Chapter 200: Tax the Rich!

Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned. "What happened to the three of them?"

Nara Shikaku wasted no time, quickly explaining, "Yamanaka Irei, Nara Shikame, and Akimichi Ryuka were ambushed by enemy shinobi from a hostile faction, and they were gravely wounded."

"When the Anbu brought them back, they were already on their last breath—barely clinging to life."

"They've now been rushed to Konoha Hospital by the medical corps, but their injuries are so severe that probably only Lady Tsunade can give them even the slightest chance of survival!"

Hearing about the wounded, Tsunade's eyebrows instantly knitted together.

In the outside world, people only knew her as an extremely skilled medical-nin.

But very few were aware that because of what happened to Nawaki and Dan, she had developed a severe fear of blood, leaving her unable to treat others anymore.

Fortunately, this time she had come back with Shizune, so Shizune could help treat someone like Akimichi Ryuka if necessary.

But from what Nara Shikaku was saying, even if she were to personally act, the three of them would only have a slim chance.

That meant their condition had clearly reached the worst extremes.

Even Shizune, or Tsunade herself, might be unable to save them.

Once Nara Shikaku finished his report, Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately said, "Let's go to the hospital and see!"

After speaking, he turned toward Tsunade and asked, "Are you able to treat people now?"

Tsunade shook her head. But after shaking her head, she added, "Let's head to the hospital first. Shizune's been by my side all these years, and she's learned most of the medical ninjutsu I know. We can have Shizune treat them."

Hearing Tsunade say so, Sarutobi Hiruzen relaxed slightly.

A group of them quickly made their way to Konoha Hospital.

Upon arriving, Shizune, at Tsunade's direction, joined in treating the three: Yamanaka Irei, Nara Shikame, and Akimichi Ryuka.

However, not long after Shizune went into the treatment room, she came out with a grim expression.

Seeing her like that, Tsunade frowned. "How does it look?"

Shizune hesitated, not answering right away. After a brief pause, she finally said, "Lady Tsunade, Lord Hokage, and Advisors—Yamanaka Irei, Nara Shikame, and Akimichi Ryuka are even more severely injured than Lord Nawaki was back then."

She did not mention the rest.

Back then, Nawaki's organs had been nearly destroyed beyond repair; such injuries could no longer be healed by medical ninjutsu.

After she finished speaking, Shizune hung her head, saying nothing further.

She felt useless. She had studied medical ninjutsu under Lady Tsunade for so long, and yet she still couldn't do anything.

Tsunade understood how Shizune felt. In a low voice, she offered mild reassurance: "Shizune, don't blame yourself. Medical ninjutsu inherently has a limit to what it can heal. Some situations simply exceed that limit, and then it's no longer something medical techniques can handle."

With that, Tsunade turned to Sarutobi Hiruzen and the two advisors, saying, "In cases like this, I also have no solution."

Of course, Hiruzen and the other two advisors realized Tsunade spoke truthfully.

But they still couldn't accept such an outcome.

Yamanaka Irei and the other two were top-notch members of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans—also outstanding ninjas of Konoha—losing such bright talents so young was heartbreaking.

Then, at that moment, Nara Shikaku had a sudden idea: "Maybe we can ask Lord Orochimaru to give it a try."

Nara Shikaku's reasoning was simple: if medical ninjutsu couldn't solve the problem, maybe science and technology could.

Recently, Orochimaru had been making continuous breakthroughs in his research.

Perhaps he had developed something that could address the crisis at hand.

Konoha's "F3" (the Hokage and two Advisors) were all taken aback: (O_O)???

Tsunade: (O_O)???

Shizune: (O_O)???

Tsunade and Shizune weren't too familiar with Orochimaru's situation, so neither of them could figure out why they should summon him now.

But the odd expressions on the faces of the Hokage and the Advisors said it all. Actually, now that things had reached this point, asking Orochimaru might be worth a shot.

At Konoha Hospital's level, Yamanaka Irei and the others stood no chance.

Even Tsunade and Shizune, both helpless, couldn't save them.

So Orochimaru could very well be their last hope.

Realizing that, Hiruzen decisively said, "Quick, go bring Orochimaru!"

The moment Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered them to find Orochimaru, it so happened that Orochimaru and Kabuto—who were on their way to talk about the Blacklight Vampire technology—arrived at the far end of the hospital corridor.

Before the Anbu could even set off, Orochimaru and Kabuto had appeared.

