"What a strange cell... At first glance, the composition resembles Hashirama cells, but the more I examine it, the more differences I find. Just how was this done?"
Orochimaru was baffled.
He had studied Hashirama cells extensively and could be considered an authority on the subject. But this thing...
Frankly speaking, even Konoha had spent over a decade trying and still couldn't produce anything of this quality. Otherwise, Yamato wouldn't have been the sole surviving success of those experiments.
What's more—
He couldn't begin to understand how this sample was cultivated.
Where was the usual corrosive invasiveness of Hashirama cells?
Why did this sample show no signs of that at all?
Orochimaru was full of questions. But unfortunately, Kyoichi's battle with the owner of these cells had ended so quickly and one-sidedly that he couldn't help suspecting that Kyoichi was just showing off.
Problem was—there was no proof.
"I just thought of something," Kyoichi said.
"Hm?"
Orochimaru was still rotating the tiny sample under a microscope, itching to implant it into a test subject right away—but lab protocol forbade human experimentation. He had to make do with artificially bred ninja beasts.
He was busy.
Kyoichi standing there was an eyesore. Orochimaru didn't want to outright tell him to get lost, but his tone was increasingly curt, hinting: If you've got something to say, say it. If not—get out.
"Back when Mukai fought Uchiha Ki," Kyoichi said, "he mentioned something odd. He used Gentle Fist to seal her tenketsu—but it failed."
"Oh? Interesting… You're saying Uchiha Ki may have implanted these same cells?"
With smart people, you don't need to explain too much. Just give a hint—Orochimaru caught on instantly.
As he pulled out a lab-grown ninja beast and skillfully began prepping a transplant, he mused, "It's definitely possible."
"The self-destruction could've been to hide this cellular mutation… Hmph, now I'm really curious. Just what can this kind of cell do?"
"If you're curious... why not get a live subject and find out?" Orochimaru licked his lips.
The best candidate, naturally, would be an Uchiha.
Keep the variables controlled—that's the only way to draw reliable conclusions.
However…
Kyoichi shook his head.
No way was he going to suggest that.
Besides—
He already had a decent idea of what these cells could do.
They were products of the Divine Tree—premium material, no doubt. While not as overwhelmingly powerful as perfect Hashirama cells, they had far better compatibility, unlike the original cells which often turned on their hosts.
From Kyoichi's perspective…
These were like diluted Hashirama cells—Madara had probably taken one of Hashirama's cells, expanded it to a full-sized body clone, and then others had used that clone's flesh for transplant. Naturally, the side effects were lower.
"What a pity... For research like this…"
"It's slower, but we can reach the same results," Kyoichi said. "At the very least, the procedures must be safe and non-harmful to the human body. Any transplants must be cleanly removable and 100% voluntary. Otherwise, neither I nor the village will allow it."
Orochimaru shrugged.
He'd just been probing, anyway.
No approval? Fine.
He went back to studying the cells—this stuff interested him even more than Sage Mode. A closer inspection confirmed his theory: the cells were indeed born from Hashirama's, but their structure had been significantly altered.
Kyoichi stood, preparing to leave.
Orochimaru suddenly remembered something and asked, "You mentioned this guy had excellent concealment abilities—hiding deep underground. How did you even find him?"
"Oh, I owe that to your good friend, Hiruko."
"Let me reiterate: he's not my good friend. At most, we're… acquaintances. And we have very different research philosophies. His approach to forbidden jutsu is too crude."
Orochimaru's tone was flat.
He didn't ask how Hiruko ended up. Since Kyoichi had returned in person, the answer was obvious—he'd been captured. Otherwise, Kyoichi wouldn't have bothered to come back.
How disgraceful.
"His temporary base was on an island—limited space," Kyoichi said casually. "I used a small trick to hide myself. He didn't even detect me."
He didn't mention any details, but Orochimaru understood.
This kid has made huge progress in Wood Release, concealment, and sensory techniques…
Damn it.
Orochimaru felt mildly annoyed, but his mood settled quickly.
Kyoichi hadn't just pulled slightly ahead of him—
It was more like, by the time Orochimaru realized what was happening, the kid was already miles ahead, waving from the finish line.
