Chapter 124: The Deal!

Chapter 124: Chapter 124: The Deal! [Bonus Chapter]

Shūichi Hoshita, still enjoying the results of Tsunade's hard work over the past few days, had no idea that he had now become a key subject of surveillance.

Lunch was spent with Tsunade and Shizune, who had returned from Konoha Hospital.

In the afternoon, Shūichi and Tsunade began planning the construction of the experimental base.

They discussed site selection, equipment procurement, and medicine supplies—handling all aspects of the plan. Luckily, neither Shūichi nor Tsunade were beginners, so the process was smooth and efficient without any chaos.

By the time the planning was done in the afternoon, Shūichi returned home, only to find Tenka there as well.

"Tenka-san!" Shūichi greeted her with a smile.

Tenka, who had been chatting with Asuka, stood up immediately. "Shūichi!"

"Here, this is for you. Be sure to be there on time!"

Shūichi took what she handed him and saw that it was an invitation.

It turned out that Tenka's sister was finally holding her formal wedding, scheduled for three days later.

Shūichi waved the invitation in his hand with a grin. "Don't worry, I'll definitely be there on time!"

"Alright, it's a promise then," Tenka replied before waving goodbye to Asuka. "I'll be off now!"

After seeing Tenka out the door, Shūichi and Asuka started preparing dinner together, as Nonō Yakushi would be coming home for dinner that evening.

What Shūichi didn't expect, however, was that when Nonō returned later, she brought a cake and even personally made him a bowl of longevity noodles, giving him a surprise birthday celebration.

The dinner was filled with laughter and joy.

Afterward, they all cleaned up together, and then Nonō and Asuka went out for a walk while Shūichi headed to his study.

It was time for him to review his training.

He had already mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique, so the next step was to keep honing it.

Techniques like the Flying Thunder God Slash and Guiding Thunder were all advanced uses based on the Flying Thunder God Formula.

As for the tags [Medical Master], [Clone Master], and [Substitution Master], there was no rush. One involved Orochimaru's soft body modification, and the other involved the Eight-Tails—both key areas of experimentation that Shūichi planned to focus on.

He gazed at his skill tree, where multiple "Master" tags were displayed:

[Earth Release Master], [Lightning Release Master], [Water Release Master], [Sensory Master], [Genjutsu Master], and [Sealing Master].

The requirements for these Master tags were consistent: either create five A-rank jutsu or develop an S-rank jutsu.

Shūichi was already very experienced in jutsu development.

S-rank jutsu were especially challenging because they often required a high degree of mastery in both nature transformation and shape manipulation.

While not an absolute rule, S-rank jutsu were known for their exceptional power and effectiveness.

"I have too many A-rank jutsu already. One S-rank for each Master title should be enough," Shūichi thought to himself.

"For Earth Release... I'll focus on defense. With Lightning Release, Wind Release, and Fire Release for offense, my physical defenses are still lacking."

"S-rank Water Release..."

Shūichi scratched his head. While shape manipulation with water was relatively easier, nature transformation... he had no clear ideas yet.

As for Lightning Release, Kakashi was already working on developing the Chidori, so Shūichi didn't plan to go down that path. He figured he'd just trade for it once Kakashi perfected it. Combined with the Flying Thunder God, it could be even more effective than the Rasengan in terms of lethality.

So, what path should he take instead?

"An all-around Lightning Release Armor? The Lightning Chakra Mode used by the Cloud Ninja is too rough. I have strong enough chakra control to refine it into something more precise."

Thinking about it, Shūichi shook his head, dismissing the idea. Instead, a famous technique popped into his mind:

Railgun! (Electromagnetic gun!)

Although it has "magnet" in its name, it wouldn't necessarily require Magnet Release.

Or perhaps, with an electric field, a magnetic field could naturally form, thereby incorporating both electricity and magnetism.

Controlling electricity to create a magnetic field—now that would be an S-rank challenge, worthy of pursuit.

Excited by the thought, Shūichi mused, "Most Lightning Release jutsu rely on high current for damage. But if I want to create a railgun, I'll need a super-high voltage Lightning Release."

"Would that count as a nature transformation of Lightning Release?"

The concept of voltage wasn't that complicated—it referred to the potential difference or electric potential, measuring the energy difference created by varying charges in an electrostatic field.

Of course, voltage was usually applied in electrical circuits.

Shūichi decided he'd stick with calling it "voltage" for simplicity.

He made up his mind: Railgun would be his next goal for Lightning Release development!

Perhaps, once he mastered this jutsu, he might even gain some insights into Magnet Release.

Next on his list was sensory ninjutsu.

"The Kagura's Mind Eye belongs to chakra sensing. Heat vision could be considered visual sensing..."

Shūichi hesitated, wondering if it would be easier to develop one type of sensory jutsu in each category, or if he should aim for something more comprehensive.

"Or maybe I could create a more all-encompassing sensory jutsu?"

His thoughts returned to the Mind's Eye of Kagura.