As soon as the two appeared, they immediately drew everyone's attention.

Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi, the F3, and Tsunade all watching him, Orochimaru stood there, mystified.

He thought privately, "What's this about? Did word get out that I used a condemned criminal in a forbidden experiment? Or did Danzo get a retrial? Have I become a public enemy of Konoha again?"

But he quickly realized he was overthinking it.

Danzo's case was already locked tight, with no chance of overturning.

As for using a condemned inmate for experiments, he'd kept it highly secret, and the prisoner was on death row anyway. Considering his current merits to the village, as long as he didn't capture innocents for experiments, it shouldn't be an issue.

Seeing Orochimaru approaching, Sarutobi Hiruzen promptly said, "Orochimaru, you came at just the right time. Yamanaka Irei, Nara Shikame, and Akimichi Ryuka were recently ambushed by hostile shinobi, and they're now in critical condition. Standard medical methods have all failed; is there any way you can save them?"

Orochimaru's first reaction was "No."

Each field has its specialists. While he excelled in R&D of various technologies, pure medical ninjutsu was Tsunade's forte. If even Tsunade had no solution, how could he?

But very soon, he realized he did have a sort of "last resort"—turning all three into Blacklight Vampires.

A Blacklight Vampire possessed astonishing regenerative powers, so by supplementing them with chakra from Senshi and giving blood transfusions, the trio might pull through—though they would then be stuck as Blacklight Vampires from that point on.

Yet Orochimaru felt this was an excellent chance to demonstrate and disseminate his new technology. In any near-certain-death scenario, the Blacklight Vampire method might be used similarly.

After a brief mental preparation, Orochimaru assumed a solemn expression and said gravely, "Nawaki's passing back then affected me profoundly. Over these years, I've always been researching a method to resolve that kind of dire predicament."

"After a long collaboration with Kabuto, we've finally come up with something that might address this extreme emergency—but it does have side effects!"

Once Orochimaru finished, Konoha's F3 fell into stunned silence, while Tsunade and Shizune both showed disbelief on their faces.

Nawaki had been Orochimaru's student, so it made sense that his death had deeply affected Orochimaru.

But no one thought he had truly invented a specialized "emergency rescue" technology for such extreme circumstances.

Though Orochimaru admitted the method had side effects, Sarutobi Hiruzen was unequivocal. "Save them first; we'll discuss the side effects later."

"All right." Orochimaru nodded, then took Kabuto with him into the ward.

The F3, plus Tsunade and Shizune, followed them inside.

Because of her hemophobia, Tsunade stayed back, watching from some distance.

She saw Orochimaru open a sealing scroll, revealing a sort of emergency kit inside, packed with various serums she had never seen before.

No need to guess—they must be Orochimaru's own inventions.

From that kit, Orochimaru carefully removed three syringes to inject into Yamanaka Irei and the other two, while Kabuto—under the group's puzzled gaze—shut the windows and door, leaving only the room's faint lamplight.

Tsunade, Shizune, and the F3 had no idea what Orochimaru and Kabuto were up to, but soon they witnessed a medical miracle:

Just moments earlier, the three shinobi's heart monitors had flatlined. Yet after Orochimaru gave each of them two injections and did a blood transfusion, the heart activity on their monitors gradually returned to near-normal levels.

Watching this, Tsunade couldn't help muttering, "How is that possible?"

Her fists tightened, her mind shaken to the core.

If only such a technique had been available back when Nawaki and Dan were wounded, they wouldn't have died!

She fervently wished Orochimaru had developed it back then.

The doctors and medical-nin of Konoha Hospital, along with Hiruzen and the advisors, were equally dumbfounded.

They had assumed Orochimaru was only trying "desperate measures" to possibly buy a slim chance, never expecting that "Snake Tech" could be so formidable it restored three nearly clinically dead ninjas to life.

Noticing the shock on everyone's faces, Orochimaru thought silently, "This is nothing; I once used Edo Tensei to yank the Third Raikage from the afterlife."

But that was hardly something he could brag about.

When he'd confirmed Akimichi Ryuka and the others were out of mortal danger, with stable vitals, Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't hold back asking, "Orochimaru, what sort of technique is this? What are its side effects?"

At the Hokage's question, all eyes turned to Orochimaru.

After a moment's reflection, he said, "This technology is called 'Blacklight Life-Restart Technology.'"

Kabuto: (O_O)??…?

