The bright basement.
Rows of cages held prisoners bearing headbands from various shinobi villages.
Among them were the terrified, the despairing, and the indifferent—yet all wore expressions of deep-seated hatred when they saw who entered the laboratory.
These were the very people who had captured them, snatched away by Root operatives for reasons as simple as being alone or caught off guard.
"May Konoha rot in hell!!"
"I curse every Konoha shinobi!!"
"Iwagakure will never let this go!!"
The prisoners roared their curses, venting their fear and fury.
"What a mixed bunch," Orochimaru remarked.
From minor villages to major ones, this group nearly represented the entire shinobi world. If this were ever exposed, it could unite the entire world against Konoha.
Never underestimate minor villages. The Land of Rain had once fought the Five Great Nations to a standstill, and other small villages weren't far behind in strength.
However...
Orochimaru glanced at Shimura Danzō. Surprisingly, the man hadn't dragged in any Konoha shinobi.
In truth, the most suitable subjects for Hashirama's cells would be Konoha's civilian-born shinobi, some of whom still carried traces of Senju blood.
But Orochimaru understood.
The war wasn't over yet. If Konoha shinobi started disappearing, it would cause chaos. Soldiers fighting tooth and nail for the village would revolt if their comrades vanished within its borders.
Had it not been wartime, Danzō would've done it without hesitation.
"These are all yours to handle. The rest is up to you."
With those words, Danzō faded into the shadows. He had provided everything he could. Now, it was Orochimaru's turn.
None of the three present felt any sympathy for these enemy shinobi.
As for Uchiha Kin...
Kin stood before a cage, eyeing the female shinobi inside, her torn clothes barely covering her body, and the Kusagakure headband on her forehead.
"How tragic," he sighed.
The woman glared at him with pure hatred. Wasn't her suffering caused by Konoha shinobi like him? What right did he have to pity her?
"Kin, interested in her?" Orochimaru teased, knowing Kin's fondness for mature women.
"If we'd met on the street, perhaps," Kin replied, not in the mood for jokes.
"How pitiful."
His sigh wasn't for her plight, but for the chaos of this world.
Shinobi from minor nations, captured by Konoha, could only await their grim fate. In contrast, those from major villages still clung to hope.
If a major village shinobi escaped and reached Konoha, the village would release them to avoid diplomatic fallout.
Kin's sympathy only went so far. For shinobi, he found it hard to muster genuine compassion.
Shinobi were, after all, tragic byproducts of this world.
"Let's begin the experiments. They'll speed up our progress considerably."
A snake slithered from Orochimaru's sleeve, coiling around an Iwa shinobi. Every prisoner had been implanted with a sealing technique, rendering them powerless to resist.
Their bodies were now mere tools for the trio's research.
Animal testing could never compare to human experimentation.
Over the following months...
Progress was swift at first.
Experiments fueled by human lives inevitably yielded results tailored to the human body.
Orochimaru and Hizure's techniques advanced rapidly early on, but progress soon slowed.
As for Hashirama's cells, Orochimaru dabbled in their study, making just enough progress to placate Danzō.
By the time all prisoners had been expended, their research had stalled.
Orochimaru continued his soul-related experiments, leaving his subjects in states so dire their very souls might have been erased.
Hizure, meanwhile, focused on perfecting the Demonic Herculean Wave Technique.
Originally designed to grant shinobi the abilities of summoning beasts, Hizure sought to adapt it for stealing Kekkei Genkai.
This was why the technique had been banned—because it was possible.
If perfected, every bloodline clan would be at risk, their hereditary traits plundered at will.
As for Kin...
He barely participated in the research, merely assisting the other two.
He was waiting for their results.
His own efforts went into integrating the Flying Thunder God Technique with his Dark Walker Technique, with only minor breakthroughs.
One day, Orochimaru returned from outside, his brow furrowed. He'd gone to procure more test subjects.
"Teacher Orochimaru, why the long face? No luck with the supplies?" Kin asked curiously.
"That's not it," Orochimaru shook his head.
"But with shinobi now being deployed on missions, our research can no longer proceed undisturbed."
He'd initially delayed their assignments, but now even Danzō's patience had worn thin. With no groundbreaking results, his support had dried up.
"Missions, huh..."
Kin stroked his chin. It had been a while since he'd left the village.
With Konoha still on high alert, causing trouble outside was impossible.
"For now, our research will have to pause here," Orochimaru sighed.
His progress had plateaued, and he needed time to reflect.
Kin silently observed the input interface before him, where two new techniques had appeared:
Snake Servant Technique. Impure World Reincarnation Technique.
Were these Orochimaru's creations from this era?
It seemed too early.
These were Orochimaru's recent achievements—two techniques that edged toward immortality.
But Kin had no desire to swap bodies.
A glance at Hizure's screen revealed just one technique:
Demonic Herculean Wave Technique.
Though the name remained, it now allowed the absorption of innate chakra natures.
For shinobi lacking certain affinities, this offered an easy shortcut to mastering all five.
While training could achieve the same, this method was far quicker.
Next, Hizure would likely aim for Kekkei Genkai absorption.
Kin silently cheered him on.
Perfect it well—he wondered if this technique could help him achieve Kekkei Mora, the pinnacle of bloodline limits at the Six Paths level.
In the end, this experimental phase left Orochimaru and Hizure satisfied.
Kin, too, was pleased. Having spent most of his time training and only assisting occasionally, he'd gained three immensely valuable techniques.
In his heart, he cheered:
"Keep up the good work, everyone."
...
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(End of Chapter)