Gusion knew how unstable Orochimaru's cursed seal actually was. Claiming anyone can have Senjutsu's power was pure nonsense.
In reality, nine out of ten people who receive the cursed seal die. Even if you survive, controlling its power isn't easy.
Kimimaro could use it freely only because he was a genius—a one-in-a-million case.
Orochimaru, as a scientist seeking investment, was clearly shrewd—only showing Gusion the successful side of his research, hiding all the flaws.
Compared to Orochimaru's unstable cursed seal, Gusion was more interested in pure Senjutsu.
So he asked, "Orochimaru, I remember you have a contract with a giant snake—one of the legendary Ryuchi Cave beasts. Do you know how to get to Ryuchi Cave?"
Orochimaru glanced at Gusion, seeing through his intention. "You want to learn Senjutsu at Ryuchi Cave?"
"I've heard that Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, has mastered Senjutsu. It's a powerful force, making him unbeatable on the battlefield. Naturally, I'm interested."
Gusion said frankly.
Mentioning Jiraiya obviously made Orochimaru unhappy. "Gusion-kun, let me give you some advice: Senjutsu isn't so much hard for most people to learn as it is hard for smart people to learn. Only idiots can usually master it."
Are you being salty, Orochimaru? Gusion thought.
But thinking back, in the canon, aside from Kabuto (who used unknown methods), everyone else who learned Senjutsu was, well, pretty much a muscle head. Maybe Orochimaru had a point.
"I'm just curious. I'll try if I can, and if I can't learn it, so be it."
Gusion said casually. Compared to the raw power of Senjutsu, he was more interested in the differences between the Senjutsu and spiritual pressure systems—trying to understand how energy systems differed between worlds.
"If you're interested, I'll help you contact Ryuchi Cave and arrange a visit when I have time."
Orochimaru said, then had Kimimaro return to his room and led Gusion onward. "I haven't finished showing you my research."
Next, Orochimaru showed Gusion his various research projects. What interested Gusion most was Orochimaru's research into Hashirama cells.
"The First Hokage's cells are almost like cancer—highly invasive and destructive. I have one successful case, but Danzo is holding onto the specimen, so I can't show you."
Orochimaru said regretfully, "But if I had enough funding, I could definitely uncover the secrets hidden in the First's cells."
Gusion thought Orochimaru sounded just like a researcher pitching for funding. But he knew Orochimaru was a capable scientist—if he had money, there was nothing in the ninja world he couldn't figure out.
"Have you tried implanting them?"
Gusion looked at the chunk of flesh on the experiment table. The First's cells were really creepy—just sitting there, they naturally split and grew a face.
"Gusion-kun, as a researcher, how could I use myself as a test subject without absolute certainty?"
Orochimaru said slyly. "But if you're interested, I can implant them for you."
Gusion politely declined, "Let's skip the implant. But I hope you continue your research on the First's cells—especially combining them with other powers."
Because of funding limitations and the strange nature of Hashirama's cells (and no immediate benefit), Orochimaru had already suspended this research.
But Gusion wanted him to keep going—he was counting on Orochimaru to help him create the Rinnegan, or at least Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. If the Uchiha rescue quest only gave him a regular Mangekyo, he didn't want it—the side effects were too big.
"Gusion-kun."
Orochimaru licked his lips. "Biological research is expensive. I don't want to continue projects without visible prospects."
"I'm very interested in the power of Hashirama's cells. Don't worry about funding—I'll take care of it."
Gusion knew Orochimaru was fishing for promises, but he didn't mind.
Sure enough, Orochimaru grinned with joy. "Then it's settled, Gusion-kun. Don't worry, you can share any of the research results here."
Gusion knew Orochimaru was just being polite; he wouldn't share the real core results. But as long as he got what he wanted, that was enough.
After touring the base, they returned to the reception room. Gusion brought up his real reason for coming. "Orochimaru, as one of the Sannin, you completed countless missions for Konoha, only to be driven out after losing a political struggle. Are you honestly content with that?"
Orochimaru's pupils narrowed for a moment. "Gusion-kun, what are you getting at?"
"I don't know about you, but I'm not content. The people who drove me out must pay the price."
Gusion said bluntly, meeting Orochimaru's gaze. "Orochimaru, are you interested in destroying Konoha?"
Orochimaru was silent for a few seconds, then let out a hoarse laugh. "Hahaha… Gusion-kun, you're more interesting than I thought. I expected you to scorn my research, but you offered to fund it. I thought you'd never get over Konoha, but now you're talking about destroying it…"
He paused, his snake eyes fixed on Gusion, voice low. "Gusion-kun, looks like you suffered a lot in the Cloud."
