Chapter 8 Trading
"What terrifying Chakra!"
Yakushi Kabuto muttered to himself in his heart. Facing the scene before him, his expression seemed somewhat solemn.
As his assistant, he was very clear about how powerful Orochimaru's Hidden Shadow Many Snake Hands technique truly was.
But Hyuga Gen was actually able to dissolve it so easily, which was enough to prove how strong this guy's power was.
Furthermore, judging by Hyuga Gen's relaxed demeanor, this guy's strength was probably far greater than what he showed!
Could the Chakra mutation caused by the kekkei genkai disease really be this strong?
It's a good thing I didn't choose to act back then, otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Yakushi Kabuto felt a wave of lingering fear. He had originally intended to make a move on Hyuga Gen at that time.
"Is this your Mutated Chakra?"
Orochimaru stared intently at Hyuga Gen, a hint of greed appearing in his eyes. "What captivating power. No wonder Baki was not your opponent."
However, that greedy look quickly vanished, because Orochimaru noticed the mark on Hyuga Gen's forehead.
"What a pity. You are a Hyuga Branch Family member."
"Yes, a Hyuga Branch Family member."
Hyuga Gen touched his own forehead, then calmly said, "At least because of it, I don't have to worry about certain things, do I?"
As a member of the Hyuga Branch Family, he had been branded with the 'Caged Bird Seal' early on.
For Hyuga Gen, this was a form of confinement, but simultaneously, it was also a form of protection.
That's right. At least until Hyuga Gen had fully matured, the 'Caged Bird Seal' was a protection for him.
The byakugan kekkei genkai disease combined with the Mutated Chakra
whether as research Materials or something else
was already enough to attract the covetous gaze of certain people in the Village.
But this covetousness could only halt before the 'Caged Bird Seal'.
It must be said that reality is sometimes this ironic.
"Lord Gen is truly open-minded. Now then, let's discuss the matter of our trade."
Orochimaru curled the corner of his mouth and said playfully, "What do you want? And in turn, what can you give me?"
"I want a batch of Advanced medical equipment, at least equipment that is superior to what is currently in the Konoha Hospital."
Hyuga Gen said calmly, then raised his right hand, which was covered in silvery-white Chakra, and spoke again:
"As for the compensation, a portion of my blood and a sufficient amount of Mutated Chakra."
Glancing at Hyuga Gen, Orochimaru shook his head. "A good proposal, but unfortunately..."
"Unfortunately what?"
"Unfortunately, I do not carry the medical equipment you need with me. They are all in my base."
"Is that so."
Hyuga Gen rubbed his chin. "Then I will change the terms of the trade."
"You may."
Orochimaru once again licked his mouth with his long tongue, waiting for Hyuga Gen's terms.
And Yakushi Kabuto also looked at Hyuga Gen curiously, his eyes flickering.
Currently, the only thing that could possibly treat the byakugan kekkei genkai disease was the most Advanced medical equipment.
But since he couldn't get it now, did he actually have other demands?
Hyuga Gen looked at the two of them, then suddenly smiled and said meaningfully:
"I heard that Lord Orochimaru once cooperated with Danzo, and Senior Kabuto was also once a member of 'Root'?"
Hearing this, Orochimaru's gaze fixed tightly on Hyuga Gen.
As for Yakushi Kabuto, his pupils constricted slightly, and he subconsciously adjusted his glasses.
After a moment of silence, Orochimaru suddenly laughed. "Indeed. It seems Lord Gen's intelligence gathering is quite formidable."
"I always make some preparations. I won't beat around the bush."
Hyuga Gen took a deep breath and stated bluntly, "I want all intelligence regarding the 'Root' bases, especially those hidden secret Laboratories."
"What!"
Yakushi Kabuto exclaimed upon hearing this, his eyes filled with disbelief.
However, he quickly fell silent, seemingly regaining his composure.
"Interesting. Lord Gen, you truly are surprising."
Orochimaru took a deep look at Hyuga Gen, then he spat a scroll out of his mouth and directly tossed it to Hyuga Gen:
"This is the intelligence you requested. You can take a look first."
