Chapter 156: Auntie Snake's Acumen, and Tsunade's Hesitation
"Was it Mr. Genichi again?" In the Mizukage's office, Yagura Karatachi couldn't help but sigh with resignation after hearing Ao's report.
To be defeated by such a powerhouse, although he was unwilling to accept it, he had no complaints. Who could he blame? It was a complete difference in strength. The frontline commander had been killed in action in the Land of Fire, also said to have been slain by Kinoshita Genichi. Genichi's strength was worthy of being treated with the respect due to a Kage.
"Ao, devote all efforts to treating the wounded. Also, pull everyone back." Yagura gave the order.
Ao quickly accepted the command and left to relay it. This defeat had been too devastating, especially to their morale, which had been completely shattered by Konoha. It would take some time to recover. Ao's heart was heavy. He was afraid that from now on, the village's ninja would feel fear and awe whenever they faced Kinoshita Genichi.
After Ao left, Yagura pondered for a moment, then summoned an Anbu. "Send the intelligence about Pakura of the Scorch Release being in Konoha to the Sand Village."
The Mist Anbu immediately accepted the order and departed. Yagura did not publicize this matter too much. After all, it was a rather dark affair. But it was necessary to inform their ally.
And as for Konoha… Yagura frowned in thought. He naturally admired and respected a powerhouse like Genichi, but they were currently enemies. So, as the Fourth Mizukage, he had to think of a counter-strategy.
One major defeat had nearly broken their morale. But Yagura knew very well that once they recovered, a sentiment of revenge against Konoha would arise within the village. The war with Konoha was far from over. But, faced with a powerhouse like Genichi, what other option was there besides him taking action personally?
Even if I fight him myself, I have no certainty of victory, Yagura thought. This was not him being modest. Although he had become the Three-Tails' jinchuriki and was gradually mastering its power, having fought Genichi before, he was very clear about his opponent's formidable strength.
Unless I can completely master the power of the Three-Tails, only then can I suppress, or even defeat, Mr. Genichi. But the power of a Tailed Beast was not so easily controlled.
Two days later, in Sunagakure, the Kazekage's office.
Rasa's expression was grim as he read the intelligence from the Mist Village. "So Pakura was saved by Konoha. It seems they wanted to sabotage our peace talks with the Mist before. Then that incident was also their doing. Has Konoha's infiltration ability become so astonishing?"
Rasa's face darkened. The matter of Pakura was not easy to handle. He was very worried that if Konoha were to make an issue of her, it could cause turmoil within the village and even shake the morale of the front line.
He lowered his eyes in thought. A moment later, he opened them and began to write a secret letter. There was only one way to eliminate this hidden danger. And that was to deny the existence of Konoha's "Pakura."
The Sand's hero, Pakura of the Scorch Release, had died long ago in the war against Iwagakure. The "Pakura" in Konoha was a puppet shamefully created by the Leaf using the hero's stolen corpse. In short, they must absolutely not recognize the legitimacy of Konoha's "Pakura." This way, not only could they eliminate the hidden danger, but they could also boost the morale of the front line. After all, Konoha was desecrating a village hero!
As for the truth? For the greater good of the village, individuals had to be sacrificed.
Soon, Rasa finished the letter and had it secretly sent to the front lines, to be delivered to Chiyo.
Iwagakure.
Onoki was a little unhappy to hear the news of the Mist's great defeat. This meant that Konoha would free up more troops. The good news was, Konoha would most likely deal with the Sand first.
With a grim face, Onoki looked at the map. Next year is the key. His gaze fell on the Land of Grass. A breakthrough in the Land of Rain was unlikely. Even if they committed more troops, with the existence of Amegakure, it would be difficult to break through and invade the Land of Fire. Then, the Land of Grass was the only route. He had made plans to attack from there before, but the time was not yet right. He needed to wait until Konoha had committed more of its forces to the Sand front before launching a surprise attack. Although the Land of Fire had defenses on that border, their numbers were not large.
