Advising Orochimaru, Kidnapping Yamato
"You're studying Hashirama Senju's cells, right? It doesn't seem to be going very well."
Qingye didn't answer. He walked forward on his own, picked up the petri dish with his right hand, which was covered by a black glove, activated his Sharingan, and observed the cluster of vibrant white cells on it.
Decades after Hashirama Senju's death, his cells remained remarkably active and appeared to continue dividing and multiplying.
Orochimaru glanced around, but his gaze eventually returned to the Mysterious Man.
Who on earth is this guy?!
What is Danzo good for?!
This is his lair, how could he allow such a Mysterious Man with unknown background to infiltrate here!
What is your purpose?
Orochimaru took a deep breath and calmed down.
"Your research is interesting, but unfortunately you've gone in the wrong direction," Qingye said, turning to Orochimaru.
Orochimaru then noticed that beneath the Tomoe holes in the mask on the Mysterious Man's face were actually a pair of scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan!
"Are you a member of the Chiha clan?"
Orochimaru frowned slightly.
Who could it be?
There shouldn't be many people in the Uchiha Clan with this level of strength. Uchiha Aoya, Uchiha Fugaku —or perhaps there are other powerful Uchiha members he doesn't know about?
Seeing the Mysterious Man chuckle but not answer, Orochimaru, remembering his earlier words, pressed on, "What did you mean by saying I went the wrong way?"
Is this guy here because of my research?
Qingye slowly put down the petri dish in his hand and said softly, "Hashirama Senju is a very special person, and his Wood Release power is also very special. Even in the history of the Senju, he is one of only two people who have mastered Wood Release."
Only two?
Orochimaru caught the word, his breathing quickening, and pressed, "Who is the other person?"
"The ancestor of the Senju Clan, the second son of the Sage of Six Paths, Asura."
Orochimaru's expression was somewhat strange.
Is this guy bluffing?
The name Asura was naturally familiar to him, having read many ancient texts, but he had always regarded it as a myth or legend.
He had even sought confirmation from Tsunade, Tsunade said that the ancestor recorded in their Senju clan was indeed Asura, but the reliability was questionable.
As for the claim that he was the second son of the Sage of Six Paths, Tsunade completely disbelieved it.
In the legends of the Sage of Six Paths circulating in the Shinobi World, this founder of the Ninshu is said to possess the powerful ability to create the world, but almost no one can accept such a thing as historical fact.
However, Orochimaru did not voice his doubts, but instead continued to press, "What made the First Hokage so special? What made the Wood Release technique so special?"
"You have quite a few questions," Qingye said with an approving tone. "However, for a researcher, this is a very good quality."
"Wood Release, this is the power inherited from the ancient God Tree. Only those who are descendants of the Six Paths can unleash the true power of Wood Release."
"Like that boy who survived by sheer luck, he could only demonstrate a small fraction of the power of Wood Release."
"As for these more ordinary experimental materials, they are completely unable to withstand the power of the dry-handed Hashirama Cells."
Descendants of the Six Paths ----
Orochimaru recalled the legends of the Shinobi World that he had once heard.
Similar to the Senju clan's records regarding their Asura, Shinobi World legends also state that the Uchiha Clan's ancestor was Indra, who was also a descendant of the Sage of Six Paths.
The Senju Uchiha —the two strongest Shinobi World, whose lineage spanned a thousand years during the Warring States Period —could they be the so-called descendants of the Six Paths?
Orochimaru wanted to press for more information, but his attention was drawn to another matter mentioned by Qingye.
"What kind of boy survived by sheer luck?"
Orochimaru was confused.
"You don't know?" Qingye retorted.
Orochimaru:
1
Should I know?
However, he quickly realized what was happening.
The experiment to recreate Wood Release by transplanting the cells of the First Hokage was a secret operation conducted after the Second Shinobi World War with the support of the Third Hokage.
He is the research leader!
