Chapter 282 - Sinister Plans

Location: Unknown.

Building: Orochimaru's Base.

Time: 21 March - Approx. 5 am.

In a moderately lit underground chamber, Tsunade slowly came to consciousness. A tired groan escaped her lips as she slowly opened her eyes. It only took a second for her to realize what had happened to her. She immediately tried to get up but found that her body was completely restrained.

Tsunade was strapped to a medical table with her hands and legs restrained by strong metal chains. She tried to use her chakra to escape but found that she couldn't call forth her explosive power.

"Hello Tsunade. You woke up right on time."

Hearing the voice, the female Sannin turned her head to the side and saw Orochimaru's grinning face. "When I get out of here I'm gonna bash your skull into the ground." She gritted her teeth and struggled against her restraints but it was of no use.

"Hahahaha… So bold and direct. I've always liked that about you." Orochimaru looked at her and then turned back to the table near him. Several experimental vials and glasses were on it with various substances. The whole room had several scientific and medical equipment. "If you're thinking about escaping, I wouldn't recommend it. This whole building is under heavy protection. And I made sure you can't summon Katsuyu nor will you be able to use the reverse summon technique and escape."

Tsunade turned to look at the medical bed she was strapped on and noticed several seals on the chains and on her body. She noticed that she was in a garment similar to a hospital gown and her eyes narrowed. She turned her attention back to her captor.

"You sealed my chakra didn't you? What the hell do you want with me?"

The Snake Sannin chuckled hearing the question but he didn't look at the woman. "Yes. I need you restrained and immobile for what I have in mind. I'm well aware that even without chakra to boost your strength, you're still quite powerful."

Orochimaru turned his head and glanced at his former teammate. "Those chains were specifically made to handle your strength. You won't be getting out of there without me saying so… As for what I want with you?... You'll find out soon enough."

Tsunade gritted her teeth and clenched her fist as she looked at Orochimaru. "You bastard." Suddenly she remembered that she wasn't the only one that was in trouble. "Where is Shizune? I swear. If you did anything to her I'll-"

"She's perfectly fine at the moment. Just sleeping. As long as you cooperate she'll be fine."

Orochimaru's reply didn't ease her worries but she knew he wouldn't be divulging anything more unless he intends to.

"Cooperate? With what? Why exactly did you kidnap me?"

"Kukukuku… Soon… You'll know soon enough…"

"You just made a big mistake, Orochimaru. Do you really think sensei is going to let this go? You'll be hunted down with everything the Leaf village has got. You're going to die."

Orochimaru stopped working and slowly turned to look at the woman strapped on the bed. He had a serious gaze and was silent for a few moments as he looked at the angry Tsunade. "Do you think this was just a spur of the moment decision? Do you think I haven't planned for this?"

The Snake Sannin walked to the blonde woman and slowly caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. Tsunade turned her head in anger and disgust to get away from the man's touch.

"I'm counting on sensei's response. I've been planning this for a long time now and I've made the necessary preparations. He won't find us. I can promise you that."

Seeing Orochimaru's expression, Tsunade knew he was telling the truth. 'What does this freak want with me? Since I'm tied up, it's unlikely that he needs my help with medical ninjutsu… That means… He plans to use me as an experiment?'

Having come to this conclusion Tsunade struggled against her restraints but she saw no results.

Orochimaru looked at the vials as he mixed the contents. 'It'll take a few more minutes for the solutions to completely mix and unify.'

He turned to the blonde woman and spoke. "Since we have some time to spare, let's talk shall we?"

"Go to hell you bastard."

"Now now. Being hurtful isn't going to win you any points with me… Hihi…" The sinister man couldn't help but chuckle.

Orochimaru ignored Tsunade's furious expression and just crossed his arms as he leaned against the table near him. "You see, I've come to learn about the survival of Jin a couple months ago."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed as she looked at the man. The Snake Sannin, seeing that he had her attention, kept speaking. "He wasn't just alive. It was as if he was completely healed. And curiosity got the better of me. I went to the Fire Capitol in secret and found that he was back to his healthy state."

"What's your point?" The Slug Sannin slightly narrowed her eyes and asked.

Orochimaru chuckled as he looked at her. "I have to admit. That's impressive. He should have died, for all intents and purposes. But when I saw him walking the streets without any difficulty… Well, I must say I didn't expect that."

