At the very moment Xu Ming received feedback, in Konoha Village—
Within the Senju Clan's territory—
Uzumaki Mito was chatting with Tsunade, a warm smile on her face, when suddenly, she froze. Her gaze snapped toward the direction of the village hospital.
In her perception, an incredibly violent Chakra aura had suddenly emerged.
This aura felt like that of a mindless, raging beast—filled with aggression and an insatiable thirst for destruction. It was as if the person emanating it had completely lost control, acting purely on instinct, attacking everything in sight.
"The direction of Orochimaru… What's happening?"
Uzumaki Mito focused her perception and, in an instant, her expression changed drastically.
As someone who had inherited the powerful sensory abilities of the Uzumaki Clan, she possessed the Kagura Mind Eye, a technique that allowed her to detect Chakra signatures from dozens of kilometers away.
Now, using this ability, she pinpointed the source of this violent Chakra—it was coming from Orochimaru.
The aura carried the same distinct signature she had always associated with him.
"And this kind of Chakra… It's incredibly strong. The only other time I've sensed something like this was when Hashirama entered Sage Mode!"
A realization dawned upon her, and her expression turned to one of utter shock.
Tsunade's Concern
"Grandma Mito?" Tsunade's voice wavered slightly, sensing that something was wrong.
It was rare—no, unprecedented—for her normally composed grandmother to react this way.
She had never seen her change expressions so drastically before.
"Tsunade, stay here. I have something to take care of." Uzumaki Mito turned, gave her granddaughter a reassuring smile, and gently patted her head.
Before Tsunade could even respond, Mito disappeared in a blur—vanishing instantly using the Body Flicker Technique.
Whoosh!
Gone.
Tsunade blinked, her mind racing.
"That direction…" She had barely caught a glimpse of Mito's movement but managed to determine where she was heading.
"…The hospital?"
Her brows furrowed.
"Why? Did Xu Ming pull Orochimaru into another one of his schemes again?"
Hospital
Arriving near the hospital, Uzumaki Mito suddenly paused.
The violent Chakra aura had vanished, replaced by Orochimaru's usual signature.
She could sense him moving away—toward the back mountain.
"It seems everything is fine now," she muttered with a sigh of relief.
But that didn't mean she was going to let things slide.
"Damn brat, always causing trouble!" she huffed, shaking her head.
Deciding not to head to the hospital immediately, she made a different choice.
First, she needed to find Danzo.
After tracking him down at his workplace, she forcefully dragged him along, heading straight for the hospital's laboratory.
Inside the Hospital Laboratory
"Mito, what's going on with Orochimaru?" Danzo asked, utterly confused by the sudden turn of events.
Why had she yanked him away from his duties so abruptly?
"You'll understand once you see for yourself," Mito replied, her tone laced with irritation.
Pushing open the door to the lab, Danzo's eyes widened in shock at the sight before him.
Inside, three gigantic serpents—each the size of utility poles—were dissected and stored in massive nutrient tanks.
The creatures' insides were in complete disarray:
Their blood vessels twisted and tangled unnaturally, resembling a haphazardly assembled puzzle.
Muscles had atrophied, and internal organs withered and necrotic, as if drained of all nutrients.
One of the serpents had bulging veins and festering flesh, looking as though it had been afflicted with some horrifying disease.
Meanwhile, an enormous stack of research documents—as tall as an adult—was piled on the lab floor.
Danzo's shock only deepened.
He could see clear signs of experimentation on the serpents.
Though he couldn't fully grasp the research's complexity, he could tell that Orochimaru had altered these creatures in ways no one should.
And something else unsettled him—
The snakes seemed… familiar.
They looked like ordinary species he had seen before.
Yet, such species could never grow this enormous.
"What in the world is this…?" he muttered, turning to Mito with a bewildered expression.
Uzumaki Mito, however, ignored his question.
Instead, she walked over to the towering stack of documents and began flipping through them.
At first, her expression remained neutral.
But as she read further—her face changed.
Drastically.
Her eyes flickered with a mix of emotions: shock, awe, unease… and something else.
By the time she reached the final pages, her entire face had gone pale.
These documents detailed Orochimaru's experiments with natural energy.
From the initial perception phase
To the absorption techniques mimicking a snake's hibernation
And finally, transplantation methods aimed at bypassing body compatibility issues
Every single concept was thoroughly recorded.
Even programs for enhancing and domesticating biological entities were carefully documented.
The only thing missing?
The details of the final transplantation experiment.
Still, what she read was more than enough to leave her stunned.
Her emotions now were the same as when she first witnessed Tobirama developing forbidden techniques in the lab.
Excitement.
Awe.
And concern.
Danzo's Curiosity
"Lady Mito, what exactly is recorded in those documents?" Danzo asked, sensing the drastic shift in her expression.
Swish!
Without hesitation, Mito slammed the papers shut and shook her head.
"I can't let you see this."
Danzo frowned. "Not even me?"
"Not right now," she said firmly.
Danzo sighed. "Fine. Do you need me to destroy them?"
"Yes," Mito nodded. "Burn them."
Destroying the Evidence
Danzo formed a hand seal, inhaled deeply, and exhaled a small but intense flame onto the documents.
Fwoosh!
The papers ignited, crackling as they burned away, reduced to mere ash.
Watching the evidence disappear, Mito let out a quiet sigh.
She turned toward the direction of the back mountain, her thoughts heavy.
"Orochimaru… you've truly created a miracle."
"And Xu Ming… You knew all along, didn't you?"
A wry smile crossed her lips.
"These kids… hiding more secrets than ever."
Back Mountain
Deep within an untouched forest—
Xu Ming stood still, watching as Orochimaru suddenly appeared before him.
Surprised, he raised an eyebrow.
"Why are you here?" he asked.
Orochimaru, looking elated, burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Xu Ming, I did it!" he exclaimed.
"I used the Blood Scorpion in the third plan to achieve a Sage Transformation state—similar to Sage Mode!"
Xu Ming's curiosity piqued.
"Oh?" He smiled slightly.
"Tell me about it."