"The cursed seal's power alters one's form. It really is quite impressive. But why was I so obsessed with the Sharingan back then?"
Orochimaru couldn't figure it out.
The world of ninjutsu was vast beyond measure. The more he explored, the smaller he felt. Though the Sharingan was indeed powerful, in his eyes, it wasn't worth risking everything for.
"It's just a Kekkei Genkai," he mused.
"People always want more once they get what they've been chasing after. When you achieve something, new goals naturally arise."
Tsunade replied casually.
"That does make sense. Then tell me, what are you chasing now?"
Orochimaru shoveled food into his mouth.
This was leftover food from when Akaba came to "visit the prisoners." Naturally, Orochimaru got some too—mostly because Akaba knew Tsunade was conducting research here, so he dropped by especially for that purpose.
"To enhance my medical skills."
Tsunade replied immediately.
"And after that?"
"Who knows what the future holds?"
She paused briefly before resuming her chakra flow to heal the poor mouse, which Orochimaru had severely abused.
Perhaps...
It was to avoid being helpless in the face of loved ones' deaths, just like in those manga stories she'd read. She simply couldn't accept such tragic endings!
Lost in her thoughts, Tsunade unintentionally increased the chakra output. The mouse suddenly tensed its muscles and began thrashing around violently.
After about ten seconds, it collapsed on the floor motionless.
"What happened?"
Orochimaru abandoned his meal and rushed over immediately.
"It didn't make it through the treatment."
Tsunade felt awkward.
"A shame."
Orochimaru sighed with regret. This wasn't an ordinary mouse—it was a modified hybrid created by infusing a summoning beast's chakra into its body.
"But honestly, it wouldn't have lasted much longer even without my experiments. Your modifications accelerated its life force consumption far too much."
"Excuses!"
Then the two launched into a heated academic debate.
After arguing for a while, Tsunade stopped her research and left the lab feeling somewhat discouraged.
At first, Orochimaru didn't think much of it. After studying things himself for a bit though, he grew increasingly uneasy. So he followed her all the way to Konoha Village. Using his sensing ability, he located Tsunade and found her with Akaba.
Now that his special training was completed, Akaba had invited everyone out for dinner.
Originally planning to eat barbecue, coincidentally the Akimichi clan's hot pot restaurant had just opened. Notably, thanks to various recipes and hot pot base formulas provided by Akaba, he earned generous royalties.
Taking multiple factors into account, Akaba decided to bring them here instead.
Orochimaru glanced at the place and turned to leave.
"You're already here—why not come in and eat together? There's something important I need to discuss."
Akaba tapped the table and said.
"Oh."
Orochimaru knew the words were directed at him. He walked over and sat down.
"Are you researching Sage Chakra?"
Akaba asked.
"I'm merely modifying and purifying energy extracted from summoning beasts, then injecting it into mice. However, clearly something went wrong during the purification process—the mouse kept going berserk and continuously imitated snake-like movements."
Orochimaru said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Is that kind of energy related to Sage Chakra?"
"It should be. In fact, Sage Chakra is connected to Sage Mode," Tsunade replied. "For example, my summoning beasts are from the Shikkotsu Forest. If one's body meets the requirements to absorb natural energy, they can train in the forest to activate Sage Mode. Unfortunately—"
Tsunade sighed softly at this point.
The reason she'd been upset earlier in the afternoon was because she had thought about herself upon observing that rat.
The rat absorbed power but greatly shortened its lifespan. Compared to Katsuyu, wasn't she just like that rat?
Weak, fragile, and short-lived.
Even if she developed Creation Rebirth, considering the corrosive nature of the natural energy in Shikkotsu Forest, who knew how much her lifespan would diminish? There was even a chance she could die within the forest itself.
She wasn't afraid of death, but dying that way simply wasn't worth it.
"I had a feeling before that the rat might undergo serpentine transformation if it continued its enhancements. If Sage Mode operates on similar principles, humans undergoing training may also experience physical transformations. The cursed seal markings you designed must be something along these lines, right?"
Orochimaru couldn't help thinking about the frequent appearances of cursed seal forms recently. If rats showed signs of becoming serpentine, then the cursed seal must have resulted from absorbing natural energy, causing physical alterations.
"More or less."
Akaba kept throwing ingredients into the pot.
The cursed seal essentially was an incomplete version of Sage Mode from Ryuchi Cave; Orochimaru's understanding wasn't incorrect.
Everyone held their own thoughts regarding Sage Mode.
Akaba longed for Hashirama Senju's version, where only partial markings appeared during Sage Mode activation. Meanwhile, Tsunade worried that she might not even be able to master Sage Mode herself.
As for Orochimaru,
he was considering whether switching to a larger animal might allow successful absorption of Sage Chakra.
But large animals around Konoha were quite limited.
Deer?
The Nara Clan would kill him for that!
They didn't chat long before all the dishes arrived, so everyone started eating.