"How could I not make them taste the pain I've felt?"
Gusion sneered, giving himself an eight out of ten for acting.
"Hahaha… Gusion-kun, we really met too late. If I'd known, maybe I'd have infiltrated the Cloud to rescue you."
Orochimaru laughed.
Gusion was exiled before Orochimaru defected. Back then, Orochimaru had power, but he'd tacitly agreed to Gusion's exile in front of the Third, and even felt a bit glad.
After all, after the Third Ninja War, not only Minato, but even Gusion was a strong contender for Hokage, and Orochimaru didn't want too many competitors.
But when he was later driven out, he felt a pang of regret—no one spoke up for him then, just as he hadn't for Gusion.
After defecting, Orochimaru knew Gusion had survived being captured, but he didn't bother going to the Cloud to cause trouble.
Simply put—they weren't close. To him, Gusion and Minato were the same kind of people, except Minato was Jiraiya's student and had a better claim to the Hokage seat, while Gusion was a commoner.
He always thought Gusion was one of those sunny boys—not someone he could connect with, so he never thought of saving him. Besides, he was doing fine as a rogue ninja.
But now, after talking to Gusion, Orochimaru truly felt regret for not meeting sooner.
Having such a strong ally—both in research and within Akatsuki—could only be a good thing.
For the first time in a while, Orochimaru felt his ambitions stir. With Gusion as an ally, what couldn't they overturn in the ninja world?
"I appreciate the thought, Orochimaru. So what do you think of my idea?"
Gusion smiled, and the two really did have the air of villains plotting together.
Orochimaru licked his lips. "Of course, it's an excellent idea. To be honest, I've been planning Konoha's destruction for a long time."
That old Third gave the Hokage seat to Minato, a youngster, never to him—he was never satisfied.
Suppose he didn't experiment on villagers—would the Third have made him Hokage? No way.
Because even before he started experimenting, Minato was already being groomed as the Fourth. Orochimaru only started experimenting after Minato became Hokage—and really ramped up after Minato died.
Partly due to lack of funds and subjects, partly out of a sense of vengeful anger.
He could understand the Third choosing Minato: with Kushina as a Jinchuriki—a good combination for the village. From a political standpoint, he could accept it.
But!
Minato died! The Hokage seat was open again. Why didn't the old Third choose him?
That's what Orochimaru resented most. After the Nine-Tails incident, he started experimenting on villagers, and two years later was exposed and forced to defect.
He had complicated feelings for the Third—he wasn't ungrateful, but by now, hatred outweighed gratitude. He just wanted to destroy Konoha, the place he once wanted to protect, and vent his feelings.
Gusion, of course, didn't know all this. He asked, "So, do you have a detailed plan, Orochimaru?"
"To take on a village like Konoha, just the two of us isn't enough. We need powerful weapons."
Orochimaru licked his lips. "Akatsuki is about to start collecting Tailed Beasts, right? Maybe we can use that."
"Drop a Jinchuriki into the middle of Konoha?"
Gusion pondered. At this time, the only unstable Jinchuriki would be Gaara, but he was still a kid, likely to be killed before he rampaged.
"That's just one step. As for the target, I haven't decided yet. Tailed Beasts are for causing chaos, but we'll need other elite ninjas to cooperate."
Orochimaru said, "You've seen my Sound Village. It's just starting out—hardly any strong ninjas. So we'll need to work with another major village."
"For example?"
Gusion thought Orochimaru really had this planned out.
"I think Sand is a good candidate. They've butted heads with Konoha since the Second War. Officially they're allies, but they've always been squeezed in diplomacy. They're already disgruntled."
Orochimaru gave a sly smile. "I'm confident I can bring them in. With your strength on our side, I think they'll be tempted."
After hearing Orochimaru's plan, Gusion thought it was unreliable. He couldn't tell whether Orochimaru was just like this or if he couldn't bring himself to actually destroy Konoha.
Orochimaru knew Konoha's war capacity best. The Uchiha clan wasn't even wiped out yet—did they really think they could destroy Konoha with this?
But Gusion didn't point out the flaws—he wanted a plan that wasn't too extreme. If Konoha was wiped out, Itachi wouldn't work with him, and his other hidden quest couldn't be completed.
So balancing these two quests would be something he'd need to pay attention to later.