Chapter 121 Hidan's Improvement

Inside the Land of Waves' Experimental Base.

Orochimaru was intently focused on the documents in his hands, his eyes thirsty for knowledge scanning the pages as if they were a treasure trove.

He was so engrossed that he didn't even notice Naruto standing behind him.

Seeing Orochimaru's current state, Naruto decided not to disturb him.

If Orochimaru was in the middle of a burst of inspiration, interrupting him would be a loss for the entire Land of Waves.

Fortunately, Orochimaru didn't keep him waiting long. As a top-tier expert, his instincts alerted him to the sudden presence behind him.

"Master, my apologies. I was too absorbed in my work."

After turning around and finding that it was Naruto, Orochimaru quickly bowed to acknowledge his mistake.

Naruto waved it off casually and asked with a smile, "I heard from Kabuto that there's been progress with Hidan's experiments?"

Hearing this, Orochimaru's expression lit up with excitement, and he handed Naruto two documents.

"Master, please take a look. These are the comparative records of Hidan's physical changes over this period."

Naruto took the documents from Orochimaru curiously.

Immediately, he felt overwhelmed. The complex charts, dense data, meticulous comparisons, and baffling technical terms made his head spin.

It was like asking a humanities student to review a science student's thesis… everything except the letters was incomprehensible.

Fortunately, Naruto wasn't completely lost.

At least he could understand the eight Ninja Attributes: Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, Intelligence, Strength, Speed, Stamina, and Hand Seal.

Hidan's previously low scores in Genjutsu, Strength, and Speed ​​all reached the highest value, but his intelligence had dropped to one.

"Maybe you should just explain it to me." Naruto said, handing the documents back to Orochimaru.

Orochimaru didn't react much, but he made a mental note of Naruto's response. A subordinate who troubles their superior isn't a good subordinate.

"In that case, let me have Hidan personally demonstrate his changes."

With that, Orochimaru led Naruto deeper into the experimental base.

They arrived at a vast, pure white room made entirely of metal.

At this moment, Hidan sat on a bed in the center, his eyes vacant and expression blank. No one could associate his well-behaved appearance with the fanatical Jashin believer at the beginning.

His clear eyes resembled those of a second-year college student.

However, Hidan's skin tone had changed significantly, now resembling that of someone with albinism… completely white.

As soon as Naruto and Orochimaru entered, Hidan immediately stood up and approached them.

The foolish look in his eyes was gone, replaced by deep respect. He bowed and said, "Hidan greets Naruto-sama!"

'It seems that the brainwashing is very successful.' Naruto thought to himself. He had just used the Nine-Tails' malicious perception, and he sensed no trace of emotional fluctuation in Hidan, only loyalty!

Orochimaru, who had been leading the way, spoke up. "Hidan, go stand over there. Master wants to see the results of your progress firsthand."

"Understood!"

Hidan replied respectfully and then obediently stepped back into position.

"Master, allow me to demonstrate."

With that, Orochimaru pulled out a short knife from his robe and walked over to Hidan. Hidan naturally raised his arm.

To Naruto's astonishment and Hidan's calm indifference, Orochimaru cleanly sliced off half of Hidan's arm.

Hidan didn't even blink, as if the arm wasn't his own.

The expected gush of blood didn't happen.

As Orochimaru severed Hidan's arm, a thin membrane formed, stopping the bleeding.

Then, Orochimaru took out a sealing scroll, and a severed arm appeared in his hand.

After trimming it slightly, Orochimaru attached the arm to Hidan's stump. Within moments, Hidan could use the arm perfectly.

Naruto was amazed but still felt a slight disappointment: "Can't he regrow a new arm directly?"

Orochimaru understood Naruto's disappointment but shook his head regretfully: "This is the limit of Hashirama's cells."

Naruto thought about it, 'Obito had been able to regrow limbs, but that was likely due to the influence of the White Zetsu. It seems I need to find a way to get a White Zetsu.'

"You fused Hashirama's cells with him. Does that mean he can use Wood Release now?"

Orochimaru's regretful expression vanished, replaced by pride as he stepped back beside Naruto: "Hidan, show it to Master!"

"Understood!"

Hidan clapped his hands together. "Wood Release: Wood Human Technique!"

Suddenly, a massive amount of wood erupted from beneath Hidan's feet. The wood grew rapidly, as if alive, coiling and rising to form a gigantic humanoid figure. Hidan stood firmly atop the wooden giant's head.

"The Hashirama's cells injected into Hidan seem to have fully merged with his own Senjutsu Chakra, greatly enhancing the strength of his Wood Release."

Orochimaru explained, and to prove his point, he raised his short knife again.

This time, he didn't simply slash. Instead, he infused the blade with a terrifying amount of Wind Nature Chakra before striking.

However, the blade only made a small cut in the wooden giant beneath Hidan. The cut quickly healed, as if it had never been there.

Seeing this, Naruto's eyes lit up, 'This was far stronger than Yamato's Wood Release in the original work.'

Moreover, Wood Release creations typically did not disappear even after losing their Chakra supply. This meant that the Land of Waves now had a stable resource supply.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Naruto exclaimed three times in a row: "Orochimaru, I'm very satisfied with this result. Is there anything you need? I can grant it to you."

Orochimaru lowered his head, and said, "Master, I don't need anything. In fact, Hidan is already the greatest reward you could have given me."

This was the truth. He now lacked neither equipment nor funding, and he had an immortal test subject. He had never fought such a well-resourced battle before.

---

When Naruto left Orochimaru's experimental base, his mood was equally excited.

With just Wood Release, Hidan now possessed the strength to face off against an ordinary Kage-level opponent.

Moreover, Orochimaru had managed to eliminate Hidan's sense of pain, making him fight like a complete beast.

Especially with his intelligence stat nearly zero.

It could only be said that everything had its flaws.

"Hmm? Kaho, is something wrong?"

As he returned to his residence, Naruto noticed Karin standing in front of his door from a distance.

He wasn't sure how long she had been standing there, but her shoulders were dusted with snow. However, after replenishing her vitality, Kaho was no longer afraid of the cold.

Still, Naruto quickened his pace and opened the door, letting the warm air wash over them.

Kaho followed Naruto inside.

Once Naruto was seated, she began her report.

"Today, there were a few special tourists arriving at the harbor."

"Special?"

"Yeah, it's a film company. They said they wanted to shoot some scenes here in the Land of Waves."

"Hmm? Let them shoot as long as they pay the fees to Kakuzu."

"That's what I thought at first, but one of their actors is currently very popular and has a big reputation, so I thought I should ask for your opinion."

"Famous? What's the actor's name?"

"Fujikaze Yukie."