Chapter 166: Coveted Eyes! [Bonus Chapter]

The day after receiving news of the Third Raikage's death, the Cloud Village forces retreated once again. However, Konoha did not pursue them; instead, they also received orders to withdraw, pulling back from the Land of the Moon to within the borders of the Land of Fire.

Along with the retreat order came a summon for Shūichi Hoshita and Minato Namikaze to return to the village.

Shūichi wasn't surprised by this. With the AB duo withdrawing from the front lines, there was no need for him and his teacher, Minato, to stay at the Cloud battlefield. Their power was now surplus.

On the way back to the village, Minato suddenly revealed to Shūichi, "Shūichi, after the war ends, I might take over as the Fourth Hokage."

Seeing that Shūichi didn't show any sign of surprise, Minato couldn't help but remark, "It seems you predicted this a long time ago? You're as sharp as ever!"

Shūichi smiled. "At this point, no one in Konoha is more suited for the position than you, sensei."

Curious, Minato asked, "Why do you think that?"

"Sure, Jiraiya-sensei and Lady Tsunade are out of the question, but what about Orochimaru? He seems quite capable too, right?"

Shūichi shook his head. "Orochimaru is too fixated on his research into ninjutsu. You must have sensed that his chakra has changed, haven't you?"

Minato nodded. "It's true. He no longer feels... human."

Shūichi hit the nail on the head. "Someone who has lost their moral compass in pursuit of forbidden ninjutsu would be a terrifying Hokage. It would send the village spiraling into chaos, toward an unknown future.

"Besides, Orochimaru has Danzo behind him. The Third Hokage knows better than anyone how dangerous Danzo is—too aggressive and ruthless, both internally and externally."

"If those two joined forces, who knows what horrors Konoha would face. And, Orochimaru isn't someone who can be controlled easily. He might not even want to be Hokage."

Minato pondered over this and then asked, "Shūichi, what do you think should be done about Orochimaru?"

After considering, Shūichi replied, "Sensei, are you aware that Danzo and Orochimaru have been experimenting with the First Hokage's cells?"

Minato's expression turned serious. "I've had some suspicions, but most of it I figured out from you."

Shūichi nodded. "We don't know all the details yet, and Orochimaru claims the experiment failed. But there's no doubt—it must have involved human experimentation."

"If they used Root as the base for their experiments, there wouldn't be enough enemy shinobi for such tests. And after their last failure, Orochimaru would definitely try something different."

"Based on intel I've gathered in the Anbu, they've likely been targeting villagers nearby, including children."

Minato's face darkened. "If the experiment failed, then those people..."

Shūichi said nothing, but his silence was answer enough. "Human experimentation often ends that way. That's why I've never used the power of tailed beasts or the First Hokage's cells lightly."

"Still, there's no denying that Orochimaru has made incredible advancements in his research on the First Hokage's cells. The failure may have been bad luck."

"The issue isn't the research itself but the methods and the lack of oversight."

Hearing this, Minato understood Shūichi's stance.

Shūichi then changed the subject. "Sensei, are you familiar with the Gekkō clan?"

Minato was quick to catch on. "You're talking about Hayate Gekkō, who awakened the Transperent Escape Kekkei Genkai but is now suffering from a hereditary bloodline illness, right?"

Shūichi nodded. "Exactly. Even replacing his lungs can't fully cure him, which means he'll need constant transplants. But there aren't enough lungs to go around."

"However, the First Hokage's cells might be the solution. While they won't cure him completely, they could allow him to live normally."

"Controlling the First Hokage's cells is extremely difficult, but Orochimaru's research has made what seemed impossible a reality."

When Hayate's bloodline illness first arose, Shūichi's initial thought was body modification, an idea that stemmed from Orochimaru. His second thought was to use the First Hokage's cells.

Of course, it wasn't a matter of simply transplanting the cells into Hayate, as his body couldn't handle them. Unless... he also received a pair of Sharingan.

Instead of directly transplanting the cells, Shūichi planned to weaken them and blend them with Hayate's cells, then use that mixture to cultivate and clone a pair of lungs tailored for Hayate.

Orochimaru had made great strides in weakening the First Hokage's cells, and his cloning technology was unmatched in the shinobi world.

It wasn't called "cloning" now, though. The term was "cell cultivation." Examples of this were the Eight-Tails horn and the Four-Tails' tail currently being cultivated.

Minato didn't fully understand the science behind these experiments, so Shūichi explained it in simple terms, including the First Hokage cell research he was conducting with Tsunade.

Shūichi wasn't defending Orochimaru but trying to secure support from the future Fourth Hokage.

