"Digging whose grave?"
Tsunade's voice trembled slightly.
Uchiha Gen sighed, half exasperated. "Do we really need to dig graves just to get some genetic material?"
Her eyes widened in realization. Right, this was the ninja world. They didn't need to desecrate graves when they could retrieve what they needed cleanly.
She had overreacted.
"…Let's go. I'll show you."
The Konoha Memorial Stone covered a large area, and finding specific names without guidance would've taken forever. Uchiha Gen followed Tsunade in silence, turning corner after corner under the moonlight until they stopped before a simple tombstone.
On the stone's face was a portrait of a boy, smiling brightly, full of youthful warmth.
"Nawaki…" Tsunade's voice softened. "Forgive your sister for disturbing your rest. I've missed you so much."
She leaned forward, resting her forehead gently against the cold stone.
Uchiha Gen said nothing. He simply stood beside her, quietly waiting as her shoulders trembled, letting her grief flow freely.
After a long silence, Tsunade straightened up and turned away. "Alright. You can start."
Uchiha Gen walked around the tombstone, crouched, and pressed his right hand, now coated in Earth Release chakra, into the ground. The soil parted easily, flowing aside like water. Moments later, he withdrew his arm, a pale white leg bone in hand.
He sealed it into a scroll with practiced efficiency.
Nawaki had died young, caught in an Explosive Tag trap that left his body shattered but not obliterated. There was enough remaining to extract what they needed. Orochimaru wouldn't have tricked Tsunade back then if there hadn't been viable material.
"Next one," Gen said quietly.
Tsunade nodded and led the way. The two of them walked side by side through the silent cemetery. The air was still, almost serene.
Neither of them felt fear, how could they? Even Konoha's children sometimes played here. To them, this wasn't a graveyard, it was a resting ground for heroes.
After a minute, they stopped before another tombstone. A young man's face smiled faintly from the attached photo, handsome, warm, and calm.
As Tsunade reached for the stone, Uchiha Gen suddenly caught her wrist.
"What are you doing?" she frowned, glancing back in irritation.
"Don't say the same things here that you did before your brother's grave," he said, his voice firm. "Please… consider my feelings, too."
"Crazy," she muttered under her breath, pulling her hand away. Then she faced the tombstone and said softly, "Dan… forgive me for disturbing your rest."
She said nothing more. Perhaps she didn't want to anger Uchiha Gen, or perhaps she simply didn't trust her voice not to tremble.
Satisfied, Uchiha Gen crouched again, repeating the process, splitting the ground with chakra, breaking through the coffin, retrieving the bone.
After so many years underground, both Nawaki's and Dan's bodies had turned to white skeletons. Their coffins were little more than rotted wood and dust.
"Alright, let's go," he said finally.
"Don't hug me here," Tsunade warned, sidestepping his arm.
"Then what do you suggest? If something goes wrong during spatial travel, you could get hurt."
She hesitated. "…Fine. I'll link arms with you."
"That works too."
He raised his hand slightly. She slipped her arm through his, their elbows touching. In the next instant...
Whoosh
Their figures vanished, leaving behind only the whisper of disturbed leaves.
Uchiha Gen knew Orochimaru's movements well enough. They contacted each other regularly, though finding him was never guaranteed—the man's whims were unpredictable.
If Orochimaru wasn't at his base, Gen could always use a Ryūchi Cave summon to locate him.
According to recent contact, Orochimaru had been moving between the Land of Water and the former Whirlpool Country, gathering talented young shinobi for his experiments.
Moments later, after a spatial flash, Uchiha Gen and Tsunade appeared in a dim corridor deep within one of Orochimaru's hidden laboratories in the ruins of the Whirlpool Country.
Gen closed his eyes and extended his spiritual sense—then smirked. "He's here. In the lab, working as usual."
Tsunade glanced around. Her frown deepened as they walked through the facility. Strange tanks lined the walls, each filled with liquid and shadowy forms.
