One moment they were locked in a battle to the death; the next, they were conversing like teammates. The rapid shift in atmosphere was truly bizarre.
But Orochimaru did not find anything amiss.
Kabuto Yakushi emerged from the base, his face a mask of surprise upon seeing Orochimaru accompanied by two Uchiha. However, trusting Orochimaru implicitly, Kabuto did not ask any questions.
Orochimaru explained coolly, "They are here to cooperate with me. Go and prepare the medical laboratory."
A medical laboratory? As a former medical-nin, Kabuto was naturally familiar with the term. Such a facility was typically used for biological research.
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru! What is the subject of this research? I will prepare the test subjects at once."
Orochimaru glanced at Itachi, his tongue darting out to lick his lips. "We will be studying the Uchiha. The test subject is Itachi."
Kabuto was speechless.
In the end, Itachi merely provided some blood, skin, and bone marrow samples.
"Kawasaki-senpai said that Itachi already has a physical ailment. If left untreated, it will rapidly worsen."
"Oh?"
Orochimaru took Itachi's cell samples to be analyzed. He then picked up the documents Kawasaki had specifically prepared. As he flipped through the pages, a document filled with text, his initially casual expression slowly grew more focused, a fanatical gleam entering his eyes.
"Remarkable, simply remarkable. I have never even considered these ideas. How could Kawasaki know all this?"
On the Negative Mental Effects of Soul Separation.
A Fundamental Analysis of Yin and Yang Release Chakra.
The Evolution of the Sharingan: A Hypothesis.
The Relationship Between the Sage's Eyes, Body, and Blood, and Kekkei Genkai.
A Hypothesis on Sage Art and its Connection to Cursed Seals.
The pages were densely packed with Kawasaki's knowledge and well-reasoned theories. Kawasaki had instructed that if Kotoamatsukami was successful, they could directly tell Orochimaru that he possessed the ability to see the future.
Learning that the Mangekyo Sharingan could actually predict the future left Orochimaru deeply shaken, and he began to treat the documents with even greater importance.
Beep... Beep...
The analyzer completed its assessment of Itachi's cells. Orochimaru took the report, his brow furrowing.
"What is this?"
He discovered an abnormality in Itachi's cellular activity. Some cells were beginning to mutate, and the change was occurring at the cellular level. If Kawasaki were present, he would have recognized the symptoms of leukemia.
Although Orochimaru did not know the name of the disease, it did not hinder his medical expertise. He quickly determined that the root cause of Itachi's illness was the erosion of his body by Yin Release chakra from the frequent use of his Mangekyo Sharingan.
As long as Itachi temporarily ceased using the Mangekyo, Orochimaru was confident he could bring the mutated cells under control. Once Itachi was older, or his constitution grew stronger, he would be able to resist the Yin Release erosion, and the illness would naturally be cured.
"That's wonderful news, Itachi!" Shisui let out a sigh of relief. The news that Itachi might only live to the age of twenty had left him sleepless for nights on end.
Fortunately, Kawasaki's plan had worked. Shisui touched his own eyes; he wouldn't be able to use Kotoamatsukami with them again for some time. But at least the two times he had used it had been effective.
"Don't celebrate just yet." Orochimaru's words brought Shisui back to reality. "The Uchiha clan's Mangekyo Sharingan is inherently unstable. Overuse not only leads to deteriorating vision and even blindness, but it can also trigger unknown pathological changes in the body."
Orochimaru flipped through 'The Evolution of the Sharingan: A Hypothesis.' He then cross-referenced it with 'The Relationship Between the Sage's Eyes, Body, and Blood, and Kekkei Genkai' and another volume of research. In the second document, he found an introduction to the Otsutsuki clan.
It also detailed the influence of the Otsutsuki bloodline on the various Kekkei Genkai of the ninja world.
"A Kekkei Genkai is both a gift from the heavens and a curse from which one cannot escape," Orochimaru said with a sigh. "The following experiments will require your full cooperation."
Kawasaki had also proposed his own idea for stabilizing the Mangekyo Sharingan. Even if Itachi could achieve it by transplanting the Mangekyo of a close relative, Shisui was now alone, with no living blood relatives. This meant they had to consider the second option: implanting Hashirama cells.
But Orochimaru had another plan. He wanted to try directly infusing Yang Release chakra to see what effect it would have on the Mangekyo Sharingan. However, he had never attempted to inject chakra into someone's eyes before. With only two living test subjects available, Orochimaru had to completely rethink his experimental approach.
Many of his previous plans and research projects were now completely overturned. His pursuit of power was no longer solely focused on acquiring the Sharingan. His ambition had grown far greater.
Orochimaru quickly immersed himself in his work, leaving all the administrative affairs of the Sound Village to Kabuto. As Kabuto frequently assisted Orochimaru with his experiments, he found himself stretched thin. After all, the meticulous work of scientific research was not something a Shadow Clone could handle. If a Shadow Clone were to disperse, the massive influx of medical data would instantly crash his brain, requiring several days of rest to recover.
The Uchiha clansmen brought by Itachi and Shisui quickly resolved the Sound Village's manpower shortage. The third elder, Takuya, promptly took over Kabuto's administrative duties, freeing Kabuto to assist Orochimaru full-time.
Elder Uchiha Takuya had finally achieved his long-held ambition. Though the Sound Village was not large, it was enough to give him a taste of the power he craved.
Kabuto, on the other hand, had no interest in power. His purpose in the Sound Village was to support Orochimaru. To him, Orochimaru was his superior, his brother, his family. He would willingly do anything to aid Lord Orochimaru.
Itachi and Shisui cooperated with Orochimaru daily, treating themselves as experimental material. If not for their absolute faith in Kotoamatsukami, they would have genuinely feared being dissected by him.
...
At the new Uchiha settlement.
"Sir, a message has arrived from the ninja cats," Akihira announced as he entered.
Akihira's elder brother, Yotsuki, also had a summoning contract with the ninja cats. Through the Summoning Jutsu, Yotsuki, who was tracking Itachi, could quickly relay information to Akihira.
Kawasaki unfurled the scroll and saw that Orochimaru had already begun his research on Itachi's condition. Itachi's health should now be stabilized.
The next step was development.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for significantly altering the life trajectory of Kabuto Yakushi.]
[Congratulations, Host, you have obtained: Mystical Palm Technique x1]
Kawasaki raised an eyebrow. Not Sage Mode?
"Lord Kawasaki!" At that moment, another Uchiha clansman entered. "A message has come from the Third Hokage."
What did the Third Hokage want?
Kawasaki opened it curiously, then let out a soft laugh.
That Danzo was a truly restless one. Just recently, he had become a pariah in Konoha for trying to steal Shisui's eye, forced to hide in his own compound or at the Root headquarters, not even daring to set foot in the Hokage's office. But it seemed his wicked ambitions were still alive, and he had once again turned his attention to the Uchiha.