chapter 120 part 2
"Hmph hmph hmph, what a shame. I never thought someone like Sakumo Hatake would fail. Isn't the old man disappointed at all?" Orochimaru removed his gloves. He had already copied all the Experiment data and had slightly advanced Biotechnology from the Cellular level to the genetic level.
If he were given a few more years, with a large supply of Living Humans as Consumable test subjects, Orochimaru believed he might actually be able to produce a perfected Wood Release.
Not a power obtained through maintaining balance like Danzo and Touka, but a genuine Wood Release Bloodline Limit unearthed from within the body.
Unfortunately, there was no more time. The Third Hokage's resolve had disappointed him once again. Hashirama Cells were absolutely the cheapest resource in the Hidden Leaf Village, capable of forming combat power the fastest, and most suitable for widespread deployment. They shouldn't stop experiments just because they encountered setbacks. Shouldn't they grit their teeth and continue with a minimum investment? "Not seizing the time to research what we possess is the most foolish decision," Orochimaru said with a smile on his face, yet his expression was clearly ferocious.
The Anbu Ninja said indifferently, "This is Lord Hokage's order, Orochimaru. Even you must obey."
"Hmph, you're right. Nothing has gone smoothly recently; it's truly terrible. The collaborator I wanted abandoned me, the Jutsu I desired is still a distant dream, and the Experiment results I sought have been forcibly terminated... Looking at it this way, I'm truly a complete failure." Orochimaru chuckled.
The Anbu Ninja's gaze, passing through his Mask, landed on Orochimaru. As the Third Hokage's son, he would truthfully report everything he saw and heard, even if the other party was the Hokage's direct disciple.
That Orochimaru fellow had already openly expressed his dissatisfaction. It wasn't easy for someone so deep-minded to show such a loss of composure... the Anbu Ninja thought silently.
Orochimaru watched the retreating figure with a sinister gaze. After a long while, he regained his composure.
Defection? No, there was no need for that yet. Although the Hidden Leaf Village showed signs of decay, it remained the strongest in the Shinobi World. Relying on the Hidden Leaf Village, he could continue to conduct various clandestine Experiments.
"Soon, just a little longer... My Immortality Technique isn't complete yet, hmph hmph hmph, Tsukasa-kun has given me a lot of inspiration; to think a new body could be obtained in such a way..."
Orochimaru licked his lips. Tsukasa Kaede's core operation was the Soul, transferring the Soul to switch bodies. His Immortal Reincarnation Jutsu could also do this—as long as he devoured the target's Soul, he could occupy the target's body.
Next, he would need to cultivate a perfect body. If he could perfect his Gene Experiment and cultivate someone with a Wood Release Bloodline Limit, that would be his future body.
...
For Sakumo Hatake, it was a terrible day. Beneath his seemingly calm expression, his state of mind was already in constant turmoil.
Returning home, Sakumo immediately saw Kakashi and Obito sparring in the courtyard.
It was a simple Taijutsu exchange, purely a competition of skill and Physical Constitution, without Ninjutsu or Genjutsu. Yet Sakumo was surprised to see his carefully nurtured son defeated by Obito.
"That Obito's Physical Constitution is a bit too powerful, even stronger than his peers in the Senju Clan." Sakumo was a little surprised but didn't dwell on it.
Perhaps this was genius. Once Obito awakened his Sharingan, he would truly soar.
"Father."
Kakashi wiped the sweat from his forehead and bowed to Sakumo Hatake.
"Sorry for the disturbance. We were sparring and temporarily borrowed your courtyard." Obito didn't even catch his breath, lowering his head respectfully.
"No need for that. Feel free to use it. You're a rising super genius from recent generations. I'm delighted to have you mentor Kakashi," Sakumo Hatake laughed.
This made Obito feel very favorable towards him.
Lord Sakumo is unexpectedly gentle with people...
"Kakashi, I forgot to tell you, starting tomorrow, I'll be a Genin of the Village and will begin undertaking Village Missions." Obito said, hands clasped behind his head, deliberately in a flat tone.
"Is that so? What a coincidence. I've already applied for the early graduation exam. Maybe we'll become teammates."
"Hmph, forget it. By the time you graduate, I'll definitely have completed many Missions. You won't be able to keep up with my speed. Who knows, I might even have awakened my Sharingan by then." Obito lifted his chin.
Regarding the awakening of the Sharingan, neither Sakumo nor Kakashi doubted it; it was merely a matter of time—even though only a very small number of Uchiha Clan members could awaken the Sharingan.
If someone with Obito's talent couldn't awaken the Sharingan, that would be truly outrageous.
"I'm leaving. I've been planning to challenge Hidan recently, but I can't find him anywhere."
Obito could display an attitude of looking down on Kakashi, but he was always respectful towards Sakumo Hatake—in fact, he wasn't genuinely looking down on Kakashi; it was purely a pose he adopted because he enjoyed showing off. He greatly valued the relationship he had cultivated with Kakashi.
Anyway, spending time with Kakashi was far more comfortable than with those boring girls who screamed at the drop of a hat.
Sakumo Hatake had already brought out two cups of tea. In other Clans, especially the Uchiha Clan, an elder would never do such a thing for two juniors: "Hidan, huh... He's a powerful Ninja who inherited the Corpse Release Secret Technique. Although he's very young, he's already regarded as a leader of the next generation. Considering Tsukasa Kaede's current prestige, Hidan's every move is closely watched."
Although Hidan also had the glorious record of killing the Four-Tails, Sakumo speculated that Hidan must have mastered some kind of instant-kill Forbidden Jutsu and seized the opportunity when the Four-Tails Jinchuriki was unprepared to achieve the kill.
Countless people wanted to obtain Intel on Hidan, both to guard against encountering him on the battlefield in the future and to further pry into Tsukasa Kaede's secrets.
"Lord Sakumo, I heard that after Hidden Sand Village was defeated by Tsukasa Kaede, it was immediately besieged by many people. Everyone in the Village is talking about it." Obito mentioned casually, "Is that Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu really that important?"
Sakumo was deep in thought and casually replied, "Yes, ostensibly it's for the Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu. But how could a Forbidden Jutsu be so easy to master? Even if one mastered it, they might never have the chance to use it in their entire life. Those guys have another important objective: to decipher Tsukasa Kaede's Intel. The Corpse Release Secret Technique poses too great a threat to hostile nations."
Now that Hidden Sand Village had fallen, how could other Hidden Villages not have ideas? Tsukasa Kaede had single-handedly routed thousands of enemies—even if this routing was due to Hidden Sand Village having no intention of going to War with Konoha and being forced to retreat to reduce losses.
But even so, it was enough to prove Tsukasa Kaede's terrifying nature; he was truly a one-man army. If Tsukasa Kaede were given a little more time to acquire more and higher-quality Corpses...
Then it would truly be game over.
Obito left Kakashi's house, deep in thought.
Compared to ordinary people, with Madara's personal guidance, he was quite clear about many of Tsukasa Kaede's powers and knew what role the Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu had played in Tsukasa Kaede's hands.
"According to Madara, Tsukasa Kaede has become one of the obstacles to the Eye of the Moon Plan. But I can't fall out with Tsukasa Kaede; I must leverage his and Nagato's power to strengthen myself."