Shinsei walked to the lab bench and pointed his finger at the unfolded scroll.
Kaguya has lived from ancient times to the present day. She has neither died nor aged.
Neither Hagoromo nor Hamura managed to do it; they couldn't even completely leave behind their souls.
I suspect the reason for this has nothing to do with Chakra levels, but rather something deeper.
Orochimaru chuckled and stuck out his long tongue, licking his lips.
"As expected, Shinsei- kun thinks the same way I do. Sage of Six Paths, Hagoromo Otsutsuki, being the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, naturally has no shortage of Chakra."
Since he didn't achieve immortality, then immortality isn't due to Chakra, but something else entirely.
Shinsei- kun seems to have some suspicions.
Shinsei looked up at Orochimaru.
"Gene expression. Otsutsuki Kaguya's immortality is not due to Chakra, but rather because her body itself does not age."
I want to know how she managed to do that. If we can find this gene expression, we can find the true path to immortality.
Orochimaru's eyes lit up, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement.
" Shinsei- chan, this direction aligns well with my data. The cells of those Ōtsutsuki descendants on the moon age rapidly after leaving the Tenseigan."
However, some cells extracted from the core of the Tenseigan have maintained their division activity.
I always thought it was the Tenseigan that provided the energy; if it's a difference at the genetic level, then that makes sense.
" Kaguya's descendants don't lack Chakra; their genes were incomplete from the beginning."
Tsunade stood to one side, watching the two of them without saying a word.
Shinsei continued, " Hagoromo and Hamura didn't inherit Kaguya's immortality, but they did inherit a part of it: the Hyūga's Byakugan, the Senju's physique, and the Uchiha's Sharingan —all different expressions of Kaguya's genes. Piecing these expressions together might lead to that path."
"But genes from different bloodlines can repel each other," Orochimaru continued, "Like the Byakugan's effect on Hinata. Theoretically, it's possible if we can find a vector that allows genes to be expressed stably. But how do we control the direction?"
"That's the key point." Shinsei turned around, looking at Tsunade, then at Orochimaru. "What I want is for people to maintain their human appearance, at most extending their lifespan. Not turning them into horns on their heads and deathly pale-skinned creatures. Therefore, we must strictly screen gene expression. Only retain the parts related to aging and lifespan, eliminating all expressions that would cause physical mutations. Immortality is acceptable, but becoming a monster is not."
Orochimaru licked his lips, his eyes filled with both excitement and a hint of regret.
"That means giving up a lot of interesting things. However, if we only retain lifespan-related expressions, the research difficulty will increase exponentially. After all, Kaguya's physical transformation and her immortality are very likely due to the same genetic system at work."
"Then let's break it down," Shinsei said. "We currently have bloodline samples from the Senju, Hyūga, and Uchiha, as well as fragments of the Byakugan brought back from the moon. I have a Qi cultivation technique that allows me to clearly sense changes within the body. Combined with your cell technology and Tsunade's medical expertise, we should be able to find a way to extract those gene expressions."
He paused, then looked at Tsunade.
"Teacher, if you were involved, our chances of success would be much greater."
Tsunade remained silent for a long while before finally saying, "Whom do you want to achieve immortality?"
"The people I care about," Shinsei said, "My parents, my friends, my teachers. I hope they can live longer. That's enough."
Tsunade's eyes flickered, but she didn't speak.
Orochimaru chuckled softly to himself, making no attempt to tease him. He probably thought that this kind of blatant selfishness was more interesting than any grand cause.
"Alright," Tsunade finally spoke. "I'll help you. But I'll supervise Orochimaru's experiments throughout. Only the three of us can review the data. Orochimaru, if I find you crossing the line, I'll personally tear you to pieces."
Orochimaru laughed and raised his hand, "No, no, with Tsunade watching over me, how could I dare to do anything unnecessary?"
Shinsei nodded and walked to Hinata's side.
Hinata sat on the stone chair, the Chakra membrane over her eyes had been removed, and the color of her pupils was a little darker than before, as if they contained a very faint blue.
She heard the entire conversation but offered no comment.
Shinsei extended his hand to her. "I'll take you home."
Hinata responded softly and placed her hand in his. Her fingers were cool, Shinsei squeezed them, then led her towards the door.
