Called by the Hokage

The two of them did not communicate much.

Orochimaru merely introduced all the necessary instruments for the experiment and then began dissecting the human body on the operating table.

Human anatomy is a very complicated task, and a small mistake can ruin the entire experiment.

Therefore, he had to take it seriously.

Shintaro found that once Orochimaru started the experiment, he would show an obsession and concentration.

This state was very familiar to him, as he was like this when fighting.

"Bone scissors."

Orochimaru extended his hand.

Shintaro immediately took the required tool from among the many instruments and handed it to him.

Orochimaru had peeled back the skin and flesh of the human test subject and began working on the bones.

If he wanted to complete the soft tissue transformation, the bone modification was a top priority.

The first thing Orochimaru modified was the neck bones. He altered the seven original neck bones and added numerous fine joints connecting them.

This allowed the neck bones, which originally had limited stretching ability, to stretch several times.

Two hours later, the transformation was complete.

At this point, Shintaro asked aloud, "The bones can be modified, but what about the skin and flesh?"

Orochimaru set down the instrument in his hand and replied, "Good question."

As he spoke, he walked to the medical refrigerator and took out a syringe with a green solution inside.

Orochimaru said while walking, "This is the answer to that problem, a flesh plasticizer."

He went to the breeding room and took out a white mouse.

Part of this syringe was injected into the mouse's body.

The mice returned to normal after struggling for some time, and nothing seemed unusual.

Curious, Shintaro used the Six Eyes to observe the changes in the mouse's body.

The flesh plasticizer had some kind of chakra power and quickly integrated into the mouse's body.

Orochimaru then put the syringe away, held the mouse in one hand, and squeezed its head with the other.

The white mouse squeaked in fear.

He pulled with his hand and broke the mouse's neck bone, but the mouse's skin and flesh were completely intact.

Orochimaru continued pulling, and the skin on the mouse's neck stretched to more than thirty centimeters without breaking.

The transformed mouse's skin became very strong, not only able to withstand such pulling but its defense had also increased significantly.

Orochimaru casually discarded the mouse and said, "The flesh plasticizer combined with the bone modification technology I'm researching is a complete soft tissue modification technique."

"As expected from Orochimaru-sama." Shintaro praised.

Orochimaru ignored the praise and asked, "Shintaro-kun, do you think life is fragile?"

"Of course it's fragile." Shintaro replied.

Even he, who possessed the Limitless Technique, could still die if attacked stealthily.

If he wanted to make his life less fragile, he would probably have to master the Reverse Cursed Technique.

"Yes, life is so fragile that I have been thinking of ways to make it less fragile. Soft tissue transformation is one of them."

Shintaro understood that this was Orochimaru's initial intention in developing this secret technique.

"Shintaro-kun, are you willing to help me? I need your assistance." Orochimaru turned and asked.

He seemed to be confiding in him, which was a sign of extreme trust.

However, Shintaro did not accept this trick and merely used it as a way to brainwash him.

Shintaro replied, "As an assistant, it is my duty."

Orochimaru said nothing more, nodded slightly, and continued his experiment.

This experiment completed the transformation of the upper body and lasted for a full six hours.

He seemed dissatisfied with the progress but had no choice but to give up as it was very late.

"Even if the bone modification of the entire body is completed and the addition of the flesh plasticizer, it is just the initial stage of what I hope for. The real soft tissue modification should have no limits and not be confined to bones, flesh, and blood."

Orochimaru's eyes reddened after undergoing the intensive experiment, but he couldn't hide his excitement.

Shintaro watched him in silence.

After Orochimaru returned from his reverie, he explained a few things to him.

For instance, Shintaro was usually free to do other tasks, but if he could not return on Sundays, he needed to make a note in advance on the bulletin board outside the institute.

Similarly, whether Orochimaru was at the institute on Sundays and whether Shintaro was needed would also be noted on the bulletin board.

After all, Orochimaru did not have free time every week. He was one of the Sannin of Konoha, so he would only be busier than Shintaro.

After that, Shintaro left the research institute.

In the research institute, Orochimaru's vertical pupils stared at the dissected corpse as if gazing at unparalleled beauty.

"Soft tissue transformation... Hehe, this is just the beginning."

His dream was to learn all the techniques in the world, and soft tissue transformation was just one of them.

Not long after Shintaro left the Research Institute, he was stopped by an ANBU ninja wearing a mask.

"Uchiha Shintaro, you are called by the Hokage."

Shintaro was slightly surprised; he had not met the Hokage for several years since coming to Konoha.

This was the first time he was called by the Hokage.

He used the Six Eyes to confirm that the person in front of him was indeed a Konoha ANBU, so he followed the ANBU to the Hokage Building.

In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen exhaled while reviewing documents, waiting.

Shintaro entered the office under the lead of ANBU.

Hiruzen then stopped what he was doing, looked at Shintaro, and said, "I heard you became Orochimaru's assistant?"

"Reporting to Hokage-sama, that is correct. Orochimaru-sama personally recruited me, so of course, I did not dare to refuse." Shintaro answered respectfully.

"Haha, it seems Orochimaru appreciates your talent." Hiruzen smiled, old wrinkles already visible on his face.

"Orochimaru is my most proud student. He is a genius who only appears once in decades. You can learn a lot by following him."

He added, "By the way, you are very similar to Orochimaru. You have shown talent since you were a teenager. That is why I called you here this time."

Shintaro thought: 'Finally, getting to business.'

The way Hiruzen spoke was by talking about irrelevant things before finally introducing the main topic.

Shintaro hated this behavior. It reminded him of some senior officials of the Gojo family in his previous life.

However, with Shintaro's current qualifications, he could not argue, so he could only ask, pretending to be respectful, "Do you want to assign me a task, Hokage-sama?"

Hiruzen answered again indirectly, "Lately, all countries have been restless, and activities in Sunagakure Village have been rampant."

Information indicated that Sunagakure Village had activities in the Land of Rivers between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire.

"But it would not be good for Konoha to openly send people to investigate, so as not to aggravate the conflict between the two countries. Therefore, I plan to send a trusted four-person mid-level Genin team to the Land of Rivers, under the pretext of a B-level mission to eradicate rogue ninja in Tanigakure, and secretly investigate the movements of Sunagakure ninja in the Land of Rivers."