With the help of Tenzo and Tigo, Yuhara finally completed an immensely important quantitative study. At last, his "Cursed Seal" had become a widely applicable tool for the masses.
Another three-plus months had passed, and it was now the warm spring of the second year. From the initial "project approval" to entering the experimental phase and finally obtaining the results, Yuhara had not spent much time at all. However, the study as a whole had strayed from his original objective. During the process, he seemed to have become a simple researcher completely immersed in the joy of research... The study of generalized Cursed Seals had only been one aspect of his original goal. More importantly, he had wanted to understand Nature Energy, thereby completing his own "Sage Mode."
He had indeed deepened his understanding of Nature Energy, but not by much. Fortunately, he had realized one thing: descriptions such as cultivation or training were too vague. Quantification was the most scientific path forward. There was still time. In the end, Yuhara had gained something from it.
Since Yuhara's research was not secret, it had caused some minor disturbances throughout the process. More importantly, the experiments and their results ultimately had to be reported to the Third Hokage. There was no helping it. As someone operating within Konoha's system, Yuhara still had to follow the rules as much as possible. Unless absolutely necessary, he was unwilling to deliberately violate the village's regulations. Once someone abandoned their social identity as a human being, they truly became Orochimaru.
In Konoha, once the Hokage learned about something, it meant that others would hear about it as well. This was especially true of the Third Hokage, who was particularly "skilled" at delegating authority... Apart from the rarest core secrets concerning Konoha, there were no secrets