Orochimaru's Final Value: The Humanoid Database Goes Online!

The Hidden Leaf's high-level conference room was deathly silent.

Every breath carried the weight of lead.

Even the scroll bearing the "Will of Fire" on the wall seemed dim and lifeless.

"He must be executed! Make an example of him!" A jonin slammed the table and rose, veins bulging in his neck.

"No, he should be publicly tried. His crimes must be announced to the world, so the Hidden Leaf can clear its name!" Another advisor's face was livid.

"A public trial? Wouldn't that spread the Hidden Leaf's scandal throughout the ninja world?"

"As if it isn't already a scandal?"

The arguments rose and fell, but every voice carried a sense of helplessness.

Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his brow wearily, every wrinkle on his face filled with struggle.

He raised a hand, stopping the increasingly heated debate.

The conference room instantly fell silent, leaving only the patter of rain outside the window.

His gaze shifted toward a figure in the corner who seemed utterly out of place.

Kamizuki Yu was idly studying the patterns on the ceiling, as though this meeting concerning the Hidden Leaf's future had nothing to do with him.

"Kamizuki Yu." Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was hoarse.

Kamizuki Yu lowered his gaze from the ceiling and looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"You deserve the most credit for subduing Orochimaru, and you understand his danger best. What are your thoughts on how to deal with him?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's tone held a faint, almost imperceptible plea.

Everyone's eyes turned to Kamizuki Yu.

There was curiosity, scrutiny, and a few concealed traces of expectation.

Kamizuki Yu stretched lazily, his joints giving a series of soft pops.

"As for disposal plans, I do have a few." He spoke unhurriedly, as casually as if discussing what to have for lunch.

"Plan A: kill him completely, grind his bones to ash, and eliminate all future trouble. Simple and direct. One and done."

Several heavy breaths sounded in the room.

"Plan B: cripple all his abilities, strip away every ninjutsu and every bit of chakra, destroy his hands so he can never form hand seals or conduct research again. Then imprison him for life in the deepest dungeon of the Hidden Leaf and make him live in repentance."

That proposal made some people nod slightly.

Kamizuki Yu paused, seemingly considering his next words—or perhaps simply savoring everyone's anticipation.

"There's also Plan C." He smiled faintly. "Turn him into a special kind of 'research material.'"

"Research material?" Homura Mitokado frowned. "What do you mean?"

"There's still some value in what's inside Orochimaru's head." Kamizuki Yu lightly tapped the table with his fingers. "For instance, his Living Corpse Reincarnation, his research findings on various forbidden techniques, and his knowledge of genes and cells."

"This is absurd!" Jiraiya was the first to rise in opposition, his white hair seemingly about to stand on end strand by strand. "What kind of person is Orochimaru? He's a madman! A heartless devil! You want to keep him around so he can continue researching forbidden techniques?"

Tsunade's expression was equally grave. "Kamizuki Yu, this is too dangerous. Orochimaru's talent for manipulation and obsession with forbidden techniques aren't so easily controlled."

"Controlled?" Kamizuki Yu raised an eyebrow. "Who said I was going to let him research freely?"

He swept his gaze around the room, lingering briefly on the faces of several high-ranking officials whose expressions had changed.

Especially Danzo from Root, whose eyes flashed with undisguised greed and interest.

"What I mean," Kamizuki Yu continued, "is that I'll implant the highest-grade mental restrictions in his brain myself. That will ensure his absolute obedience to my commands. He won't be able to harbor a single thought of resistance, and he won't even be able to kill himself."

"Then, under strict supervision, he'll contribute all his knowledge to the Hidden Leaf's biotechnology, medical ninjutsu, forbidden technique defenses, and other fields. Every research direction and result must be jointly reviewed by Lord Hokage and me."

"This..." Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils contracted slightly.

This plan truly was... tempting.

"This is courting disaster!" Jiraiya roared. "You want to treat him as a tool? How is that any different from what he did?"

"The difference is enormous." Kamizuki Yu answered calmly. "He harmed others to satisfy his own desires. We would use him to protect more people, for the Hidden Leaf's future."

He looked at Jiraiya. "Do you think it's better to let him die without any value, or spend the rest of his life in regret? Or is it better to make him use that filthy knowledge of his to atone for even a fraction of his sins and contribute something to the Hidden Leaf?"

Kamizuki Yu's logic left Jiraiya speechless for a moment.

He hated Orochimaru and wanted him to receive the harshest punishment. But what Kamizuki Yu had proposed seemed like another kind of punishment... one with greater "benefit."

"Besides," Kamizuki Yu added, "wouldn't an Orochimaru who is completely controlled, unable to resist, and only able to obediently surrender his knowledge be a stronger warning to those potential researchers of forbidden techniques?"

"Let them see what happens when they walk down the evil path. Not a simple death, but becoming a tool with no self, one that can only be drained of every last bit of value."

The conference room fell into dead silence.

Kamizuki Yu's words were like a boulder cast into a tranquil lake, stirring wave upon wave.

The corners of Danzo's mouth were already rising despite his efforts to suppress them.

