### Chapter 187
"Hahaha, I knew you couldn't hold back for long," Shinki laughed, shaking his head. "But I'll pass. I'm not interested in your experiments and don't want to get involved. Do it on your own—just don't drag me into it."
He waved dismissively. While Shinki could joke around with Orochimaru, experiments were another matter entirely. He had no desire to be roped into the infamous snake's dubious research.
Orochimaru, however, didn't seem fazed by the rejection. He explained calmly, "I want to use your chakra to cultivate some special creatures. Unfortunately, the chakra extracted from puppets doesn't work for this purpose. That's why I'm asking for your help."
"Special creatures? What kind of creatures?" Shinki frowned.
Without a word, Orochimaru opened his mouth and *spit out* a sealed scroll.
Shinki's frown deepened, nearly collapsing into a scowl.
"...Really? You couldn't just carry the scroll like a normal person?"
Orochimaru smiled, unbothered. "The items inside are incredibly important. This is the safest place to keep them."
Shinki pinched the bridge of his nose. "Sure, makes perfect sense. Big throat. Big scroll. Fine, whatever."
The scroll Orochimaru spat out was impressively large—thicker and longer than an arm. The logistics of how Orochimaru managed to swallow and regurgitate it were best left unexamined.
When the scroll was unsealed, several small snakes appeared on the table. There were white ones, red ones, black ones...
At first glance, Shinki thought they were corpses. But upon closer inspection, he noticed the snakes breathing faintly, albeit weakly.
"These snakes are bred through special means," Orochimaru explained casually. "When sealed, they can survive indefinitely."
He pointed to the little snakes. "I discovered they can absorb and integrate certain unique types of energy and chakra. I'd like your help to provide them with your chakra—particularly your senjutsu chakra."
Shinki stared at the snakes, then at Orochimaru, suspicious.
"What kind of monsters are you trying to create? Aren't you afraid they'll starve to death?"
Orochimaru chuckled, clearly amused. "After thousands of experiments, I'm confident these snakes can adapt. They won't die easily."
The reasoning seemed solid. Considering later events—such as the creation of the colossal snake that Akatsuki unleashed on Turtle Island—Orochimaru's research clearly bore fruit in time.
---
Shinki crossed his arms, thinking it over. Summoning beasts had never been a priority for him personally. While the creatures of the three holy places were impressive, their capabilities maxed out around the level of an elite jonin. Shinki didn't see much value in having one.
However, Nawaki and Minato could benefit from such companions. If Orochimaru's research produced truly unique and powerful creatures, it might be worth considering.
Shinki sighed. *Why am I always worrying about my disciples and brother-in-law?*
"Alright, what's the reward?" he finally asked.
Without hesitation, Orochimaru placed another scroll on the table—this time from his coat, not his throat.
"Fifty million ryo."
Shinki blinked. "Fifty million?"
For someone who wasn't short on money, this amount still left him stunned.
"Where do you even get that kind of cash? Public funds?"
Orochimaru smirked. "No. It's from my research dividends. Legal and aboveboard."
Shinki didn't press further. Money was money. After some thought, he laid out his terms.
"I'll help, but I get to choose two of your test subjects as summoning beasts for Nawaki and Minato. The slugs of Shikkotsu Forest aren't suitable for them, and they need good companions."
Orochimaru nodded without hesitation. "Agreed."
For him, the research was the priority. He was more than willing to accommodate Shinki's conditions.
---
After wrapping up their conversation, Shinki stepped outside and looked skyward, wondering how Orochimaru's trajectory had diverged so much. *Is this because of me? Did my influence push him in this direction?*
---
When Tsunade heard about Shinki's cooperation with Orochimaru, she was less than thrilled.
"You *what?!*" she exclaimed, staring at him in shock.
Shinki raised his hands in defense. "Calm down. It's just an experiment on animals—a few snakes. No human experimentation. I'm not crossing that line."
Tsunade sighed, visibly relaxing. "Good. As long as it's not human experimentation. Animal research is acceptable; every village does it. But human experiments are an absolute no-go."
Still, Shinki couldn't resist teasing her. Gesturing vaguely at her, he asked, "By the way, why does it seem like... well, you've gotten bigger? Won't that affect your movements?"
Tsunade's expression darkened as her head filled with metaphorical storm clouds. "GET LOST!"
---
Despite her exasperation, Tsunade agreed with Shinki's reasoning.
"I think Orochimaru's experiment is promising. If it works, Minato and Nawaki will have summoning beasts that suit their needs. The slugs in Shikkotsu Forest aren't a good fit for them."
"You're right," Tsunade admitted. "Summoning beasts can greatly support a ninja's growth. But finding the right one is incredibly difficult."
She had long considered the issue of summoning beasts for Nawaki. The slugs in Shikkotsu Forest were too defensive, while Nawaki needed something versatile—strong in both offense and support.
"Myoboku Mountain and Ryuchi Cave are the only real options," she mused. "But the snakes in Ryuchi Cave are too temperamental, and the toads in Myoboku Mountain... Wait."
Tsunade suddenly clenched her fists, a realization dawning.
"Forget Minato! I'll find a summoning beast for Nawaki myself. I'll track down Jiraiya. That idiot's Nawaki's teacher, and he left him to hide in the Land of Rain? Unacceptable!"
She pounded her fist into her palm, her eyes blazing with determination.
"When he comes back, I'm going to *make* him pay for this!"
Shinki couldn't help but agree. Jiraiya's neglect of his responsibilities as a teacher was, indeed, a bit outrageous.
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