Kabuto's face betrayed his shock. Wasn't it "Blacklight Vampire Technology" not long ago? Now it was called "Blacklight Life-Restart Technology?"

But he soon found that Orochimaru's name change was spot-on.

He quietly praised, "As expected of Lord Orochimaru—'Blacklight Life-Restart' is more appealing and easier to accept. People on the verge of certain death can 'restart life'—which is obviously very attractive."

Konoha's F3 and Tsunade and company, unaware of the behind-the-scenes details, simply wanted to know: what were the side effects?

Orochimaru didn't keep them waiting: "The Blacklight Life-Restart Technology is still in development, with various issues that can't be solved overnight. After using it, the recipient's cells undergo a fundamental mutation that makes them extremely sensitive to sunlight."

"Once Yamanaka Irei and the others recover fully, they'll move about at night normally, and might even gain some very useful jutsu."

"But in daylight, their movement becomes constrained. They must strictly follow the Blacklight Action Manual, or else face severe sun damage—even death."

As he spoke, Orochimaru handed a small pamphlet titled "Blacklight Action Manual" to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Sarutobi skimmed through and then passed it on to Mitokado Homura, etc.

When all had read it, their expressions turned peculiar.

In some sense, Yamanaka Irei, Nara Shikame, and Akimichi Ryuka might be called lucky in their misfortune: they saved their own lives and likely gained power.

But hereafter, their lifestyles would drastically change—especially by day, they'd best not go outside. If they absolutely had to, they would need to abide strictly by Orochimaru's manual.

After a brief silence, Nara Shikaku, Konoha's "strategic brain," broke the quiet:

He spoke with a complex expression: "From what the Blacklight Action Manual says, the Blacklight Life-Restart Technology can not only be used as an emergency measure, but it can also mass-produce chūnin with jōnin potential. It's clearly of major strategic value."

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru reprimanded him, "Shikaku, I created this specifically to save lives—how can you talk about mass-producing chūnin with jōnin-level aptitude?"

When Orochimaru finished, Homura Mitokado attempted to smooth things over: "Come now, Orochimaru, don't get so worked up. Besides rescuing people in critical need, this truly holds strategic value for the village—a 'strategic-level' technology."

Koharu Utatane followed suit, "Exactly, Orochimaru. You've developed something unbelievably beneficial to the village."

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed, "Orochimaru, you're too merciful! Its true worth goes beyond life-saving; it can be used to arm the village."

"Think if we ever faced annihilation—if the whole village adopted this technology, everyone's strength would rise to at least chūnin level, with potential to reach jōnin."

"Yes, Blacklight Life-Restart has side effects, but with your and Kabuto's intellect, they can be mitigated step by step."

While the F3 spoke, Tsunade felt her ears might be playing tricks.

Orochimaru… merciful? Could those words really be used in the same sentence?

Still, from the show he put on just now, he didn't seem too evil.

After all, he invented this primarily to save people in dire circumstances.

Following the F3's comments, Orochimaru looked conflicted and said, "Lord Third, the side effects of this technology are very difficult to overcome—unless we gather many Blacklight ninjas to supply us with research data, we can't continue refining it."

After a moment of thought, Homura Mitokado replied, "That's not too hard to arrange. If it's truly a 'strategic-level technology,' we could grant you special permission to use death-row inmates for your research."

Orochimaru currently had White Zetsu as "ideal experimental specimens," so he wouldn't bother with death-row criminals. But it made sense for him to say "we need lots of test subjects" earlier to set the stage for subsequent conversation.

Upon Homura Mitokado's statement, Orochimaru just shook his head: "Even that may not suffice. And the R&D expenses for Blacklight Life-Restart are enormous—exceeding those of the Eternal Chakra Elixir."

That last statement startled the F3 profoundly.

Developing the Eternal Chakra Elixir had harnessed resources from across the ninja world. It benefited everyone, but Konoha most of all.

If Blacklight Life-Restart demanded even higher costs, Konoha alone wouldn't handle it.

As Homura found himself at a loss, Sarutobi Hiruzen surprisingly showed excitement and asked Orochimaru, "Could we adopt the same model we used with Eternal Chakra—Konoha holds the core tech, while other villages share partial results but pay the same research costs we do?"

This was precisely the response Orochimaru had hoped for. Yet he kept up his act of hesitation:

"Lord Third, the side effects are considerable… it might be best left as a rescue technique."