Perhaps he could build on this foundation.

For instance, Malice Sensing!

Through understanding the essence of chakra, especially after coming into contact with tailed beast chakra, the principle behind Naruto's ability to sense malice in his Nine-Tails Mode wasn't too difficult to grasp.

Just as Shūichi had once discussed with Orochimaru.

Chakra is the combination of spiritual and physical energy, meaning that a person's chakra naturally carries their own mental will.

Who could be more loyal to Konoha than him?

...

Sarutobi Shinnosuke soon returned with a scroll. After receiving the Spirit Transformation Technique, Shūichi left the Hokage Tower, dividing the task between his Shadow Clones—one clone took the scroll home to study, while the real Shūichi headed to Orochimaru's research base. Along the way, he also sent another Shadow Clone to Tsunade to begin construction on a new research facility.

The lab was located within the village of Konoha, and aside from hiring some local architects, they also brought in several Konoha ninjas proficient in Earth Release.

Unfortunately, they didn't have Wood Release, otherwise, combining Wood and Earth would make constructing an underground base much easier.

...

At Orochimaru's research base—two months since his last visit—Shūichi once again sensed a change in Orochimaru.

The soft body modifications had progressed even further!

While cleaning his lab equipment, Orochimaru glanced at Shūichi and smiled, "Shūichi-kun always brings surprises!"

Shūichi smiled back, "You're too kind, Orochimaru-sama!"

After finishing up, Orochimaru asked, "Shūichi-kun, how about we make another deal?"

Shūichi immediately knew that Orochimaru was interested in researching the Third Kazekage's bloodline limit. After a brief thought, he asked, "What would Orochimaru-sama offer in exchange?"

"Research data on Hashirama's cells," Orochimaru said with a smile. "Of course, not the version you're already aware of, but the latest research from Danzo."

Shūichi couldn't help but laugh, "Orochimaru-sama, you must know I'll have to report this to the Third Hokage, right?"

Orochimaru nodded without concern, "Of course, but the experiment has already failed."

Failed?

So that means Yamato—or Codename Tenzo,'—must have already been created.

But had they really abandoned research on Hashirama's cells?

Shūichi didn't believe it.

He clearly remembered that Danzo had also implanted Hashirama's cells, managing to balance them with his three-tomoe Sharingan.

Danzo's arm was most likely the result of Orochimaru's handiwork.

After some careful consideration, Shūichi agreed, "Only for the cells."

Orochimaru smiled, "Deal."

The transaction was made!

Orochimaru wiped his hands and left briefly, returning with a large scroll.

It had clearly been prepared in advance, and Orochimaru was confident that Shūichi wouldn't refuse the deal.

Without hesitation, Shūichi took the scroll and opened it—not to check its authenticity, but to see how far Orochimaru had progressed in his research on Hashirama's cells.

Orochimaru's data was very thorough, complete with an overview and table of contents.

Just by glancing at these two sections, Shūichi already had a good idea of the extent of Orochimaru's research.

It was now clear that Yamato's survival was not just due to luck or his unique constitution but also thanks to Orochimaru's deep understanding of Hashirama's cells.

Orochimaru had made some subtle adjustments to the cells, reducing their dominance compared to the initial experiment.

This adjustment essentially involved reducing the activity of Hashirama's cells.

"Impressive as always, Snake Bastard!" Shūichi thought to himself.

Orochimaru, with a smile, asked, "What do you think, Shūichi-kun?"

Shūichi was happy to engage in discussion, "What Lady Tsunade and I are researching aligns with your treatment of Hashirama's cells, Orochimaru-sama."

"You've reduced the activity of Hashirama's cells, while Tsunade-sama and I are looking for a way to rapidly enhance cell activity, in order to develop powerful medical ninjutsu."

Although Orochimaru wasn't particularly interested in medical ninjutsu, he admired Shūichi's thinking and remarked, "That is indeed a correct approach. The reason Hashirama's cells are so difficult to transplant is due to their overwhelming activity, which requires an enormous amount of energy to sustain."

"Most people simply can't handle that level of power."

"Even though I've weakened the cells' activity, they're still nearly impossible for an ordinary ninja to integrate."

"The First Hokage's strength is truly unattainable."

At that moment, Shūichi could see the burning passion in Orochimaru's eyes.

After some thought, Shūichi said, "I think Orochimaru-sama should definitely continue down this path."

"But only in relation to Wood Release."

Orochimaru seemed intrigued, "Oh? Are you suggesting that I separate the powerful vitality of Hashirama's cells from Wood Release, Shūichi-kun?"

Shūichi nodded, "Because no one can withstand it."

"Of course, according to my predictions, without that powerful life force, Wood Release would just be another ordinary bloodline limit, unlikely to reach the same level as the First Hokage."

Orochimaru nodded, feeling somewhat disappointed. He wasn't interested in just Wood Release, or rather, not a weakened version of it.

For him, completely removing the vitality of Hashirama's cells would make them lose their value for research.

(End of Chapter)

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