Chapter 36: Progress in Research

"Deidara, you're here." Orochimaru's tongue flicked out to lick his lips as his eyes sparkled with interest when Deidara and Kisame entered the room.

"Hey! Orochimaru, that look on your face is seriously disturbing, un!" Deidara shuddered. Could Orochimaru be eyeing his body? The thought of being coveted by such a "soft" man was utterly horrifying.

Not that it would be any better if Orochimaru were a "soft" woman, either.

But today, it seemed that Deidara's worries were misplaced. Orochimaru pointed at a few experimental subjects in the room with excitement in his voice.

"Take a look at my latest research results. Both hypotheses you suggested last time have been realized."

Orochimaru first directed their attention to one of the experimental subjects.

"On this specimen, I successfully transplanted both the Sharingan and the First Hokage's cells. As expected, there's an extraordinary connection between the two."

"The First Hokage's cells promote the growth of the Sharingan, while the Sharingan suppresses the invasive properties of the First's cells."

"Observe!"

As Orochimaru pressed a button on the console, the experimental subject encased in a large tank began to awaken. When its eyes opened, the unmistakable pattern of a three-tomoe Sharingan gleamed. On its chest, a face resembling Hashirama Senju had formed, yet it showed no signs of complete Wood Release erosion.

"Originally, this subject only had a two-tomoe Sharingan. But after the transplantation of the First's cells, it quickly evolved to three tomoe. Furthermore, the subject can now use simple Wood Release techniques, and its vitality has been significantly enhanced."

"A relatively successful specimen," Orochimaru explained eagerly, detailing his findings with evident delight. The visible progress in his experiments clearly thrilled him.

"And what about the second hypothesis?" Deidara asked. He was much more concerned about this one, as it pertained to whether Nagato could escape his skeletal state.

"Bring Uzumaki Yusuke here," Orochimaru instructed Kimimaro.

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama!"

Soon, Kimimaro brought in a young red-haired boy who looked about seven or eight years old, making him a year younger than Naruto and Sasuke.

"Orochimaru-sama!" Yusuke's voice was timid and shy, his demeanor nervous. However, when he looked at Orochimaru, his eyes lit up with an unmistakable admiration—a gaze Deidara recognized all too well, as it was the same look Kimimaro often gave.

"Orochimaru, you're really good at recruiting kids, aren't you, un?" Deidara muttered to himself.

"Yusuke, show them," Orochimaru said with a serpentine smile.

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama!"

Yusuke clapped his hands together, adopting a firm stance. His expression turned serious as he called out:

"Wood Release: Thorn Bind Technique!"

From the ground in front of him, several thorny vines burst forth, twisting into a dense bundle. But Yusuke wasn't done yet. With another technique, he continued:

"Wood Release: Wood Clone Technique!"

From his right side, several wooden branches sprouted, coalescing into an identical clone of himself.

Deidara tossed a small clay insect towards the thorny vines, testing their durability. After the explosion, he nodded in approval.

"Not bad! These vines can withstand standard explosive tags. Considering how young he is, his future potential could easily reach Kage level, un."

Orochimaru's tongue flicked again as he smiled. "The Uzumaki clan truly lives up to their reputation as distant relatives of the Senju. Their cellular compatibility is far superior."

"This child will undoubtedly surpass Konoha's Yamato in success."

"So, does this mean your research on Hashirama's cells can now be directly applied to others?" Deidara asked.

"Not yet," Orochimaru admitted, a trace of regret in his voice. "Although these two have successfully controlled the First's cells, it required a significant amount of resources. Even then, I dare not increase the proportion of First's cells within them."

Deidara nodded. As long as progress was being made, there was still time—several years, in fact.

"What's your next step?"

"I plan to transplant a pair of Sharingan into Yusuke," Orochimaru revealed.

A Sharingan-wielding Uzumaki? That would essentially be a budget version of Nagato. Not a bad idea. If Yusuke's condition stabilized and the transplant succeeded, it could serve as a seamless transition to Nagato's case.

"By the way, I'd like you to analyze this clay and see if there's a simpler way to produce it," Deidara said, handing over a small sample of advanced clay provided by the system. The last explosion had yielded a wealth of shock points from figures like Rasa, Shukaku, Itachi, Kisame, Obito, and even distant Sand ninja such as Chiyo, Ebizō, and Baki. This had allowed him to unlock and test the advanced clay. Now, it was up to Orochimaru to help refine its production method.

Orochimaru examined the clay with mild interest. While it piqued his curiosity, it wasn't his primary focus—his ultimate goal remained immortality.

"No problem. What will you offer in return?"

Deidara scratched his head. "I'm low on resources right now. Name your price, un."

"Kimimaro suffers from a rare Kekkei Genkai disease that I've been unable to cure. I want you to find Tsunade and persuade her to treat him," Orochimaru said.

At this, Kimimaro's expression filled with shame.

"Orochimaru-sama, please don't trouble yourself on my behalf! It's my fault for being unworthy of becoming your vessel!"

"Enough, Kimimaro," Orochimaru interrupted, waving a hand. "If you're ashamed, then accept the treatment and recover. If you do, you'll still have the qualifications to become my vessel."

Of course, Orochimaru's words were partly insincere. While Kimimaro had once greatly interested him, his priorities had shifted after encountering Itachi and making progress in the research on Hashirama's cells. Compared to Yusuke, Kimimaro's allure had faded.

Deidara nodded. This arrangement worked out perfectly. If Kimimaro could be cured, it might also pave the way for treating Itachi's illness. Working with Orochimaru was always beneficial—from the Konoha Crush Plan to the current experiments on Yusuke, and now this deal regarding Tsunade.

"Where's Sasori, by the way?" Deidara asked. "We're teammates, after all. You'd think he'd show up since I'm here, un."

"Sasori?" Orochimaru chuckled. "He's busy trying to incorporate Hashirama's cells into human puppets. Dead subjects are far more tolerant than the living, after all. From what I hear, he's already made some progress."

It seemed unlikely they'd see him anytime soon—Sasori was clearly at a critical juncture in his research.

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