Orochimaru, Did You Leak the First Hokage Cells?

"Sage Mode? What's that?"

Obito with doubts.

but.

He knew.

Although he could listen in from the sidelines, he had no right to ask questions, because Madara Uchiha was not a patient person.

After a moment of silence.

Madara stopped laughing and said, "So, Sasori of the Red Sands is dead?"

"Yes, he has no chance of survival. I originally wanted to take this opportunity to resolve a small problem, but I didn't expect..."

Black Zetsu answered.

Then, he couldn't help but feel regret.

"Although this man deserved to die, his research was indeed very useful. He even turned himself into a puppet, and within his human form, he created a small puppet..."

Sasori's puppet-like thinking was truly remarkable, even changing Black Zetsu's Puppet Technique.

it is a pity.

He had just made a slight improvement when Sasori of the Red Sands, the creator, died—by self-destruction, with little chance of resurrection.

Even if the body still exists, it has most likely been collected and sealed away by Kyohiko Yoshimine.

That guy is too cautious!

"That's certainly a good idea, but unfortunately, Puppet Technique has a hard limit—it's not powerful enough!"

Madara Uchiha said calmly, "Human power is limitless. Replacing a living body with a dead puppet is tantamount to putting the cart before the horse."

Not everyone possesses the wisdom of you or me.

Black Zetsu.

A faint smile appeared on Madara's face, and then he looked at Obito Uchiha.

"You should learn from Kyohiko Yoshimine. Although he is just an ordinary person, his wisdom surpasses that of Senju Tobirama."

"Cultivation doesn't rely on brains. Even if you reach a very high level of strength, you can still be defeated by someone inferior to you!"

"Unless you can be like me!"

Madara Uchiha's gaze was indifferent.

Obito's face showed curiosity. "Like you?"

"Gaining a more powerful eye, the Mangekyo, will allow you to defeat the vast majority of ninjas. And above that, there is the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, and... even more powerful eyes!"

Madara Uchiha replied calmly, "The pursuit of eternal peace requires far more sacrifice than you can imagine!"

"Yes, I will work tirelessly!"

Upon hearing the Obito Uchiha immediately became incredibly motivated, as if he'd been injected with adrenaline.

Although he couldn't possibly be as intelligent as Kyohiko!

Madara Uchiha glanced at him.

Although they hadn't spent much time together, he still had a considerable understanding of Obito.

Intelligence is something you're born with; Obito wasn't cut out for studying or using his brain. These words were just meant to encourage him to try a little harder.

Even being just a little bit smarter is good.

Obito has a lot of potential; even a little bit of cleverness can lead to huge progress.

"And the other one..."

Black Zetsu looked at Madara Uchiha.

Although Madara is not as powerful as he used to be, he still has some strength, and he can also control other people.

for example--

Karatachi Yagura.

Madara Uchiha pondered for a moment and said, "Alright, anyway, we're already half-open about our cards, there's no point in hiding."

"Recruit anyone we can find. While Kirigakure is still under our control, let's cultivate our own power base."

"We should also prepare for the future!"

He then closed his eyes to rest.

Black Zetsu hesitated for a moment, then asked again, "I think Hanzo might be someone we can try to win over."

"Hanzo?"

Ban, after hearing this, lost interest and said, "You decide."

In his eyes, Hanzo of the Salamander's title of "demigod" was insignificant and not even worthy of special attention.

The border of the Land of Birds.

Yahiko looked at Kyohiko with hopeful eyes and said, "Why don't you come sit with me for a while? I have a lot of questions I'd like to ask you!"

Although Kyohiko was much younger than him, Yahiko felt no shame at all.

The other party is indeed clever!

and.

Compared to him, Kyohiko now has much more experience in managing the village. Even the Teacher ask Kyohiko for his opinion on many issues, and it's not shameful to ask him for advice.

There will be other opportunities in the future.

Kyohiko shook his head.

but.

Yahiko's attendance this time is already a tacit statement.

At this moment, Kakashi and Hizashi Hyuga were still some distance away and hadn't followed. It was just him and Yahiko here, so they could talk freely.

He thought for a moment, then looked towards the distant Land of Birds.

"Yahiko, I can roughly guess what you're thinking. I want to ask you a question."

"What?"

Yahiko was somewhat puzzled.

"What kind of peace do you want? Is it to make the people of the Land of Rain live better lives, to make the Land of Rain better, or do you want the Land of Rain to become a country like the Five Great Nations?"

Kyohiko countered with a question.

Yahiko was taken aback.

Then, he turned to look at the Land of Rain.

This country, filled with storms and hardships...

His hometown.

What kind of shape do you want it to become?

Yahiko was confused.

He remained silent for a long time, unable to answer Kyohiko's question.