Uchiha Gen, on the other hand, looked completely unfazed. He'd seen more grotesque things before breakfast.
They stopped before a sealed metal door. Password. Fingerprint. Iris scan. Each verification clicked into place before the door finally slid open.
"Quite the security setup," Gen said lightly.
Inside, Orochimaru looked up from his workstation. He wore a blue lab coat and white gloves, his long black hair cascading down his shoulders. His golden, snake-like eyes gleamed with amusement.
"Well, well… what a rare visitor. Tsunade."
Tsunade crossed her arms. "It's been a long time."
Orochimaru's lips curved faintly. "Whatever it is, we'll talk later."
Without waiting for an answer, he turned back to his notes, busying himself with something only he could understand.
Uchiha Gen gestured. "Come on. Let's wait in the lounge."
They sat in silence over tea. Tsunade tried to appear calm, but her eyes kept darting toward the lab door. Her hands betrayed her, the slightest tremor.
Half an hour later, the door slid open again. Orochimaru stepped in, no longer wearing the lab coat. Instead, he wore his familiar pale yellow kimono patterned with black, a purple rope belt tied at his waist. His long hair glistened faintly in the dim light.
Uchiha Gen poured him a cup of tea. Orochimaru accepted it with a quiet chuckle and turned to Tsunade.
"Go ahead," he said smoothly. "You didn't come here just for a class reunion."
Tsunade hesitated, then glanced at Gen.
Understanding her silence, Uchiha Gen took out two scrolls and tossed them across the table. "These contain the remains of Nawaki and Kato Dan. Sensei, please use Edo Tensei to revive them. Tsunade wishes to see them again and you can reminisce as well."
Orochimaru caught the scrolls and studied them for a moment before shifting his gaze back to Tsunade. She avoided his eyes, lowering her head. Her golden hair slipped forward, hiding her face.
"…Very well," Orochimaru said softly. "I'll extract their genes tonight. If it's insufficient, I'll replicate them. Find me two suitable sacrifices, and I'll perform the jutsu tomorrow morning."
"No problem," Uchiha Gen replied easily.
"Gen…" Tsunade lifted her head. Her eyes shimmered, filled with emotion she couldn't voice.
"I know," he said gently. "I won't harm innocents. The sacrifices will be scum, ronin who've long deserved judgment."
Tsunade's lips trembled, but she managed a small smile. Then she lowered her head again, silent.
With a clap, Gen summoned a Shadow Clone in a puff of white smoke.
The clone nodded, then disappeared instantly with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Yes, his clones could use that too. Like Naruto's Sage Mode clones, they acted as fully capable extensions of himself. There was no real risk.
While waiting, Uchiha Gen and Orochimaru discussed sealing formulas and experimental methods, while Tsunade sat quietly, lost in her own thoughts.
Ten minutes later, BOOM!
A pulse of chakra flashed as the clone returned, dragging two unconscious ronin by their collars.
"Fast as ever," Orochimaru murmured approvingly.
The clone dispelled itself, releasing its memory and chakra back into Uchiha Gen.
"All done," Gen said, rising. "Tsunade, everything's ready. Will you rest here at Sensei's base, or head back to Konoha?"
"I'll go with you," she said without hesitation. "I'm not staying here."
"Understood." He turned to Orochimaru. "Thank you, Sensei."
"It's a trivial matter," Orochimaru replied, smiling faintly. "We'll begin tomorrow."
"Then we'll see you in the morning."
As they departed, Uchiha Gen clasped Tsunade's soft hand and activated the Flying Thunder God seal. The two vanished in a flash of light.
Orochimaru lingered in the lounge, sipping the last of his tea, eyes distant and unreadable. After a long pause, he stood, flicking his sleeve. Two massive brown pythons slithered out, coiling around the necks of the unconscious ronin and dragging them away like lifeless dolls.
Back in Konoha, Tsunade lay awake all night. Sleep never came.
Before dawn, barely six in the morning, she was already knocking on Uchiha Gen's door.
Tomorrow, the next story would begin.