"Genie, your way of thinking is really unusual... not like others at all."
Even so, Orochimaru had to admit there was some truth to Genie's guess.
Leaving Kakashi's example aside, the physical data he had collected on the Uchiha showed that their bodies weakened to varying degrees once they activated the Sharingan.
Especially those who specialized in genjutsu—the stronger their eyes, the heavier the burden on their bodies. That weakness showed in their fighting style: sharp, decisive attacks, to make up for their lack of endurance.
It seemed his plans for the Sharingan needed to move faster. Orochimaru was eager to see what the Sharingan would look like once this Kekkei Genkai fully matured.
On the other side, Genie wasn't embarrassed by Orochimaru's words. In fact, he took pride in it. In his line of work, having a wide imagination was a must.
He chuckled. "If my guess is right, then you don't need to worry about them rejecting First Hokage cell transplants. The Uchiha all admire strength. On the contrary, they'll probably beg you to help them."
That struck a chord. Orochimaru froze, then rubbed his chin in thought, a sly light flashing in his eyes.
To be honest, he had completely lost interest in this war. What he wanted now was to get his hands on a few Uchiha subjects as soon as possible.
After some thought, Orochimaru spoke. "Genie, I want to end this war quickly. Do you have any good ideas?"
As he spoke, Orochimaru explained the deal he had made with the Third Hokage.
Just pushing back Kumogakure wasn't enough. Weakening the Uchiha clan was also a goal that had to be achieved in this war.
"The Third Hokage really is ruthless, making you do something like this."
Genie rubbed his chin and thought for a moment. "Push back Kumogakure, while also making the Uchiha suffer heavy losses… I've got an idea."
Orochimaru looked at Genie, waiting for him to go on.
"What loss could compare to a pair of Mangekyou Sharingan? Offering up the Uchiha clan's forbidden eyes as a sacrifice—The Third Hokage would be satisfied with that."
Genie chuckled. "And besides, the Mangekyou Sharingan could also be used as a weapon against Kumogakure…"
Orochimaru frowned slightly, clearly not too pleased with Genie's method, since he also coveted Shisui's Mangekyou Sharingan.
The method Genie suggested was basically squeezing out all the value of that pair of eyes in one go.
"You can't catch the wolf without sacrificing the lamb."
Genie tilted his chin, deliberately showing a look of disdain. "If your First Hokage cell research produces results, you might even be able to help him recover. This is free experimental material delivered to your door."
Orochimaru's eyes lit up.
At that moment, a Konoha ninja came in to report, "Orochimaru-sama, Shisui and Kakashi's team have returned. They're outside waiting to be called in."
Orochimaru pulled himself out of his thoughts and gave a slight nod. "Let them in."
Soon, Shisui and Kakashi walked into the control room, both wearing guilty expressions. In a way, neither had completed their mission, letting Orochimaru down—especially Kakashi, who not only failed the mission but also made other mistakes.
Orochimaru looked at the two and said, "Tell me what happened."
After exchanging a glance, Kakashi explained everything they went through, focusing on the attack by the Two-Tails Jinchuriki and the mysterious enemy that followed.
After listening, Orochimaru stayed silent in thought, taking Kakashi's information seriously.
Although Genie had described Uchiha Obito's identity and powers, his perspective wasn't that of a ninja. It could only serve as a reference.
Genie had warned many times that relying too much on him would only lead to death.
After a while, Orochimaru spoke calmly. "Go get some rest."
Seeing their guilty faces, he added, "Even though your mission failed, you still held off the Two-Tails Jinchuriki and the mysterious enemy. That cancels out your mistakes. Now hurry and rest. There will be more battles soon."
Only then did Shisui and Kakashi bow and leave.
Watching them go, Orochimaru let out a cold laugh.
In his eyes, their emotions were pointless. Even though the mission was critical to the war, that was exactly why a commander couldn't put all his hopes on them alone. That would have been incompetence.
Even though they hadn't managed to secure the stronghold this time, Orochimaru's pride wouldn't allow him to pin the blame on them.
After sending Shisui and Kakashi off, Orochimaru chatted idly with Genie. By four in the morning, they had finished setting up the barrier.
Once it was activated, Orochimaru immediately headed to the temporary medical room.
Since this was a large-scale mission, the Konoha army naturally brought medical teams along. And to show how seriously he took this war, and to clear away any doubt, the Third Hokage had sent Konoha's best.
But… compared to what they were used to, the injured Uchiha didn't think much of them.
The difference in skill was… pretty big.
So, when Orochimaru appeared in the medical room, the heavily injured Uchiha quickly had the medics line up their beds, waiting for Orochimaru's… treatment.
On the other side, if not for the importance of finishing the fortress barrier, Orochimaru himself would have wanted to come treat the Uchiha first.
After several mock battles with tailed beasts, the Uchiha clan had also gotten used to his methods. At first, it was just treating wounds and removing diseased tissue. But now, even when he reached into their chest or stomach and fiddled with their organs, they took it calmly.
This, of course, let him gather even more data.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk…"
Peeking half his body out from Orochimaru's back, Genie stared at this strange "doctor-patient harmony" with amazement.
He hadn't even slept that long, and Orochimaru was already taking things this far. The scene was getting more and more twisted.
Still, from another angle, Orochimaru's performance really was worth more investment.
Thinking of the new ability he had come up with, Genie frowned slightly.
The help he was going to give Orochimaru from now on wouldn't be as easy as just talking.
It would cost him something, too.
He needed to figure out a way to make up for that. Genie fell into deep thought.
On the other side, after gathering the usual data, Orochimaru finished treating the Uchiha. The badly injured were now only lightly wounded and could still fight later.
Once this was done, Orochimaru returned to the control room to rest.
Time quickly slipped into dusk. After fully recovering, Orochimaru gathered the squad leaders and had Shisui and Kakashi each explain the enemies they had faced.
Hearing how strange and powerful the enemies were, the group fell silent. The joy of last night's victory vanished, and the mood turned heavy.
Orochimaru didn't waste words and said directly, "I want to crush Kumogakure in one battle and strike down their fortress. Do you have any suggestions?"
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