Deep beneath the dense canopy of the Konoha Forest, hidden from the eyes of the world, lay one of the village's darkest secrets—Orochimaru's underground laboratory.
Inside the cold, dimly lit chamber, the faint hum of machinery echoed off stone walls, mingling with the occasional rustle of movement or the clink of surgical tools. A restrained man lay on a metallic operating table, his body trembling violently as if in the grip of a seizure.
"Lord Orochimaru," Kakashi said, his voice calm and respectful as he stepped forward, clipboard in hand. "It has been more than forty-eight hours since the last injection of the First Hokage's cell culture. The subject's pupils became dilated, his breathing accelerated, heart rate spiked, and full-body convulsions began approximately twelve minutes ago."
Beside him, a young girl with short purple hair scribbled furiously in her notebook, noting every detail of Kakashi's report. Though she said nothing, her eyes flickered with a hint of irritation as she glanced at him from the corner of her eye.
Standing before them was a tall figure dressed in a dark blue coat. His long black hair cascaded over his shoulders like a waterfall of ink. His golden, slit-pupiled eyes glowed with a serpentine menace, framed by purple eyeshadow that extended to the edges of his nose. His pale skin and eerie blue magatama earrings gave him an appearance both sinister and alluring.
Orochimaru.
A young version of the infamous "Uncle Snake."
He didn't need to inspect the subject to know what was coming.
"It's too late to save him," Orochimaru said coolly, shaking his head as he turned away. "Dispose of the body. He'll soon be consumed entirely by the First Hokage's chakra and transformed beyond recovery."
His tone was indifferent, as if discussing nothing more significant than a failed batch of medicine.
This marked the thirty-second failure in the Wood Style experiment.
Progress was minimal, if not stagnant.
While the village elders continued to support the experiments—at least for now—Orochimaru was well aware of the ticking clock. If the number of casualties kept rising without visible results, they would soon be forced to shut the entire operation down.
"Kakashi," Orochimaru said, glancing over his shoulder with a glimmer of curiosity in his eyes, "what's your assessment?"
The girl beside them, still recording, stiffened slightly. Her lips twitched, and she rolled her eyes with a quiet huff. Ever since Kakashi had arrived, much of Orochimaru's attention—once reserved for her—had been redirected to the silver-haired boy. She didn't hide her jealousy well.
"Lord Orochimaru," Kakashi replied, slowly untying the deceased subject from the table, "perhaps we need a new approach."
"Oh?"
"I suggest we temporarily halt human experimentation. Instead, we could focus on using First Generation cells to clone a completely independent organism."
For a moment, the laboratory was silent except for the rhythmic ticking of a wall-mounted clock.
Orochimaru stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Cloning… A potential workaround. It would certainly eliminate the need to test on human subjects for the time being. But it comes at a steep cost—time and resources. Perfecting cloning technology and raising the result to maturity would take years."
He turned and leaned against a nearby counter, his golden eyes narrowing.
"And the higher-ups in the village… they're impatient. They don't want long-term investments. They want results—now. Without visible progress, they'll begin cutting funding. That's the real reason we're still working with live subjects. Not because I want to—but because I must."
Kakashi nodded slowly, taking in every word.
He understood the politics at play. At this point in time, Orochimaru wasn't yet the unhinged villain of the future. He still held ambitions of becoming Hokage, still clung to a vision of progress and power that served the village's interests—as well as his own.
A scientific mind obsessed with knowledge. Not yet a monster.
Kakashi's thoughts drifted to what he knew of the future. Yamato… The only successful product of these horrific trials. No success would come before his appearance. Everything else—every single subject—was destined to fail.
But how could he reveal that without exposing the truth? That he wasn't of this world? That he already knew how this all would end?
He took a breath and spoke, careful with his words.
"Lord Orochimaru, during my time assisting you, I've reviewed every experiment record. Based on the data, I believe the failures stem from the overwhelming strength of the First Hokage's cells. They're too dominant. Even descendants of the Senju couldn't withstand them."
