New Home, Team Shin, Crazy Concept

Three days later.

In a dense forest within the Land of Rice Fields.

Uchiha Ao followed Orochimaru and finally arrived at their destination.

After quite a bit of trouble.

Once they entered the base and settled Jugo and Kimimaro in, Orochimaru immediately summoned several key subordinates and introduced them to Ao.

"Her name is Oto."

Orochimaru pointed at the young girl kneeling before them.

She appeared to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, with black hair and a baby face.

Behind the girl stood two other boys with their heads bowed.

Their faces were obscured.

"Lord Orochimaru... Lord Ao..."

The girl named Oto looked up and bowed respectfully.

Ao nodded without saying a word, looking at his teacher with confusion.

The girl did not display anything special, and he did not understand the reason Orochimaru considered her a perfect vessel.

"Teacher, is she suitable?"

These words caused the girl to furrow her brows, and she looked at Ao with slight dissatisfaction.

"Ao, do you know Oto's talent? She has a natural affinity for all five Chakra natures, and her Chakra reserves are three times that of an average person. Once she completes the injection of the Hashirama Cells serum, that will increase significantly as well."

"Combined with her youthful constitution and weak soul, she is already very suitable as the target for my first reincarnation."

Orochimaru said with a frown.

There was one more point he didn't mention: Oto's soul power was weak, meaning she wouldn't put up much resistance during the ritual.

It would make the first experiment convenient.

It was unlikely that any uncontrollable situations would arise.

"Teacher... what is so impressive about that? Even the Third Hokage has it. Having an affinity for five Chakra natures doesn't mean she can achieve the fusion of five-nature Chakra transformations!"

Ao said, speechless.

He hadn't expected Orochimaru to choose such a thing as a test subject for his first reincarnation.

He was a bit disappointed.

"An ordinary person without a single Kekkei Genkai can actually be called a perfect vessel?"

"Teacher, if you really want to reincarnate, I think it would be better to wait a while longer. If we could master the method of fusing all Kekkei Genkai into a single body—perfectly integrating the constitutions of the Senju and Uzumaki clans, the eyes of the Uchiha and Hyuga, and the bone structures of the Kaguya—perhaps then we could create a perfect vessel for you."

Ao proposed his own idea.

He knew that realizing this would be extremely difficult; setting aside the issue of bloodline rejection, even their current technical means were far from meeting the requirements for genetic recombination.

These were all studies that required prerequisites and a massive investment of time.

"Ao, that is a very good idea, but in our lifetime, can it be achieved? This is no ordinary research."

"The research on the fusion of Hashirama Cells alone has already taken me nearly ten years."

Orochimaru sighed softly; it wasn't as if he hadn't had such visions himself.

It was just that he was no longer young.

Time had already left its mark on his body, and the growth of his Chakra reserves had stagnated.

This meant his body had reached its peak and was gradually beginning its decline.

Just like the process he witnessed when his teacher, Sarutobi Hiruzen, gradually grew frail.

He was getting old, too.

"That's why you have me! Master Orochimaru, don't you worry."

Seeing Orochimaru start acting again, Ao immediately played along.

He suddenly realized that this teacher of his quite enjoyed putting on this expression of regret.

He was deliberately trying to stir his emotions.

"Teacher, after summarizing all your research data recently, I discovered that in experiments involving Hashirama Cells, there are differences between individual Hashirama Cells and other cells. Does that imply there is something more specific within the cells that can alter their capabilities?"

Ao hinted. Although he was very clear about the role of genes and the entire preparation process, he couldn't state it directly.

He needed to give Orochimaru a process of understanding.

Nothing would be more impressive than personally isolating a gene sequence.

Ao roughly described a prerequisite for researching gene sequences—that is, deciphering the mysteries of the cell and identifying the substances and functions within it.

By completely dismantling an entire cell, one could discover the existence of genes.

At this stage, because of his research into Hashiama Cells, Orochimaru had already begun to grasp some of the mysteries surrounding cells.

However, his focus was not in this area; he was dedicated to his immortality project and had not yet systematically organized his previous data, nor had he further analyzed the cells.

Orochimaru's talent was exceptional, and his research progress was rapid.