Hearing that, Tsunade had a condescending smile as she looked at the other Sannin. "He was an interesting project. I knew the type of poison that was making him sick could only be your work. I could tell that you put a lot of effort into it. But it still wasn't enough to kill him. Looks like you're not all that great, Orochimaru."

The Snake Sannin just looked at the blonde woman with a stoic expression before a wide grin formed on his face. He slowly chuckled but then it turned into a full blown laughter. He soon stopped laughing but Tsunade could see amusement in the man's eyes.

"Do you really expect me to believe that you're the one who saved him?"

"What are you talking about? Of course I'm the one who saved his life and beat your poison." Tsunade's smile now gone as she gazed at Orochimaru. 'No matter what, I can't have him going after Daichi.'

"You can't protect him with your lies, Tsunade. I already know." Orochimaru chuckled as spoke. "After learning about Jin's miraculous recovery, I gathered as much information as I could about him. I learned that your new student came to see him a couple days before he was completely healed. You've prolonged his life, but it was young Daichi who saved it. Isn't that the truth my dear Tsunade? Hihi…"

Tsunade saw the expression on the man's face and knew he wasn't going to believe anything she said. 'Damn it. If he goes after Daichi…'

"I'm so looking forward to meeting the boy. I've been hearing great things about him."

"Do you really think Kensei is going to just let you do as you please when it comes to his grandson?"

The snake's Sannin's smile dimmed and replied. "He might have been a strong and a powerful force, but that was a long time ago. He's an old withered man now. He's no threat to me. The same goes for sensei. None of you have the power to stop me."

Tsunade looked at Orochimaru's expression and realized that he believed everything he said. 'What kind of trick does he have up his sleeve for him to have such confidence. I need to learn more information about his plans. Since Jin was poisoned with that complex chemical he might be the key.'

"You're an idiot if you think that."

"Careful Tsunade. You don't want to hurt my feelings and get on my bad side would you? Especially considering the circumstances…" Orochimaru looked at her and then turned back to the chemicals on the table.

"Tch!" She clicked her tongue and focused on the seals restraining and binding her chakra. 'These seals are more complex than I thought. He's gone through a lot of trouble just to get me here.'

"I'm curious. Why did you go after Jin? As far as I know, you two never crossed paths and he hadn't done anything to antagonize you. So why him?" Tsunade asked trying to get some information.

Orochimaru was still engrossed in his work and was quiet for a short while before he answered. "His business. He was trying to expand and was unknowingly trying to buy my territories. He had to go. If I had him killed it would have looked suspicious to his friends and it was at that time I developed my new poisons. So he became my test subject. An unfortunate fate for him."

Orochimaru turned to look at his former teammate and smiled. "I thought he would die in a month or two but unexpectedly you managed to prolong his life."

"And the reason you didn't bother with him after I managed to save him from death?"

Orochimaru smiled and replied with a mirth in his voice. "He was of no use to me. He was concerned about his own life and I had the needed data in my hands. He knew nothing of me nor had any suspicions about what happened to him. I knew killing him would be more trouble than it was worth so he got to live."

"Why exactly did you go through all that trouble? It wasn't the poison you were after. It was the DNA splicing techniques wasn't it. The whole thing was just another experiment to improve your knowledge and skills in the gene manipulation field."

The grin on Orochimaru's face grew wider as he heard that. "Very good Tsunade. I'm impressed. In fact, it's the whole reason we're here."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes and was trying to figure out what he meant. "What are you talking about?"

The Snake Sannin looked at the restrained Senju and he had a dangerous smile. "I'm on the brink of a scientific breakthrough that will change the course of shinobi history."

Tsunade struggled against her restraints and looked at the man with anger. "And let me guess. You're going to use me for this scientific achievement. You really have become twisted. To use me as some guinea pig."

The Snake Sannin chuckled when he heard that. "Twisted perhaps. But the potential results of this experiment will shake every nation."

"What are you talking about? What could be so groundbreaking that you're willing to kidnap and experiment on me?"

"You see, I've been working on a little project. A serum of great power derived from none other than your grandfather. The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju himself."

Tsunade's eyes widened in shock when she heard that. "No… That… you're actually experimenting with his blood." Immediately her shock turned into a fury. "You really are a sick monster. How dare you…"

"Oh don't blame me Tsunade. The village already tried replicating his power. They failed. I succeeded. Or I will… soon."

"What are you talking about? His blood was found to be too volatile and would kill anyone it was injected on." Tsunade asked with narrowed eyes.

