Land of the Sea

Land of the Sea!

Located at the southernmost tip of the Land of Water.

This was a barren little country with no land suitable for farming; the people living in the surrounding areas relied on fishing for a living, and their days were spent in great hardship.

Naturally, such a weak country had no ninja village.

That was why Orochimaru had established a research base here many years ago.

"Lord Orochimaru, you've returned!"

Just as he entered the base, a middle-aged man wearing glasses walked up to him.

"Amachi!"

Orochimaru glanced at him and said, "Let me introduce you to a new friend: Hōzuki Mangetsu of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of Kirigakure!"

Welcome, welcome!

Amachi pushed up his glasses and said with a beaming smile, "This place holds Lord Orochimaru's most valuable experiments. Once the research yields results, it will change the entire ninja world."

He was originally a medical jonin from Konoha who had defected alongside Orochimaru to pursue his own research and ambitions.

He had now become one of Orochimaru's most important medical assistants.

What he did not know, however, was that Orochimaru had already decided to abandon this place; this visit was specifically for that purpose.

Hōzuki Mangetsu smiled faintly and followed them into the base.

The base was not large, and it contained many rooms.

Orochimaru turned his head to Hōzuki Mangetsu and said, "This is my base; feel free to look around."

As he spoke, he led him into a laboratory.

Inside the lab stood several massive vats, each containing a long-haired monster.

Orochimaru smiled and said, "The Land of the Sea and the Land of Water possess vast oceans. These areas cannot be defended by ninjas alone, which is why I developed this new type of weapon—a perfect underwater warrior."

Underwater warrior!

Hōzuki Mangetsu curled his lip and said, "Amphibious capabilities, then?"

Hearing this, both Orochimaru and Amachi were somewhat startled. They had been researching these amphibious soldiers at the Land of the Sea base for quite some time. They had assumed their work was completely secret, so they were surprised to have it exposed by Hōzuki Mangetsu in a single sentence.

"Kid, it seems you know quite a lot, don't you?"

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed once more.

Hōzuki Mangetsu was from Kirigakure; if he knew about this, it meant Kirigakure was aware of his activities.

If Kirigakure found out he was creating amphibious ninjas, they certainly wouldn't let the matter rest.

A sharp glint flashed in Amachi's eyes. He pushed up his glasses and looked at Orochimaru, signaling for him to take down Hōzuki Mangetsu.

A flicker of hesitation crossed Orochimaru's eyes. He, too, wanted to resolve the Hōzuki Mangetsu problem once and for all, but he simply could not afford to lose the classified intelligence that Hōzuki Mangetsu provided.

"Forget it. It's not much of a secret anyway, and I was planning to abandon it regardless."

He said this indifferently.

Orochimaru possessed many bases abroad, and to ensure their smooth operation, he had to inject a massive amount of capital every day—a sum that was by no means small.

Even someone as powerful as Orochimaru found it difficult to maintain all these bases, so he had come this time intending to shut down some unnecessary facilities and projects.

The base in the Land of the Sea fell into this category.

What?

Amachi froze for a moment, looked at Orochimaru, and asked, "Lord Orochimaru, are you serious?"

This experiment had cost him many years of painstaking effort.

If it were abandoned, all his hard work over these years would be for nothing.

"Lord Orochimaru!"

Amachi hurried to Orochimaru's side. "Please do not abandon this project! As for the funding, I will find a way!"

As a high-ranking subordinate of Orochimaru, he was well aware of the difficulties the base was facing.

Amachi!

Orochimaru slanted a glance at Hōzuki Mangetsu and said unhurriedly, "Do you still not understand? Amphibious weapons are obsolete."

Obsolete!

Amachi swayed, looking at him with unwillingness.

"Current wars are fought primarily over land. Naval combat accounts for only a small fraction, so the demand for amphibious beings is not high."

Orochimaru explained.

Researching amphibious ninjas was a project he had undertaken purely to solve his funding issues. After all these years, it had been proven that his research direction was wrong, and combined with the financial constraints, he had decided to close this base.

Lord Orochimaru!

Amachi still wanted to say something.

Orochimaru slowly stood up.

"This is an order, not a request!"

Amachi clenched his fists tightly, only relaxing them after a long while.

"I understand, Lord Orochimaru!"

His face still betrayed a sense of unwillingness.

This experiment was his life's work; if it were to end just like this, he certainly could not accept it.

Orochimaru seemed to be well aware of his thoughts.

"Starting today, the funding for this place will be drastically cut. Amachi, you should prepare yourself mentally!"

Amachi nodded silently, signaling that he understood.

Only then did Orochimaru beckon for Hōzuki Mangetsu to leave.

"It seems you intend to abandon him."

Hōzuki Mangetsu cast a sidelong glance at Orochimaru.

He knew that the base in the Land of the Sea had long been abandoned by Orochimaru, and that Amachi and the others were merely his discarded pawns.

Indeed!

Orochimaru smiled faintly: "I have already found a replacement!"

Amachi was an excellent medical ninja who had helped Orochimaru a great deal in the past, but the appearance of Yakushi Kabuto had taken his place.

Compared to a genius like Yakushi Kabuto, Amachi paled in comparison.

Orochimaru was a very pragmatic person; once he felt you were no longer useful, he would naturally discard you like weeds.

Hōzuki Mangetsu's eyes narrowed instantly.

He did happen to lack a talent who understood medical ninjutsu, but it was a pity that this Amachi was not a good partner.

Orochimaru suddenly let out a "wah" sound and spat out a test tube, which disgusted Hōzuki Mangetsu immensely.

For some reason, Uncle Snake always liked to spit things out of his mouth.

"This is the Hashirama cell I have cultivated!"

Orochimaru picked up a small test tube and placed it in front of Hōzuki Mangetsu!

"So the First Hokage's cells have been on your person all along?"

Hōzuki Mangetsu looked at Orochimaru in surprise.

Orochimaru smiled: "Such a precious item is naturally kept on one's person."

Water Style: Water Wave!

Hōzuki Mangetsu spat out a mouthful of clear water to rinse the small test tube clean; he was still quite bothered by Orochimaru's slime.

So these are the Hashirama cells?

Hōzuki Mangetsu carefully examined the cellular tissue inside the test tube.

After a long while, he reached out and tucked the test tube into his pouch; he had no intention of beginning the transplant right now.

The First Hokage's cells were extremely domineering; with his current body, it would be impossible to fuse with them.

Orochimaru sneered and said: "You are quite clever, not immediately attempting to transplant these cells. Do not underestimate this tiny bit of cells; if they were implanted into your body, you would be devoured by them in mere minutes."

He let out a long sigh and said: "Although the First Hokage has been dead for decades, even a tiny bit of his cells still possesses such strong vitality and predatory power. One can only imagine how powerful the God of Shinobi was back then. I only regret being born a dozen years too late, unable to witness the battles of our predecessors; it is truly a pity."