One man was even keeping pace with the development of an entire era.

In the future, he would even independently create cloning technology.

He would create an army of clones.

Orochimaru pondered for a moment, looked at Oto with suspicion, and murmured, "Could it be that I really made the wrong choice?"

Oto suddenly raised her head and said with a firm tone, "Lord Orochimaru, your choice was not wrong; I am the most perfect vessel."

"I am willing to become your incarnation!"

Her gaze turned fierce as she looked at Uchiha Ao; it was this man's words that had caused Lord Orochimaru to doubt her.

"It's you, you bastard... damn you!"

The girl stood up abruptly, and in a fit of shame and anger, she lunged at Uchiha Ao.

She reached behind her, pulled out a kunai, and decisively stabbed toward Uchiha Ao, aiming straight for his heart.

Ao's expression remained unchanged. A pair of Three Tomoe Sharingan manifested, and with just a single glance, he completely controlled her. Her mind sank into endless darkness, and her body froze in place.

"Her soul power is fragile; she can serve as a practice subject."

"With your discerning eye, Teacher, I'm afraid this girl wouldn't even catch your attention."

Ao commented on the girl.

The evaluation was sharp and hit the nail on the head.

With a gentle push, the girl slumped to the ground, having lost consciousness.

Orochimaru did not reprimand him; instead, he nodded in approval and said:

"Ao, you are even more fastidious than I am when it comes to choosing a vessel! You must know that affinity for all five types of chakra is something that cannot be sought, only encountered."

"In the entire Konoha for the past few decades, there have only been three... namely Senju Tobirama, Sarutobi-sensei, and myself."

Orochimaru stated the facts, clapping his hands lightly with a cold expression on his face.

He realized that while Ao was collecting data on Kekkei Genkai, he seemed to have forgotten a key element.

"Let me tell you one thing... if you want to go further on the path of scientific research, you must master all types of chakra."

"This is the most basic requirement for researching forbidden jutsu."

"If you cannot perceive the nature transformation of a certain chakra, it means you will find it difficult to find an entry point for any research related to that chakra."

"As you said, a Kekkei Genkai is the fusion of chakra nature transformations."

"In reality, only after mastering affinity for all five types of chakra can one satisfy the requirements for further fusion and creative research into Kekkei Genkai."

"This is the prerequisite for Kekkei Genkai research."

"That is precisely why I chose this girl as a reincarnation vessel."

Orochimaru instructed, imparting a portion of his own experience in scientific research.

Ao nodded thoughtfully.

These words did indeed sound reasonable.

"Teacher, in fact, I have discovered that there are not only five types of chakra attributes; there is also the chakra composed of the Sharingan's ocular power and the life force of Wood Release! They are clearly different from the five types recorded in books."

Ao raised a question.

He roughly explained his understanding of ocular power and Wood Release, treating them as two different types of chakra, which he named Yin Release and Yang Release.

Combined with the original five attributes, they formed a total of seven types of chakra.

"If one were to master all the nature transformations of these chakra types and then find a method of fusion to combine all seven, what kind of Kekkei Genkai would be created? Teacher!"

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru's eyes lit up as if he had found a brand-new direction for research. He nodded in strong approval and said, "Interesting... very interesting indeed! Ao, this idea of yours is much bolder than mine."

"If one could truly create an ability that fuses the nature transformations of seven types of chakra, could it even still be called a Kekkei Genkai?"

"The fusion of three types of chakra in Iwagakure created the so-called Kekkei Tōta: Dust Release."

"Seven types... I don't even dare to imagine it!"

Orochimaru muttered.

The light in his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

This kind of research was what made it a challenge; it would be enough to kill time during his future immortal life.

"This is a direction, but it is still very far from us."

"Let's start the reincarnation experiment first! I want to see exactly what risks and results this Living Corpse Reincarnation jutsu entails."

Orochimaru forcibly suppressed the thought that was growing in his heart, changed the subject, looked at his other two subordinates, and ordered:

"Asami, Shin, the two of you help Oto up and follow me to the laboratory."

When Ao heard the name Shin, his gaze shifted instantly, and he happened to see a young boy with delicate features and a frail build trembling as he climbed to his feet, his face filled with fear toward Orochimaru.