Sure Enough, Still Can't Avoid White Zetsu

We finally meet.

Orochimaru eyed Gen'ichi before him with interest.

His long tongue unconsciously licked, wrapping up string after string of maruko and stuffing them into his mouth.

"Whoa! A monster!" An innocent child passing by was instantly scared to tears, crying out as they ran away.

"A pleasure to meet you, Lord Orochimaru. I'm truly honored."

Gen'ichi bowed slightly, showing no unusual reaction. He didn't bother thinking if this meeting was accidental or deliberate, as it was no longer relevant.

"Teacher, it's this guy! He made me lose the match last time and even made me lose my sense of taste! Damn it!!"

Anko's face was filled with anger, eager to challenge Gen'ichi. Because she was defeated by a single mouthful of blood, Anko had practically become the stepping stone for Gen'ichi's fame. Even worse, her sense of taste was somehow malfunctioning; even eating maruko had no flavor anymore.

"Stand down, Anko. You're no match for him right now. He's a Konoha genius who's starting to make a name for himself; there's no reason he'd lose to you. Besides, my treatment for you has only just begun, don't act rashly."

Orochimaru let out a low, hoarse chuckle: "However, Gen'ichi-kun, the Kekkei Genkai you awakened truly surprised me. To think it can achieve destruction and distortion at the cellular level."

A wave of excitement washed over Orochimaru whenever he thought about the large quantity of oral cells he had collected from Anko's mouth back then.

They changed. Those oral cells that should have been normal exhibited a significant degree of mutation at an astonishing rate.

"Thank you for what you did regarding Anko, Gen'ichi-kun. If you had withdrawn that power even a little later, I'm afraid Anko might have been killed by you..." Orochimaru showed a terrifying smile.

"I'm truly sorry, I didn't want something like that to happen..."

"I'm not blaming you. On the contrary, I'm very much looking forward to seeing what you can do. Perhaps you'll become my subordinate."

Orochimaru stared intently at Gen'ichi, his gaze like that of someone looking at a priceless treasure.

What had he discovered? A mobile treasure trove capable of causing cellular mutation! For Orochimaru, who pursued eternal life and was frantically collecting and researching various Kekkei Genkai, this held a fatal attraction.

Cellular mutation meant the unknown, and the unknown was what Orochimaru liked best.

Gen'ichi watched with a smile as Orochimaru pulled Anko away. Similarly, he ordered some maruko from the same vendor, found a quiet empty spot, and ate them.

The sun set in the west.

As dusk fell, Gen'ichi got up and headed back.

Just as I thought, Orochimaru is after me. If I were a scientist, I'd definitely be interested in Radiation too.

Gen'ichi shook his head with a smile. This was truly bad news. Approaching Orochimaru closely without sufficient strength would make him easily devoured.

It seems I need to seriously consider my next actions.

That night.

In the secret Laboratory.

As usual, Orochimaru was conducting experiments. He dissected the bodies he had secretly collected from the battlefield one after another, performing complex experiments.

Creak...

"Orochimaru, I can't stall Hiruzen any longer. He needs you on the battlefield to share the pressure."

Danzo Shimura walked in with a cold expression.

"Heh, I've been prepared for a while now. But you, Danzo, normally you'd be heading to the Eastern Front to deal with those clowns from the Mist Village, so why haven't you acted yet?"

Orochimaru sneered.

Danzo's face darkened: "I don't need you to tell me what to do! Don't forget your place!"

"...Got it. What a stubborn guy."

With a single cut, Orochimaru dug a heart out of the corpse and carefully placed it in a container.

After a moment, Danzo grew impatient: "When exactly will you do what you promised me? When will the experiments on fusing Hashirama Cells and Sharingan begin?"

"Soon, just wait a little longer. I need more Sharingan as specimens."

"Hmph, I'll find a way to get more eyes, but you absolutely must produce results!"

Danzo glanced at the Laboratory, filled with severed limbs, then turned and left without expression.

Getting Sharingan isn't difficult.

He immediately set off for the Eastern Front Battlefield. There, the main force of the Uchiha Clan was fighting against the Mist Ninja, and people died every day.

I remember, the Uchiha Clan's new generation genius is a member of Shibi's Team...

In Danzo's single eye, a sinister intent surged.

"Shikuro, although you've only just joined Root, I presume you've made your resolve. Now, I need you to monitor every member of Shibi's Team and brainwash Ichie... and Gen'ichi, to find a way to make them join Root."

Danzo walked out of the Laboratory and issued orders to the Root members standing guard at the entrance.

"Understood, Lord Danzo. Everything for Konoha! They are the ninja Root needs, but Lord Hokage..."

"Don't worry about Hiruzen. If those two are willing to join Root voluntarily, even Hiruzen won't be able to stop it in time."

Danzo spoke indifferently.

Shikuro nodded slightly and silently followed behind Danzo. The expression beneath his mask was filled with reverence whenever he looked at Danzo.

And Danzo, feeling this fervent gaze, was very satisfied.

Aburame Shikuro, the ninja who mastered Nano Poison Insects, truly excellent. He possessed the resolve to sacrifice for Konoha.

Gen'ichi sat on the bed, his consciousness sinking as he once again entered the dim space.

This time, he stood 90 meters away from Godzilla – having advanced 10 meters.

"I can't advance any further. With my current Chakra, this is as far as I can get."

Gen'ichi gathered a large amount of Chakra, a quantity comparable to a Jonin's. At most, it only elicited a slight response from the big guy in front of him.

This left Gen'ichi feeling quite helpless. What a truly terrifying giant creature.

His meeting with Orochimaru during the day had filled Gen'ichi with a huge sense of crisis, driving him to find ways to gain greater power.

"The ideal scenario would be to quickly gain Godzilla's power. Not necessarily turn into Godzilla, but at least have the ability to create something similar to a Tailed Beast Cloak..."

He was currently akin to a Jinchuriki. Following the Jinchuriki path seemed like the most suitable route he had envisioned.

But...

"This big guy sleeps so soundly, and isn't interested in anything besides Chakra. It's really difficult to deal with..."

Gen'ichi sat cross-legged at the 90-meter mark, pondering for a moment before a look of determination appeared in his eyes.

He needed to take a risk.

Chakra, this substance, originates from the Ten-Tails Divine Tree.

If he wanted to research Chakra, there was no way around the Divine Tree. And he happened to have something related to the Divine Tree in his possession.

A White Zetsu corpse.