Chapter 110

Hearing Danzo's words, Orochimaru was momentarily silent.

He understood this was how Danzo operated within Root. As a Root ninja, one was expected to have no name, no future, no emotions—only missions.

Emotions were considered burdens, stumbling blocks on the path to success.

But was having emotions really such a wrong path?

Orochimaru smiled faintly. "Don't worry, sir. Research always comes first for me."

"Good, good. Don't become like Hiruzen, indecisive and unfit to be Hokage at all!" Danzo's voice held disdain as he mentioned Sarutobi yet again.

It seemed like every conversation with Danzo inevitably led back to Hiruzen. At this point, he sounded like a bitter old woman, obsessively wishing for Hiruzen to step down so he could take the Hokage seat himself.

Only Danzo knew what it felt like to harbor great ambitions but lack the opportunity to realize them.

"Where's Nono?" Orochimaru was in no mood to entertain Danzo's grievances any longer.

"She should be in the dormitory area. That girl is quick with disguise techniques, sharp-minded, and stays calm under pressure. She'd make a better spy than an assistant."

"It doesn't matter. I'll teach her the basics for now. If there's time, I'll help her with more advanced training later."

"Is that so? Well, alright then. By the way, Orochimaru..." Danzo called out just as Orochimaru was about to leave. "Besides the combination of mental power and the First Hokage's cells, is there any other way?"

"There is, but it's not suitable for someone like you." Orochimaru replied without looking back.

"So, what's your current success rate with this method?"

"The technology is mature, and the success rate... is around 100%."

One hundred percent success rate?

How confident must Orochimaru be to claim that?

Danzo already knew that the technique was advanced and well-practiced, but he wanted to use it on himself. Still, even with his ambition, Danzo was not yet brave enough to attempt something so dangerous without a safety net.

The main issue was that Danzo lacked the Sharingan.

The Sharingan, the Uchiha clan's bloodline limit, was crucial for controlling the First Hokage's cells. Without it, the chances of failure were high. And despite his influence, Danzo couldn't simply steal the eyes of the Uchiha without causing trouble.

Byakugan from the Hyuga clan was another option, but it had its limitations and required taking the eyes from someone in the main family, a much more complicated task. Besides, the Hyuga clan's Byakugan, while valuable for reconnaissance, didn't compare to the potential of the Uchiha's Sharingan for Danzo's purposes.

Especially since he coveted techniques like Izanagi from the Uchiha's forbidden jutsu.

"Forget it. Keep me updated when there's more news," Danzo waved him off, already turning his attention to something else.

Orochimaru gave a small smile and left.

There was no need to tell Danzo that he had discovered a way to induce the Sharingan in ordinary people using Uchiha genes. Though once the genes fused, their benefits for Orochimaru would diminish, this method could still produce countless Sharingan.

Alternatively, after someone awakened the Sharingan, Orochimaru could use a cloning technique to replicate it, achieving the same result without draining the original eyes.

To Orochimaru, something as rare as the Sharingan for others was a near-limitless resource for his experiments.

At the Root's dormitory area where male and female ninjas were housed separately, Orochimaru strolled through freely, given the early hour.

"You're too weak! Do 200 more push-ups, and if you don't finish, you're not sleeping tonight!"

"Y-Yes…"

"Lan, isn't this too harsh?"

"Harsh? If she wants to be a member of Root, she can't be soft like those outsiders! I'm doing this for her own good."

"I get that, but—"

"There's no 'but.' If you feel sorry for her, then you can do the push-ups for her!"

As Orochimaru neared, he overheard this conversation. He glanced inside the room to see a small girl, wearing glasses, struggling through her exercises. Sweat dripped from her forehead, soaking her brown hair. Two female ninjas sat nearby one fully masked, the other with a scarred face watching her sternly. When they saw Orochimaru at the door, the masked one immediately stood up, her posture respectful.

"Lord Orochimaru!"

The scarred woman also jumped to her feet. "Lord Orochimaru!"

Ignoring them, Orochimaru looked at the girl. "What's going on here?"

"Um…"

"Forget it. Nono, come with me."

"Huh?" Nono hesitated, glancing nervously at the scarred woman.

The scarred woman snapped, "You heard Lord Orochimaru, didn't you?"

"Y-Yes!"

Nono stood quickly, a look of unease on her face, and hurried to Orochimaru's side. She was puzzled why had Orochimaru come for her? But she didn't dare ask and simply followed him in silence.

In Root, Orochimaru's authority was second only to Danzo's, and his power was considered terrifying. The scarred woman who often bullied her had shown immediate respect, a clear sign of Orochimaru's influence.

Nono knew all too well that only strength commanded respect here. That's why she had never spoken to Orochimaru directly before. She feared drawing attention to herself.

The two left the Root headquarters, and Orochimaru led her to his personal residence.

Entering his home, Nono's curiosity deepened. What did he want from her?

"Sit."

"N-No need, Lord Orochimaru. I-I'm fine standing!" Nonoyu stammered nervously.

At just nine years old, she had barely interacted with Orochimaru, and she couldn't guess what he was planning. The uncertainty made her anxious.

"Relax. I've no other reason for bringing you here," Orochimaru said calmly. "I've heard you've started studying medical ninjutsu recently?"

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru."

"How long have you been learning?"

"A little over two months."

"Just two months?" Orochimaru mused, then reached into a nearby drawer and pulled out a stack of papers. He handed them to her. "Take this. Study it when you have time, and let me know when you understand it."

"This is…?"

Nono flipped through the pages, confused. Before she could say anything, Orochimaru handed her a small vial of liquid.

"Take this, too."