Holding the scroll that Orochimaru threw over, Hyuga Gen first carefully scanned it with his Byakugan. Only after confirming there were no issues did he open it to examine the contents.
Looking at the addresses listed one by one, Hyuga Gen's brow gradually relaxed.
The scroll not only contained intelligence on the Root experimental bases but also included some analysis of the bases themselves.
What surprised Hyuga Gen the most was that the scroll also contained intelligence on Orochimaru's own former secret experimental bases in Konoha.
Of course, these secret bases had probably long since fallen into Danzo's hands.
"The key is that some of the locations listed match what I have detected. The intelligence should be real!"
Hyuga Gen was ecstatic internally, but his expression remained calm.
He was well aware that his illness would only get worse, so he had started using his Byakugan years ago to search everywhere in the Village for the existence of 'Root'.
Over the years, he had detected several locations suspected of being Root secret bases.
And this scroll happened to contain records of those very locations.
This proved that he hadn't been searching in the wrong places, and Orochimaru hadn't lied to him.
However, looking at this, it seems that Orochimaru and Danzo's cooperation was probably not very pleasant.
This guy probably has intentions of snatching things from Danzo too, right?
But what does that have to do with me? I was going to 'borrow' things anyway!
Poor Danzo... Thinking this, Hyuga Gen put away the scroll and nodded. "I am very satisfied with the intelligence. I will give you the blood and Chakra now."
Orochimaru shook his head. "No rush. I don't have time to research them right now. I'll come back for them later."
"Alright, then I shall take my leave."
Hyuga Gen replied, then immediately turned and left, his figure disappearing into the woods.
"Lord Orochimaru, is it necessary for us to cooperate with him?"
"If you truly needed his Chakra, wouldn't it be better to just take it directly..."
Yakushi Kabuto frowned, voicing his doubts.
Orochimaru licked his lips, his gaze directed into the distance:
"I don't truly need his Chakra; I only want to study it. The Sharingan is what I pursue..."
"As for why I gave him the intelligence, don't you think it would be very amusing if that fellow Danzo were to suffer a setback?"
"So that's it."
Yakushi Kabuto showed a strange smile. "If this guy succeeds, I hope Lord Danzō doesn't fall ill from anger."
Returning to his courtyard, Hyuga Gen let out a deep sigh of relief.
Meeting with a person like Orochimaru was a very dangerous thing.
Several times, he had sensed Orochimaru's killing intent.
He had initially thought they would have to fight, but in the end, Orochimaru did not make a move.
Part of the reason was certainly because he couldn't gauge his Mutated Chakra, but the greater reason should be the 'Caged Bird Seal' on his head.
But no matter what, the final outcome was good.
Hyuga Gen obtained the intelligence he wanted, and Orochimaru would also receive his blood and Chakra.
"I can give you the Materials, but whether you can research anything from them is none of my concern."
Thinking this, Hyuga Gen couldn't help but smile.
Whether it was the byakugan kekkei genkai disease or the Mutated Chakra, only Hyuga Gen himself knew the truth.
The source of all this was actually the abnormal phenomenon caused by the moon core magatama inside him.
Without the moon core magatama, it would be impossible to research anything solely from his blood and Chakra.
"However, Orochimaru being so willing to give me Root's intelligence is truly unexpected!"
Hyuga Gen fell into contemplation. He had actually thoroughly thought about and analyzed the entire Konoha Crush Plan.
When the plan was launched, the entirety of Konoha instantly fell into chaos, and everyone was fighting chaotically.
But on Konoha's side, only one faction was missing: Danzo and his Root.
The reason, naturally, goes without saying. That fellow Danzo had coveted the Hokage position for a long time.
In this situation, Danzo certainly wouldn't help the Third Hokage; he would be overjoyed if the Third died so he could take over.
In fact, Hyuga Gen always had a suspicion.
That perhaps Danzo was one of the participants in the entire Konoha Crush Plan.
At the very least, he should have had secret contact with Orochimaru.
However, judging by Orochimaru's current actions, it seemed a little unlikely.
Did I misunderstand Danzo?
Forget it, why should I care so much?
Hyuga Gen tightened his grip on the scroll in his arms. With this intelligence, he would be even more confident when it came time to 'borrow' things!