"This…"
Feeling three intense gazes on him, Raijin pursed his lips helplessly.
"Telling me this won't help. You should talk to Tsunade."
"Why do you always follow the rules so strictly?"
Senju Tobirama was taken aback and spoke with a hint of frustration.
Asking Tsunade for money…
To be honest, he already knew how that would turn out without even trying.
There was no way she would give him any.
Years ago, when he secretly deducted part of Tsunade's family allowance, he had already realized that he wouldn't be able to get even a single coin from her.
Come to think of it… who told Tsunade that the Senju clan provided stipends to talented children in the first place?
"Anyway, this is the situation now. I only have enough money for a bowl of ramen, and it's all yours."
As he spoke, Raijin took off his shoe and pulled out a crumpled bill from inside.
He said it was only enough for a bowl of ramen, but in reality, it could also cover two skewers of meat.
Of course, this money wasn't originally meant for ramen—it was the entrance fee he paid at the Konoha gambling house when he was short on cash.
As for giving all his money to Tsunade…
Well…
It wasn't a big deal.
If he ever really needed money, getting some wouldn't be hard.
Yeah, it would be pretty easy.
"I can't stand seeing my comrades suffer."
Orochimaru couldn't hold back anymore. He stepped forward and stopped Raijin from putting his shoe back on.
As Raijin looked at him in confusion, Orochimaru pulled out a thick stack of cash from his cloak.
Money didn't mean much to Orochimaru.
For him, it was just something to buy food with.
Everything else he needed couldn't be bought with money.
And for just food alone, the money he had saved up over the years was enough to last him a thousand years.
"No, no, this is way too much. I really don't need this much."
Raijin quickly grabbed Orochimaru's hand, but at the same time, he smoothly stuffed the money into his own pocket without hesitation.
"Hmph!"
Senju Tobirama, watching from the side, let out a displeased snort.
Looks like… Orochimaru has made quite a bit of money over the years.
Coincidentally, the lab is in desperate need of funding right now.
"Alright, if there's nothing else, I'll be heading back."
Raijin said while putting his shoes back on, not even bothering to lift his head.
"Soon, I'll be holding a clan meeting for the Uchiha. But I have to warn you in advance, don't get your hopes up too much—the chances of success aren't very high."
Standing up, Raijin looked at Orochimaru.
"The fact that you're willing to try for me is enough."
Orochimaru nodded and said to Raijin.
"Yeah, but even if it doesn't work out, don't worry. Whether it's Jigen or possibly Otsutsuki Kaguya on the moon, they could help some people overcome the limits of their bloodline."
Raijin thought for a moment, then stepped forward and patted Orochimaru on the shoulder.
Orochimaru's eyes immediately lit up.
Truthfully, he didn't care much about what happened to others.
To be honest, he cared more about himself.
But…
"Otsutsuki Kaguya?"
Senju Tobirama raised an eyebrow and looked at Raijin.
Orochimaru looked at Raijin with a puzzled expression.
"Ah... the ancestor of chakra, huh? After exchanging information with Madara, we concluded that it's the mother of the Sage of Six Paths."
Raijin explained to the group.
"This ninja world is getting more and more interesting..."
Orochimaru licked the corner of his mouth unconsciously, his eyes gleaming with thought.
"Interesting my ass, it's just getting more annoying."
Raijin sighed and glanced at Orochimaru helplessly.
"That's true... after all, we're talking about the ancestor of chakra."
Orochimaru nodded.
"If you really want to get stronger, then train in Senjutsu properly. Once you unlock all Eight Gates, you'll basically be on the same level as Uchiha Madara."
Raijin glanced at Orochimaru before suddenly disappearing from the lab.
"Unlock all Eight Gates, huh?"
Orochimaru muttered to himself, staring at the spot where Raijin had stood.
"Yeah, the limit of chakra is roughly at Uchiha Madara's level."
Senju Tobirama nodded and spoke to Orochimaru.
"By combining Senju and Uchiha power, awakening the Rinnegan, and absorbing the Ten-Tails to become its Jinchuriki, Uchiha Madara is now almost no different from the Sage of Six Paths.
But the limit of Senjutsu has yet to be reached. If Raijin came to this conclusion, he wouldn't say it without reason.
In reality, a person's strength comes down to three things: speed, power, and durability.
The true power of the legendary Eight Gates Formation is still unknown, but you could try sparring with Might Duy.
Feel for yourself what the power of opening the Seventh Gate is like."
If that could make Orochimaru give up on such thoughts, Senju Tobirama would be more than happy.
After all, Orochimaru was a true genius.
His intuition and creativity when developing jutsu were exceptional.
But as his power and understanding of jutsu grew, so did the danger in his ideas.
"Is that so?"
Orochimaru nodded in understanding, then paused before asking Tobirama,
"Second Hokage, do you think... Raijin can succeed?"
"No, he won't. Do you know why? Kekkei Genkai is the foundation that allows a ninja clan to stay ahead of most shinobi.
It is the core of their interests, and trying to change that will bring fierce resistance from the clans.
In the past, Raijin had enough authority in the Uchiha clan to suppress any opposition.
But even then, he could only get access to Uchiha genetic material.
Or more specifically, only his own.
But things are different now.
Uchiha Madara has returned. Even if he has done things that hurt the Uchiha before, his return creates a counterbalance to Raijin's influence within the clan.
Now, Raijin alone doesn't have the final say in Uchiha matters."
Senju Tobirama explained the situation to Orochimaru in detail.