As for the Hidden Grass Village, Onoki paid it no mind. It was best if they didn't interfere. Otherwise, he wouldn't mind taking the opportunity to wipe them out and make them the next Hidden Sky Village.
Looking at the Land of Grass, his eyes were filled with killing intent.
The Hidden Leaf Village.
With the phased victory in the war against the Mist, ninja began to return from the front lines one after another, and the village suddenly seemed to become more lively. Even the sorrow of fallen comrades seemed to be diluted. And as the New Year approached and the weather grew colder, the battlefronts in the Land of Rain, the Sand, and the Cloud all began to quiet down, the intensity of the war plummeting.
But none of this had anything to do with Genichi. After returning to the village, his life had returned to its previous state. Training and research, occasionally gathering with Kakashi and the others at his family's dango shop, treating everyone. Or when Might Guy was around, they would have a hot-blooded, youthful competition, either in taijutsu or racing. But most of the time, Genichi trained silently, holed up in his lab, fiddling with various instruments and having intimate conversations with his numerous "cadavers for study." For him, the more knowledge he accumulated now, the more explosive his growth would be in the future.
On this day, Genichi came to Orochimaru's secret lab.
"Senpai." He greeted the busy Orochimaru. This was another diligent one. Back from the battlefield and straight into the lab. He was really a grinder.
Orochimaru, who was mixing a reagent, looked up and smiled. "Genichi-kun, how is your research on the Hydrification Technique coming along? Any breakthroughs?"
Genichi nodded. "A little. But not from the Hōzuki clan. I got it from a forbidden jutsu developed by the Second Hokage."
Orochimaru's movements paused. "A forbidden jutsu developed by the Second?"
"The Impure World Reincarnation technique," Genichi nodded. "It can summon souls from the Pure Land and revive the dead using a sacrifice… Of course, the key isn't the jutsu itself, but the conversion between flesh and energy, and energy and flesh, that it involves."
"Similar to a Tailed Beast?" Orochimaru's gaze hardened.
"Not quite to that extent, but it's very interesting," Genichi said, knowing what he meant. "Flesh, energy, and matter can form a cycle of conversion through chakra. Not just hydrification, but other similar applications are also possible." If one could turn into water, then one could also turn into fire, lightning, earth, and so on. Perhaps a more accurate term would be: elementalization of the body.
Of course, from his current research, Genichi knew the difficulty was not ordinary, especially in elementalizing one's own body. Hydrification was definitely one of the simplest, which had a great deal to do with the elemental composition of the human body itself. To this day, he still hadn't completed his own development of an "ice body," or ice elementalization. The unity of knowledge and action was truly difficult.
After hearing his explanation, Orochimaru pondered for a moment and then smiled. "To think that he would even let you train in a forbidden jutsu like the Impure World Reincarnation. That's not like him."
"I am very rule-abiding, Senpai," Genichi smiled. "The reason I'm learning this jutsu is purely for the sake of research."
Orochimaru smiled noncommittally, then smoothly changed the subject. "I've made a very interesting discovery recently."
"About what?" Genichi asked curiously.
"About Hashirama's cells and the Sharingan," Orochimaru smiled. "As you said, these two powers do have a synergistic effect. Or rather, in a foreign body, they can suppress and enhance each other. However, this is not entirely a matter of Yin and Yang Release. I've discovered that Hashirama's genes and the Uchiha clan's genes have a close connection."
"Oh?" Genichi raised an eyebrow in feigned surprise.
"If you trace it back," Orochimaru smiled, "the Senju and the Uchiha may have come from the same ancestor, although perhaps not as closely related as the Senju and the Uzumaki. So, if you look at it from a deep genetic connection… hehe, perhaps there was once someone who possessed both the Senju's Yang Release and the Uchiha's Yin Release."
Genichi couldn't help but admire him internally. As expected of Auntie Snake, so sharp. He had only given a small hint, but Orochimaru had researched so much and had made a very reasonable deduction from the information he had obtained.
