Gene Technology

The Fool!!!?

When he heard the codename "The Fool" from Orochimaru's lips, Hyuga Lan's heart skipped a beat. He thought his identity had been exposed and nearly considered using the power of the Tenseigan to launch a sneak attack on the man before him.

However, a second thought told him something was off. He had never crossed paths with Orochimaru while disguised as The Fool, nor had they ever made contact. No matter how resourceful the man was, it was impossible for him to guess his identity.

Therefore, it was highly likely that Orochimaru had heard the name from elsewhere. Since the main people he had provoked while acting as The Fool were members of the Akatsuki, it seemed that Orochimaru had already joined their ranks.

And since the Akatsuki were currently scouring the world for his trail, that explained why Orochimaru had come looking for him.

Having figured this out, he felt a sense of relief. Fortunately, his experiences over this period had helped him cultivate a calm demeanor, preventing him from showing any abnormalities in front of Orochimaru.

Yet, his prolonged silence still aroused Orochimaru's suspicion.

"What is it? Have you heard this name before?"

Hyuga Lan knew he had to offer an explanation, or the suspicious Orochimaru would surely deduce something.

"Not at all. I was just struggling to understand why you would ask me to investigate someone. I am merely an ordinary member of the Hyuga branch family with no influence of my own; investigating people is hardly a task that should fall to me."

Hearing Lan's explanation, Orochimaru realized he had misunderstood, so he clarified, "I don't expect you to have the ability to investigate immediately. You can find a way to infiltrate the Konoha Village Anbu first, and then use their resources to help me track this person down."

Join the Anbu?

So that was his plan.

If one were to ask which factions in the Ninja World possessed the most efficient intelligence networks, it would undoubtedly be the Anbu of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.

As the powers that controlled the Ninja World, no movement in the shinobi realm could escape the scrutiny of the Anbu.

Finding one person in the vast sea of humanity was as difficult as ascending to heaven, but with the help of the strongest Anbu in the Ninja World, there might truly be a chance to uncover the identity of The Fool.

After joining the Akatsuki, Orochimaru had been assigned the mission of finding The Fool by their leader.

For Pain, who possessed the Rinnegan and styled himself as a god, to place such importance on this individual, the entity known as The Fool must be a formidable figure indeed.

Orochimaru's motives for joining the Akatsuki were far from pure. When Pain had recruited him, he had even dared to strike, attempting to forcibly seize the other's Rinnegan.

After Pain retaliated and he witnessed the terrifying power of the Rinnegan, Orochimaru realized he had no chance of defeating Pain to claim the Sage's Eye in the short term, so he simply declared his intent to join.

Because Pain was confident that he could easily subdue him with the power of the Rinnegan, he had actually allowed him to join.

However, after joining, Orochimaru realized that the organization was filled with powerful rogue ninjas, and its leader was the legendary wielder of the Sage's Eye, the Rinnegan. He realized that the true goal behind the Akatsuki was staggering.

But none of that mattered to him. He only wanted the Rinnegan, which the legendary Sage of Six Paths once possessed, to peer into the ultimate secrets of the Ninja World.

The problem was that Pain, the owner of the Rinnegan, was too powerful. He had no chance of success on his own. Thus, when he learned that Pain was desperately searching for a man named The Fool, Orochimaru realized his opportunity had arrived.

If he could find The Fool before the rest of the organization and then join forces with him to deal with Pain, he might finally have a chance to obtain the Rinnegan.

Relying on himself to find The Fool was unrealistic, so he set his sights on the Konoha Anbu. He deeply missed the convenience of his days as a high-ranking Konoha official, where he could use the Anbu to access any intelligence he desired.

However, under the cleanup efforts led by the Third Hokage, his influence in the village was minimal, and his reach into the Anbu was virtually non-existent.

Just as Orochimaru was feeling helpless, his secret informants in the village notified him of Hyuga Lan's safe return, and he decided to pin his hopes on him.

He hoped that through his maneuvering, Lan could join the Anbu, rise quickly to a leadership position, and then use the Anbu's power to identify The Fool.

Strictly speaking, there was no flaw in this plan. The only problem was that The Fool himself was standing right in front of him, listening to his intentions.

Orochimaru had truly chosen the right person this time. In the entire Ninja World, Hyuga Lan could proudly say that no one understood The Fool better than he did.

After understanding the cause and effect, Hyuga Lan couldn't help but marvel at how small the Ninja World really was for him to run into such a situation.

However, Orochimaru's arrival served as a wake-up call. His identity as The Fool was likely being investigated not just by the Akatsuki, but perhaps by the Anbu of other villages as well. Who knew? Maybe the village had already caught wind of something.

As for the Konoha Anbu, Lan hadn't been interested in joining before, but after Orochimaru's reminder, he realized that controlling the Anbu would be immensely helpful.

At the very least, it would allow him to receive intelligence in advance to cover his tracks and prevent his identity from being exposed due to negligence.

Having realized this, Hyuga Lan felt that following Orochimaru's suggestion to join the Anbu was feasible.

But he was no longer the same person he once was; with the Tenseigan, his strength had undergone a heaven-defying transformation.

Furthermore, since Orochimaru had defected, the hierarchy between them no longer existed. If the man wanted him to run errands, he would have to pay a price.

Seeing Lan lost in thought for a long time, Orochimaru knew that the fact he hadn't refused outright meant he was tempted. He was simply waiting to haggle for some benefits.

"This deal is mutually beneficial. With my maneuvering, once you join the Konoha Anbu, you will quickly be promoted to a squad leader. It is not impossible for you to eventually take charge of the entire Anbu."

Facing Orochimaru's empty promises, Lan frowned and said, "Have you forgotten that I was once your subordinate and was on the cleanup list not long ago? The Konoha leadership, headed by the Third Hokage, likely doesn't trust me at all. Joining the Anbu right now is no easy task."

Knowing he was in the wrong, Orochimaru realized he had to pay some form of compensation first, or this kid would definitely slack off and ruin his grand plan.

He found this kid increasingly annoying; this "no rabbit, no hawk" attitude was nowhere near as likable as it used to be.

If not for the fact that he had no other suitable candidates, he would never let the boy off so easily given his current attitude.

But for now, he had to appease him to get the work done.

"Speak. What is it you want from me..."

Although Hyuga Lan coveted the forbidden ninjutsu Orochimaru possessed, he knew the man would never agree to hand them over. Therefore, he chose to ask for technical data regarding genetic modification, artificial embryos, and cultivation.

Hearing Lan's request, Orochimaru was stunned, secretly wondering what the boy intended to do with such things.

Could he be planning to create his own summoning beasts?