Behind me were the soft rustling sounds of Orochimaru organizing equipment and Tsunade pulling out a chair and sitting down.
The door closed behind him, shutting out the discussions about immortality and genes.
The night was quiet. There was no moon, and the streetlights cast long shadows of the two people.
Hinata walked slowly, as if waiting for her eyes to adjust to the moonless night.
The streetlights shone quietly, illuminating the stone path in small patches of light. Shinsei didn't rush her, but simply kept pace with her.
"When I was little, I was actually very afraid of the dark," Hinata suddenly said. Her voice was very soft, as if she didn't want to disturb the birds in the trees by the roadside.
Shinsei turned his head to look at her. The light cast a soft outline on her profile, and her eyelashes cast a small shadow beneath them.
"And then?" Shinsei asked.
"Later I realized that being afraid was useless. I'm from Hyūga Main Family, and fear isn't allowed." Hinata finished speaking and raised her hand, pointing to a house with lights on in the distance. "There, when I was little, I often practiced Gentle Fist alone. My father said that the Byakugan should be able to see even in complete darkness. So I practiced until the moon rose. At that time, I felt that the moon hung in the sky just to keep me company."
As she spoke, she chuckled to herself, as if she thought her childhood ideas were silly.
Shinsei didn't laugh. He looked up at the sky, but there wasn't a single star in the dark blue expanse.
Beyond the streetlights, it was pitch black, as if someone had spilled ink outside the village.
"It's gone now," Shinsei said.
"It's alright," Hinata said, "You're here."
Shinsei paused for a moment. He looked down at her, Hinata didn't flinch, but simply tightened her grip on his hand.
"When did you learn to say things like that?" Shinsei said.
Hinata turned her head to the side, her ears slightly red. "... It just suddenly occurred to me."
A few barks came from ahead. It was Kiba and Akamaru. Kiba was squatting at his doorstep, idly poking at an ant nest on the ground with a twig.
Seeing Shinsei and Hinata walking over hand in hand, he was taken aback at first, then threw away the branch, stood up, opened his mouth, and then closed it again.
Finally, he just coughed loudly and said, "Oh, you two... just got back from a mission?"
"Hmm." Shinsei released Hinata's hand naturally. "And you? Still not asleep so late?"
"I can't sleep. The moon is gone, Akamaru keeps calling out at night." Ya scratched his head and looked down at Akamaru at his feet.
Akamaru was rubbing his head against Hinata's trouser leg, his tail wagging rapidly. Hinata squatted down and petted Akamaru, Akamaru immediately lay down, exposing his belly.
"It's still so affectionate," Hinata smiled.
"It depends on the person," Ya said. "It ignores everyone else who walks by."
Shinsei watched Hinata and Akamaru play for a while before saying, "Go to sleep early. You have a mission tomorrow."
Kiba snorted, " The Lord Hokage is even interfering with whether I sleep or not now."
Shinsei ignored him and winked at Hinata. The two continued walking forward.
Tooth shouted from behind, "Hey, treat me to barbecue next time! Meat's gotten so expensive since the moon disappeared!"
"Understood." Shinsei waved his hand without turning around.
Most of the houses along the roadside had already turned off their lights. On this moonless night, the village was quieter than ever before.
Only the occasional footsteps of patrolling ninjas passed over the rooftops. Shinsei escorted Hinata to the vicinity of the Hyuga Clan and did not go any further.
"We've arrived," he said.
Hinata stood at the door, not going in immediately. She looked at Shinsei, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but then she swallowed it back. In the end, she only said, "You should go back and get some rest too."
"Good."
Shinsei waited until Hinata entered the room before turning to leave. After walking a short distance, he paused and looked down at his hands.
A little warmth still lingered in his palm. He clenched his fist and put it in his pocket.
On a moonless night, the road is still the same road, only the shadows are shorter and there are fewer people around.
Shinsei walked alone through the empty alley. In the distance, towards the direction of the Hokage Rock, a few lights were lit. He looked up and glanced at them; the half-carved face was hidden in the night and could not be seen clearly.
He suddenly thought that if one day Ino, Hinata, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were still by his side, then the pursuit of immortality would truly be worthwhile.