And so, Genichi went along with it and said with surprise, "Senpai, do you mean… if the Senju and the Uchiha have a common ancestor, then the Sharingan and the Yang power were inherited separately from that ancestor? No, perhaps what they inherited were Yang and Yin Release… could the Sharingan have been developed by an ancestor of the Uchiha?"
"Both are possible," Orochimaru's eyes gleamed. "However, looking at the way the Sharingan is awakened and upgraded… hehe, the possibility that it was developed by an Uchiha ancestor is very small. It's more likely inherited."
Genichi nodded in agreement. Indeed, if it had been developed, even if by accident like Pakura's Scorch Release, the method of awakening it wouldn't be so anti-human. Of course, he knew the answer.
So he pretended to be in thought. "If that's the case, then… the common ancestor of the two clans possessed both powerful Yang and Yin Release, plus the Sharingan… for such a figure to have no name passed down in history."
"The history of the ninja world is too fragmented," Orochimaru also said with some regret. He then changed the subject again. "Whether it's transplanting a Sharingan into a Senju, or transplanting Hashirama's cells into an Uchiha, there might be unexpected gains."
"I can't convince Tsunade of that," Genichi spread his hands. "You and she have been friends for decades, Senpai. It should be easier for you to persuade her."
"Hehe, I don't want to get beaten up by her," Orochimaru smiled.
So I'm the one who should get beaten up? Genichi rolled his eyes.
Orochimaru was not surprised by the rejection. "I know Tsunade very well," he smiled. "She treats you differently. It's a pity the Senju clan has already died out." For a moment, Orochimaru looked wistful, not because the Senju had died out, but because he thought of his student, Nawaki. Although Tsunade and Nawaki didn't bear the Senju name, they were indeed the most orthodox bloodline. The reason they didn't use the name had to do with Tobirama's policy of de-clanification. There were many factors in the demise of the Senju clan, but the name itself was eliminated by Tobirama.
After leaving Orochimaru's lab, a thought suddenly occurred to Genichi. From a genetic level, is it possible to reconstruct the genes for the Rinnegan?
"There is indeed such a possibility, but I would have to collect enough genetic maps, and I obviously don't have the conditions for that now," he shook his head to himself. The Senju were scattered, and there were only a few Uzumaki left. The Uchiha, on the other hand, were still quite complete.
Then he laughed at himself. "I'm being stupid. When Sasuke Uchiha is born, I can just get his cells. And with Hashirama's cells, I might be able to decipher the secrets of the Rinnegan."
He still had no thoughts of transplanting cells. And the possibility of awakening the Rinnegan through simple transplantation was too small, and it would take a long time. Of course, he could use his 'cheat.' But he still preferred to master Kekkei Genkai himself. His intuition told him that although this path would be extremely difficult, it held more possibilities.
But likewise, in the ninja world, and even the entire Naruto universe, the Rinnegan and the Rinne-Sharingan were incomparably tempting. So, whether he would transplant them or not was a matter for later, but he would definitely research them.
First, I'll finish researching the secrets of the Sharingan… Genichi returned to his lab to continue his work. However, he hadn't yet taken out the half of White Zetsu's body he had obtained. He had to wait.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, Konoha Year 47 was coming to a close. Tsunade, Ina, and Shizune also returned from the battlefield one after another.
With just a few hours until the New Year, Ina and Shizune had gone out to play, but Genichi had pulled Tsunade into the lab. He then unsealed the half of White Zetsu's body from a scroll.
"Where did this come from? It's so weird." Tsunade looked at it with disgust. It was almost the New Year, and she had been planning to have a drink and relax, but she had been forcibly dragged here to work by Genichi. She was feeling quite annoyed. She did not share his grinder spirit.
"Calm down," Genichi said with a very serious expression.
Seeing this, Tsunade frowned, calmed down, and crossed her arms, nodding for him to continue.
"Lady Tsunade, have you ever seen the Rinnegan?" Genichi asked.
