Hashirama Cell Fusion

After learning the truth behind the Akatsuki Organization, Orochimaru understood clearly that the Rinnegan was not a good choice for him.

However, the Akatsuki Organization was, after all, an organization made up of S-Class Missing-nin. Simply joining it and making use of its power would not be a problem.

In a sense, the Akatsuki Organization was brimming with talent. Its mercenary reputation and mission completion rate were also among the very best.

Aside from its exorbitant prices, the Akatsuki Organization could be said to have virtually no flaws among the mercenaries of the underworld.

"Good. Then place an order with the Akatsuki Organization for me. Use Shimura Danzō's name to hire them. As for the target? Naturally, it's our beloved Third Hokage!"

Orochimaru shook his head at that.

"That may be difficult. The Akatsuki Organization's current policy does not permit overly high-profile operations. Directly targeting Konoha, the foremost of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, does not fit the Akatsuki Organization's requirements."

Uchiha Shūichi shrugged, looking relaxed.

"It's fine. With Shimura Danzō in our hands, we can have Akatsuki members disguise themselves as Root shinobi. Whether they succeed or fail, the Akatsuki Organization ultimately won't be implicated."

"I believe that with those conditions, the Akatsuki Organization should be quite tempted. Shimura Danzō's Root is entirely his personal domain. A few extra shinobi appearing there wouldn't be noticed by anyone."

"That still won't be easy. Shimura Danzō is well-known even throughout the Shinobi World. The Akatsuki Organization may not necessarily trust him."

"Uh... anyway, test the waters first! If it fails, we'll think of something else."

Hearing Orochimaru's words, Uchiha Shūichi suddenly remembered that the Akatsuki Organization seemed to have quite a grudge against Danzo. At the very least, Nagato Uzumaki, the Akatsuki Organization's publicly known leader, could be said to share an irreconcilable hatred with Danzo.

Shimura Danzō's trust rating with the Akatsuki Organization was practically negative. They truly might not accept employment from him.

"Forget it... Anyway, whether the Akatsuki Organization works out depends entirely on luck. Did you find the person I asked you to look for?"

"Information on Tsunade was easy to obtain. That woman has been wasting away for more than a decade, and she has nearly lost all her shinobi skills."

"My shinobi have already confirmed Tsunade's location. If you want to find her, we can go at any time."

"Good. For now, though, just confirming Tsunade's location is enough. Finding her can wait until later."

Uchiha Shūichi nodded slightly. As an evil Uchiha, he knew he was no Naruto Uzumaki. He had no ability to talk Tsunade into changing her mind, much less make her obey him obediently.

So it would be best to simply control her with Kotoamatsukami. Tsunade had long since distanced herself from the center of Konoha and knew nothing about Kotoamatsukami. Furthermore, because of her Hemophobia, the Konoha princess's will was a complete mess, making her easy to control.

The only problem was that if Tsunade appeared in Konoha now, the suspicious Third Hokage would very likely investigate whether she had been placed under a genjutsu. At that point, everything would be exposed.

It would have been better if information about Kotoamatsukami hadn't been exposed... Uchiha Shūichi lamented inwardly once again.

However, only the Third Hokage, Shimura Danzō, and Uchiha Itachi knew about Kotoamatsukami now. Shimura Danzō and Uchiha Itachi had both already been taken down. As long as they found a way to deal with the Third Hokage, there would be no need to be so constrained.

"By the way, Lord Shūichi, the research on the cells inside Yamato has yielded some results. I have developed a brand-new Hashirama Cell Fusion Serum. We can enhance you now!"

Uchiha Shūichi was slightly startled, and even the way he looked at Orochimaru changed.

"If I remember correctly, Yamato only fell into your hands about a month ago, didn't he? How did you develop an enhancement serum capable of perfectly fusing Hashirama Cells in such a short time? More importantly, is this serum really reliable?"

"Yes. In fact, for ordinary people, the serum's fatality rate is still extremely high. It requires special adjustments. Even with your current physical condition, Lord Shūichi, the mortality rate is above eighty percent."

After Orochimaru finished speaking, he discovered that Uchiha Shūichi was still calmly looking at him, waiting for him to continue.

Orochimaru immediately found it rather dull. He had wanted to see Uchiha Shūichi panic or become furious. Clearly, although Kotoamatsukami could make him loyal to Uchiha Shūichi, it had not erased his individual will.

"However, I came up with a good method: borrowing the Uchiha Clan's Izanagi Technique. Thanks to Shimura Danzō, that generous fool, we now have eight Three Tomoe Sharingan. As long as we keep experimenting, we will eventually obtain perfect results."

Izanagi did not merely restore someone to their original state. In fact, it could also preserve every beneficial enhancement.

In Danzo's hands, Izanagi could only last about a minute. But if Uchiha Shūichi used it, a single Izanagi could last around ten minutes.

Ten minutes was more or less enough. At the very least, it was enough to see how effective the serum was. Modifications in the Shinobi World had always been known for taking effect quickly under the catalysis of Chakra.

Eight Sharingan meant eight extra lives. Unless their luck was truly dreadful, after eight rounds of adjustments, they would surely be able to completely fuse the Hashirama Cells.

Naturally, Uchiha Shūichi was also greatly surprised by Orochimaru's method of using Izanagi. Even as a transmigrator, he had never come up with anything as wild as Orochimaru's idea. Scientists simply thought differently from ordinary people.

A moment later, Uchiha Shūichi removed one of his own eyes again and replaced it with a Three Tomoe Sharingan. Then, before the serum was injected, he activated the Izanagi Technique.

After that, the serum was slowly injected into his body. Within moments, Uchiha Shūichi felt as though his entire body were burning. Hissing sounds rang out as his flesh and skin split apart, branches growing one after another from the wounds.

The next instant, the branches erupting from his body directly transformed Uchiha Shūichi into a lush, towering tree. The experiment had clearly failed completely.

Amid a strange, illusory sensation, the bloody tree in the laboratory vanished entirely, revealing Uchiha Shūichi's figure.

Uchiha Shūichi panted twice. The vivid sensation of death just now had left him somewhat shaken, but aside from one Three Tomoe Sharingan turning ash-gray, he had suffered no other injuries.