41

The new technique being developed once again left Orochimaru astonished.

"What an incredible idea!" he thought, his excitement barely contained. It completely broke away from traditional frameworks, approaching the problem from an angle others would never even consider, aiming sharply at a much higher level of mastery.

"Tomorrow, let's approach the Third Hokage with our application," Orochimaru suggested, taking a deep breath.

"Sure," Nara Shintaku agreed with a smile.

---

The next day, they both arrived at the Hokage's office, application forms in hand.

"You want chakra metal?" The Third Hokage listened to their request and nodded without hesitation. "Of course, no problem!" he said. "Are you planning to create specialized ninja tools? Do you want me to connect you with a master craftsman from the Land of Iron?"

He raised his hand, ready to sign the warrant, but both Nara Shintaku and Orochimaru shook their heads with a smile.

"Sensei, we're not making ninja tools," Orochimaru replied.

"Please take a look at this, sir," Nara Shintaku added, handing over a stack of application forms.

The Third Hokage blinked in surprise. "Why so many?" he muttered as he flipped through them, growing even more confused. Not only had Nara Shintaku and Orochimaru applied for chakra metal, but the forms also included names like Tsunade, Jiraiya, Namikaze Minato, Uzumaki Kushina, and the heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans. They had applied for large quantities of chakra metal on behalf of all these individuals, collectively requesting nearly half of the village's entire inventory!

"Chakra-conducting metal is usually used sparingly," the Third Hokage said, his eyelids twitching. "What's the purpose of so much?"

"We're developing a new ninjutsu," Nara Shintaku explained.

"A new ninjutsu?" The Third Hokage was puzzled. What kind of ninjutsu required such vast amounts of chakra-conducting metal? He had never heard of such a thing. Instinctively, he doubted their claims, but recalling their breakthroughs in natural energy and spiritual transformation, he hesitated to dismiss the idea outright.

"Well…" After a moment of contemplation, the Third Hokage gritted his teeth and signed the forms. "Here you go," he said. "But don't waste it! The village doesn't have much of this in stock. The amount you're asking for could forge twenty high-performance ninja tools!"

Nara Shintaku and Orochimaru promptly headed to the village's storage warehouse to retrieve the chakra metal.

As for the Third Hokage's warning not to abuse the materials? They simply ignored it.

"What does he mean by abuse? This is for important research!" they thought.

---

At the warehouse, the manager nearly fainted when he saw the signed warrant.

"One hundred grams of chakra-conducting metal!?" he exclaimed, his eyes wide with shock. "That's half of the current stock!"

Seeing Orochimaru and Nara Shintaku before him, both renowned figures in Konoha, he was too intimidated to refuse. But unsure if this request was legitimate, he asked them to wait while he sent someone to confirm the order with the Hokage's office.

After a few rounds of verification, the manager reluctantly opened the warehouse and handed over the 100 grams of chakra-conducting metal. Apologizing profusely, he added, "I'm sorry, but that amount is an awful lot…"

"It's fine," Nara Shintaku said calmly, accepting the metal. He and Orochimaru left without another word, leaving the warehouse manager to mutter to himself.

"One hundred grams of chakra metal… What I wouldn't give to have even a fraction of that," one of the staff sighed.

"Don't even think about it. That stuff is priceless," another worker replied. "Even a single gram makes a huge difference in a weapon's performance."

"What kind of weapon could Orochimaru and Shintaku be developing that requires so much chakra metal?" someone else wondered.

"Could they be trying to make something like the Seven Ninja Swords of the Mist?"

---

In Orochimaru's private laboratory, Nara Shintaku and Orochimaru sat facing each other. They had divided the chakra-conducting metal into two portions, 50 grams each.

In the hands of ordinary people, this material was incredibly valuable. But to researchers like them, it was simply another special material to experiment with.

"Let's get started," Nara Shintaku said.

"Yes!" Orochimaru nodded eagerly, his eyes filled with anticipation. Nara Shintaku's concept had him thrilled. If they succeeded in developing this technique, the results would be extraordinary. Orochimaru was already intoxicated by the idea, the satisfaction and thrill of pushing the boundaries of ninjutsu consuming him.

The two immediately set to work, refining the technique they had dubbed the Soul-Exclusive Weapon.

---

"What's the core idea behind this technique, Shintaku?" Orochimaru asked, frowning as he reviewed the scroll. "I've read your notes, but I still don't fully grasp it. Why is it called the Soul-Exclusive Weapon? What makes it exclusive?"

"You're familiar with the Uchiha clan's Mangekyō Sharingan, aren't you?" Nara Shintaku asked.

Orochimaru's eyes widened. "Of course."

"The Mangekyō reflects the user's soul and manifests a unique eye technique," Nara Shintaku continued. "That's the key concept here. The Uchiha clan uses their Sharingan as a vessel to reflect their inner selves. I intend to use chakra-conducting metal as the vessel, shaping it to reflect the wielder's mind and form a personalized weapon."

"Incredible!" Orochimaru exclaimed, his excitement palpable. "Don't you want to see the true reflection of your soul, Orochimaru?"

"Hahahaha, that's exactly what I want!" Orochimaru laughed.