Chapter 313: Eight-Tails' Horn, A Secret Decision
Staring at the object submerged in formalin or some other unknown liquid before him, Uchiha Ci couldn't help but be astonished.
"This is…"
"That's right." Orochimaru curled his lips into a faint smile, his hoarse voice carrying a mysterious tone.
"This is the Eight-Tails!"
Silently, Uchiha Ci mentally added to the end of Orochimaru's statement—
"The Eight-Tails' horn."
Although he was aware that Orochimaru had acquired some Eight-Tails tissue, the presence of this object—something that shouldn't exist in this era—still left him baffled.
Suspended in a massive glass tank filled with an unknown fluid was none other than the horn of the Eight-Tails, severed years ago during the beast's rampage by a young A.
However, it wasn't from the same Eight-Tails.
This particular Eight-Tails horn was obtained when Orochimaru cast a genjutsu on the Eight-Tails' Jinchūriki, Blue B, inciting the beast's rampage. Under the chaos, Orochimaru had discreetly infiltrated the scene and harvested a small sample of the horn.
Using that sample, he had cultivated a fully-formed Eight-Tails horn.
Despite being merely a three-meter-long fragment, it radiated an immense chakra presence, surpassing even the reserves of the Zero-Tails.
Yet this object…
It wasn't supposed to exist until the Fourth Great Ninja War, and even then, it was created by the second inheritor of core scientific advancements—Kabuto Yakushi—who took over after Orochimaru.
At this point in time, it should have been nothing more than a minuscule fragment, nowhere near completion!
At that moment, meeting Uchiha Ci's stunned gaze, Orochimaru spoke:
"Do you remember the day I gave you the Cursed Seal training scroll?"
Uchiha Ci thought for a moment, then looked up in surprise.
"You mean—"
"The iterative Hashirama cells used on the Zero-Tails can also be applied to the Eight-Tails?"
The day Orochimaru had given him The Suppression Experiment Records and Methods of the Heaven Curse Seal was the same night the Nine-Tails was subdued.
Back then, Orochimaru had told him that the Hashirama cell experiments had encountered issues. Over three hundred attempts to fuse Hashirama cells with Uchiha Ci's own cells had all ended in failure.
However, the process had inadvertently led to another breakthrough—
By using Hashirama cells that had undergone over thirty iterations, he had temporarily enhanced the Zero-Tails' power.
This very technique was later used in the Hell Valley operation three days ago to ensnare the White Snake Sage, briefly empowering the Zero-Tails to a level where it could contest the sage's physical form.
Now, this same technique had been applied to the Eight-Tails horn sample.
"The technique is still flawed," Orochimaru admitted, "but for a short period, sealing this sample inside your body will grant you half the power of the real Eight-Tails."
"That shouldn't be a problem."
"And while the Eight-Tails is still alive, you can consider this a disposable chakra source. Once its energy is depleted, it will simply disappear. All that's needed is to extract a tiny bit of powder from the remains as a sample, and there will be no lingering side effects."
"As for the damage caused by the sample extraction—" Orochimaru smirked. "For you, it's negligible."
Crossing his arms, he gazed at the massive object in the tank, his smile deepening.
"With this power—"
"You'll have more than enough strength to cause an uproar at the Five Kage Summit."
Uchiha Ci's eyes lit up, and he eagerly stepped forward, rubbing his hands against the glass as he exhaled a thin layer of fog onto its surface.
With his current chakra reserves, compared to the luxurious +20 enhancements he had, he felt downright underpowered—
Like a Ferrari Enzo capable of hitting 280 mph but stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, crawling forward in first gear.
Just as he was lamenting his underutilized "engine," Orochimaru handed him a Violent Racing DLC without hesitation!
Staring at the tempting power before him, Uchiha Ci couldn't help but let out a sinister chuckle.
"Heh… heh heh… good stuff!"
He had never gone into battle this well-equipped before!
This was going to be a slaughter.
Orochimaru watched Uchiha Ci's excitement, a fleeting glimmer of amusement flashing through his eyes. But soon, that expression was replaced by something deeper—an unfathomable greed and calculation.
Casting a final glance at the massive horn submerged in the tank, he turned away and walked deeper into the lab, his tone serious.
"There's a revised map of the Turtle Island drift route on the table. Once you've sealed the Eight-Tails sample, go take a look if you wish."
"Before the Ghost Festival arrives, push your strength as far as possible."
"Uchiha Ci."
With that, Orochimaru swiftly departed, leaving Uchiha Ci alone in the laboratory.
After a moment of gleeful admiration, Uchiha Ci suddenly snapped back to reality.
His gaze fell upon the massive Eight-Tails horn, and he furrowed his brows, realizing a crucial point.
If what Orochimaru said was true—
If even a tiny sample from the Eight-Tails, when combined with the endlessly replicable Hashirama cells, could be cultivated into a fully-formed Eight-Tails horn…
And if such Tailed Beast material could be sealed into a person's body, functioning as a substitute Tailed Beast without side effects…
Then didn't that mean—
Orochimaru…
Had already achieved mass production of Tailed Beast Jinchūriki?
Meanwhile…
Elsewhere, in Yunming City—
Beneath a ruined cathedral bearing Eastern Orthodox architectural features, inside a dilapidated chapel, a small figure draped in a black robe stood before a headless statue, accompanied by two others prostrating in worship.
Upon closer inspection—
The two figures kneeling at the base of the statue were lifeless, their eyes void of spirit. They had only just died, each bearing a gaping, transparent hole in their chest, as if impaled by a spear.
Blood slowly pooled around their bodies.
The small figure before the statue winced as they pulled a pitch-black spear from their own chest, slumping to the ground and wiping away the trickle of blood at their lips.
Pain flickered in their eyes as they processed the information extracted from the two fallen Kumo shinobi.
"Uchiha Ci…"
"That idiot really isn't dead!"
"And he's already in Yunming City."
"In five days… an assassination attempt on the daimyō?"
The small figure murmured, gripping the bloodstained spear tighter, a resolute glint flashing in their eyes.
Just then—
Heavy footsteps echoed outside the chapel.
A red-haired man emerged from the shadows, wearing an Iwagakure forehead protector and a monk's robe, his head wrapped in bloodstained bandages.
It was none other than Rōshi, the man who had been brutally struck down by Uchiha Ci with a single headshot.
Now, he turned to the small figure, his bloodshot eyes carrying a mix of satisfaction and madness.
"Well done, Hidan."
Then, his gaze shifted to the two fallen Kumo shinobi, and his expression darkened with anger.
"Kumo again? They never stop!"
Not long ago, Kitsuchi's Great Seismic Core had triggered a landslide inside Yunming City, killing countless civilians and instantly plummeting Iwagakure's relationship with Kumogakure to an all-time low.
Now, Kumo had been persistently hunting Rōshi—
It was unclear whether they were searching for Uchiha Ci, the mysterious group that helped him escape, or if they were after Rōshi himself.
"…But soon, this will be over."
Rōshi bared his teeth in a crazed grin.
"In five days…"
"Uchiha Ci… and all those Kumo bastards…"
"You're all going to die."
(Support me and read ahead on Patreøn: patreøn.com/craxxtranslation — 2 chapters released daily. Thank you for your support!)