Time passed quickly, and before anyone realized it, Itachi had been asleep for six months.
Lying on the bed, Itachi's fingers twitched slightly.
"Orochimaru-sama, the guest is awake!"
Compared to the sleeping Itachi, the people taking shifts watching him had endured great mental exhaustion.
Hearing his subordinate's call, Orochimaru froze mid-action as he was about to pick up some food.
In the next moment, the half-eaten meal was abandoned on the table, and his figure vanished.
"Ugh, this sour feeling..."
Itachi's eyes slowly opened, staring blankly at the ceiling for a moment.
"You're awake."
Hearing Itachi's groggy complaint, Orochimaru didn't answer directly but chuckled lightly.
"Yeah, I'm awake. How long was I out?"
Hearing Orochimaru's voice, Itachi's hazy gaze gradually became clearer.
"Six months. Not too fast, not too slow. You woke up earlier than Kakashi did."
Orochimaru walked to Itachi's bedside, sitting down as he gently removed the tubes and monitoring equipment from Itachi's body.
"How am I doing now?"
With Orochimaru's support, Itachi sat up.
After a moment of silence, he asked softly.
"Your situation is a bit complicated..."
Orochimaru's tone turned somber as he responded to Itachi's question.
"I can feel it..."
Itachi replied softly, sensing that his ocular powers and chakra were constantly suppressing a force within him.
The relationship between the two wasn't one of fusion or symbiosis.
"Something seems to have gone wrong. Right now, your own cells have gained the upper hand, which is why you've been able to wake up. I spent six months investigating, but I still can't pinpoint the issue. Do you know what's causing this?"
Hearing Itachi fall silent, Orochimaru's gaze became somewhat apologetic as he spoke.
"It's not your fault; this is something I did to myself..."
Itachi smiled faintly at Orochimaru's words.
In truth, he had discovered a method to obtain Wood Release abilities.
By relying on the strength of his body and willpower, Itachi could resist the oppressive will of Hashirama's cells, allowing his own cells to battle and devour them. Through this process, both sets of cells would eventually exist as "same origin, different roots." Itachi referred to this as Symbiosis Mode.
Examples included Madara's chest-bound Hashirama face and Obito's half-body transformation.
But Itachi wasn't content with sharing his body.
If it were only Hashirama's cells, that might be tolerable—but if Ashura's will was mixed in, the thought unsettled him deeply.
Thus, there was no chance of reconciliation between his cells and Hashirama's. Itachi resolved to completely devour Hashirama's cells, absorbing all their properties, including Wood Release and the Ōtsutsuki chakra associated with Ashura.
"How did this happen? Kakashi's case turned out fine. Why is yours so different?"
Orochimaru asked, puzzled by Itachi's methods.
Leaning back against the headboard, Itachi explained his hypothesis to Orochimaru.
"Symbiosis Mode... Complete Devouring Mode?"
After hearing Itachi's explanation, Orochimaru fell silent, momentarily stunned.
It was his first time hearing such a perspective from a subject.
"Heh, Itachi, as expected of you. Your willpower is truly extraordinary."
After a pause, Orochimaru nodded in understanding and admiration.
Wood Release was right within reach, yet Itachi chose the hardest path forward.
It should be noted that the amount of Hashirama's cells injected into Itachi was enough to saturate his entire body.
In other words, Itachi was currently fighting a cellular-level battle against an entity as powerful as Hashirama himself.
"Heh, it might seem impressive, but the reality is far from it. My chakra is constantly suppressing Hashirama's cells, slowly devouring them. However, the process is excruciatingly slow."
Itachi spoke bitterly in response to Orochimaru's words.
Though the situation was taxing, he did not regret his decision.
After hearing Itachi's response, Orochimaru remained silent for a moment.
"You should eat something. You haven't had a proper meal in six months; all your sustenance has been from nutrient fluids."
Looking at Itachi's slightly dispirited expression, Orochimaru spoke gently.
To be honest, if not for Itachi's current mood, Orochimaru might have been delighted.
After all, Itachi's insights had pulled back the veil of mystery surrounding Hashirama's cells.
"So, how much of your strength can you use right now? And how long will it take to completely devour the Hashirama cells?"
The two sat at a table after Itachi had indulged in a hearty meal.
Orochimaru softly asked, "How much chakra can you still use now?"
"For now, I can barely use about three layers of chakra. But if my body loses this balance, Hashirama's cells will resurge," Itachi replied softly, putting down the chopsticks in his hand.
In truth, he could use less than one layer of his strength now, but he said that to avoid worrying Orochimaru.
However, once Hashirama's cells were completely devoured, his strength would grow rapidly.
The chakra that had been suppressing Hashirama's cells would be released, and his power would increase exponentially.
But the process of fully devouring Hashirama's cells was unpredictable.
He knew it would take some time, but once it was done, he would become many times stronger than before.
Even now, his body had grown significantly stronger compared to before, and his chakra was increasing rapidly through the absorption of Hashirama's cells.
...
"Why don't you rest for a few more years? Your cells have already gained the upper hand. It probably won't take much longer before you can fully devour Hashirama's cells. By then, your strength will grow geometrically," Orochimaru advised, seeing Itachi fall silent again.
Understanding Itachi's current physical condition, Orochimaru could now tailor solutions to speed up the process significantly.
"Forget it. I've been lying down for six months, and it's been unbearable. I'm done with resting," Itachi replied, shaking his head after hearing Orochimaru's suggestion.
"Then take some time to rest properly here. If there's anything you need done, I'll have someone handle it for you," Orochimaru offered, unfazed by Itachi's refusal.
In his heart, he knew Itachi was inherently restless. Asking him to lie still was practically impossible.
...
"Oh, by the way, send someone to the Land of Whirlpools to find a shrine," Itachi suddenly said, ignoring Orochimaru's earlier remark and instead requesting him to send someone to retrieve the Shinigami mask.
The idea of staying idle here for years was ridiculous.
He needed something to do. Besides, in a little over a year, Sasuke would turn twelve.
It was time to bring Sasuke out.
Currently, Itachi had to spend several hours every day refining chakra just to replenish what he lost.
If he could get half of Kurama as a "battery," he wouldn't have to worry about chakra logistics anymore.
"A shrine? The Land of Whirlpools has long been destroyed. How could there still be a shrine there?" Orochimaru asked in confusion after hearing Itachi's request.
Before its fall, the Land of Whirlpools had been a coveted treasure.
After its destruction, scavengers likely turned it upside down. It seemed unlikely that any intact shrine could still exist.
...
Itachi merely shook his head at Orochimaru's skepticism, signaling for him to proceed without concern.
The actual process was more complicated, and this was just preparatory work.
He wasn't sure if Orochimaru could handle it yet.
The last time, Itachi had already recreated the Reaper Death Seal technique. Now, all he needed was the mask, a complete Edo Tensei, and White Zetsu.
Seeing Itachi's determined attitude, Orochimaru could only nod in agreement.
...