"This old man believes Plan C is feasible." His gloomy voice broke the silence. "Orochimaru's knowledge is a precious asset to the Hidden Leaf. If it can be put to use, the Hidden Leaf's strength will surely rise to another level."

Several jonin in charge of the research departments echoed him.

"Lord Hokage, if absolute control can be guaranteed, this is indeed a rare opportunity."

"We can establish the highest level of confidentiality measures and supervision mechanisms."

Tsunade's brow remained furrowed. "Mental restrictions... can they really control Orochimaru one hundred percent? He is Orochimaru." The name itself represented cunning and unpredictability.

"You have no reason to doubt my methods." Kamizuki Yu's tone was calm, yet carried an unquestionable force. "I can make him forget who he is. I can also make him remember only that he is a dog."

He raised a hand lightly. An almost invisible thread of chakra curled around his fingertips, giving off a palpitating fluctuation.

"I can make him regard every one of my orders as divine decree. I can also make his soul vanish completely the instant he tries to resist."

That power sent an inexplicable chill through every jonin present.

None of them doubted that Kamizuki Yu possessed such an ability.

Jiraiya opened his mouth, wanting to say more, but Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped him with a raised hand.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Kamizuki Yu, his aged face filled with complicated emotions. Pain, struggle, and a trace of... wavering persuasion.

The Hidden Leaf needed strength, especially after suffering such a devastating blow.

If Orochimaru's threat could be turned into assistance, it would undoubtedly be an enormous gain for the Hidden Leaf.

"Risk and reward coexist." Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke slowly. "But Kamizuki Yu, the 'absolute control' you speak of is the core of this plan."

"I guarantee it." Kamizuki Yu gave his promise.

Hiruzen Sarutobi closed his eyes. Only after a long time did he open them again.

"We'll proceed with Plan C." His voice carried a trace of exhaustion, but even more resolve. "However, all research projects must be approved jointly by Kamizuki Yu and me. The supervision of Orochimaru will also be handled jointly by ANBU and you."

"Fine." Kamizuki Yu nodded.

Jiraiya let out a heavy sigh and slumped back into his seat. He knew that, at this point, there was no possibility of changing it.

Tsunade also fell silent, though her eyes remained filled with worry for the future.

Deep within the Hidden Leaf Interrogation Department's dungeon.

It was damp, dark, and thick with despair.

Orochimaru was firmly secured to the wall by specially made restraints. Sealing chains pierced through his shoulder blades, and nearly all the chakra in his body had been completely sealed.

Even his golden snake eyes had gone dull, leaving behind only bone-deep resentment and unwillingness.

Footsteps approached from afar.

Kamizuki Yu, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and several ANBU appeared outside the cell.

"Orochimaru." Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was complicated.

Orochimaru slowly lifted his head and bared a sinister smile. "Heh heh... Third Hokage, have you come to send me on my way?"

"No." Kamizuki Yu stepped before the cell door and met Orochimaru's gaze. "I've come to give you a 'new life.'"

Orochimaru's smile froze, and confusion flashed through his snake eyes.

Kamizuki Yu wasted no words and began forming hand seals.

The complex sequence of seals emitted dark, powerful chakra fluctuations.

"What are you doing?!" Orochimaru sensed that something was wrong and began struggling violently.

But before Kamizuki Yu, his strength was no more than that of an ant.

Several runes containing terrifying spiritual energy flew from Kamizuki Yu's fingertips and sank into Orochimaru's forehead.

"Aah—!"

A shrill scream echoed through the dungeon.

Orochimaru's body convulsed violently. His eyes went wide as bloodshot veins rapidly spread across his eyeballs.

His consciousness churned and resisted, but before that invincible mental power, it was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

His memories were brutally examined, filtered, and reshaped.

Shackles upon shackles, restrictions layer upon layer, were forcibly branded into the depths of his soul.

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his head away, unable to bear the sight.

Even the ANBU felt their scalps crawl.

No one knew how long passed before the screams gradually subsided.

Orochimaru slumped against the restraints, gasping heavily, his eyes hollow and vacant.

Kamizuki Yu withdrew his hand, his expression calm.

He snapped his fingers.

Orochimaru's body jerked. His eyes focused as he looked at Kamizuki Yu, revealing... an obedient expression.

"How do you feel, my... researcher?" Kamizuki Yu chuckled.

Orochimaru opened his mouth and rasped out a few words. "Y-yes... Master."

There was no longer even a trace of resistance or cunning in those once-arrogant snake eyes. Only absolute obedience remained.

Kamizuki Yu nodded in satisfaction.

"Very good."

He turned to Hiruzen Sarutobi. "It's done. From now on, he's the Hidden Leaf's most diligent research dog. Working 996 is a blessing; 007 is standard."

Hiruzen Sarutobi: "..."

Though he did not understand those last few terms, Orochimaru's current state confirmed one thing for him: his former disciple was finished.

In a way far more absolute than death.

Kamizuki Yu rolled his wrist.

"Now then, it's time to make him cough up something useful."