"What the hell was I thinking?!"
After dissipating the Shadow Clone and absorbing its memories, everything that had happened that day surged into Satori Hyūga's mind.
It was the first time he'd ever taken in such a large chunk of memory all at once, leaving his consciousness feeling slightly chaotic.
But after processing it all, he muttered in disbelief.
He realized he hadn't actually learned as much as he'd thought—certainly far less than he'd imagined.
The problem was that the Shadow Clone had made a sarcastic remark about the place—and got stuck cleaning all day as punishment.
A dark, damp environment like this was perfect for breeding bacteria and filth.
No unauthorized personnel were allowed inside the lab, and Orochimaru himself didn't care much about cleanliness.
As a result, the laboratory was cluttered with countless bottles and jars, garbage piled up in a nearby corner, and strange liquids leaking across the floor, emitting a sickening stench.
Naturally, the task fell to Satori, his apprentice.
The Shadow Clone spent the entire day scrubbing until the lab was finally spotless.
He had never worked this hard in his life.
After all, as a member of the Main House, even if he hadn't acted entitled or expected preferential treatment, he had always been looked after by the Branch members.
When had anyone from the Main House ever done manual labor?
"But it wasn't completely pointless. At least now I have access to Orochimaru's secrets and get to learn advanced human anatomy directly from him."
Recalling the transferred memories, Satori thought about all those forbidden experimental techniques—he needed them badly.
Cell transplantation, cloning, genetic modification...
Though these techniques were still in their infancy and not yet mature, they had begun to take shape.
In Satori's opinion, with enough effort and research, combining knowledge from both worlds, he could definitely surpass what existed in canon.
Once he mastered them, he could attempt further improvements and conduct his own trials.
Eventually, he might even be able to follow Orochimaru's path and fully transform his body.
It could give his physique perfect form, youthfulness, and boundless energy, significantly boosting his combat endurance.
Left eye socket: Tenseigan; right eye socket: Mangekyo Sharingan; bones made of Shikotsumyaku; flesh infused with Hashirama Cells…
Of course, he could also gradually incorporate other powerful bloodline limits.
Then seal the Ten-Tails inside himself, and the transformation would be complete.
Wouldn't the ninja world become his personal playground?
Of course, that was just a fantasy for now.
No one could predict the future with certainty.
Only by grasping the present and moving forward steadily could infinite possibilities unfold.
From then on, Satori's days became increasingly fulfilling.
Thanks to his Shadow Clones, he began absorbing knowledge and training at multiple times his usual speed.
While the clones studied, he focused on honing ninjutsu and strengthening his body through Eight Gates training.
When the clones assisted Orochimaru with experiments, he continued refining his jutsu and physical conditioning, advancing his mastery of the Eight Gates.
Beneath the pressure of weighted gear, his proficiency in the Eight Gates technique skyrocketed, successfully pushing beyond human limits and unlocking the Fourth Gate.
Yet once he reached the Fourth Gate, he slowed down his training pace, opting instead to slowly master and control that overwhelming power.
Even with the Nine-Binding Seal active, using the Eight Gates still inflicted heavy strain and damage on the body.
Though the harm was barely noticeable, Satori Hyūga was still unwilling to take any risks.
He slowed his training pace to allow his body to gradually adapt and increase his control over it.
Meanwhile, the shadow clone tailed Orochimaru, performing various experiments and gaining extensive knowledge of human anatomy and Medical Ninjutsu.
Unfortunately, test subjects were scarce, so saving one wherever possible had become necessary.
With a deafening *boom*, a massive glass petri dish exploded, and a vivid green tree trunk began sprouting from inside.
Tracing the branches and trunk back to its origin, one could make out a hazy human figure. His body had already become grotesquely distorted, with countless small saplings bursting through his skin, voraciously consuming the nutrients within the petri dish.
Orochimaru remained stoic and unshaken, clearly accustomed to such occurrences and unaffected emotionally.
Yet watching this scene, Satori frowned deeply.
He was painfully aware of the overwhelming dominance of Hashirama Cells—this method would likely produce no meaningful results.
But directly telling Orochimaru would be pointless; he'd never believe him.
Would he actually have to reveal that he was a reincarnated soul and that Orochimaru was doing everything wrong?
Absolutely not.
Orochimaru might just think he'd lost his mind.
Most importantly, cleaning up the wreckage of failed experiments meant even more menial labor for him.
Every single day.
Each failure meant another cleanup session, forcing Satori to spend more time disposing of waste than studying.
"The path to mastering truth is always bumpy. You must learn patience," Orochimaru said to Satori calmly.
Satori drooped his face, sighing, "Honestly, I don't think it matters whether I clean or not. The Genes of the First are far more powerful than any bacteria bred from filth."
Orochimaru smirked at him with an "I see right through you" look, silently threatening, "If you refuse to do it, I'll ensure you regret your choice."
A chill ran down Satori's spine as he grabbed the broom—but then inspiration struck.
"Sensei Orochimaru, isn't the whole point of this experiment to turn Hashirama Cells into weapons?"
"Why bother implanting them into people at all?"
Orochimaru's eyes flickered as he fixed Satori with a gaze. "Go on."
"You've seen firsthand how dominant and uncontrollable they are. These cells are beyond what we can research right now," Satori explained.
"Instead of stubbornly continuing down this path, why not try a different angle?"
"What if we turned the Hashirama Cells themselves into weapons? When facing enemies, we could simply toss them out like grenades?"
"A piece of Hashirama Cell plus a vial of culture fluid, combined into a grenade-like form."
"When enemies attack, just activate the device and hurl the cells at them."
Under Orochimaru's manipulation, the Hashirama Cells could morph into countless forms—some resembling blades and spears, perfectly suited for use as weapons.
No one would ever suspect that such a small vial could unleash something as deadly as a spear-shaped tree.
It wouldn't be any less effective than an Explosive Tag, would it?
Each Explosive Tag costs 100 ryo, including labor, materials, and processing fees—Hashirama Cells, on the other hand, are completely free.
As long as we add some nutrient solution, it can reproduce infinitely.
That would cut down on material costs.
For labor, just set up an automated production line. It'd be like printing money around the clock.
Orochimaru listened to Satori Hyūga's suggestion and clapped his hands with delight.
"Satori, I never thought you had such a sharp mind! You'll definitely have a knack for securing funding in the future."
"Turning trash into treasure—using Hashirama Cells as explosive tags? Only you could come up with something like that."
His Hashirama Cell experiments had always hit dead ends, and he had been racking his brain over how to squeeze more funds out of Danzo.
This worked out perfectly now.
Satori Hyūga's idea was actually pretty solid.
With this new plan, he'd have the funds to keep all his other experiments going.
Danzo isn't exactly a scholar, so this idea should be just clever enough to pull the wool over his eyes.
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