Chapter 278: Dissection

"Think carefully before you speak. I'll give you one more chance."

Kawakaze was baffled. He could feel every hair on his body stand on end, yet somehow, he'd fallen for such a simple trick.

"My wife has the sharpest wits," he said, suddenly acting like a child. With a single motion, he pulled Tsunade into his arms.

"We're not done yet. Don't get handsy," Tsunade warned, pushing his wandering hands away.

"That was nothing," Kawakaze said, growing more excited. "Let's get down to some business first."

Tsunade's slight struggle didn't deter him. Before long, the two white bodies were rolling on the bed. A war without smoke had begun.

The sounds of "mm-hmm" and "ah-ah" echoed in Kawakaze's room for a long time.

When the war ended, Tsunade didn't feel like moving, let alone cleaning up Kawakaze.

The next day, Kawakaze woke up to find Tsunade already gone. When it came to recovery, women had an advantage.

After washing up and eating an early breakfast, Kawakaze headed to the Academy.

As he passed by the Dojo, he saw Nagato running toward him, shouting, "Sensei!"

"What is it?" Kawakaze stopped, curious about what Nagato wanted.

"Sensei, where on the eyeball did you say the tissue should be removed yesterday?" Nagato asked.

He had thought about it carefully the night before. Even if he didn't know exactly which tissue it was, just knowing the approximate location could significantly reduce the time needed for his experiments. That was why he waited until Kawakaze left the house—otherwise, he would have gone straight to the lab to start dissecting an eyeball.

"I know this one. It's at the front of the eyeball, probably a transparent membrane," Kawakaze said, though he wasn't very sure—he hadn't gone into detail.

"That's enough, that's enough."

Nagato hadn't had high hopes, knowing how much Sensei actually understood. The lower the expectations, the greater the surprise, he thought. He was now content.

"Really? That's good. Is there anything else?" Kawakaze asked, seeing Nagato's happiness and feeling that he'd done a good deed.

"No. Sensei, I'm going out."

With that, Nagato ran out the door without looking back and disappeared in an instant.

"This child... I've never seen him care about anything so much," Kawakaze muttered, smiling and shaking his head. He stepped out the door and headed toward the Academy.

Nagato, meanwhile, ran all the way to the hospital and went straight to the laboratory. Opening the door, he saw Orochimaru talking to Misaki.

"Eh? Why are you here today, Nagato?" Orochimaru asked, expecting it to be that annoying Kawakaze again.

"Lord Orochimaru, Sister Misaki," Nagato greeted politely. "I came here for something."

Since joining the Anbu, it had been a long time since Nagato had visited the laboratory.

"It's been a while. How have you been?" Orochimaru asked.

He had become noticeably gentler since his marriage, and his face now carried a genuine smile. The oppressive aura that once surrounded him was much less, making Nagato feel more at ease.

"I'm doing well," Nagato replied shyly, unsure of what else to say for a moment.

"What brings you here today? Do you need help?" Orochimaru asked, noticing Nagato's hesitation and taking the initiative to break the silence. Otherwise, Nagato might have procrastinated indefinitely.

"It's like this—I want to dissect an eyeball. Do you have any specimens in the lab?" Nagato asked, following Orochimaru's lead.

"That's easy. Just go get one yourself," Orochimaru said, pointing to the room where the specimens were stored.

"I'll help you," Misaki offered, grabbing the specimen before Nagato could move.

"Why did you decide to study the eye? Is there something wrong with your eye?" Orochimaru asked, concerned that there might be an issue with Nagato's Rinnegan.

"No, no. I just want to study the structure of the eye," Nagato replied quickly, too embarrassed to admit he was doing this for Nonō. He didn't have the guts to admit that just yet.

"Then I'm relieved. Go ahead," Orochimaru said warmly, exuding the kindness of an elder who cared for his juniors.

"Okay," Nagato nodded and entered the dissection room.

Before long, Misaki appeared with a transparent glass jar filled with liquid. A pair of eyeballs floated inside, their appearance somewhat unsettling.

"It's for that girl named Nonō Yakushi, isn't it?" Misaki asked, a faint smile on her face. She had heard the news from Nawaki.

"Sister Misaki, don't listen to their nonsense. Nonō and I are just ordinary friends," Nagato said hastily, his eagerness betraying the guilty conscience of someone caught in the act.

"Haha, look at you. I'll stop talking, okay?" Misaki said, smiling. She had a personality similar to Nagato's and could empathize with him easily.

"Then let's get started," Nagato said, putting on gloves skillfully before taking the glass jar and opening it. Misaki took the knife and instruments, preparing for the task.

The eyeball is a delicate and precise human tissue, requiring careful handling beyond just the naked eye. With everything ready, the two began their work. Without further idle chatter, they focused entirely on the dissection.

As hours passed, Nagato meticulously dissected both eyeballs, recording every detail about the tissues. Only then was the dissection considered complete.

"I'm still not sure which tissue Sensei was referring to," Nagato said as he removed his gloves and tossed them into the trash before heading to the sink.

"At least brother-in-law gave us a general direction," Misaki replied while tidying up the instruments. "Now we just need to figure out what role these tissues play."

For Misaki, this research was relatively straightforward. Compared to Orochimaru's studies of Hashirama's Cells and the Tailed Beast's Cells—areas where even she had only a vague understanding—this task was much simpler.

"You're right. I was in too much of a hurry," Nagato admitted, calming himself. He realized such work couldn't be rushed.

"Want to stay a little longer?" Misaki asked. The lab was often just her and Orochimaru, and she felt a bit bored.

"Okay," Nagato agreed after a moment. There wasn't anything pressing waiting for him elsewhere, and he could learn more by staying.

"Let's go. Orochimaru Sensei's experiment has been going well lately—I'll show you around," Misaki said enthusiastically, leading Nagato out of the room.

"Finished?" Orochimaru asked as soon as they stepped outside.

"Yes, it's almost done," Nagato replied. "I'll do further experiments later."

Nagato gave an honest report on the experiment's progress, noting that there weren't any significant issues requiring Orochimaru's advice at the moment. Still, having Orochimaru around made Nagato feel more at ease.

"Take your time with the experiment. Don't be in a hurry," Orochimaru said. "If you run into any problems, just ask me."

With that, Orochimaru disappeared into another room, leaving Nagato and Misaki alone. The two waited until Orochimaru was out of sight before continuing on their way.