"But wouldn't this plan greatly increase Konohagakure's overall strength?"
Orochimaru asked, unwilling to let it go.
"First of all, Konohagakure no longer relies solely on chakra-based training. We now have a Senjutsu training system as well.
In the Senjutsu system, the potential of every ninja is unknown.
Using Senjutsu to counter Kekkei Genkai is completely possible."
"That's right. Senjutsu can indeed raise a ninja's potential, but it can also increase the limits of Kekkei Genkai."
Orochimaru interrupted Senju Tobirama, arguing his point.
"Yes, Kekkei Genkai does see a significant boost from Senjutsu. Even at the highest level, those who possess Kekkei Genkai will still have a major advantage when using certain jutsu."
Senju Tobirama nodded at Orochimaru's words, showing no anger at being interrupted.
"But so what? Why should a ninja clan hand over its foundation without gaining anything in return?"
With that, Senju Tobirama looked at Orochimaru seriously.
"Transferring the Senju clan's bloodline is complicated. But the Uchiha clan—how many Sharingan have been awakened over the years? How many Mangekyou? Those fallen Uchiha—couldn't their eyes be used by others? Of course, they could. But why hasn't the Uchiha clan handed them over to commoners?
Not even commoners—why don't they give them to their own clan members who haven't awakened their eyes?
And what about the Hyuga clan? Why do they maintain the branch and main family system? Why would they rather put something as cruel as the Caged Bird Seal on their own kin than let the Byakugan leak out?
Even if we set aside bloodline clans, the secret techniques of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio—aren't they easy to learn? So why don't they make them public? Including yourself—why don't you teach all the jutsu you've mastered to commoners?"
Senju Tobirama crossed his arms and spoke to Orochimaru calmly.
This was where Senju Tobirama differed from Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Tobirama almost never talked about the Will of Fire.
If Orochimaru had doubts, questions, or skepticism about the village, that was fine.
Tobirama would explain, point by point, why things couldn't be done, why they wouldn't work, and why they weren't feasible.
Unlike Sarutobi Hiruzen, who always tied everything back to the Will of Fire, to ideals, or to loyalty to the village.
Of course, if reasoning alone wasn't enough, Tobirama wasn't someone who only relied on words.
Even if Orochimaru was valuable, Tobirama wouldn't hesitate to act when necessary.
Defection? Not a chance.
Since Senju Tobirama took office, not a single ninja had successfully defected from Konohagakure.
Not one.
Orochimaru pressed his lips together, momentarily unsure of what to say.
The conversation had shifted from whether this plan could strengthen Konohagakure to the interests of the ninja clans.
But Orochimaru didn't complain about the change in topic.
Because Tobirama had already admitted—the plan would indeed greatly enhance the village's overall strength.
At the same time, the biggest obstacle to this plan—without question—was the vested interests of the ninja clans.
"Think about it. What kind of words would you use to convince a commoner to willingly teach their only skill—their livelihood—to a beggar, expecting nothing in return?
How would you persuade that same commoner to willingly hand over a portion of their wealth to a beggar, without being forced and without receiving any benefit?"
Tobirama continued questioning Orochimaru.
"Why should they? The strongest warriors in the village come from them. When war breaks out, they're the first to charge forward. When unknown threats appear, they're the first to stand in the way."
Why would they hand over the core secrets of their clan to you?
Even if you're strong, unless you surpass Uchiha Raijin and Uchiha Madara, the only way to make them give in is by force.
You might eventually get their genetic research, but you could also end up taking their lives.
And in the end, you'll forever be labeled as a thief.
Senju Tobirama spoke softly to Orochimaru.
"You need to remember, Konohagakure was created because of Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, because of the Senju and Uchiha clans.
These were the two strongest clans in the Land of Fire. They led the way, bringing together all the other clans in the region to establish this village.
The families that took part in this did it so their children wouldn't have to go to war at such a young age.
They didn't want them to lose their future before they even had a chance to grow.
That's why every clan contributed—people, resources, and effort—to build Konohagakure.
It wasn't to spread their bloodline powers to the entire shinobi world.
Do you understand?"
After saying that, Senju Tobirama continued speaking to Orochimaru.
"I know you're not satisfied. I know you think, 'I gave everything for the village, so why were they born with an advantage over me? Why does Uchiha Raijin only need a pair of eyes to crush me, while I have to work so hard to develop new jutsu?'"
Tobirama let out a small laugh, answering his own question.
"Let me tell you why.
Because even back in the Warring States period, Uchiha was still Uchiha.
If Konohagakure forced them to share their bloodline with the world, wouldn't that be unfair to them?
Tsunade, as Hokage and as your comrade, could technically enforce this with her authority.
But the result?
Konohagakure would collapse.
Every shinobi clan would leave.
They would regroup elsewhere and build a new village of their own.
Do you understand what I mean?"
"I understand," Orochimaru said, nodding, though his expression darkened.
"But do you also understand that, no matter the outcome, Raijin's reputation among the Uchiha will take a massive hit because of your proposal?"
Senju Tobirama nodded as he continued, then stood up and walked over to Orochimaru.
"Huh?"
Orochimaru looked at Tobirama in surprise.
"Should we call him back now?"
Orochimaru quickly asked.
"Hmph, you spend too much time locked up in your research. You're completely out of touch with the shinobi world.
That guy is far more cunning than you think."
Tobirama patted Orochimaru's shoulder and gave a helpless smile.
(End of chapter)
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