Little Snake

In a laboratory filled with instruments at the Hidden Leaf Hospital, Tsunade irritably ran a hand through her hair as she looked at the mess covering the table.

As the Ninja World's leading village, the Hidden Leaf's technology was among the most advanced, far surpassing that of the Wizard World, which was at a level comparable to the Middle Ages.

Compared with Lu Yan's crude setup of a cauldron, test tubes, and scales, Tsunade had plenty of auxiliary equipment.

With her exceptional medical talent and advanced instruments, Tsunade had already figured out what materials were needed for the Healing Liquid. However, many of the materials reacted badly with one another, and the concoction she had made had exploded, just like the one the Uchiha Clan had brewed.

The difference was that Obito had clearly explained the steps to the Uchiha Clan, while Tsunade could only work backward from the original Healing Liquid and try to figure them out.

"The reactions in this concoction are too complicated."

"I can only test different possibilities over and over. Working backward to find the right steps will probably take several years."

"And mass-producing it is impossible with our current technology. We can only rely on people to make it by hand."

"Even if Obito knows the steps, how is he going to find enough people who can make it skillfully?"

Tsunade furrowed her brow and thought for a while, but still couldn't come up with anything. She simply turned and pushed open the door, heading out to see how things were going on Orochimaru's end.

Unlike Tsunade, whose talent lay in medicine, Orochimaru was primarily devoted to biological experiments.

He had a laboratory of his own in the Hidden Leaf and had even begun conducting human experiments on spies and ninja from other villages. The aura around him had grown increasingly cold, and his laboratory was downright bloody and cruel. Tsunade generally avoided the place.

However, the Hidden Leaf Medical Department was mainly responsible for this potion experiment, so Orochimaru hadn't gone back to his own lab. Instead, he had found one nearby, right next to Tsunade's.

Tsunade pushed the door open without a word. Seeing Orochimaru standing by the table, deep in thought, she slapped him on the shoulder and asked with a grin, "How's it going?"

"I won't be able to work backward to the formula anytime soon."

Orochimaru shook his head, then said with keen interest, "Obito really is a genius. I never imagined the Senju Tree could contain such a rich store of life energy. It's hard to imagine how powerful Lord Hashirama must have been."

Tsunade smiled proudly, a hint of nostalgia on her face. "Great-Grandpa was the God of the Ninja World."

Orochimaru gazed at the Senju Tree on the table and gave a regretful smile. An indescribable fervor flashed in his eyes, though his voice remained calm. "But even the God of Shinobi grew old and had to face death."

"Who doesn't die in the end?"

Thinking of Nawaki and Dan, who had both died, Tsunade lowered her head, sadness on her face.

After a moment of silence, Tsunade raised her head and flashed a broad smile. "If we can't get it done anytime soon, we'll just go report back to Teacher Sarutobi."

"I've been stuck at the border for so many days that I'm itching for a fight. I can't wait to clean up at the casino."

Orochimaru quietly gathered the experiment notes and data on the table, then replied blandly, "Didn't you run off to the border to avoid your debt?"

"Hahaha!"

Tsunade sheepishly rubbed her head and gazed at Orochimaru with hopeful eyes.

"I don't have any money!"

Orochimaru's expression turned cold. He turned and walked straight toward the exit.

"No, don't!"

Tsunade clung to Orochimaru's hand, making a pitiful face as she pretended to cry. "Little Snake, can you really bear to let me be chased by debt collectors and sleep on the street?"

A few dark lines appeared on Orochimaru's face. With a grim look, he shook her off and said, "Five hundred thousand ryō. And you're never calling me that again."

"Sure thing!"

Tsunade's expression instantly changed. She grinned at Orochimaru.

Orochimaru took a deep breath and just managed to keep his expression in check. His voice held a hint of helplessness. "I don't have it on me. I'll have someone deliver it to the casino later."

Tsunade's eyes lit up. Satisfied, she patted Orochimaru on the shoulder and hurried out, calling over her shoulder, "You can report to Teacher Sarutobi for me. And make sure you get the money over there soon!"

Orochimaru sighed and shook his head helplessly as he watched Tsunade's retreating figure, though a trace of warmth flickered in his eyes.

In the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen set down the experiment notes and looked at Orochimaru gravely. "So, you can't reproduce it anytime soon?"

"Correct."

Orochimaru nodded slightly, his face expressionless.

"Ah."

Sarutobi Hiruzen picked up the pipe beside his desk and took a long drag. His voice was hoarse as he said, "War is imminent. These potions could give the Hidden Leaf ninja a tremendous advantage, but we're out of time."

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, then suddenly smiled. "Teacher, why don't you let me handle the negotiations with the Uchiha?"

"You're interested in Uchiha Obito!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen exhaled a large cloud of smoke, his eyes inscrutable.

Orochimaru's smile remained unchanged. Something unfathomable flickered in his amber snake eyes as he said with a light laugh, "He's such an interesting person. I'd like to observe him more closely."

"Fine."

Sarutobi Hiruzen closed his eyes and pondered for a moment. Then he looked up at Orochimaru's smile and nodded. His voice was solemn as he said, "I'll have Danzo work with you on this."

Orochimaru walked down a passageway with an impassive face, paying no heed to the groans and curses around him.

Besides his aboveground laboratory, Orochimaru had several others hidden away, where he researched things explicitly forbidden by the Hidden Leaf. This one, for example, was devoted to studying the cells of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama.

Orochimaru's partner and main financier was Danzo. By investing large sums of money and providing all kinds of precious experimental materials, Danzo gained access to Orochimaru's research and some of his special experimental subjects.

Recently, however, their partnership had hit rock bottom. The new funding and precious materials Danzo had promised still hadn't arrived, and his excuse was that he'd been robbed.

Orochimaru thought Danzo was making a fool of him. When had the Ninja World ever seen a thief so skilled that he could even rob Root, then leave behind such a brazen message: "I borrowed it with my own ability. —Lu Yan."

Orochimaru didn't believe a word of it, so he and Danzo had fallen out.

With a sigh, Orochimaru looked at his subordinate and said sternly, "Send someone to give Tsunade five hundred thousand ryō."

"Yes."

Orochimaru's subordinate knelt on the ground, his face respectful. Then he hesitated and said, "Lord Orochimaru, we don't have enough funds for the next stage of the experiment. Should we slow it down?"

Orochimaru's mouth twitched. He nodded expressionlessly and said softly, "The experiment can't stop. We need to speed it up. I'll find a way to get the money."

As he watched his subordinate leave, Orochimaru suddenly felt exhausted. The Ninja World was always at war, and there were always more missions to carry out. He felt he never had enough time for his experiments.

Ever since his parents died, Orochimaru had understood that his dream was immortality. Several of his experiments had begun to show results over the years, but a lack of resources and time had kept his progress firmly in check.

"Damn Danzo!"

Killing intent colored Orochimaru's expression. Danzo had taken so much of his research, and now he dared to cut off the funding.

The thought of having to find a way to raise the money—and of the experiments being delayed yet again—made Orochimaru want to kill someone.

Looking out at the dim night, Orochimaru smiled coldly. "Danzo, I won't let you get away with this!"