Which is why…
He didn't feel much resentment. He just thought: Kyoichi really knows how to delegate.
If Kyoichi had done all the research himself, he'd waste an insane amount of time. Half the ongoing projects at the institute had originated from his ideas.
It was clear—
Kyoichi didn't have time to do it all, so he created the research institute to let others tackle the work for him.
And the crazy part?
Everyone was thrilled about it.
They genuinely believed they were inventing revolutionary jutsu.
Sigh.
Orochimaru shook his head.
Tools. All of them. Nothing to be proud of.
When he researched Wood Release, even the one success was pure luck after multiple failed transplants.
Kyoichi?
He rebuilt the entire theory, ran data simulations, and reengineered Wood Release from scratch—then successfully trained dozens of shinobi to use it, even if none of them had a full version.
Orochimaru wanted to explore Sage Mode?
Before he even got started—
Kyoichi already had results. Full theory. Real applications.
He really felt like he was living in Kyoichi's shadow.
As Kyoichi left, Orochimaru stared at the cells with a complicated expression—but quickly pushed aside those emotions and dove into research.
At the very least… this kid can help me unlock some real mysteries.
---
Kyoichi went home and crashed.
A long-distance Flying Thunder God teleport plus dragging back Chūkichi? Even for him, it had been exhausting.
But there was good news—
["Sage Mode" Guidance Complete]
[Evaluation: Good]
[Reward: Senjutsu – Frog Kata]
Kyoichi wasn't sure if it was Jiraiya or Minato who completed their training, but mastering it in a few days was decent.
After all, even he had needed significant time and effort, despite system rewards.
After waking up, Kyoichi finally claimed his reward.
Frog Kata…
After reading through it, he had to give credit to the toad sages.
Myōboku Mountain Sage Arts truly were something else.
Frog Kata was a taijutsu technique that utilized natural energy—a form of senjutsu close-quarters combat.
For Kyoichi, the theory was more valuable than the technique itself. If he could better understand and harness natural energy, he could infuse it into his swordplay, Air Palm, or even acupuncture-style strikes.
After claiming his experience, he created a shadow clone to focus on research while he headed to the ANBU.
The Hiruko and Chūkichi kichi situation still needed resolving.
Upon arrival, he heard several good updates.
Hiruko had been successfully escorted back and was now confined in ANBU's secure prison, surrounded by sealing techniques—no outsider could enter without triggering them.
And Nakakichi had woken up.
To Tsunade's great irritation…
The kid only recognized Kyoichi, not her—the Hokage.
Luckily, Chūkichi didn't seem too concerned about Kirigakure's internal chaos, so Tsunade didn't feel obligated to drag Kyoichi out of bed.
Even when he showed up to report, she was still annoyed.
"That brat's not worried, so why should we be? Let's do other things first. Let him stew for a few days!"
"You're serious, Sis?"
Kyoichi was baffled. Did Chūkichi take a hit to the head or what?
Why was he trusting him this much?
Tsunade was livid—not because of Chūkichi's attitude, but because her authority didn't seem to work as well as Kyoichi's.
She took a deep breath and said, "Still… go talk to him. I want a clear picture. I suspect Kirigakure really is connected to that organization."
"Ahem… no need to rush," Kyoichi said. "The cell sample just began testing, but we can confirm its origin—it definitely came from the First Hokage."
He wasn't going to play along.
Didn't she see she was still mad?
Besides…
A bit of extra chaos in Kirigakure? That was great news.
Chūkichi wasn't panicking—so why should they?
"That's strange, though," Tsunade said, frowning. "My grandfather's cells are top-secret within Konoha. How the hell did they leak out? Don't tell me it was Orochimaru or Danzo… No, even they wouldn't stoop that low."
She looked grim.
The moment she confirmed that the white humanoid organism came from Hashirama's cells, her doubts turned into certainty.
Now the real question—
She didn't trust Danzo one bit, but she did think he still had some principles. And leaking Hashirama cells… probably wasn't something he would do.
"Also," Kyoichi added, "based on my theory, Uchiha Ki likely has the same implants. It's not just a Mangekyō breakthrough. Otherwise, there'd be no need for him to self-destruct."
***************************
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