The safest and most versatile of all soul-based secret techniques—when it came to this category, Orochimaru's first thought was naturally the Spirit Transformation Technique used by Kato Dan.
It allowed one's soul to leave the body and act independently—a mystical jutsu, though it placed far too many restrictions on the user's physical form.
Still, if used to support research, it was a remarkably suitable technique.
"Looks like I'll have to trouble Professor Sarutobi again..."
Orochimaru rose and stepped out of the archives.
He'd reviewed just about everything worth reviewing. It was time to go out and search for some real clues.
Besides, Kaien had turned twelve already. And due to the war, he hadn't been able to give the boy a proper birthday gift.
Giving gifts to one's student—it was as much a part of teaching as anything else.
The Kusanagi Sword would do nicely.
Orochimaru had just read through a few records about the legendary blade.
If he looked carefully enough, he was sure he could find traces of variations of the Kusanagi somewhere in the shinobi world.
Now that the war was over, it was time to improve his strength, dive deeper into research—that was what a scientist ought to do.
Only ambitious fools started wars. Orochimaru? He only wanted to uncover the truth of the world.
His stomach rumbled faintly. Orochimaru glanced up at the sky. The sun had nearly vanished, leaving only a reddish afterglow in its place. The descending shadows swallowed the street, and the faint silver of the moon had already begun to rise.
He had originally planned to casually pick a restaurant and grab a quick bite. But just then, he caught sight of someone unexpected.
The man had long white hair—and even his skin was pale, almost sickly. Only his crimson eyes retained a trace of vitality.
He wore an oversized high-collared coat cinched by three leather belts, giving the layers a distinct, sharp structure.
Honestly, Orochimaru had to admit—Hiruko was a peculiar kind of handsome. A different flavor from his own serpentine elegance. If not for the unmistakable flatness of his chest, this man could probably make it onto a list of the shinobi world's most beautiful.
It gave him an inexplicable, almost gentle aura.
Orochimaru couldn't help but imagine that Uchiha Kaien might grow up to have this kind of look too.
But unlike Hiruko's somewhat timid air, Orochimaru suspected Kaien's personality would be far more assertive.
The Uchiha clan was born proud—and children like Kaien, those outside the mold of traditional Uchihas, always seemed to gain strange, formidable powers.
Why was it, Orochimaru wondered, that the shinobi world produced so many beauty-defying-their-gender types?
He drifted into thought, but didn't forget his purpose for calling out. He wasn't chasing a mystery right now. He just wanted to catch up with an old friend... and maybe share a meal.
So, Orochimaru called out softly:
"Hiruko."
They'd been friends back in the Academy days.
Hiruko had clearly been in a hurry, a distracted look in his eye. It wasn't until his name was called that he snapped to attention.
"Orochimaru..."
Seeing Orochimaru again stirred something complicated in Hiruko.
He had also gone to war, though not in the Land of Rain—he had been sent to the front in the Land of Wind.
No matter how weak he thought he was, he was still a jōnin of Konohagakure. That was a title most shinobi could only look up to.
But to someone like Orochimaru—one of the Legendary Sannin, who had fought a demigod and lived to tell the tale—what did that even matter?
"Care to grab a drink?"
Orochimaru had never measured friendships by strength. Otherwise, he wouldn't have spent his childhood years clowning around with Jiraiya before the man had even awakened his talent.
He saw himself as the wind that turned the windmill—what need was there to ride someone else's current?
Then again... waiting for the wind to rise had its pleasures, too.
"I... alright."
Hiruko hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded.
This was his friend. And when a friend invited you out, refusing didn't feel right.
Even if he had an experiment waiting for him tonight...
...
"You've been doing some research too, haven't you?"
They had entered a small barbecue shop. The smell of sizzling meat filled the air, dancing on the oiled parchment as it cooked. Only once the juices began to crackle did Orochimaru finally speak.
"I..."
Hiruko opened his mouth to deny it, but the moment his eyes met Orochimaru's golden slit-pupils, the lie got stuck in his throat.
He sighed helplessly. "Yeah. Because of my body, I've been developing a technique to improve physical constitution."
"You know my body's always been weaker than yours, Tsunade's, or Jiraiya's."
"Even though I earned the jōnin rank, I'm still far behind you all. I don't want to be left behind."
That was Hiruko's original motivation. He just wanted to keep up with his comrades.
"I've been working on a body modification technique. It greatly reduces blunt force trauma and improves a shinobi's physical capabilities. Want to try it?"
It was a project commissioned by Shimura Danzō.
For someone as injured as Danzō, regular medical ninjutsu couldn't restore him. Without some kind of specialized technology, his shinobi career would essentially be over. He'd be better off becoming a civilian bureaucrat like the other two elders.
But Danzō wasn't ready to retire. He had thrown funding behind Orochimaru to develop a secret technique that could restore combat capabilities.
And so, the Chimera Technique was born.
It hadn't yet been used on Danzō, but Hiruko figured it wouldn't hurt to let a friend benefit from it first.
"When I complete this technique, I'll finally be able to make up for my shortcomings. Even if I don't have your natural strength, I'll still become powerful!"
Someday, I'll prove to all of you—that even on my own, I can catch up!
Hiruko's resolve in this area was unexpectedly fierce.
Seeing him so determined, Orochimaru didn't press the matter further. He decided not to pitch the soft-body technique any harder.
After all, it was still incomplete. Danzō's injuries couldn't be healed through conventional means, which was why Orochimaru had taken on the job.
Otherwise, the man might be doomed to spend the rest of his life swaddled in bandages.
Both Orochimaru and Hiruko's research veered toward biology. That gave them a lot of common ground to chat over.
Orochimaru was focused on amplifying chakra and enhancing cellular vitality. Hiruko leaned more toward absorbing the strengths of others to overcome his own physical weaknesses.
Though neither of them shared the core details of their work, the exchange of foundational knowledge left them both with new insights and a sense of clarity.
...
Once the short reunion was over, Orochimaru rose and made his way toward the Hokage's office.
At this hour, Hiruzen Sarutobi was probably still at work.
The sooner he got his hands on the Spirit Transformation Technique, the sooner he could begin his research into the soul.
As for the Chimera Technique... Danzō would just have to wait a little longer.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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