Chapter 99

Hiruzen held the meeting to distribute the weakened genetic enhancement fluid, and it felt a lot like a company CEO handing out bonuses to employees. And in many ways, that wasn't too far from the truth.

Konoha had been founded on the strength of two major clans, Senju and Uchiha with the rest of the families and civilian ninjas coming to seek protection and opportunity. The structure wasn't all that different from the early stages of a company being formed. Hiruzen was the third CEO, while Danzo and the other village elders were the board of directors. The clan heads were like shareholders or department heads, each with their own interests and influence.

Later that night, after the meeting had ended, Danzo made his way to Orochimaru's laboratory outside Konoha, his face showing a hint of displeasure.

"Orochimaru, you shouldn't have given Hiruzen so many of those genetic enhancement potions!" Danzo complained, his tone dripping with dissatisfaction.

Orochimaru, who was busy examining a test tube, barely glanced at him. "Oh? And why's that?"

Danzo scowled. "He used them to strengthen his influence with the clans. His position is becoming more unshakable!"

Orochimaru paused, then gave Danzo a sidelong glance. This guy… he thought, somewhat amused. He's really upset over this?

It was clear to Orochimaru why Danzo had failed to surpass Sarutobi for the position of Hokage. His vision was so narrow, constantly getting caught up in small grievances. He lacked the broader strategy needed to secure true, lasting power.

Lately, Danzo had begun to believe that he had successfully brainwashed Orochimaru, so he felt more comfortable openly expressing his ambitions in front of him. And Orochimaru had played along, never showing any signs of disloyalty.

"That may be true," Orochimaru replied, still sounding nonchalant. "But even without these potions, Sensei's position would continue to solidify. The village is at peace for now, and his approval is high."

Danzo wasn't placated. "Even so, you gave him too many!" He crossed his arms in frustration, still grumbling.

Orochimaru quickly understood where this was going. Danzo's real problem wasn't Sarutobi's increasing influence it was that Orochimaru had given the Hokage so many potions while seemingly leaving Danzo with nothing.

Ah, so that's what this is about, Orochimaru mused silently. He's upset I didn't save any for him.

Smiling inwardly, Orochimaru reached under his workbench and pulled out a small iron box, placing it in front of Danzo.

Danzo's eyes lit up momentarily, but his face remained as stoic as ever. After all, as the head of Root, he couldn't show his emotions so easily.

"Orochimaru, you have more of these?"

"Of course not," Orochimaru replied smoothly. "This box is just for you, Danzo-sama. I wouldn't deceive my own teacher so brazenly if it weren't to support you."

Danzo's expression relaxed slightly, though his suspicion seemed to melt away completely. Orochimaru's words had hit just the right note, and Danzo believed him without further questioning.

In truth, Orochimaru had prepared for this. He knew Danzo would become suspicious if he handed everything over to Hiruzen, so he had made sure to keep some potions aside just for him. After all, maintaining good relations with Danzo could be just as useful as aligning with the Hokage.

"Orochimaru, you never fail to impress me," Danzo said with a slight nod of approval, his tone finally softening.

Orochimaru didn't respond, instead turning back to his experiments. He knew when to stay quiet, there was no need to say too much. Danzo had what he wanted, and Orochimaru's silence kept him content.

Danzo, satisfied with his "share," opened the iron box and found Five bottles of the genetic enhancement fluid inside. It wasn't as much as Hiruzen had received, but it was more than enough for his purposes.

Without another word, Danzo took the box and left the laboratory, his mood considerably improved.

As soon as the door shut behind him, Orochimaru allowed himself a small, amused smile.

He's treating those defective potions like treasure, Orochimaru thought with a chuckle.

"It's almost entertaining."

In reality, the potions he'd given to Danzo were of lower quality, defective batches that wouldn't work as well as the ones Hiruzen received. But Danzo didn't know that, and he was content with what he'd been given.

For Orochimaru, the advantages of aligning with Danzo far outweighed the risks. While Hiruzen was Konoha's official leader, Danzo was the shadow lurking behind the scenes. And one day, Danzo might even grant Orochimaru access to something as valuable as the Scroll of Seals.

The potions themselves didn't matter much to Orochimaru. They were defects of the weakened versions that only worked on the first dose and didn't hold any personal value to him beyond their use as a tool for negotiation.

Still, it amused him to see how much weight Danzo and the others placed on something that Orochimaru had already moved past.

***

Time passed as Orochimaru continued his research. Konoha gathered statistics on the effectiveness of the genetic enhancement fluids, and the results were generally favorable. The chakra increase varied from 20% to 100%, though there were some fluctuations depending on the individual.

Orochimaru had already expected this and offered a logical explanation for the variance: "The more someone's chakra increases, the weaker their genetic structure was to begin with. Conversely, those who experience a smaller increase had better genes to begin with."

It was a reasonable explanation, and the village accepted it without issue.

However, not everyone was pleased. Tsunade, for instance, had her chakra increase by 40%, while Jiraiya's increase was only around 30%. This discrepancy drove her mad.

"Does this mean Jiraiya's genes are better than mine?" Tsunade had complained to Orochimaru, clearly frustrated.

Orochimaru had to suppress a sigh. Really? This again?

In reality, the potions he'd given to both Tsunade and Jiraiya were the best quality ones he had. His own chakra increase was 50%, and he hadn't complained. Tsunade's 40% boost was actually among the best in Konoha, but she seemed hung up on the idea that Jiraiya's results meant something about their genetic superiority.

Still, Orochimaru didn't care too much about the complaints. He was already working on something far more advanced. His personal experiments with the First Hokage's cells were going well, and he was confident that his own genetic enhancements would soon far surpass anything he had distributed so far.

***

Months passed, and soon, half a year had flown by.

One afternoon, in a secret experimental base located five kilometers outside of Konoha, Orochimaru stood before a small cage, a satisfied smile on his face.

Inside the cage was a white mouse, which he had been experimenting on for weeks.

"Alright, show me what you can do," Orochimaru said, his voice calm but expectant.

The mouse seemed to understand his command. It stood upright on its hind legs, put its front paws together, then stretched out one paw suddenly.

Whoosh!

A small wooden splinter, no bigger than a chopstick, shot out from the mouse's paw.

"Finally…" Orochimaru whispered, a smile spreading across his face. "Wood Release."

A system notification rang in his mind: [Ding, the genetic modification experiment was successful. Technology at this stage: Cloning technology. The next stage of technology: advanced genetic enhancement fluid.]

"Haha, it's finally done!" Orochimaru laughed softly to himself, watching the mouse carefully.

Although it had only produced a small piece of wood, it was still Wood Release a testament to the success of the genetic modification.

For this particular experiment, Orochimaru had opted to use mice as his test subjects. Since the purpose was simply to unlock the next stage of technology, he didn't need to perform the modifications on humans. Mice had shorter life cycles and grew faster, making them ideal for testing.

Out of the 102 mice he had used in the experiment, only one had survived to adulthood and successfully demonstrated the ability to use Wood Release. While the success rate was low, one survivor was enough for Orochimaru's purposes.

With this experiment completed, the cloning technology was unlocked, and more importantly, the advanced genetic enhancement fluid was now within reach.