"No," she shook her head. "That dōjutsu only exists in legends, right? Along with the Sharingan and the Byakugan, it's known as the three great dōjutsu. It's said to be the powerful dōjutsu of the founder of shinobi, the Sage of Six Paths."
"I've seen it," he said. "Master Jiraiya has seen it too."
"That guy Jiraiya," Tsunade was surprised. "He never mentioned this."
"There's an organization in the Land of Rain called the Akatsuki," he continued. "Three of its members were once taught by Master Jiraiya."
"Is it one of them?" Tsunade frowned. "Back then in the Land of Rain, that idiot Jiraiya did help three kids."
"The one with the Rinnegan is named Nagato," Genichi nodded. "When I was on a mission earlier, I happened to run into Danzō and Hanzō joining forces to wipe them out. The core of the three died as a result, and Nagato and the other one, Konan, were recruited by someone who is suspected to be Madara Uchiha."
"Madara Uchiha!" Tsunade gasped, her arms falling to her sides. "Madara Uchiha? An imposter?"
"From my personal analysis, the possibility that it's the real Madara is very high," he shook his head. "I fought him. He has the Sharingan and can use the Susanoo, which is only possible with the Mangekyō Sharingan. He's very powerful. I was no match for him."
"The Mangekyō is very rare among the Uchiha," Tsunade's expression was grave. "Does the old man know about this?"
"I've already reported it," he nodded. "There's no way to investigate it for now."
"In that battle back then, Madara definitely died," Tsunade said thoughtfully. "I heard that my great-uncle even brought back his body. If it really is him, how did he revive? Could it be that an Uchiha bloodline was scattered, and someone just happened to awaken the Mangekyō?"
"There is indeed that possibility," Genichi nodded. "But I know of a forbidden jutsu of the Uchiha clan, called Izanagi. That guy Danzō used it. At the cost of a three-tomoe Sharingan going permanently blind, one can use this forbidden jutsu to turn any unfavorable factors, including death, into an illusion. There's also the Transcription Seal, another unique sealing-type dōjutsu of the Uchiha."
Tsunade was shaken.
Genichi then pointed to the half of White Zetsu's body. "This was a spoil of war from that battle. A very interesting creation. It has the First Hokage's cells in it."
Tsunade's gaze fell on the body. "Does it belong to that Madara Uchiha?"
"His subordinate."
"Then let's take a look." Tsunade turned to get some gloves.
When she returned, Genichi had already removed the seal on the body. She was surprised to see that the half-corpse was still writhing, as if trying to regenerate its other half. But that was clearly impossible. Even Hashirama Senju couldn't do that, let alone this defective product. Although, after being assimilated by the Ten-Tails and reshaped by Yin-Yang Release, Aloe White Zetsu had different characteristics than Hashirama.
Genichi and Tsunade already had a very good working relationship. They worked together to dissect and observe the cells.
"This thing doesn't have any human organs. It's completely a plant person. But it is indeed constructed from my grandfather's cells." Tsunade was puzzled. "How was this thing formed?"
Genichi, of course, knew the true origin of White Zetsu. They were originally humans whose stamina had been drained by the God Tree, and then gradually transformed into plant people, before being modified by Madara with Hashirama's cells. But he couldn't reveal some of this information yet. "It doesn't matter how it was formed," he smiled. "The key is the uniqueness of these cells."
Tsunade thought for a moment and nodded, then asked, "It is indeed very unique. It has strong adaptability. What are you planning to do? Are you going to transplant these cells into your body to obtain Wood Release?"
"I don't have any plans for that at the moment," he shook his head. "My idea is to use them for directed cultivation of organs and limbs, and to clone identical plant people for Wood Release chakra research." Studying Hashirama's cells was still indirect. If he had Wood Release chakra, it would be much easier for him to analyze.
Also, Genichi looked at Tsunade and asked, "Have you considered cell transplantation? By fusing and modifying these plant cells with the First's cells, transplantation should not be a problem."
"This…" Tsunade hesitated.
(End of Chapter)
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