Homura Mitokado blurted: "Orochimaru, you're being too timid! Even if it has temporary drawbacks, it's still well worth researching and expanding."

Koharu Utatane chimed in, "Yes, Orochimaru, its flaws don't overshadow its strengths. We absolutely need to push this forward."

Sarutobi Hiruzen concluded, "For Konoha and, indeed, the entire ninja world, this technology yields more good than harm. If we mobilize the resources of all nations for R&D—"

"Then we'll keep the core knowledge in Konoha's grasp, and make it a signature technology of ours, thoroughly worth pursuing!"

He paused, thinking briefly, and then made his final decision.

"Orochimaru, it's settled. Don't carry any burden about it; in any situation, Konoha will stand firmly behind you!"

Within the hospital ward, Tsunade—who had witnessed all this—stood dumbfounded.

Orochimaru was busy on a research project that the entire ninja world was funding… and he'd soon begin a second one!

Truly, "studying medicine makes no money; one should be doing tech," she mused wryly.

All ninja-world fundraising… how much money was that?

If she had something like that, she could make a killing at the gambling table and spend to her heart's content.

For Tsunade, it was only amazement at Orochimaru's capacity to earn.

But for Kabuto, who knew the full truth, it was admiration beyond words.

Because the drawbacks to "Blacklight Vampire Technology" were so massive, he originally figured the Konoha leadership would never allow them to promote it. Unexpectedly, Orochimaru's skillful maneuvering had made them not only accept it, but actively encourage its expansion!

Originally, Orochimaru intended to push the Blacklight Life-Restart Technology anyway. Now that Konoha's top brass was on board, everything else was trivial.

He nodded and said, "Lord Third, if you're convinced it's a strategic technology for Konoha, then Kabuto and I will give it our all in both research and promotion."

"Rest assured, Konoha will always hold a leading edge in this field, and the core secrets will remain tightly under Konoha's control."

Hearing that, Konoha's F3 nodded in satisfaction.

Afterward, Orochimaru explained the situation of Akimichi Ryuka and the other two.

With Konoha Hospital's doctors now aware of how to care for these 'resurrected from the brink' patients, Orochimaru and Kabuto then returned to the Root base.

Originally, Tsunade had planned to leave the village again soon, but after discovering there was a massive moneymaking opportunity at hand, she decided to stay a few extra days. She went back to her home in Konoha and sent Shizune out to gather intelligence around the village.

Given Tsunade's and Shizune's statuses, collecting info was not difficult.

It didn't take long for Shizune to come back with a trove of information.

Seeing her return, Tsunade asked, "Well? Did you find out what I wanted to know?"

Shizune nodded. "Yes, Lady Tsunade, I did."

Tsunade inquired curiously, "While Orochimaru was developing the Eternal Chakra Elixir, how much money did the ninja world funnel to him?"

Shizune replied calmly, "One billion ryō!"

Tsunade's eyes widened. "One billion a year? No wonder the entire ninja world had to raise money for his research."

Shizune hastened to correct her: "Lady Tsunade, not one billion a year—it's one billion per month! This is primarily paid by the Five Great Shinobi Villages, the Five Daimyō and high government officials, plus other major factions and wealthy merchants."

"Spread among them all, Konoha contributes tens of millions—or even up to a hundred million—each month to fund Lord Orochimaru's research."

Tsunade: (O_O)???

Shizune's statement left Tsunade momentarily speechless.

Orochimaru used to have a stable monthly income of one billion ryō, and once he launched Blacklight Life-Restart research, he would earn at least an additional billion.

At that moment, Tsunade felt intense envy. If she had such a means to get rich, she would have cleared all gambling debts ages ago and had ample left to blow wherever she wished.

Upon learning Orochimaru had been making over a billion a month recently, Tsunade felt conflicted.

By principle, she didn't want to become Hokage.

Yet if she took the post, on one hand, she could negotiate with Orochimaru on behalf of the village and claim some benefits for herself as well.

On the other hand, she could tax Orochimaru!

He was making over a billion ryō a month. The village offered him shelter and research support, so taxing him ten percent for village construction—and the Hokage's well-being—would be perfectly justified, right?

Still, that would mean staying on as Hokage, something she needed to think through carefully.

Tsunade's eyes flickered, remembering two more questions:

"How about Akimichi Ryuka and the other two—have they woken yet? What's their condition? And what about detailed intel on Uzumaki Senshi—did you get that?"

~~~

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