Minato smiled. "Don't worry, if the Third Hokage approves it, I won't oppose it either."

"If you can develop the kind of technology you're talking about—cloning organs, or even limbs—then many shinobi who have lost body parts can return to active duty."

Shūichi nodded. "Exactly. It could also cure many illnesses."

Minato then asked, "Do you think that body modification you mentioned could really help Hayate?"

Shūichi replied cautiously, "It can only solve part of the problem, giving him an alternate way to breathe and enhancing his lung function."

He had in mind using Orochimaru's soft-body modification techniques, but it was still just a rough concept, not fully fleshed out yet.

Still, Shūichi had learned a lot from Orochimaru, and he was confident he could modify Hayate's body.

The two of them continued their discussion as they made their way back to Konoha.

After meeting with Hiruzen Sarutobi outside the Hokage office, Minato smiled and said, "Shūichi, I really hope all your ideas come to fruition."

"It looks like I'll need to work even harder now!"

Feigning seriousness, Shūichi replied, "Then, sensei, I'm counting on you to make it happen!"

Minato chuckled, patting Shūichi on the shoulder. "Don't forget to visit Kushina. She's been missing you."

"And I've also brought the ninjutsu you asked for; it's at my house."

Shūichi quickly said, "I'll visit Kushina-san tomorrow."

Minato nodded and vanished.

Shūichi also headed home, eager to return after being away for so long.

It had been over half a year since he'd last been home!

...

Inside Orochimaru's laboratory, he calmly tended to his experimental equipment while listening to Danzo's words.

"Hiruzen stepping down is inevitable. When the time comes, I will propose you as the Fourth Hokage during my meeting with the Daimyo," Danzo said.

"However, besides gaining the Daimyo's approval, you'll also need to win the Jōnin vote."

"Make sure to move around and build relationships during this time, especially with Jiraiya and Tsunade."

Orochimaru chuckled softly after hearing this. "I shouldn't have any strong competitors, should I?"

"Minato is too young."

Danzo cautioned, "Don't get overconfident. Once you secure the Hokage position, your research into forbidden jutsu and your experiments will face no more obstacles."

Orochimaru wasn't a child; he knew that even as Hokage, he couldn't do whatever he pleased.

But Danzo was right about one thing: the vast collection of forbidden jutsu Konoha had in its possession.

At the moment, he could only sneak peeks at them.

If he became Hokage, there would be no restrictions.

After finishing with his equipment, Orochimaru suddenly shifted the topic, smiling. "I've come up with a new idea for suppressing the power of the First Hokage's cells."

Danzo immediately stopped his rambling, his eyes locking onto Orochimaru. "What idea?"

"Does it involve more test subjects?"

Orochimaru chuckled softly. "Not this time. It's different."

"You must be quite familiar with the Sharingan, right?"

Danzo's eyes narrowed. "The Sharingan?"

"You mean the Uchiha clan?"

Orochimaru nodded. "The First Hokage possessed immense Yang Release power, and I believe that the only thing capable of suppressing the power of his cells might be a Kekkei Genkai like the Sharingan."

"In fact, it was Shūichi who reminded me of this, prompting me to focus on spiritual energy, which led me to notice the Uchiha clan's Sharingan."

During the battle at the Iwa battlefield, many Uchiha who had been transferred from the Mist frontlines had fought. Orochimaru had observed several of them.

He had even witnessed the evolution of the Uchiha's Sharingan firsthand. The sinister chakra that came with it left a deep impression on him.

Danzo frowned. "The Sharingan of the Uchiha clan isn't just about Yin Release."

Though Danzo coveted the Uchiha's eyes himself—he even had one implanted in his own body—he found the idea of combining the First Hokage's cells with the Uchiha's eyes somewhat far-fetched.

He even suspected Orochimaru was simply interested in obtaining the Uchiha's eyes for his own purposes through Danzo.

But Orochimaru, confident as ever, replied, "You're right. The Sharingan is more than just Yin Release, but it is primarily driven by Yin Release—or, more precisely, by spiritual energy."

"You haven't forgotten Shūichi's theory, have you?"

"Besides, the essence of chakra is spiritual energy controlling the physical body!"

Danzo was persuaded, nodding in agreement. "I understand. I'll prepare the materials you need."

Orochimaru nodded, adding a reminder. "Make sure to collect samples from all stages of development."

Danzo nodded once more, then turned to leave the laboratory. But as he reached the door, he paused and turned back. "Put more effort into securing the Hokage position. Don't take it lightly!"

