Willing to Take Risks for Lord Orochimaru

The vortex vanished into the air, leaving only a pool of bright red blood behind. After a moment, Orochimaru arrived tardily.

As his shadow clone dissipated, the memories from the different space integrated into his main body. He naturally understood that the "lesson" had been genuinely delivered to Obito.

With things coming to this, he lost the inclination to pursue him.

Coming here was partly to put on a show, and partly because the Lamp God had reminded him that there was still a small harvest waiting here.

Glancing down at the ground, Orochimaru pressed his hands together. The earth writhed as if it had a life of its own, and a bizarre, completely snow-white human figure was immediately lifted up.

Before it could start to flee, the soil converged and spiraled like a sharp tower, binding the bizarre figure while leaving only its head exposed.

The White Zetsu clone currently wore a look of utter astonishment, even forgetting to try struggling. "How did you discover me?"

Apart from impersonating Gloya earlier, the "Disguise Technique" could naturally also transform one's aura into that of an animal. While it might not fool dojutsu kekkei genkai, fooling a sensory-type ninja was extremely effortless.

Orochimaru did not answer. He spread his fingers wide, grabbed the White Zetsu clone's head fiercely, and forcibly searched its brain in the most brutal manner.

White Zetsu shook its head back and forth continuously, seemingly quite displeased that its head was being grabbed, but other than that, it had no other reaction.

One must know that this method of brain searching would cause irreversible damage to a ninja's nervous system, and the pain during the process would even drive a person with a firm will to the verge of collapse.

Not long after, Orochimaru let go, his expression surprised.

"A blank brain, with a nervous system that is practically nonexistent. What on earth are you? Are you really a living creature?"

"That's very rude of you to say."

White Zetsu showed a look of dissatisfaction, treating Orochimaru's intimidating presence as nothing, and said nonchalantly, "You're the one whose head is empty; I'm very smart..."

Swish...

Mud and rock condensed into a sharp spear, directly piercing the White Zetsu clone into a hedgehog, and its voice cut off abruptly.

"Isn't it full of research value?"

The Lamp God poked his upper body out and smiled, "Don't look at it as being weak in combat power; this is a treasure extracted from the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path."

Orochimaru nodded in satisfaction. With his discernment and vision, he could naturally see White Zetsu's preciousness.

A creature lacking most human organs, yet capable of running, jumping, speaking, and possessing cognitive abilities, was simply incredible.

Compared to the humans of the ninja world, Orochimaru was more inclined to believe this was an extraterrestrial species—a life form similar to the Otsutsuki clan.

Obito had inherited Uchiha Madara's legacy, and he really did possess some good things in his hands. He wondered if there were any research materials on them.

Thinking along these lines, a dark, gloomy light flashed in Orochimaru's eyes.

...

Having dealt with Obito's matter, Orochimaru returned directly to his underground laboratory.

He had also heard from the Lamp God that the Kumogakure delegation member "Gloya" had been killed by Hyuga Hizashi, but he truly had no energy to spare for this matter.

Regardless of whether the Fourth Raikage had recovered or not, Kumogakure had no possibility of launching a war.

Even though the assassination of peace emissaries inside Konoha was a huge humiliation, and that group of muscle-bound brutes would fly into a rage upon hearing it, at most... they would only verbally condemn Konoha, find a way to ruin Konoha's reputation, and then default on the compensation agreement signed during the previous peace talks.

In this way, aside from losing benefits that had not yet reached their hands, Konoha would suffer almost no losses.

This was completely within Orochimaru's bottom line. After all, even if those benefits made it to Konoha, they most likely wouldn't end up in his hands.

Compared to this matter, his own condition was far more important.

Orochimaru sat on the testing platform, conducting examinations one item after another.

After a battle, his healed soul and body were somewhat more compatible, and the direct manifestation of this was another increase in his chakra.

Cellular activity, physical strength, nerve reflection ability... these data had also increased by small margins.

As for chakra control, ninjutsu release speed, perception, and other aspects that could not be tested directly, they could only be roughly estimated using the long list of panel data provided by the Lamp God.

"The biggest gains are still Senjutsu and the breathing technique. This time, I've truly stepped onto the right track of cultivation."

Orochimaru played with the snake scales in his hand, a hint of a relaxed smile appearing on his face.

The scattered natural energy poured into his body unceasingly. A portion of it, as before, strengthened his body's cells, while another portion combined with chakra, condensing into Senjutsu chakra.

Whether in quantity or quality, it was incomparable to before.

"Is my current state able to try the First Hokage's cell fusion experiment?"

Orochimaru furrowed his brow in deep thought, his gaze falling on the busy Yakushi Kabuto. With a movement in his mind, he called him to his front and said slowly, "I am going to continue the First Hokage's cell experiments, and I need you to lend me a hand."

Yakushi Kabuto showed a trace of hesitation. "You want to experiment on yourself formally? But, Lord Orochimaru, I am not yet very proficient with surgeries involving cell transplantation."

"It's not on me, but on you."

Orochimaru shook his head and stated bluntly, "The risks of the First Hokage's cell transplantation surgery are still too great; I need you to be the pioneer."

Yakushi Kabuto fell silent for a moment, pushed his glasses up, and smiled slightly, "I am willing to take risks for Lord Orochimaru."

As Orochimaru's assistant, having personally handled three transplantation experiments involving members of the Uchiha clan, Yakushi Kabuto was acutely aware of the risks involved.

However, risk was never the primary consideration for Yakushi Kabuto. As long as Orochimaru requested it, he would definitely do it.

"You could have taken a bit longer to answer."

Though his subordinate was so loyal, Orochimaru was not quite satisfied.

Compared to Yakushi Kabuto offering himself as a tool for him to use, he would rather the other party stop suppressing their human emotions.

Maintaining his current state meant he could not grow further; Yakushi Kabuto's potential should not stop here.

"There's no need, Lord Orochimaru," Yakushi Kabuto repeated. "I am willing to take risks for Lord Orochimaru."

"There are indeed some risks, but don't think that I am treating you as a consumable. There is no shortage of ninjas like that in the ninja world."

Orochimaru looked at Yakushi Kabuto and said seriously, "You possess the aptitude to cultivate Senjutsu, and that is the key to the success of the First Hokage's cell transplantation experiment."

Yakushi Kabuto was startled for a moment, then smiled, "Then there is even less reason for me to refuse."

He was not afraid of death, but he was afraid of losing his utility value. Learning that he was even more important than he had imagined, Yakushi Kabuto actually felt somewhat invigorated now.

"Since that's the case, let's begin. Do the preparations yourself."

Orochimaru licked his lips, sat cross-legged on the ground, and entered a meditative state, drawing out the natural energy within the white snake scales with all his might.

In the subsequent experiments, Senjutsu chakra was the key, and the greater the quantity, the better.

Originally, he had planned to wait until Yakushi Kabuto learned Senjutsu himself before attempting the experiment, but waiting for his chakra volume to reach the Kage level would take far too long.