Chapter 3: Mokuton

"Kai!" In the depths of the Forest of Death, Orochimaru formed the release seal.

Instantly, a wave of chakra was unleashed from his body, the lush forest in front of him began to ripple, and the Genjutsu dissipated.

Orochimaru continued to release the hidden traps and seals before entering the base. This is a secret research base created by him to conduct forbidden experiments.

The base is relatively small, with long hallways and dozens of rooms protected with seals to neutralize enemies or self-destruct along with everything inside.

...

After disabling another seal, I opened the door in front of me and saw a room I recognized as the main research laboratory.

"The ninja world can be cruel, no, rather this is its true face." I murmured, looking at the long row of capsules filled with a strange emerald-green liquid, inside, they contained people of all ages and traits.

As I approached, I saw a teenager around 17 years old, with black hair and delicate features.

After analyzing him for a while, I noticed he was an Uchiha, at the bottom of the capsule, there was a panel summarizing his information.

Isamu Uchiha, 17 years old, skilled in both Kenjutsu and Taijutsu, holds the rank of special Jounin, and possesses a two-tomoe Sharingan, which he awakened at the age of 15.

I looked at the additional information at the bottom, which stated that he died in an explosion after falling into an enemy trap.

The entire squad was wiped out, and his body could not be recovered, this was all reported by Root Anbu, who were tasked with accounting for the casualties.

This is a false report, of course, how they died or were captured is another story.

"Danzō, you miserable bastard..." I murmured, a bit disgusted.

Just think about it, you risk your life for the village and die by its own hands, It's even repugnant. "Forget it, let's do what we came to do."

With this, I took a kunai from my ninja pouch and threw it at the cultivation capsule, with a loud crash, the capsule shattered, and the liquid flooded the laboratory.

Fortunately, the depth didn't even reach the height of my ninja sandals.

I walked toward the young Uchiha, extended my hand, and touched his neck. "He's dead." I let out a sigh of relief.

At least I won't feel bad for what I'm about to do, deep down, I know it's still uncomfortable, but I also know this world only respects the strong.

"Predator." I murmured resolutely.

Instantly, a mass of dark energy extended from my palm and enveloped the boy, the mass of energy compressed and devoured him, returning everything to normal, the results I was expecting didn't take long to appear.

[ Complete analysis, Affinity [Fire (Duplicated)] Acquired, Affinity [Lightning (Duplicated)] Acquired ]

[ Compressed knowledge of Ninjutsu [Great Fireball] Acquired ]

[ Taijutsu Knowledge [Shadow of the Leaf] [Strong Fist] [Leaf Whirlwind] Acquired ]

[ Kenjutsu Knowledge [Lightning Slash] [Thunder Dragon Strike] [Lightning Rod Sword] [Phantom Dance] Acquired ]

[ Dōjutsu [Sharingan] Acquired, human mimicry [Isamu Uchiha] Acquired ]

"As I thought, I can obtain knowledge of Jutsus and Kekkei Genkai thanks to my Predator ability." A slight smile crossed my lips, my gamble was correct.

Of course, I'm referring to the suggestion I made to the village leadership, with this ability, the fastest way to strengthen myself is through war, and what better prey than the strongest enemy villages at the moment?

Going to war might cause more casualties for Konoha, but it's inevitable, in the war, casualties are the norm, you could wake up in the morning and be buried or dissected by the afternoon, if you don't want to die, then get stronger.

With this in mind, I walked to the next capsule, a girl from the Yamanaka clan, a twenty-year-old expert in Genjutsu, mastering nearly all the Yamanaka clan techniques, Rank: Elite Jounin.

"Missing in action..." This time, the death report was less detailed, but I could understand why, the fewer details, the fewer errors.

Wasting no time, I broke the capsule's glass again, after ensuring she was dead, I used Predator on her.

[ Complete analysis, Affinity [Wind (Duplicated)] Acquired ]

[ Compressed knowledge of Ninjutsu [Wind Blade] [Great Wind Breakthrough] [Multiple Wind Blades] [Void Whip] Acquired ]

[ Genjutsu [Intense Fear] [Petal Illusion] [Mental Palace] Acquired ]

[ Yamanaka Technique [Mind Transfer] [Mental Detection] [Mental Paralysis] [Heart Sense] [Mental Monitoring] [Mind Control] [Mental Explosion] [Telepathy Jutsu] [Mental Barrier] Acquired ]

[ Human mimicry [Inomari Yamanaka] Acquired ]

"That's the strength of an elite Jounin, I don't know how Danzō managed to eliminate her, but I'm surprised he was willing to hand over two Jounin from the village, though it's to be expected." I thought, recalling the deal I made with him.

In exchange for conducting some forbidden experiments, he would help me develop my new Jutsu, the Fushi Tensei, which allows me to transfer my soul into another person's body, in Konoha, the masters of soul transfer are undoubtedly the Yamanaka clan.

Thus, it was necessary to capture and interrogate some Yamanaka to speed up the research, Danzō, as the shadow of Konoha, is the only one who could do something like this without being skinned alive by the great clans.

This is partly due to the Root organization under his command and his favoritism with the current Hokage.

The development of the Jutsu is progressing well, and the next step is the final test, although it's no longer necessary, I immediately transformed into the Yamanaka girl using Mimicry.

With wheat-blonde hair, fair skin, and large feminine assets, she is a lethal weapon in war, instantly, I transformed into the Uchiha boy before returning to my original form.

