Chapter 282: Preparations for Cloning Jiraiya

Orochimaru no longer gave Tsunade a chance to catch her breath. She tapped her fingers rhythmically on the armrest of her chair, making a rhythmic "tap-tap" sound. Every syllable felt like it was striking Tsunade's heart.

"Don't forget our deal, Tsunade. Kato Dan and Nawaki have already been resurrected."

She brought up their deal again. This deal was finalized after Tsunade returned, back when Jiraiya was still the Hokage.

"So, in exchange, you promised to bring me a blood sample from Jiraiya; this was also clearly stated in black and white."

"Now, you've seen the results on my end. It's your turn."

She leaned forward slightly, her golden snake-like pupils fixed on Tsunade, her tone carrying undisguised pressure and suspicion.

"Or perhaps..."

"Because that guy paid off those astronomical gambling debts for you—debts so large even you can't remember the total—you're planning to break the contract?"

"Or is it that you simply don't want to repay this 'debt of gratitude,' which is why you're being so hesitant and wanting to go back on your word?"

These words struck a painful, embarrassing spot for Tsunade. Jiraiya had indeed repaid her massive gambling debts countless times. This financial debt, mixed with years of camaraderie as comrades-in-arms, made her exceptionally conflicted when faced with the choice of "hurting Jiraiya."

"Nonsense!"

Tsunade flared up in anger, her cheeks flushing red.

"How could I think such a thing!"

"That guy Jiraiya... no matter how unreliable he is, he's still an old friend who fought alongside us for years."

"How could I possibly... for the sake of money or to escape debt, do something to betray him!"

Her rebuttal seemed somewhat weak, as Orochimaru had indeed pointed out her inner conflict.

Her friendship and sense of debt toward Jiraiya were in sharp conflict with her intense desire to resurrect Dan and Nawaki.

Despite Tsunade losing ten out of ten bets, her gambling ethics were actually quite decent.

Seeing Tsunade's angry yet clearly wavering appearance, Orochimaru lost the last of her patience.

She coldly interrupted Tsunade's agitated defense. The last trace of feigned gentleness in her golden snake pupils vanished completely, leaving only a sinister and dangerous cold light.

"Tsunade, don't get it twisted."

Orochimaru's voice was very low, yet it carried a steel-like coldness and an unquestionable threat.

"If I can make Kato Dan 'come back,' I naturally have a way to make him 'go back' again. My technology can give, and it can also take away. The same goes for Nawaki's side."

This was now a blatant threat.

Using the resurrection of loved ones as bait, and then using the threat of taking them away as leverage.

Orochimaru stood up, her tall shadow looming over. Those snake pupils locked onto Tsunade as she delivered the final, non-negotiable ultimatum:

"Are you... going, or not?"

The air seemed to freeze.

The temperature in the laboratory seemed to drop several degrees.

Tsunade's whole body trembled, her pupils contracting sharply from shock, anger, humiliation, and a deeper sense of dread.

Looking at Orochimaru's emotionless, icy gaze, she knew the other person was definitely not joking.

Friendship, debt, principles... in the face of the temptation of resurrecting her loved ones and the threat of losing them, she was pushed to the edge of the abyss.

"You..."

Tsunade squeezed the word out through her teeth, her chest heaving violently, her fists clenching until they cracked.

But in the end, all the struggle, all the anger, and all the resentment turned into a single word squeezed from the depths of her throat, filled with endless bitterness and compromise:

"I'll go!"

This single word seemed to drain her of all her strength.

After speaking, she looked as if her support had been hollowed out. Her shoulders slumped slightly, and she turned her face away, no longer looking at Orochimaru.

Having obtained the answer she wanted, the cold arc at the corner of Orochimaru's mouth reappeared, and she regained her lazy, all-controlling demeanor.

"Very well."

"Then, I shall await the good news."

It was just a matter of tricking Jiraiya into a physical exam to draw some blood, yet this person was making such a scene.

After Tsunade left, the expression of control and cold coercion on Orochimaru's face receded like a tide, returning to the calm, focused, and endlessly inquisitive demeanor of a scholar.

She didn't linger, turning to walk deeper into the laboratory where more unfinished projects awaited.

At the core of the experimental area sat several complex instruments, flickering with indicator lights of various colors and the glow of Chakra reactions.

Next to a device that looked like a combination of a large Centrifuge and a Chakra dialysis machine, a figure stood with his back to the door, intently adjusting the parameters.

The person wore a deep blue high-collared robe, had silver hair and red eyes, and possessed a cold aura—it was Senju Tobirama.

Hearing the sound of Orochimaru's approaching footsteps, Tobirama didn't turn around. He merely looked up, using those sharp red eyes to glance at the figure behind him through the reflection on the instrument's surface.

He didn't stop his hands, but his tone carried undisguised inquiry and suspicion:

"You've gone to such great lengths, even going so far as to take on this current form... it couldn't be... just for Jiraiya, could it?"