He paused, letting that sink in.
"Instead of continuing to gamble with human lives, we could shift strategies. Let's conduct large-scale cellular fusion tests in vitro. We'll collect samples from villagers and analyze compatibility in the lab. If fusion is successful, we'll consider gradual integration within a live host—only when conditions are optimal."
Orochimaru's eyes lit up with interest.
"By doing this," Kakashi continued, "we'd gather enough data to identify suitable candidates. When the time comes, the village leaders themselves could step in to persuade selected individuals. This would dramatically increase the experiment's success rate—and reduce the chance of backlash."
He didn't mention Yamato, of course. That was still a card to be played later.
"Sbarashi…! What a genius suggestion, Kakashi-kun!"
Orochimaru clapped his hands, clearly impressed. But then his expression darkened.
"Still… convincing the ninja clans to cooperate won't be easy. Especially the noble bloodline families. If they sense we're targeting their children for experimentation, even the Third Hokage won't be able to contain the fallout."
He was right. Even a genius plan couldn't avoid the deep-rooted politics of the Hidden Leaf.
Kakashi didn't miss a beat. "That's why we start with the orphanage. We'll initiate a village-wide health checkup, supposedly for public welfare. During this process, we screen for chakra nature—particularly those with water and earth affinities. Those who match the criteria, we collect cell samples."
"Of course, the health checkups will be legitimate," he added. "That way, no one suspects anything."
"If the orphanage yields no results, we expand the scope. Civilians, then ninja families, and finally the entire village. And once data proves success is possible—believe me, even the proudest bloodline clan won't resist the lure of Wood Style."
Especially since Yamato was already waiting quietly at the orphanage, a natural fit for the cells.
"Sbarashi!" Orochimaru said again, eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Kakashi-kun is indeed brilliant."
"In that case, I'll go consult Elder Danzo immediately. He has the authority to push such initiatives from the shadows."
He turned to go, but paused.
"Kakashi-kun, please speak with Tsunade as well. She oversees the hospital system and has a great deal of trust in you—more than she does in the village elders. If she agrees, implementation will go much smoother."
With that, Orochimaru swept out of the lab, his coat billowing behind him like a cloak of shadow.
Kakashi didn't waste time. He made his way to the hospital, heading straight for the director's office.
Inside, Tsunade sat behind her desk, eyes narrowing as she scanned the report he handed her.
"This is your idea?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "And you're confident it'll work?"
"Ninety percent sure, if it's executed properly," Kakashi replied, his tone steady.
She leaned back, arms crossed, brow furrowed.
"You do realize this is no small matter. If the plan fails, you'll be held responsible. The higher-ups don't tolerate wasted resources or false promises."
Kakashi looked at her, his expression firm.
"I understand the risk, Sister Tsunade. But I can't sit back and watch people from your clan continue to die in vain."
For a moment, the room was silent.
Tsunade stared at him, the icy mask of leadership cracking ever so slightly.
So that's why… she thought. He joined the experiment just to stop the bloodshed.
A wave of emotion surged through her chest, but she hid it with a scoff.
"Well then, let's go all in," she said at last, standing up and slamming a hand down on the desk. "If it fails, I'll take the heat for you."
Just then—knock knock knock—came a firm rapping at the door.
"Come in," she called.
An Anbu ninja in an animal mask entered swiftly, bowed, and said, "Tsunade-sama, the Hokage requests your presence. Please bring Kakashi with you."
Tsunade waved her hand. "Got it. Tell the old man we're on our way."
The Anbu vanished as quickly as he appeared.
"Kakashi, let's move. This meeting is probably to discuss your proposal. Be ready to defend it."
"Understood," Kakashi said, following close behind.
He knew this plan would pass.
But he also knew that from this moment forward, he would no longer be able to hide from the eyes of Konoha's upper echelon.
Especially his eyes—that revolting figure lurking in the shadows of the village.
Danzo.
But Kakashi wasn't afraid.
He had remained in the background only to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Now that it was time to step into the light, he would not shy away.
Let them come.