Orochimaru responded calmly, "Don't worry, I understand."

...

After a long, relaxing bath, Shūichi felt completely refreshed, like he had come back to life. At that moment, Asuka was already busy in the kitchen.

As he dried his hair, Shūichi leaned against the doorframe, watching Asuka—who was wearing a floral dress and an apron—moving about. He smiled and said, "It's been such a long time since I had a meal cooked by you, Asuka. This time, I'm going to eat until I'm full."

Asuka turned around with a bright smile, "Then I'll make extra!"

"Why don't you go call Director Nonō back so we can all eat together?"

Nonō Yakushi and Shizune had also returned from the frontlines, and Shūichi could sense their chakra nearby.

After chatting with Asuka for a bit, Shūichi took a walk around Konoha Hospital. He arranged with Nonō and Shizune to have dinner together, then made his way to the laboratory.

Sure enough, Tsunade was there.

However, when she looked up and saw Shūichi—who had grown taller than her—Tsunade froze for a moment: When did this brat get so tall?

Seeing Tsunade's expression, Shūichi couldn't help but feel smug. "Lady Tsunade, what's the matter? Don't recognize me?"

Tsunade snorted coldly and retorted sarcastically, "I thought you'd have died on the battlefield by now, always showing off like that!"

Shūichi stepped beside her and swung the necklace around his neck. "I've got your blessing, Lady Tsunade. How could I die so easily on the battlefield?"

Tsunade glanced at the necklace, her expression still cold. "I heard you're supposed to return the tailed beast. That means you're still bound to die."

"Three years—isn't your confidence a little too high?"

"Making promises you haven't even fulfilled yet?"

Shūichi, brimming with confidence, replied, "It probably won't even take three years!"

"I've already mastered the Spirit Transformation Technique, and I've developed the Spiritual Clone Technique based on it."

"On top of that, I've learned the Shiki Fūjin sealing technique and created a new sealing jutsu, the Fire Nether Chains."

"Now, all that's left is refining the technique to seal souls, and I'll be able to split the tailed beasts."

Tsunade listened, frowning.

Shūichi continued, "And, worst-case scenario, even if I can't perfect the sealing jutsu, I have a backup plan."

"Surely, you haven't forgotten about the Eight-Tails' horn we're developing, right?"

"By implanting the horn, it'll be enough to keep me alive after the tailed beast is extracted."

Of course, he wasn't about to tell her that he planned to eat the Eight-Tails' horn—it sounded a bit too strange.

Tsunade relaxed slightly and snorted, "As long as you know what you're doing."

Shūichi grinned and changed the subject, "How's the research on the First Hokage's cells going?"

Tsunade smiled a little. "It's going well. That guy Orochimaru has made significant progress."

"I've managed to weaken my grandfather's cells' activity, but it's still tricky for us to replicate the process."

Shūichi encouraged her, "Once you've taken this step, you're not far from success."

Tsunade nodded. "The earlier experimental data has already been organized. You can pick it up yourself."

"I've also preserved the cultivated samples. You know where to find them."

Shūichi nodded and left the lab, but instead of going straight to the data on Hashirama's cells, he headed to the Tailed Beast Cell Cultivation Chamber.

This was where they were cultivating the Four-Tails' tail and the Eight-Tails' horn.

With Orochimaru's previous research as a foundation, the Eight-Tails' horn had already grown to the height of a person.

The Four-Tails' tail, meanwhile, was as long as an arm.

Shūichi muttered to himself, "At this point, I don't need to eat it all, do I?"

Previously, when they hadn't captured the Four-Tails, he had thought about eating an entire tail to boost the chakra capacity of his miniature Four-Tails.

However, now that the parts had been cultivated, they wouldn't go to waste. Parts of the tailed beasts' bodies were incredibly useful for experiments.

Like for cloning experiments—or more specifically, targeted cloning!

With that thought, Shūichi retrieved the Eight-Tails' horn from the cultivation container and infused it with his Eight-Tails chakra.

As expected, the horn quickly absorbed the chakra and began to grow rapidly.

By the time about one-tenth of his chakra had been drained, the horn finally stopped growing, having reached its complete form.

"Hmm, maybe I'll sneak in later tonight to eat it..."

"Actually, why not just eat a bit now?"

Shūichi unsheathed the Totsuka Blade and sliced off a small piece from the tip of the Eight-Tails' horn.

After putting away his sword, he opened his mouth, stretched his jaw a bit, then closed his eyes and took a bite.

Crunch!

Huh?

It wasn't as bad as he'd expected.

Not bad at all!

(End of Chapter)

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