Tobirama knew Orochimaru used to be a man, which was why the question "Could this guy actually like men?" arose in his mind.

"Of course not."

Orochimaru's reply was swift and flat, even carrying a hint of impatience at having her train of thought interrupted.

She walked to another lab bench and picked up a scroll recording complex data to browse.

For Orochimaru, changing bodies was a routine method in the pursuit of immortality and exploring the mysteries of life. The choice of gender was based more on current research needs or simple curiosity for "different experiences," having nothing to do with emotional entanglements.

Speculation based on "common sense" like Tobirama's seemed childish to her.

Even a Master of Forbidden Jutsu was not immune to such common thinking.

Tobirama did not give up his questioning because of this denial.

He stopped his adjustments, turned around, and faced Orochimaru directly, the sharp light in his red eyes intensifying:

"Then why are you so obsessed with his blood?"

Tobirama pressed on, his logic clear.

"Based on My baby Tsunade's reaction just now and the fragments of your conversation, Jiraiya himself seems to have no interest in 'resurrection' or using technology to extend life—in fact, he seems quite resistant to it."

"In my view, the research value of a sample from an individual with no will to survive or desire to cooperate is significantly diminished."

Orochimaru put down the scroll, her golden snake pupils turning to Tobirama. This time, she didn't avoid the question:

"I plan to clone him."

However, this answer was not enough to satisfy Senju Tobirama, who pursued ultimate efficiency and practicality.

His red brows furrowed, his tone carrying clear incomprehension and a hint of criticism for "wasting resources":

"Cloning? Just to replicate an identical individual?"

Tobirama's voice rose slightly.

"If you're interested in the so-called 'Sage Mode' and want to conduct research, wouldn't that child named Jugo be more suitable? He can naturally absorb natural energy and enter a state similar to Sage Mode, and obtaining samples from him is relatively easy."

In Tobirama's view, Jugo was an excellent natural sample for studying "Sage Mode"—low risk, easy to obtain, and with clear research value.

Orochimaru's actions seemed redundant and even somewhat irrational.

Faced with Tobirama's efficiency-based questioning, Orochimaru finally set everything down. Her golden snake pupils looked directly at the Second Hokage, her eyes flashing with the obsession and rigor of a top researcher for a "perfect sample":

"Jugo won't do."

Orochimaru slowly shook her head.

"Although he can enter a state similar to Sage Mode, it is passive, unstable, and accompanied by severe side effects."

"His consciousness is eroded by natural energy, making him extremely aggressive and uncontrollable."

"That isn't mastering senjutsu energy in the true sense, but rather being enslaved by power."

Orochimaru's speaking speed increased, carrying a disdain for "inferior samples" and an eagerness for a "perfect subject":

"But Jiraiya is different. His Sage Mode is a perfect Fusion state achieved through his own arduous Cultivation and his contract with the toads of Mount Myoboku—it is stable, controllable, and allows him to maintain his sanity!"

Her eyes showed genuine interest: "Jugo is a natural 'defective product'; his state is closer to a Bloodline disease or a curse of natural energy."

"Whereas Jiraiya has an Acquired Sage Mode, which is why he is more worth studying."

"Originally Minato would have worked too, but he is currently in an Edo Tensei state, and having been dead for so many years, he no longer has flesh and blood."

"By studying Jugo, I might understand how natural energy erodes the human body and causes mutations."

"But by studying Jiraiya's clone..."

Orochimaru's voice carried a near-fanatical expectation.

"I might uncover the ultimate mystery of independently cultivating Sage Mode, and perhaps even... find a safer, more efficient, and more universal way to develop an artificial Sage Mode."

"How can the value of this be compared to a 'natural disaster sample' that could go berserk at any time?"

Orochimaru's goal was never simply to replicate a "Jiraiya" or resurrect an old friend.

What she wanted was to crack the biological code behind the perfect Sage Mode Jiraiya obtained through Cultivation.

This involved a deeper level of interaction between Chakra and natural energy, a ladder leading to higher life forms and an understanding of the essence of the world.

To this end, even if the methods were cold, even if the target was uncooperative, and even if she had to exploit and betray old friendships, she would not hesitate.

After hearing this, a flash of realization crossed Tobirama's red eyes, which then returned to their usual calm.

He understood; Orochimaru wasn't pursuing "practicality" or "efficiency," but rather an obsessive exploration of some ultimate mystery.

In a way, this mindset was similar to his own when he was developing Forbidden Jutsu, only Orochimaru was more extreme and disregarded the cost even more.

"I see."

Tobirama asked no more questions, turning back to focus on the instrument in front of him.

The path to power and knowledge was already full of taboos and controversy; he himself was the best example.

As long as Orochimaru's research didn't endanger Hidden Leaf Village, he wouldn't interfere too much, regardless of what Orochimaru's actual thoughts were.