The best part is the Yamanaka techniques. Although I already mastered some of them, like mental transmission, my control over them has now evolved, even if I weren't already a natural genius, I could easily improve my Ninjutsu using Predator.

A question crossed my mind, I quickly sent chakra to my eyes, which turned red, with two tomoe slowly appearing in them.

"Great, I can use the Sharingan without needing to use Mimicry." This is very convenient, at least I won't have to expend chakra to transform into someone else first to use Kekkei Genkai.

Then I walked to the next capsule, observing the third subject inside.

It appears to be a member of the Hyūga clan, with the characteristic dark hair and pale skin.

On the information panel, his details were displayed: a Chūnin with promising skills in Taijutsu and basic defensive techniques, along with the Byakugan, of course.

"Perfect." I whispered, approaching. I broke the capsule with another kunai and let the liquid spill out before using my Predator ability once more.

[ Complete analysis: Affinity [Earth (Duplicated)] Acquired ]

[ Taijutsu Knowledge [Gentle Fist Style] Acquired ]

[ Dōjutsu [Byakugan] Acquired ]

[ Clan Technique [Gentle Fist] [Basic Rotation] Acquired ]

[ Human mimicry [Haruto Hyuga] Acquired ]

"Byakugan!" Instantly, veins protruded around my eyes, which turned a milky white color.

I felt my perception of the surroundings expand, allowing me to observe even the subtlest details over a vast range around me.

"The range is approximately 12 kilometers, 360 degrees." The black-and-white vision, similar to the workings of an X-ray machine, lets me see every detail, even through walls.

"Privacy seals can interfere with the Byakugan." I confirmed this when I tried to see through a wall in a hidden part of the base, this piqued my curiosity, but I must take care of this first.

I thought while observing the massive experimental hall, there are dozens of capsules behind me, and the most unsettling part is that they are occupied by children no older than ten years.

"This is a cruel attempt to grant the abilities of the First Hokage to people unrelated to the Senju clan." This made me uncomfortable, I can't simply destroy everything because I know, according to the canon, there's a boy named Tenzo who will survive the experiment and gain the First Hokage's abilities.

To illustrate the cruelty of this experiment more clearly, it's essential to know that at least a hundred children under the age of three were used, but only one managed to survive.

After walking through the lab, I found the boy I identified as Tenzo or Yamato in the future, the boy opened his eyes, barely conscious, before closing them again.

In my tour, I saw that there were still at least 30 children alive, I also know from the canon that only one will survive, and it's precisely for this reason that I know this experiment will be the one that makes me defect.

"I'm not going to pretend I'm some saintly dove, but I know for sure that killing these kids will leave a bad taste in my mouth." I murmured bitterly, but then I remembered something.

In the Tensura anime, the protagonist Rimuru used Predator to store the Storm Dragon Veldora.

"Great Sage, I need you to store these capsules without disintegrating them, just store them." I said and used Predator on the capsules after receiving an affirmative response.

Although I don't have a "stomach" like Rimuru, my Predator ability comes integrated with its own storage space.

I devoured all the capsules, including those containing the deceased children, which aren't many since those who died long ago were already evacuated by Danzō's orders.

Then I destroyed the two remaining capsules containing adult shinobi and devoured the corpses inside.

The two remaining corpses aren't worth mentioning, the best I could obtain was an Earth affinity and an improvement to the Body Flicker Jutsu.

...

"Release!" After forming the seal, I stamped my palm on the wall, and a diagram of ink appeared on it.

The wall crumbled, revealing a hidden entrance, after entering, I saw a smaller laboratory with a single cultivation capsule, a severed arm floated calmly inside the capsule, suspended in a greenish liquid.

"Hashirama's cells!" I exclaimed, thanks to Orochimaru's memories, I know this is the result of years of experimentation and genetic manipulation using the First Hokage's cells.

From the canon, I know these cells possess extraordinary vitality and regeneration.

Some of their significant achievements include Yamato, Danzō's Cthulhu arm, and even Madara Uchiha, who also used them.

"If I use Predator on this arm, could I obtain Wood Release?" I wondered.

[ Affirmative ]

"Huh... Great Sage..." Their response surprised me. It was just a guess, but it seems it's possible, so, let's not waste time.

Without hesitation, I broke the glass and grabbed the arm before it fell to the ground, I activated my ability, and the dark energy mass enveloped it.

[ Complete analysis, Kekkei Genkai [Mokuton] Acquired ]

Instantly, a powerful vitality surged through me, I could feel my body growing stronger, brimming with vitality, but...

"Is that all? I didn't even obtain the First's mimicry." I couldn't help but complain, if I could gain all his abilities, well, it goes without saying.

[ Response: It is necessary to devour at least seventy percent of the target's remains to obtain all abilities and knowledge. ]

"Tch, fine, I suppose it wouldn't be that easy, would it?" I murmured. "Putting that aside, I need to adapt to my new abilities and develop a new combat style."

This is necessary because, first, I am not Orochimaru, and I've only had this body for one day.

Second, if I don't adapt my abilities to a new combat style, I'm likely to make mistakes in battle.

Third, I don't want to end up like poorly cut sushi, a smile crossed my lips at the thought.

Boom!

A loud explosion snapped me out of my thoughts and put me on alert instantly.

The sound echoed throughout the laboratory, and a cloud of dust began to fill the nearby corridors.

"What the hell...?" I exclaimed, confused.