106 You have too much faith in me.

“Her niece—Shizune Kato—is her weakness!”

Upon hearing this, Jiraiya opened his mouth but said nothing in response.

Though Tsunade appeared free-spirited and bold, she was, in truth, the most sensitive and kind-hearted among the three.

She valued emotions and life deeply, which was why she devoted herself to mastering medical ninjutsu and worked tirelessly to establish a medical system for the village.

If Shizune were used as leverage, Tsunade might indeed consider treating the Raikage.

But Jiraiya's concern lay elsewhere.

—Following the successive deaths of her brother Nawaki and her lover Dan Kato, Princess Tsunade grew discontented with Konoha’s leadership and angrily left the village.

This was the official reason given to protect her safety outside the village.

Apart from Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and a few others, hardly anyone in the ninja world, including Konoha’s shinobi, was aware that this most outstanding medical ninja suffered from hemophobia.

Ordinarily, petty thieves might not pose a threat, and even in her current state, Tsunade would not be an easy opponent.

But if a powerful shinobi from Kumogakure, harboring thoughts of capturing Shizune to coerce Tsunade, clashed with her, the hemophobia might no longer be concealed.

If Orochimaru’s feared scenario occurred, Tsunade’s situation would become perilous.

There were countless ways to subdue a shinobi afflicted with hemophobia.

With this in mind, Jiraiya gripped Naruto’s hand a little tighter, lifted his gaze to Orochimaru, and said,

“That reason is enough. I will help you persuade the old man.”

This was no longer a matter of personal feelings. Even if the top medical ninja had yet to overcome her hemophobia, the village could not afford to lose her—Jiraiya reminded himself firmly.

“Then I leave this matter in your hands.”

Orochimaru set down his teacup, a faint smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

...

In the Konoha Forest, deep within an underground laboratory.

Orochimaru removed the container holding Naruto’s blood and, upon seeing the data displayed on the analyzer, paused slightly.

Cell vitality, chakra response... though just over five months old, these readings nearly matched those of a normal genin.

One might say it was the bloodline of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, or perhaps the Nine-Tails’ chakra was at work.

A truly gifted boy, Orochimaru thought with some admiration.

However, this was advantageous for him; today he could advance his experiments further.

He extracted some blood, placing it in a petri dish, supplying nutrients while stimulating rapid cell reproduction.

Within fifteen minutes, he obtained a sufficient amount of cellular tissue.

He combined this tissue with a small sample of First Hokage cells and continued to induce division.

Under the rich nutrient conditions, the First Hokage’s cells once again displayed formidable reproductive capability, and after expanding to a certain extent, began to invade Naruto’s cells.

Orochimaru remained unmoved, merely observing through the microscope and recording data without intervening.

Another ten minutes passed; only First Hokage cells survived in the nutrient solution, while Naruto’s chakra signature was no longer detectable.

Toshin peered inquisitively and asked, “Any findings?”

“None. Like ordinary cells, the Uzumaki bloodline does not prolong their survival.”

Orochimaru expressed some disappointment. “It seems completing the Sage’s body is not so easy.”

“Perhaps you’re rushing,” Toshin remarked with a sidelong glance. “Don’t forget, Naruto is still young, far from his peak. Even if his cells helped complete the Sage’s body, what then?”

“The degree of invasion by the First Hokage’s cells is already terrifying. You want something even more dreadful, but it would only be put on a shelf—unusable, just to admire.”

“That’s not necessarily so,” Orochimaru shook his head, eyes gleaming with insight. “Much like the Uchiha’s Sharingan, the First Hokage’s cell invasiveness might stem not from overwhelming power but from incompleteness, thus instability.”

Indeed, common folk might view the First Hokage’s strength through rose-tinted glasses, but they were not so easily fooled.

Toshin raised an eyebrow. “Then your research should focus on yin chakra, right? The Uzumaki bloodline is yang.”

Orochimaru smiled faintly. “Balance of yin and yang chakra isn’t the only way to stabilize bloodline limits. Didn’t you say so yourself?”

Toshin blinked. “...Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan?”

Indeed, ultimate yin chakra mastery was a form of Sharingan stability, a distinct path from the middle-ground balance.

It was a path that fully embraced the Uchiha nature, an extreme route.

But Orochimaru was no Uchiha; he only needed to seek balance between yin and yang chakra, no need to pursue the other extreme.

Perhaps sensing Toshin’s confusion, Orochimaru continued without pause,

“The more I study, the clearer it becomes how difficult it is to develop soul ninjutsu.”

“Optimistically speaking, even if we find Shizune and she cooperates, it’s uncertain how long it will take to successfully develop it,” Orochimaru glanced at Toshin, then looked away.

“I don’t know why you have such faith in me, but my abilities aren’t as great as you imagine.”

“So, even if it wastes extra time, I must prepare a fallback plan.”

“Whether completing the Sage’s body will neutralize the First Hokage’s cell invasiveness is uncertain, but as a path after the failure of soul transformation research, it’s worth trying.”

...

The laboratory fell silent, save for the sounds of Orochimaru handling his equipment.

Soul transformation research might yet fail? Toshin scratched his head, not expecting Orochimaru to admit this.

In his mind, Orochimaru’s research level was undoubtedly top-tier in the ninja world; solving soul transformation was merely a matter of time. Once reaching the Pure Land, the soul would surely be completed, resolving all problems.

This thought startled Toshin.

Could it be that he, too, viewed Orochimaru through rose-colored glasses? Orochimaru was not an all-powerful scientist?

No, that couldn’t be...

Perhaps Orochimaru was calculating, intending to use his own power to conveniently resolve issues.

Toshin, oh Toshin, don’t be fooled by Orochimaru’s modesty; know your own position!

An alarm sounded in his mind, his eyes darted sharply before returning to their usual composure.

He looked at Orochimaru and smiled, “Completing the Sage’s body may indeed be a viable path. Strengthening the body to nourish the soul might work. Since you have this idea, I will naturally assist you.”

A fleeting trace of disappointment shimmered in Orochimaru’s eyes but passed unnoticed as he calmly asked, “Assist me? How so?”

Toshin noticed the subtle change and, with the Rinnegan’s insight far beyond his own, almost fell for Orochimaru’s ruse. He cursed silently but maintained a smile.

“If you want to complete the Sage’s body, don’t focus solely on Naruto. The ninja world still harbors other Uzumaki bloodlines.”