"Different directions, different strategies, and we need to maintain a different relationship with them in Konoha. In fact, to be frank, there's even a possibility they might become enemies in the future."

Kyohiko was quite composed.

His goal is to unify the Shinobi World. If Yahiko wants to turn the Land of Rain into a great power, or if he still yearns for the ridiculous peace that Jiraiya once had.

Then, we have no choice but to become enemies!

Yahiko let out a long sigh.

"Previously, my idea was to achieve peace between large and small countries through dialogue and mutual understanding, but after your reminder, I realized that it's impossible."

The oppression of smaller nations by larger ones is like a predator hunting the weak—a phenomenon remarkably similar to the laws of nature.

As a weak nation, there is very little we can do.

and...

"In reality, in the Land of Birds, even survival and continuation are extremely difficult for us, let alone becoming stronger or making our village, Amegakure, the sixth largest village."

Yahiko smiled bitterly.

so.

He could understand Hanzo meant.

It's too difficult for a small ninja village to become stronger!

Kyohiko nodded.

"Yes, both peace and becoming stronger against the odds are difficult. In this day and age, it's not something that can be solved in one generation. Right now, Konoha and I are just lucky ones."

Yahiko did not answer.

He did not try to persuade Jingyan to stay, nor did he ask Kyohiko to go to their village so that they could exchange ideas or discuss other potential collaborations.

As Kyohiko said.

If you don't understand what you want, talking a lot is just empty talk.

Own...

What kind of Land of Rain do we want?

For a moment, Yahiko felt somewhat lost. As he watched Kyohiko leave, his heart was heavy and complicated.

Kyohiko is always so smart and calm, able to see the most critical issues. Compared to him, I really don't have the talent to be a leader.

"How wonderful it would be if I had such talent!"

Yahiko thought enviously.

Only after Kyohiko and the others had completely disappeared did he Body Flicker Technique rush towards the village.

Konoha, Hokage Building.

Tsunade back and forth, looking irritated.

"Lady Tsunade, please stop walking around. You're making me dizzy."

Shizune, she spoke.

Tsunade sighed in frustration.

"Kyohiko hasn't replied yet. How can I not worry? That guy is really something. So many days, not a single word. Even if Flying Thunder God sent a message back, it wouldn't take long, would it?"

"Lady Tsunade, Kyohiko has only been gone for four days. This is the normal mission time. If it weren't for the Flying Raijin Formation Technique, they might not have even arrived yet!"

The Shizune is even more speechless.

Tsunade didn't care much about anyone else going out, including Jiraiya and Orochimaru, but when Kyohiko left the village, especially to carry out special missions, Lady Tsunade's worry was written all over her face.

Does it have to be this obvious?

She sighed softly, "Kyohiko is so strong, he can't possibly be in any danger!"

"But the opponent might be Madara..."

Tsunade frowned and sighed.

Madara Uchiha.

Even if the other party might not be the real Madara, since they have the ability to control the Yagura Karatachi, they can't be that weak, even if they're not the real Madara.

Even if Kyohiko...

She couldn't help but worry.

Shizune and speechless.

Tsunade's attitude is just like a mother taking her child out for a walk.

She silently lowered her head to correct the documents.

At that very moment.

"Here it comes! Here it comes! You brat, you finally remembered to send me a letter."

Tsunade immediately took the letter from the table next to her.

To be precise, it was a bamboo strip.

This is a carving material that Kyohiko often uses. It can be generated directly using Wood Release, and carving is very convenient.

It says above.

"Safety."

"The Sasori of the Red Sands has been killed, most of the puppets have been brought back, and there were additional gains. Details can be discussed in person."

It's short, but very important.

Tsunade was overjoyed after reading it.

For Konoha, the most important thing is to kill Sasori of the Red Sands and eliminate this major threat. Secondly, they need to obtain his puppet to provide a reference for Konoha's puppet prosthetics.

According to Kyohiko's account, it is clear that the main objectives have been achieved.

As for any extra gains, those are just bonuses.

However.

Two days later, Kyohiko returned to Konoha with the items.

Inside the training ground.

"What's the haul? Why all the fuss and call us all over?"

Orochimaru had a slight smile on his lips.

He had heard from the Anbu about Kyohiko's return, of course, since he had helped with many things during this period, apart from Gekko Shusaku.

News from the Anbu naturally reached his ears.

He didn't have high expectations for what Kyohiko brought back, but...

But Kyohiko kept it a secret.

"This is definitely something you'll be interested in."

Kyohiko chuckled, "Everyone, spread out a bit, don't crowd around me."

Without him reminding him, Kakashi had already moved far away.

He was the one who knew best how much they had gained back then.

Tsunade thought Kyohiko was making a fuss over nothing.

How many things have been arranged like this?

She was about to speak.

