A Heart-to-Heart Between Master and Student

(Dear readers, if you have any more truly cursed skills in mind, please leave them in the comments orz)

(I'll do my best to update more often.)

In the cell culture dish, one type of cell ran rampant, devouring and transforming every other cell.

The moment Orochimaru saw Yan's expression, he knew Yan had recognized the Hashirama Cells.

"Anko, didn't we discover last time that an electrified copper wire turns inside a magnet? Go organize the notes."

Wait. What did you just discover?

Yan's face twitched. Somehow, Orochimaru had not only made strides in biology, but seemed close to launching the Electrical Revolution.

After sending Anko away, Orochimaru continued speaking to Yan:

"Ever since we cultivated that cell, I've been wondering why it could transform only such a small proportion of the others."

"I tried steadily increasing the Chakra I injected, but the cell died almost immediately."

An intrigued smile appeared on Orochimaru's face. "But just before it died, it suddenly released a tremendous amount of energy and devoured all the ordinary cells."

"That reminded me of the cells of the God of Shinobi. People who can't withstand them have their cells devoured and are transformed into trees."

Orochimaru picked up a slender, sealed vial containing a small piece of flesh.

"So I used the Hashirama Cells we had left to observe how the transformation worked."

Orochimaru grew more excited as he spoke. "I discovered that when Hashirama Cells turn a person into a tree, it's less a transformation than a reversion."

"A reversion?" Yan frowned.

"Yes, a reversion." Orochimaru set down the vial and took out paper and a pen to draw a diagram:

"We learned earlier that Chakra can carry information. Yang Release Chakra carries Body Information, while Yin Release carries information about the mind."

"Hashirama Cells carry immense vitality, which means they contain a wealth of Body Information. When that information has no corresponding mental information to match it, the Yang Release Chakra instinctively reverts to its source, like an infant seeking milk."

Orochimaru stopped drawing. "I'd always assumed that everyone's Yang Release Chakra carried their own Body Information. If it reverted, it should turn another person's body into their own."

"But the God of Shinobi is different," Orochimaru continued. "Without any conscious input from him, his cells revert to the structure of a tree. That means Hashirama Senju's cells carry the Body Information of a tree."

Yan's eyes widened. He knew exactly what tree Orochimaru had discovered.

It was the God Tree, which bore the Chakra Fruit!

Hashirama Senju's Wood Release could suppress Chakra and was especially effective against Tailed Beasts. That was remarkably similar to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path's ability to absorb Tailed Beasts.

Besides, according to the Uchiha Clan's historical records, Hashirama Senju had been the only Senju in a thousand years capable of using Wood Release. The others simply possessed vast reserves of Chakra, abundant vitality, and an aptitude for Water Release and Earth Release.

Yan refused to believe Wood Release had nothing to do with the God Tree. He just hadn't expected Orochimaru to uncover the connection.

Seeing that Yan hardly looked surprised, disappointment flashed through Orochimaru's eyes.

It seemed his research still hadn't impressed his disciple.

"In short, after a series of experiments, I reached a conclusion. When Body Information is released without a matching mental force, it instinctively reverts. That process requires sufficient life energy; otherwise, the information dissipates.

"Working backward, we can conclude that copying Body Information requires powerful life energy and mental energy. Without both, it will either revert or fail to copy."

Orochimaru raised a hand and pointed at Yan's eyes.

"When people think of powerful bodies and minds, the Senju and Uchiha are the first to come to mind."

"So, Yan, if these are two sides of the same coin, yet each clan excels in only one aspect, I'd venture that the Senju and Uchiha are closely related. Am I right?"

Yan nodded and pointed to his eyes.

"The Senju represent Yang taken to its extreme, while the Uchiha represent Yin taken to its extreme. In terms of Kekkei Genkai, that manifests in the bodies of the Senju and the Sharingan of the Uchiha."

"Teacher, I can tell you with certainty that the Senju, Uzumaki, and Uchiha all share a common ancestor."

Orochimaru supplied the words Yan had left unsaid:

"The Sage of Six Paths..."

Orochimaru smiled. "I know where to take my experiments next. I'll study the relationship between the Five Basic Nature Transformations, Yin Release, and Yang Release. At the same time, I'll study Hashirama Cells and reproduce Wood Release."

Yan's brow furrowed. Was Orochimaru still heading down the path he had taken in the original story?

"Heh, don't look at me like that, Yan. I won't use civilians for human experimentation."

Orochimaru had noticed Yan's expression. He knew his disciple held himself to extraordinarily high moral standards in certain matters.

In this dog-eat-dog Shinobi World, that was almost laughable.

But it was precisely what Orochimaru admired. The Shinobi World had been stagnant for too long. It needed a fresh wind to set its motionless wheels turning.

"How can you guarantee that?"

Yan wasn't about to trust some worthless oath. With the war still going on, they could use prisoners for experiments. Those shinobi had blood on their hands, and Yan had no objection to using them.

But the war would end someday. When it did, how would Orochimaru restrain his desire to explore?

"I'll submit a request to the Third Hokage and conduct the experiments under the village's supervision."

"How could the Third Hokage possibly let you tamper with the First Hokage's remains? And where would the test subjects come from...?"

Orochimaru took out a scroll and said:

"The village needs Wood Release. The experiments were halted before because there was no hope of success, while every failure cost a life."

"But my understanding has broadened, and I'm confident I can succeed. I already have a prototype of a special reagent. I'll start with the smallest dose and recruit volunteers."

Yan opened the scroll and looked it over. It described using surplus Sharingan from the Uchiha Clan and a minimal amount of Hashirama Cells to prepare a serum. Test subjects would receive injections to build their tolerance until they could withstand Hashirama Cells.

"Besides, Yan, you need this too, don't you?"

Orochimaru had offered Yan the one thing he couldn't refuse—power.

Yan needed power to stand against Madara Uchiha and Black Zetsu, who lurked in the shadows.

With no biological siblings, he couldn't awaken the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. Besides, that seemed to require Indra's Chakra as well.

Yan's Sharingan might never progress beyond the Mangekyō Sharingan. His only option might be to follow Obito's path in the original story and use Hashirama Cells to delay blindness.

More importantly, Yan would never put someone he cared about in danger just to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan. For now, he had no way to awaken it.

Perhaps Orochimaru's research...

Yan nodded at last. "I'll persuade the Uchiha Clan to cooperate with your experiments."

Orochimaru smiled faintly. "Yan, you've given me something more interesting to pursue than immortality. The darkness of the Shinobi World may make our lives as fleeting as flowers that bloom for a single night, but the techniques we discover and our spirit of exploration will tear through that darkness."

"I'm willing to be your sword and destroy the Shinobi World that has caused so many tragedies."

"Oh, and this is the letter Danzo sent inviting me to conduct human experiments. You might find it useful."