Laboratory

"Hehe, I naturally came prepared long ago when I found this opportunity to come here." As he spoke, Orochimaru took out several Scroll from his body.

After being untied, all sorts of exquisite instruments appeared before Shuichi's eyes.

"Then let's start by collecting his blood." With that, the two figures, one large and one small, walked towards Jugo in the darkness.

Sensing someone approaching, Jugo had been keeping his head down, raised it. "Who are you people? What do you want? Ah, ah..."

Soon after, Shuichi and Orochimaru emerged from the shadows with satisfied expressions. Clearly, even Jugo's powerful Cursed Seal couldn't withstand what these two did to him.

"As for this child, let's let him stay here," Orochimaru said, having seriously considered the matter. "He's still young, yet he can withstand the corrosive effects of Natural Energy. Finding a place with so much Natural Energy in the Shinobi World is not easy, and things might change again in a few years."

After achieving their goal, the two left the Ryūchi Cave area and prepared to return to Konoha. Before leaving, Orochimaru once again warned the villagers of the Libra Clan that if anything Jugo, the consequences would be unbearable for them.

After traveling at breakneck speed for nearly half a month, Orochimaru and Shuichi had returned to the Land of Fire. This was at the speed of ninjas, which shows that the Three Great Sage Lands are located quite far away; an ordinary person might not be able to find them even after half a year of travel.

"Teacher, are we going to submit the mission report?" Shuichi asked Orochimaru as they were about to return to Konoha.

"Of course not, I have some things to do." Orochimaru showed no shame whatsoever for slacking off. "If you'd like, you can come along too. I think the prospect of training alone is far more tempting than going back to see your companions."

"..." Shuichi was speechless. After being told that, he realized that it felt really good to be lazy and not do the mission. So he immediately decided not to go back to the village for now. He would help Orochimaru and then delay for as long as possible. Anyway, the Third Hokage couldn't do anything about them.

When they were about ten kilometers from Konoha, Orochimaru and Shuichi changed their direction of travel. According to him, they had specifically chosen a good location not far from the village for future research.

The two walked through the dense forest for a while and stopped at a place with a small slope.

"So the location for the laboratory has already been almost completely dug!" Shuichi he looked down at the already excavated tunnel.

Orochimaru is truly amazing. He managed to acquire all the equipment, experimental materials, and locations in one go during a mission trip. He is definitely a cunning and shrewd strategist.

Then the two got busy, first using Earth Release to create a gate, and then setting up various hidden Barrier around it.

After entering the underground cave, light all the special Oil Lamp prepared by Orochimaru, and then go into the deepest laboratory.

"Some of our previous small-scale research was conducted in Konoha, which was quite troublesome in order to avoid attracting attention. From now on, let's use this place as the main experimental site!" While explaining, Orochimaru began to take out various glass instruments stored in the Scroll.

Shuichi looked curiously at the transparent jars filled with red and pale yellow liquid. Most of them contained various kinds of snakes, which clearly indicated that Orochimaru's main focus was on Snake Ninjutsu.

After categorizing and organizing the large amount of equipment, materials, and books, Orochimaru revealed a meaningful expression and solemnly took out a glass bottle. Shuichi closer look and found that it was the most special one among them: a complete white snake skin that had been shed.

"Hmph, the White Snake symbolizing rebirth and reincarnation, huh?" Orochimaru placed it in a special position with a touch of ritual, a smile of excitement spreading across his face—the thrill of a grand undertaking beginning, the start of a dream becoming reality.

Upon seeing this, Shuichi recalled the plot of Hokage, where the Third Hokage said that the White Snake shedding its skin symbolized the reincarnation of a person, in order to comfort Orochimaru who had lost his parents. Little did he expect that his disciple would actually accomplish such an incredible feat. In a sense, Konoha was indeed a constraint for him.

"Teacher, now that your experiment has officially begun, please let me know if you encounter any problems, such as with experimental equipment. Also, I will promptly inform you if there are any matters in the village that need to be reported."

Shuichi little regretful that his major in his previous life wasn't biology, so his help to Orochimaru was limited. At his age, even with his strong learning ability, he was still far behind Orochimaru in terms of knowledge. Even if he came up with some novel ideas, they would probably be full of flaws. So for now, he could only help out as an assistant and provide cover.

You're so thoughtful.

In the Spring of Konoha Year 46, Orochimaru and Shuichi, who had been missing for nearly half a year, finally stepped into the gates of Konoha. Any later and they would have been listed as missing persons.

In the Hokage's Office, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the two people in front of him with rosy complexions and relaxed expressions, and he was furious.

"You've been gone for so long because the Land of Snow has a harsh climate and no ships can sail in winter?" The Third Hokage almost roared as he looked at Orochimaru's mission report.

"Yes!" Shuichi said calmly, "Winter in the Land of Snow is just too cold. Even the sea is frozen, so we can only wait until spring to return. I guess we were just unlucky."

The Third Hokage was speechless. He had always felt that Orochimaru taking on such a mission was unusual, and now he saw that it was indeed true.

These two looked neatly dressed and radiant, clearly having taken the opportunity to go somewhere for fun. Their mission must have been completed long ago, and Shuichi even seemed to have gained a little weight. They lied without batting an eye.

"Get out of here right now!" The Third Hokage officially blacklisted these two people, and from now on he must be more careful in choosing missions, and never give them another chance to take advantage of the situation.

Orochimaru left the Hokage's Office without saying a word, while Shuichi remained standing there with a grin on his face.

"Is there anything else?" the Third Hokage asked, sounding a little impatient.

"Is that so? Last time I submitted the Puppeteer's report, right? After so much time, the village should have assessed its value by now, right?" Shuichi stayed behind for his own training project.

The Third Shinobi War is just around the corner, and with the system's added points, his training speed has increased significantly again. Therefore, he's looking to see if he can acquire some Ninjutsu to supplement his skills.

Hearing this, the Third Hokage brother became a little more serious. "After the village's research, your intelligence is basically accurate. Recently, two teams have successfully retreated after engaging with the Sunagakure's Puppeteer, which is quite rare. It is indeed very valuable."