The next moment,

Then, Kyohiko took out the Sealing Scroll and formed hand Hand Seals.

In an instant, the spell on the Sealing Scroll was unfurled.

Following closely behind...

Bang!

It had the force of an earthquake or Mountain Collapse.

The earth rumbled.

Immediately, huge pieces of Amber rolled out of the seal and piled up like mountains on the training ground.

Tsunade blinked, her face showing undisguised astonishment.

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, his tongue unconsciously licking his lips.

Did Kyohiko take all of Sasori of the Red Sands's collection?

This is really...

This is incredible!

In the instant of liberation, Kyohiko had already Body Flicker Technique to appear next to Kakashi.

"This place is full of puppets, but there are some rather unusual things too. We need to find them..."

"Should we call someone over to clean it up?"

Tsunade only realized what was happening at that moment.

That's way too much!

More than a hundred, right?

One can imagine how many people Sasori of the Red Sands killed to create these puppets.

This is insane!

No wonder even Rasa couldn't resist contacting them to deal with Sasori of the Red Sands.

Just keep killing...

The reputation of Sunagakure is probably going to be ruined.

"Kyohiko, what kind of special item are you referring to? I might be able to lend a hand in this situation."

Orochimaru's eyes were filled with fanaticism.

If it were just ordinary stuff, he certainly wouldn't care, much less bother helping to search for it.

but...

Human Puppet, and what Kyohiko was tempting him with was definitely not Human Puppet.

There's something even more important!

"An Amber's body, and another piece that sealed one of Sasori of the Red Sands's bodies."

"Um?"

Tsunade didn't quite understand, or rather...

I didn't react for a moment.

"What's the meaning?"

"Scorpion turned himself into Human Puppet; the outside was a large puppet, and inside was a smaller puppet containing real flesh and blood. The true form was the one inside..."

Kyohiko briefly explained the situation at the time.

Orochimaru's eyes burned with fervor. After listening, he couldn't help but sigh, "This Sasori of the Red Sands is indeed a genius, it's a pity..."

"The line between genius and madness is often very thin. If you walk slowly so that everyone can understand you, you are a genius; if you walk too fast and completely isolate yourself from ordinary people, then you are a madman."

Kyohiko added a sentence.

Orochimaru remained silent for a long while.

In a sense, he was also a "madman" in Kyohiko's eyes, but he was forcibly restrained by Tsunade and Kyohiko, which prevented him from becoming completely like Sasori.

Then, without saying a word, he bit his finger and summoned a bunch of snakes.

None of them are very big.

The snakes burrowed into the pile of Amber, searching for the special Amber that Kyohiko had mentioned.

A dozen seconds later, Orochimaru parted the pile of stones and took one out from underneath.

This is Sasori of the Red Sands's body puppet.

There's still half a body left...

Orochimaru had a premonition.

That thing was the "main event" that Kyohiko was talking about.

He waited for a minute.

finally.

"Found it!"

Orochimaru continued flipping the table.

A few seconds later, he stopped moving, a look of surprise on his face.

Seeing his expression, Tsunade immediately moved closer.

What is that?

"This is..."

Orochimaru could not hide his shock and remained unsettled for a long time.

A special kind of flesh and blood!

As the person in Konoha who knew Hashirama Cells best, he instantly sensed that the cells in this half of his body had an extremely similar aura to Hashirama Cells!

Where did you get it?

"Torn from a hermaphrodite with a pitcher plant on his head."

Kyohiko answered.

Tsunade looked at Kakashi with a blank expression.

Kakashi nodded. "There is indeed such a person. He can instantly burrow into the soil, and the black and white on his body seem to be able to split. If Kyohiko hadn't used the Amber Jutsu, he probably wouldn't have been able to retain this half of his body."

"Division, black and white..."

Orochimaru took a deep breath, frowned, and said, "Something's not right!"

"What's wrong?"

Tsunade found it strange; Orochimaru seemed particularly agitated...

"Is there something wrong with it?"

"If I'm not mistaken, there's a certain aura of First Hokage Cells inside. This means the other person may have had First Hokage Cells implanted, and they've fused perfectly without any further mutations. But the black parts..."

Orochimaru frowned.

Is there any substance in the world that can suppress the Hashirama Cells?

What kind of mutation is that?

"First Hokage Cells?"

Tsunade moved closer in astonishment, then pressed her palm against the special Amber, sensing the state of the flesh and blood inside through her Chakra.

Then, she discovered that the flesh and blood still retained a relatively strong vitality, and its aura was indeed very similar to that of the First Hokage Cells.

this?

Her gaze suddenly fell on Orochimaru.

Orochimaru stood up and said, "It has nothing to do with me. Even if it was leaked, it must have Danzo... or it might not have been leaked at all in our time."

"The Age of Spots."