no sign of the previous wounds.
It was miraculous.
Of course, Orochimaru wasn't surprised that Hashirama's body hadn't decayed. Preservation techniques were common enough, and if ordinary ninja could preserve corpses, it was no stretch to assume Konoha's upper echelon had access to far more advanced methods.
Orochimaru reached out, his hand glowing faintly with chakra. Without hesitation, he placed his palm on Hashirama's forehead.
"Orochimaru, what are you doing?" Danzo asked sharply, frowning as he watched.
"Nothing much," Orochimaru replied calmly. "Just checking something."
"Checking? Checking what?" Danzo asked, his suspicion growing. Does he think the First Hokage is still alive?
"It's… difficult to explain," Orochimaru said vaguely, withdrawing his hand.
In truth, he had been probing for traces of Asura's chakra within Hashirama's body.
Orochimaru still wasn't entirely certain what Asura and Indra's chakras were in essence. Were they simply a type of energy, or did they represent something physical?
According to his understanding of how Uchiha Madara awakened the Rinnegan, Madara's chakra was tied to Indra, while Hashirama's chakra belonged to Asura.
But if both had died, did that chakra still exist?
If it did, how could it reincarnate into others?
And if it didn't, then why did Hashirama's cells still exhibit such astonishing vitality? Surely that vitality was tied to Asura's chakra, yet it continued to thrive even now.
Orochimaru sighed and shook his head, pushing the thought aside. This wasn't something he could resolve at the moment.
"I'll need a larger sample this time," he said finally, his voice steady. "Twice the amount as last time."
Danzo nodded and motioned for the operatives to proceed. One of them stepped forward and carefully cut a piece of flesh from Hashirama's arm, placing it into a specialized potion vial.
After undergoing further processing and sealing, the sample was ready. Orochimaru and Danzo left the secret chamber together.
With Orochimaru's expertise, there was technically no need to repeatedly obtain fresh samples. Through cloning and cell division, he could regenerate unlimited quantities of the cells.
However, the small amount of material he'd obtained previously had been largely used up. Cultivating more with what remained would have been time-consuming and inefficient, so it made sense to collect additional material while he had the opportunity.
This time, the quantity should be sufficient.
---
The days that followed were consumed by experiments.
Orochimaru spent most of his time shuttling between Konoha and his laboratory, focusing on refining his genetic modification techniques.
His approach was straightforward: use diluted genetic enhancement fluid to improve the children's physiques gradually.
Genetic modification was distinct from genetic fusion. The goal wasn't to create a perfect transformation, but rather to establish a strong foundational physique.
A single dose of the primary enhancement fluid, when diluted, could strengthen nearly ten subjects. It was an efficient and relatively low-cost method, though Danzo bore the financial burden entirely.
Unbeknownst to Danzo, Orochimaru was using his proprietary strengthening fluid for the experiments.
Danzo provided three groups of children in total, each consisting of about eight individuals. Orochimaru divided them into separate batches for transformation, ensuring he could closely monitor their progress.
For half a year, Orochimaru remained grounded, unable to venture far due to the need for daily observations and meticulous record-keeping.
---
Six months later, on a remote mountaintop several miles from Konoha, the ground was littered with craters and debris.
Two figures a man and a woman faced off in the clearing.
"Take this!" Tsunade shouted, her fist slamming into the earth with a thunderous impact.
The ground trembled under the force, splitting into wide fissures as the shockwave spread.
Orochimaru nimbly leapt backward, avoiding the brunt of the attack. "Tsunade, your punches are powerful, I'll give you that," he said with a smirk. "But your speed leaves much to be desired."
"Stop running your mouth and fight me properly!" Tsunade retorted, pushing off the ground with her toes and launching herself high into the air.
With a resounding cry, she came crashing down like a meteor, her fist smashing into the ground and leaving a massive crater nearly 100 meters wide. The shockwave sent rocks and debris flying in all directions.
Standing amidst the chaos, Tsunade flexed her fingers. "Ever since I awakened my sage body, my strength's grown exponentially. You know what'll happen if I land a clean hit on you, don't you, Orochimaru?"
"Don't worry," Orochimaru replied smoothly, dodging the attack with ease. "I won't give you that chance."
Before Tsunade could respond, she noticed something unusual.
The dust began to clear, revealing countless glimmering blades hovering in midair.
"What… are those?" Tsunade murmured, her eyes widening as she recognized the iconic shape. "Kusanagi blades? So many?"
With a confident smile, Orochimaru gestured toward the floating swords. "Do you know what I call this move?"
"What?"
"I call it Ten Thousand Swords Formation."
With a flick of his wrist, the swarm of Kusanagi swords descended toward Tsunade in an unrelenting wave, their sharp edges glinting menacingly.
The sheer scale of the attack left no room for escape.
The sound of blades slicing through the air filled the clearing as the ground, already battered, was further torn apart by the onslaught.
"Don't expect me to hold back just because we're married," Orochimaru called out, his voice laced with playful mockery.
"Ha! You think you can beat me with a cheap trick like this?" Tsunade's voice rang out defiantly from within the smoke and debris.
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, intrigued by her confidence.
As the dust settled, his curiosity turned into genuine surprise.
Standing amidst the wreckage was a massive, otherworldly gate, its design both imposing and ominous.
"This… Rashomon?!" Orochimaru exclaimed. "When did you learn that technique?"