He conducted Hashirama Cells transplantation experiments on a total of 60 subjects, but unfortunately none of them survived.
But now it seems that this is probably not the case!
According to this Mysterious Man, one of the test subjects must have survived by sheer luck.
Although the Third Hokage tacitly approved and supported the human experiments at the time, he did not personally participate; instead, Shimura Danzō was in charge of overseeing them.
Therefore—
Orochimaru quickly guessed the answer, asserting, "One of the test subjects survived, but Danzo hid him!"
"Good."
Qingye revealed Jia's location.
"I look forward to new progress in your research."
Orochimaru watched the Mysterious Man leave, choosing not to give chase.
He has absolutely no information about the other side, so it's best not to act rashly for the time being.
"Who exactly is this guy? And what's his purpose?"
"Besides the Uchiha of Konoha, are there other powerful Uchiha Clan members hidden in the Shinobi World?"
"Or perhaps it wasn't from the Uchiha Clan, but rather Sharingan obtained through transplantation?"
With so many thoughts swirling in his head and no answer in sight, Orochimaru simply gave up on trying to figure it out.
Let's think about the experiment first.
"Only those who are not descendants of the Six Paths can truly unleash the power of Wood Release. The legends about the descendants of the Six Paths need to be further verified—and that experimental subject who survived!" Orochimaru quietly left the laboratory.
Let's verify this first!
Root training ground.
A lay alone on the ground.
The Root Jonin who was in charge of his daily training had left, leaving him all alone in the empty training ground.
What is the outside world like?
A stared blankly at the high ceiling, as if trying to see through it and reach the sky outside.
The earliest memory he can recall is of being submerged in a giant jar, watching other jars containing people his age, who gradually turned to wood and died, until only he remained.
--
In my memory, he seems to have turned into a block of wood.
In his hazy state of consciousness, he thought he was going to die, but when he woke up, he saw a person who gave him a name—or rather, a code name?
In short, from that day on, he was Root ninja "A".
Under the guidance of the person arranged by that adult, he began his training as a ninja, practicing Wood Release Ninjutsu day after day.
At first, that adult had high expectations for him, and often came to see him and encourage him.
But later, perhaps because he hadn't done well enough, the man seemed somewhat disappointed and visited him less and less.
Now, the only person he has regular contact with is the Jonin who is in charge of teaching him.
The Root Jonin didn't talk much; he was only responsible for guiding his training and never discussed outside matters with him.
I really want to go out----
A reached out his hand towards the ceiling, muttering to himself.
Do you want to leave here?
Suddenly a voice entered his ears, and Jia was jolted awake, quickly sprang to his feet, holding Kunai in his hand, his face full of vigilance.
Who is it?!
A shouted loudly and looked around, but saw no one.
After checking again carefully, they finally found a small white snake in the corner.
"----Was that you speaking just now?"
A was a little dazed.
"You haven't answered my question yet. Do you want to leave?" To A's astonishment, the little white snake flicked its tongue and spoke in human language.
"----Yes!" A hesitated for a long time, his eyes filled with hope. "Can you take me out of here? But Danzo won't allow me to leave."
"Heh, there will be an opportunity."
The little white snake chuckled, but didn't choose to take the boy who had inherited the Wood Release away immediately. "I still don't know your name."
"My name is Jia----"
A hesitated for a moment, but ultimately could not resist the desire to leave this place and see the light of day again.
"A, that's just your code name. I'm asking for your real name."
"Name? I... I don't have a name. I can't remember it—" A was somewhat distressed, as he couldn't recall any memories before that jar.
"Don't you remember? It's alright."
The little white snake's voice carried a seductive tone. "The code name 'Jia' is not important, and neither is your name."
The important question is, once you strip away that code name, who are you?
"I... I don't know----"
Do you want to know who you are?
"----think!"
The little white snake wanted to say something more, but suddenly heard a noise outside and said with some regret, "Next time we meet, I'll tell you who you are. But remember, don't tell anyone about us."
"