"That was the case. I've discovered a way to bestow Wood Style upon anyone, even those who lack the innate ability."

Tsunade was shocked when she heard that. 'How is that possible? Is he lying… No. It doesn't look like Orochimaru is bluffing. But grandfather's blood is too strong and the yang chakra in it is too powerful for any person to control it. So how did Orochimaru…'

"What did you do?" Tsunade was shocked and at the same time she wanted to know more information. She knew the potential damage something like this could create for the whole world.

"I created a special serum. A concoction created from Hashirama's blood, containing his wood style essence and powerful vitality. A serum that took countless hours and numerous test subjects to create."

"Even if you made something like that, it would have negative side effects. I doubt even you can create a perfect serum."

"Yes. Very true. The formula is still a bit volatile and there are side effects. The serum is still somewhat unstable and it causes erratic reactions in some who receive it. So you're right about that." The man lightly chuckled at the end.

"You don't seem too down about someone who failed in replicating the First Hokage's abilities." The blonde Sannin was wary about the man's motives and was trying to figure out his plans.

"Yes. Sadly perfection has eluded me… But you see, I found a solution to that problem."

Tsunade had a bad feeling as she saw Orochimaru's gaze. "What does any of this have to do with me?"

"Because you are Hashirama's descendant. Your body contains powerful vitality and regenerative properties, unparalleled in the current shinobi world. I believe your blood can stabilize the serum, making it usable without any dangerous side effects."

Tsunade was silent as she heard the man's plan. 'Does he really think this is going to work?'

"What makes you think I won't just die when you inject me with that?" The medic ninja asked.

"Because I've been rigorously testing your blood for the last few hours. Your Senju bloodline and the fact that you're his descendant are the key. There are markers within your DNA that would recognize Hashirama's power and integrate it instead of fighting it."

Tsunade gritted her teeth in anger as she heard the man speak about his plans. "You're insane if you think I'll let you use my blood for your experiments. My bloodline is not a tool for your twisted ambitions. So you're out of your mind if you think I'd willingly help you with this."

Orochimaru chucked and got closer to the woman strapped on the table. "You misunderstand me Tsunade. Your compliance isn't needed. Willingly, unwillingly, it makes no difference to me. I've already come so far. I'm not going to stop now. Once I have the power of the Legendary woodstyle jutsu under my command, I'll be unstoppable. But it's not just about power. My goal is to understand the secrets and intricacies of chakra, genetics and the very essence of life itself."

Tsunade scoffed at that. "Save your excuses for someone who cares. You're just a madman who's lost his way."

Orochimaru looked at the woman with a raised eyebrow. "Madman? You wound me my dear." He couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

Tsunade tried her hardest to get out of her bindings but it was of no use.

"It's no use. You're not going anywhere." Orochimaru spoke, seeing the woman struggle. "My serum with your blood as the stabilizer, will change the world. I will inject you with the serum and after your body adapts, stabilizes and perfects my serum, I'll extract the required blood. And once I extract the serum from that blood, the true power of the wood style will be under my command."

Tsunade pulled on the chains as hard as she could but it wasn't enough to escape.

"Your resistance is admirable but futile. You're strapped here, powerless to stop me." Orochimaru spoke as he looked at the blonde woman being defiant.

Tsunade glared at the man and her fury was palpable. "You damn bastard. You're going to pay. When I get out of here you're a dead man."

The playfulness on Orochimaru's face was gone as he looked at his former teammate. "Strong words as always. But let's not waste time on futile threats. Once this process is complete I'll be one step closer to my ultimate goal."

"You're playing with forces you can't control. This 'power' you seek… It will consume you." She tried to reason with the man but Orochimaru wouldn't back down now. He ignored her warning and went back to the table and picked up a gas mask.

"It's like you don't know the nature of a shinobi at all. It's what we all desire. More power to stand above the rest." He turned around and spoke. He slowly walked near the medical bed and looked her in the eyes. "And I will have that power Tsunade, even if I have to extract every last drop of your blood to attain it…"

As she looked into Orochimaru's eyes, Tsunade saw the hunger for more power and she was frightened. "You-"

Before she could say anything, the Snake Sannin placed the gas mask on her face and soon Tsunade was unconscious again. Orochimaru looked at Tsunade's face and memories of his childhood and team battles with her and came to his mind. His face slightly softened as he looked at her.

"This will be the last time we'll see each other Tsunade. I'll try to make it as painless as possible… Fare well."