Chapter 43: What is a Ninja?
Just then, a man in simple gray robes walked in from outside. His clothes looked almost like a simple martial arts uniform. When the other cursed seal followers saw him, they all backed away respectfully, a clear sign of fear.
This person was Jugo. Besides Kimimaro, he was the one who could use the curse seal's power best here.
When he wasn't lost to the curse seal's rage, Jugo was a very gentle person. He was kind, polite, and even a little shy. He gave Takahashi a quiet nod.
"Hello."
Takahashi returned the greeting.
Now that they were here, Orochimaru didn't want to waste any time. He immediately began his experiments. His best assistant, Kabuto, was dead. With only Jugo, Kimimaro, and Takahashi present, the four of them had to manage the work.
Time passed quickly. Over the next few days, Takahashi saw that his traveling frog had finished its rest and sent it out on another journey. If all went well, by the time he finished learning the Impure World Reincarnation and returned to Konoha, his awesome little frog would be back with another gift.
While helping Orochimaru, Takahashi acted as an assistant, but he was the one performing many of the core tasks under Orochimaru's direction. It was Takahashi's first deep exposure to this kind of scientific research.
Putting aside his character, in an era where most fights were with cold weapons, the fact that Orochimaru could develop so many new techniques meant he was a true genius.
Takahashi agreed with using new technology to push progress forward. War doesn't truly birth new technology or progress. Only stable, peaceful development can lead to large-scale advancement.
The problem was that Orochimaru's methods were like a cult leader's. Takahashi knew he had to correct that thinking before he could make use of the man. Otherwise, his current mindset would only cause bigger problems.
After about a week at the stronghold, Orochimaru's new arms were finally able to move. They were still clumsy and wrapped in tight bandages, but it was a miraculous recovery. By modern medical standards, it should have been impossible.
But in this incredible ninja world, it was real. The body was different here, and using chakra would put a strain on the new arms. But if he avoided using chakra, these arms might just last a lifetime.
During this process, Kimimaro also learned a lot. He couldn't fully replace Kabuto, but his mind was sharp. He remembered everything after being told once and would think about it over and over again later.
Kimimaro began to feel that this kind of work was much better than killing. It gave him a real sense of purpose.
Once Takahashi had observed everything, he finally learned the Impure World Reincarnation. The technique itself wasn't overly complex, but it was dangerous. It relied heavily on chakra control and the precise execution of the seals; a single failure could be disastrous.
This kind of skill was hard to learn without direct demonstration, but Takahashi mastered it thoroughly in just half a day.
The cost, however, was the lives of many animals, and even the lives of the cursed seal bearers used as test subjects. It felt cruel, but Takahashi saw it as a necessary sacrifice. Those bearers had gone completely insane, past the point of return. In a way, it was a release for them.
Looking at all of Orochimaru's research, Takahashi saw things that were ahead of their time. But Orochimaru's direction was wrong. His path was leading toward a single, selfish goal: the road to immortality.
Takahashi had to make Orochimaru stop and turn back from this disastrous path. That night, Kimimaro hunted a lot of game for a feast, as Takahashi planned to leave the next day. Takahashi didn't want any more conflict with them.
Instead, he planned to have a serious talk, to open their eyes. He felt it was a waste for a scientist of Orochimaru's talent to be stuck researching these dark, pointless things that would never truly succeed.
Orochimaru was just happy to finally be rid of this plague who constantly threatened his life.
But during the meal, Takahashi suddenly asked a thought-provoking question.
"What is a ninja?"
Kimimaro was the first to share his view. "A ninja is a sharp sword."
Takahashi nodded and then looked at Jugo.
"I'm not really a ninja," Jugo said softly. "So I don't really know."
Orochimaru's expression was full of bitterness and sadness. "Ninjas are nothing but a pathetic bunch. They are tools for fighting, poor little bugs."
Takahashi listened to them all, then spoke seriously. "A real ninja should be a tool for change. To make the world more stable, more secure, and a better place. But instead, they've become the saddest kind of people, with no will of their own."
Orochimaru just smiled disdainfully at Takahashi's words, thinking the kid was still too young and naive. He didn't bother to argue. He had been like that once, full of grand ideals, but time and experience had made him lose all hope in Konoha and the entire shinobi world.
"I suggest you stop thinking that way," Orochimaru said. "You can't change anything by yourself."
Takahashi spoke again, almost as if to himself, but also to Orochimaru. "If you think you can't, does that mean you shouldn't try? If you try, you have a 50% chance of winning. But if you don't, it's absolutely zero."
This faintly stirred a long-dead ember in Orochimaru's heart, but he was too cynical to respond.
Takahashi continued, his voice low. "Take your revenge on Konoha, for example. I can tell you right now it will fail. You will never succeed in the future."
Orochimaru looked over, curious. "Why do you say that?"
"It's simple," Takahashi stated. "Because I am in Konoha. The people I care about are there. I won't let you destroy it. Instead of wasting your time with hate, why not focus on developing real, new technology? What you're doing now... experimenting on countless people... it won't lead to success."
He paused, letting his words sink in. "But I have a different path in mind. It might not fulfill your exact ideal, but it's far better than your current, gloomy dead end. If you ever figure that out, you can come to Konoha and find me."
After that, he stopped the serious talk and focused on eating and drinking. He hadn't used much physical energy, but his appetite was still huge. He ended up eating half of the venison by himself, leaving the others a little speechless.
The next day, as the sky was just beginning to lighten, Takahashi was already packed and ready to leave. Before he went, he left a note for Orochimaru.
On it, he used his modern scientific knowledge to point out the various flaws and shortcomings in Orochimaru's experiments. It was just basic high school and university science, but for someone like Orochimaru, that knowledge alone was enough to be deeply shocking.
(End of this chapter)