Night had already fallen, but inside the room where Mito Uzumaki stayed, it was pitch black. She herself remained hidden in the darkness, surrounded by silence so complete that even her breathing became barely noticeable.
Haseo left quickly after finishing their discussion. Yet the quietness from Mito clearly showed that her mood was no longer as calm as it had been during their conversation.
She needed to think.
Eventually, Mito's maid, a member of the Uzumaki clan named Shikou, entered the room. Although she hated to disturb Mito, she couldn't allow Lady Mito to isolate herself forever.
Shikou stepped inside, lit the lamps, and light filled the space.
"Shikou, what about young Tsunade? Has she already left?"
Mito opened her eyes. At this moment, the conflicted and confused expressions had vanished from her gaze. Her composed and wise self had returned.
"My lady, Lady Tsunade has long departed..."
Then Shikou added, "She left together with Haseo."
Tsunade came here with Haseo and returned with him as well. Nodding slightly, Mito then said, "Bring me some paper and brush. I need to write a letter. Tomorrow morning... you'll deliver it to the Land of Whirlpools for me."
"I understand, my lady."
An important letter must be delivered by the most trusted person.
...
Haseo had offered two different explanations—one to the Third Hokage, and another to Mito Uzumaki. It seemed like he'd laid down two major threads, but in reality, they were just two aspects of a single issue. Only when both parts were combined could the whole truth become clear.
This was not something that could be decided solely through one person's judgment. The Third Hokage needed to consult with others before deciding, and Mito shared that view completely.
The matter involved the establishment of a new organization, the relocation of the Tailed Beasts, and the Uzumaki Clan. If Mito reached a conclusion, she would certainly need to engage in discussions with the Third Hokage.
All these things required proper procedures. The more significant the matter, the longer it would take to reach a final yes or no.
Until then, all Haseo could do was wait patiently.
However, by now, certain truths had already become obvious—some organizations may have appeared to be part of the "Kagenami," yet were actually monsters... like the tails of the Tailed Beasts, powerful yet detached from the whole.
If one truly looked into it, there were only a few officially recognized ninja military units within Konoha—the Anbu Black Ops and the Konoha Military Police Force. Most other groups—including "Root"—were mostly ninja training institutions. So, however you looked at it, what Haseo wanted to do was going to be tough.
Fortunately, Haseo was a very pragmatic person. For now, he merely wanted to claim a title without immediately expanding the scale of the new organization too drastically—he simply didn't have the means to do so anyway.
For now, he had already completed all the necessary advance reports. Next, he was off to the Valley of the End to take up what amounted to a construction site supervisor role—though calling it a management position would be stretching it; he'd basically be a project overseer. After all, Konoha couldn't possibly entrust someone like Haseo alone with organizing engineering teams and similar tasks.
While hiring a second-tier contractor was out of the question, Haseo could still handpick a deputy supervisor. This way, he could maintain authority over engineering designs, quality checks, and progress updates while avoiding the tedious, exhausting details he disliked.
This assistant needed to meet certain criteria: first, he must have been free—a type of ninja the village normally wouldn't assign missions to; second, he needed to be detail-oriented and responsible, quick to learn and capable enough to handle things independently—the kind of guy you could count on to get the job done; finally, he also had to be someone who couldn't reasonably refuse Haseo's request.
That's right… it's decided then. Orochimaru ver1.0, the youthful version—Orochi.
Let's just say upfront that this wasn't bullying—absolutely not bullying—but when someone has a childlike appearance, the execution skills of a mature adult, and is available for free, everyone knows such people are especially convenient to work with.
"Orochimaru, this mission was clearly assigned to me. I don't see why you insist on dragging me into it—it's ridiculous, and my research is at a crucial point..."
Orochimaru's protests fell on deaf ears because by then, Haseo had already dragged him out of Konoha and onto the road.
"Previously, it was my mission alone, but now it's become our mission. It's not that I insisted on bringing you along—it's that you should think about the fact that I'm still recovering, and heading out would be risky, so I need someone to protect me.
With Jiraiya away from Konoha and Tsunade immersed in studying Medical Ninjutsu, I can only rely on you." That's how Haseo explained it.
Orochimaru, as a special talent, naturally had his place in Haseo's plans too, though there was no need to explain these matters yet.
"My research is important too," Orochimaru emphasized.
In truth, though, his research wasn't all that important—not when compared to Tsunade's current work on Medical Ninjutsu anyway.
But in Orochimaru's opinion, although Haseo claimed to be injured, who exactly did he think needed protection? If he could actually beat this "wounded man" in battle, do you think Orochimaru would obediently go along?
"Your current research topic holds absolutely no value. How about this—I'll offer you something worth researching as a reward for joining me on this mission…"
Haseo didn't actually know what Orochimaru was researching, but he still casually dismissed its importance before continuing:
"Can we determine if there's a fundamental limit to how deeply and accurately one can perceive chakra—a boundary beyond which lies a domain inaccessible to ordinary ninja?"
Orochimaru initially thought Haseo was just talking nonsense, but after listening to everything Haseo had to say, he was utterly shocked—he found it surprisingly convincing despite not understanding a word. Yet in reality, Haseo truly was just making things up; he was simply exploiting Orochimaru's lack of exposure to modern scientific knowledge.
"Haseo," Orochimaru said, "in this world, countless unpredictable changes happen every moment, and yet you've felt absolutely nothing. Do you even realize what that means? It means your understanding is still far from deep enough; you're not a true researcher. Or rather, all your current research remains merely superficial."
Haseo's image in Orochimaru's eyes instantly became greatly elevated.
He stopped dwelling on why he himself had come to the Valley of the End and focused instead on documenting the two insights Haseo had shared. Those few lines alone convinced him that coming here had been worthwhile.
Moreover, Haseo wasn't entirely speaking without basis. Indeed, within the ninja world there truly was a level that ordinary shinobi could never hope to reach. Not only present-day Orochimaru, but even Haseo himself hadn't reached a point where they could touch its threshold—the reason a top-tier ninja was so strong was simply because their ancestors were already at the top.
Real power came from bloodlines passed down through generations. Yet neither Haseo nor Orochimaru possessed such lineage.
Fortunately, Orochimaru was a scientist, while Haseo had always been dedicated to developing external enhancements.
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