Chapter 95: In that battle, Orochimaru directly dropped the Kusanagi sword

Jiraiya glared at Orochimaru, his eyes wide like a bull's.

"Hm?"

Orochimaru smirked and cast a sideways glance at him. "What? Are you saying you're not perverted? Or do you just think my conclusion about the Uchiha is wrong? Why stop me from speaking then? Also—were you eavesdropping again? Getting used to standing outside the women's bathhouse, are we?"

Jiraiya's face twitched with rage. That damn snake. Orochimaru could go hours without saying a word, but once he started talking, the venom flowed nonstop.

"Enough," Hiruzen Sarutobi cut in with a sigh, rubbing his temple. "Orochimaru, stop provoking him. I asked Jiraiya to come."

With the Hokage stepping in, Orochimaru gave a shrug and sipped his tea, shooting Jiraiya a smug glance.

"Tch… This guy…" Jiraiya grumbled, but took a seat and let it go. His temper cooled quickly—he didn't usually bicker seriously with Orochimaru.

The tension in the Hokage's office eased. It didn't feel like a formal meeting anymore—it was more like a teacher sitting with his troublesome disciples.

Hiruzen gave a wry smile but felt a flicker of warmth. Despite everything, these two were still his students.

Leaning forward, he turned to Jiraiya. "So, what's going on with Koharu and the others? You rushed over."

The peace negotiations with Kumogakure were critical. He had sent the two Hokage advisors to handle it, and also asked Jiraiya to monitor the situation while looking after Naruto.

Jiraiya's expression shifted as he got to the point. "Yeah, Kumogakure agreed to the peace treaty. But they're demanding compensation… long story short, they're being incredibly tough."

Listing the terms, it almost seemed like Konoha had lost. Kumogakure was acting like the victor.

Hiruzen frowned deeply. "That doesn't make sense. If they're so uncooperative, why even agree to negotiate?"

Was it because Kumogakure lost too quickly in battle? Maybe now they're trying to save face by acting strong?

"I think I know why," Orochimaru said, licking his lips as a twisted smile curled across his face.

"The Fourth Raikage's injury might be the reason behind their tough stance."

"Injury?" Hiruzen and Jiraiya exchanged puzzled glances.

They both had read the battle reports. Konoha had clearly won. Orochimaru had injured the Fourth Raikage by slicing his flank with the Kusanagi sword.

But the report didn't make it sound serious. A slash to the side—even one that hit an organ—shouldn't be a major problem for someone like the Raikage. He was practically a tank, and medical ninjutsu had come a long way.

Unless… had Orochimaru poisoned his blade?

That was possible. According to the report, Orochimaru discarded the Kusanagi blade after the battle, and didn't even lick the blood off it like he usually did.

Under their watchful stares, Orochimaru chuckled. "It's a bit complicated to explain. Just know this: to properly heal the Raikage's wound, they'll have to remove some flesh. The flank and intestines aren't the issue. But the kidney..."

Hiruzen and Jiraiya—both veterans who understood what that meant—visibly shivered.

Kidneys weren't something you could just cut into and expect to heal easily. Healing a flesh wound was one thing. Cutting into a kidney and then hoping it would heal was another matter entirely.

The latter method takes many times more time and resources to cultivate.

If healing is forced prematurely, the person will end up crippled, and Kumogakure would never accept such an outcome.

"So you're saying..." the Third Hokage said, "Kumogakure is bluffing?"

But bluffing against whom? Konoha? That's unlikely—especially with Orochimaru involved. The truth of the situation would be obvious immediately.

Iwagakure? Also unlikely. If Konoha speaks up, Kumogakure's bluff would be exposed easily.

"...No, something doesn't add up." The Third Hokage frowned.

There's another possibility—perhaps Iwagakure simply wouldn't believe Konoha, and instead sees this incident as a provocation.

Onoki, that old man, is not someone who trusts easily.

Unless he can confirm the Fourth Raikage's condition personally... or...

"Deploy more troops along the border with the Land of Hot water," the Third ordered, coldly biting down on his pipe. "Tell the two Hokage advisors to take a hardline stance. We'll make it look like we're ready to invade the Land of Lightning, and at the same time, leak information that the Fourth Raikage is critically wounded."

Kumogakure once tried to incite the other villages to divide Konoha—now the village would 'return the favor.'

Of course, Konoha couldn't be the one to fire the first shot. The cost of war would be too great.

But if Iwagakure were provoked... that was another story.

Back in the Third Great Ninja War, Iwagakure killed the Third Raikage in Kumogakure's territory, and nearly wiped out ten thousand of their shinobi.

Jiraiya nodded. The village wouldn't start a war so easily—but a display of strength? That was simple enough.

With that matter settled, the Third turned to Orochimaru.

"I understand now the drawbacks of opening the Sharingan," he said. "But what about Uchiha Shinsuke?"

This new bloodline limit—this evolved form of the Sharingan—might not be as powerful as the Mangekyō, but it was still not to be taken lightly.

More importantly, does it come with any side effects?

"To be honest," Orochimaru said with a faint smile, "Shinsuke's changes weren't what I originally expected—but they make sense."

He spoke slowly, watching the expressions of the two before him.

"I mentioned love and emotion earlier, but in the end, the opening of the Sharingan is tied to chakra. Not just any chakra—exceptionally refined chakra. But is it really about emotion?"

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, then answered himself:

"No—it's Yin Release. Emotions are simply a way to stimulate mental energy and purify Yin chakra. But there are other ways to achieve that effect."

The Third's eyes lit up with surprise. He hadn't expected his former student to have studied the Uchiha bloodline so thoroughly.

"Yin Release represents spiritual power, but it doesn't exist alone. It's complemented by Yang Release, which represents the physical body."

Without waiting for a reply, Orochimaru continued, "The two are dynamically balanced and strengthen each other. By reinforcing Shinsuke's body with Yang Release—using cells from the First Hokage—I made his body capable of withstanding the abnormal intensity of Yin chakra."

He tapped his temple.

"Shinsuke's new bloodline limit—let's call it Setsurengan – is likely the result of a new equilibrium between the two. Compared to the unstable Sharingan, it's a more advanced, more stable form, free from its usual drawbacks."

The Third took a long drag from his pipe, unable to hide the awe in his expression.

He had known for a while that Orochimaru had surpassed him, but only now did he fully understand just how far the young man had gone.

Orochimaru's grasp of chakra and bloodline evolution was so deep that even the great " Ninja Professor" would be humbled.

Pride and admiration stirred within Sarutobi Hiruzen, but as Hokage, he couldn't dwell in sentiment.

He asked the next crucial question:

"According to your theory, this new Sharingan—this Setsurengan—won't evolve into the Mangekyō?"

"Correct," Orochimaru nodded. "The new balance is stable and unlikely to be disrupted. Shinsuke no longer needs to experience intense emotional trauma to grow stronger."

"He is... the first Uchiha in a thousand years to awaken the Sharingan without losing his sanity."

"..."

There was a long silence before the Third finally spoke, frowning:

"Orochimaru... I authorize you to continue research on the First Hokage's cells. You may even conduct human experimentation."

His voice was firm.

"Your only condition—cure the Uchiha."

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