Konoha.
A hidden underground base.
This place had once been the site where Orochimaru conducted his secret research.
After Hiruzen exposed the matter by leveraging "Danzō's black materials," Orochimaru voluntarily handed it over to the village.
Yet Orochimaru was quite satisfied, because after turning it in, he openly applied to the village for research funding—and the approval went through smoothly and generously…
As a result, the environment here underwent a complete transformation.
In the past, this experimental base not only lacked proper equipment, but for the sake of concealment it was dimly lit, poorly ventilated, reeked of unpleasant odors, and had slick floors—more like an underground money-exchange den…
Orochimaru had been very dissatisfied with this as well.
It was not that being close to "snakes" meant he would enjoy such cave-like surroundings.
As a scientist, who wouldn't want their laboratory to be at least "sterile and dust-free," with complete equipment?
But now, things were different…
His sensei, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was strongly supporting his technological development!
Inside the bright and spacious laboratory, large numbers of sterilization and dust-removal devices, along with constant-temperature and constant-humidity machines, were running at full power. High-end centrifuges, microbial testing instruments, reaction vessels, chromatographs—acquired without sparing expense—were all in place.
Every instrument that was needed was available.
If it could be bought, then only the best was purchased.
If Orochimaru couldn't buy what he wanted, then he would go and buy the best materials and handcraft one himself. If any kind of ninjutsu was needed to modify the instruments, he could also openly call people over to help.
Orochimaru looked at the report sheet in his hand, and the corner of his mouth unconsciously curled up.
A laboratory of this level was absolutely one of a kind in the ninja world! Not to mention it would continue to expand…
Staying here, he was unwilling to even go back home.
And Orochimaru felt that he was merely smiling.
But to Nara Shikayama and Akimichi Torifu at his side, this kid these past two days was not simply smiling—he had been maintaining a high level of excitement the whole time!
As if he had taken a stimulant…
That was because working in this kind of environment was a form of enjoyment for Orochimaru…
At this moment, Orochimaru felt even more keenly how comforting it was to have Hiruzen's support…
Having a Hokage behind him, and a powerful hidden village behind him—was simply fantastic!
"Everyone, you're all busy, huh?" Hiruzen, wearing a white hooded sterile suit, walked into the laboratory.
"Third Hokage-sama!"
"Sensei!"
Seeing Hiruzen arrive, everyone immediately greeted him.
And seeing that Hiruzen was dressed properly according to the standards, a glint flashed in Orochimaru's eyes, and he secretly thought to himself: Sensei still respects technology…
In the past, when collaborating with Danzō, it wasn't as if Orochimaru had never asked him to do this, but that "Darkness of the Ninja World" wanted to flaunt his own specialness—he always barged in swaggering.
Over time, Orochimaru also gave up on caring, turning a perfectly good laboratory into something like a slaughterhouse.
"So, what brings you here?" Seeing Akimichi Torifu, Hiruzen's eyes lit up, and he stepped forward quickly to give him a hug.
Torifu clearly had not expected Hiruzen to be so warm, and a trace of surprise appeared on his face.
All these years, he had voluntarily withdrawn from Konoha's upper ranks—not because of injuries or anything of the sort…
Rather, it was because, back when Senju Tobirama had taken the initiative to stay behind as rear guard, he had unconsciously blurted out a sentence like this: "A decoy? Then someone will definitely die. Who's going?"
After the Second Hokage died, whenever Torifu recalled the words he had once said, he found himself unable to forgive himself.
Whether it was Hiruzen, who had stepped forward to cover the rear; or Kagami, who had fallen in battle; or Danzō, who had risen to action belatedly; or Homura and Koharu, who had been analyzing the possibilities of breaking through…
He felt that he himself was not worthy.
"I heard from Shikayama that you, Hiruzen, are planning some major moves for the village, and also developing medicines to obtain funding…" Torifu lowered his head slightly.
"I know this is a very good thing. I may not be good at much else, but I do have some research in pharmaceuticals…"
"I figured I could at least make some contribution to the village. I was worried the younger ones in the clan might not be steady enough, so I came myself."
Hiruzen felt deeply moved in his heart.
Shinobi, although they had survived for centuries as tools of killing, possessed hearts that were intensely passionate.
Torifu's experiences made him think of another person in the village from the same generation as himself.
Maruboshi Kosuke.
He possessed the strength of a jōnin, and his seniority was also extremely high, yet because an early mistake had led to the deaths of his teammates, he had been willing to remain a genin ever since, always charging at the very front during wars.
'After a bit of processing, these are all excellent materials for the Will of Fire…'
'What great promotional material…'
Such thoughts flashed through Hiruzen's mind as he grasped Torifu's hand. "What happened in the past can't be changed, but without you here, I've always felt an emptiness in my heart."
"Among the few of us, you indeed aren't skilled at combat, but when it comes to managing logistics, you've always been the best…"
"Now that you're coming out of seclusion again, don't think about leaving anymore. Do more for the village! If Tobirama-sensei's spirit is watching from above, he would certainly want you to do this."
Torifu nodded heavily.
Hearing those words, why did his heart feel so warm?
"The laboratory has been set up very well, Orochimaru…"
Hiruzen looked around, raised an eyebrow, and joked with a smile, "The equipment has been organized quite thoroughly, hasn't it?"
Obviously, for researching the so-called 'health-preserving secret medicines' used by the nobility, many of these devices would not actually be needed.
"After all, this is a rare opportunity, Sensei…" Orochimaru blinked. "It really isn't easy! Please rest assured—these devices will all be used for Konoha's development in the future."
"If you need funding or support in terms of techniques, just write a report to me. The village is your backing."
Hiruzen waved his hand generously. "The early stages of research naturally require costs—that much I understand."
"All of these investments are necessary. Science and technology are the primary productive forces. I've always believed that."
Hearing these words, Orochimaru chewed them over again and again, his eyes lighting up.
No wonder he's the sensei…
Even if Danzō thought about this for a hundred years, he still wouldn't be able to say such words—he would only stand there nitpicking over so-called costs.
Wanting the ox to grow well, yet also wanting it not to eat grass…
Isn't that disgusting?
"I came to check on your progress. How is it—do you have samples yet?"
"On the administrative side, Homura and Koharu are already coordinating with the Land of Fire. We'll proceed on both fronts."
Hiruzen asked.
"The preliminary samples are already out. Using the Nara clan's secret medicine-compounding manual as the base, combined with Tsunade's adjustments and the ideas provided by Akimichi Torifu, I also made some adaptive refinements."
"First is the fast-acting layer. After ingestion, it can activate the body, producing a sensation of overall comfort and lightness in the limbs. With the addition of snake-scale extract, it achieves a calming effect."
Orochimaru explained in detail: "Second is the long-term layer. Taken regularly over time, it provides anti-fatigue effects aimed at ordinary people and will significantly enhance the user's stamina."
"With the toad-skin oil provided by Mount Myōboku, the adjusted medicinal effect is gentler and emphasizes nourishment."
Hiruzen nodded in reasonable satisfaction.
The effects he had instructed were, more or less, initially realized.
But when the sample was presented before him, he couldn't help but laugh.
Why does this look almost the same as soldier pills?
No matter how good the effects are, this kind of appearance won't fetch a good price…
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