Seven out of ten Genin here were junior academy classmates from the next batch, but after training together, they no longer felt awkward among each other and all enjoyed their meals heartily.
The Akimichi clan was very generous, offering an 80%-price deal (a 20% discount) with generous portion sizes as well.
Word of the restaurant's quality spread like wildfire after just one meal.
The next day,
when Akaba woke up at noon, there was already a line outside the Akimichi Hotpot Restaurant.
Unlike yesterday when people specifically came for hotpot, today everyone wasn't just eating hotpot anymore—they ordered Mapo Tofu, Golden Fried Rice, and various other dishes seen in the manga.
He thought he recognized someone who looked just like The Third.
This guy used Transformation Jutsu, but those eyes and his pipe still gave him away. Danzo seemed to have come as well, similarly using Transformation Jutsu just like The Third.
It got awkward when both stepped through the door at the same time. Their gazes met, and almost instantly recognized each other.
"Just come to eat normally. Why go through the trouble of transforming? Must be an old habit carried over from buying manga."
Akaba muttered sarcastically before returning to the manga shop.
Izumi Yamano arrived early and had already delivered part of the manga collection, although the quantity was simply not enough to meet the overwhelming demand. As soon as they arrived in the village, most of them had already been scooped up by the Uchiha clan.
With the story reaching a critical point in Sasuke's defection arc,
Right now, for instance.
Early in the morning, Uchiha clan members who hadn't joined the Military Police gathered for some "moral training."
But this so-called moral training was just a recycled tactic from Akaba—having everyone read manga and then share their thoughts.
"It's strange that Sasuke, who craved power so much, ultimately decided to spare Naruto."
"He's just being stubborn. He clearly cares about Naruto and couldn't bear to kill him, yet he insists he won't follow the path Itachi chose. But what he said isn't wrong either. After all, someone else's way doesn't necessarily suit you."
The group chattered noisily.
Leaning aside, Eno Uchiha stayed silent for a long time after finishing his reading.
Only the Hokage, Danzo, Motonami Uchiha, and Akaba knew about his awakening of the Mangekyo Sharingan for now. Nobody else was aware.
So…
"What do you think, Eno?"
Someone asked him.
Recently, Eno had seemed very odd, sighing far more often than before.
"There's nothing more important than friends we truly care for."
Eno clenched his fist tightly. "It's feelings like wanting to protect comrades and keep your loved ones safe that stir up our eye powers and help our eyes evolve. I firmly believe this."
Beside him, Motonami Uchiha slightly raised the corner of his mouth.
He had intentionally kept Eno's awakening secret—to set an example.
At the right time and place, when Eno demonstrated the power of his Mangekyo Sharingan while protecting comrades, the village, and beloved ones, people would be more convinced that even with a heart full of protection, one could still awaken the Mangekyo.
As for whether others could achieve awakening or not…
That wasn't important. What mattered most for the clan was continuity and survival. As long as the clan continued thriving, its strength would gradually grow stronger anyway.
Moreover, according to his analysis, those methods were indeed capable of triggering awakenings.
"Father speaks well!"
A loud shout came from within the crowd. It was Eno Uchiha's son.
Uchiha Ryo was also quite famous within the clan. Previously, he had been held back once, nearly getting held back again during the Preparatory Division exam.
However, since returning from the Preparatory Division, the kid had completely turned over a new leaf.
Both his abilities and mindset had undergone a qualitative transformation. He'd even awakened the Double Tomoe, something which even Motonami Uchiha couldn't help but admire in Akaba's brainwashing ability.
In another remote mountain area,
A young boy climbed up the mountain and placed a manga volume on an open patch of ground.
His movements were stiff and dazed—as though controlled by some force. After setting down the manga, he walked woodenly back down the mountain.
Once he had left, vines sprouted from the earth.
The vines carried the manga toward a hidden cave entrance. Madara stepped forward, picking up the comic from the ground.
With his current level of fusion, he was already able to use certain Wood Release techniques.
"Chapter 8."
He murmured thoughtfully before flipping open the manga and starting to read.
After finishing the entire issue, Madara fell silent for a moment, then snorted coldly.
"Foolish! If Orochimaru could defeat the Uchiha clan, why bother scheming to obtain the Sharingan? Instead of cherishing the truly precious eyes, he goes chasing after cursed seals!"
Discarding what truly matters—literally throwing away the root to chase after the branches.
Not truly good, not truly ruthless—he vacillates and acts without thinking. What kind of great deeds could someone like that ever accomplish?
Madara sighed.
But no matter how much Madara tried to convince himself otherwise, his thoughts inevitably drifted to his younger brother.
If illustrated in a Manga style, Izuna's childhood appearance would probably look something like this. In some ways, their personalities were also quite similar.
"Damn it, Tobirama Senju! Izuna hated your guts! You died too soon — way too easily!"
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