Chapter 127: Hm? Something Feels Off?

Inside Konoha Hospital, Tsunade sat in her office, frowning as she studied the blood test report in front of her.

A misunderstanding? Nothing wrong?

That shouldn't be possible!

As a top-tier medical ninja, her knowledge of the human body far surpassed that of ordinary people. That condition had been anything but normal!

"A nervous system disorder caused by an imbalance between Yin Seal and Yang Release chakra? No... that's not right."

Tsunade absentmindedly touched the Yin Seal on her forehead. Despite its name, the technique involved highly advanced manipulation of Yang Release chakra.

In extreme situations, it was indeed possible for the emergency healing reaction Shinno had described to occur. However, the Yin Seal's structure was incredibly stable. Normally, when the body enters a state of dormancy due to genjutsu, it wouldn't trigger such an extreme reaction.

For such an anomaly to occur, something must have disrupted her nervous system first, forcing the Yin Seal to activate.

There was definitely a problem.

But it wasn't caused by any drugs, as she had initially suspected!

"Damn it! You think you can fool me? You're not quite there yet..."

Tsunade gritted her teeth, eliminating the drug hypothesis and shifting her focus to how Yamanaka Shinno had achieved this effect.

Genjutsu could certainly manipulate a person's five senses, but it worked by interfering with the mind, which then influenced physical perception. That meant the fundamental mechanism of genjutsu was always psychological.

However, the illusion she experienced had nothing to do with that.

Which meant genjutsu wasn't the cause either.

That left...

A technique similar to 'Body Disturbance Jutsu'?

Body Disturbance Jutsu worked by injecting highly refined chakra into an opponent's nervous system, causing paralysis. If refined further to target specific neural pathways, it was theoretically possible to achieve the same effect she had experienced.

But Kushina had clearly said that Shinno had used Mystical Palm Jutsu!

Tsunade trusted her friend. There was no way Kushina would lie to her.

And there was no way Kushina would mistake Yang Release.

So then... could he have used Yang Release chakra to directly interfere with the nervous system? Or maybe he manipulated the body's internal organs directly?

Hah—

He had tried to fool her with that nonsense about only knowing Medical Water Release.

"I will figure out how you did it... and when I do..."

Tsunade slammed her hands on the desk and stood up. She grabbed an old tome from the bookshelf and flipped through it at high speed.

The Konoha Library, the Ancient Records Hall, her clan's collection—there were plenty of texts she hadn't read yet. She had also neglected the notes her ancestors had left on the study of Yang Release.

She refused to believe that, with her expertise in Yang Release, she couldn't decipher a technique someone else had already used!

As long as she figured out how that bastard had done it—

Oh, so you're not going to tell me?

Fine.

I'll hit you with it every single day until—

Hm?

Something felt off.

BAM!

The office door swung open violently.

A medical-nin rushed inside, his face filled with urgency.

"Lady Tsunade! We just received an emergency case from the border—a jōnin with a shattered right arm, multiple fractures in the left side of his ribcage, and internal bleeding. Doctor Fūnryo asked me to consult with you..."

"...Where is he?!"

Tsunade's expression shifted. She recalled that during her own blood test earlier, there hadn't been any particularly severe reactions.

Clenching her fists, she took a deep breath to steel herself before striding out of the office with determination.

"Emergency Room Two!"

The medical-nin looked relieved and quickly followed after her.

...

Konoha's Root Headquarters

Yamanaka Shinno had just arrived at his office, prepared to switch places with his shadow clone, when an unfamiliar Root operative approached him.

"Shinno-sama, Orochimaru-sama invites you to visit Laboratory Seven to observe the latest experimental results."

"...Sei?"

Shinno glanced at the masked operative in front of him.

He sifted through Danzō's memories for a moment before hesitantly calling out the man's codename.

It wasn't that his Clairvoyant Insight had failed him.

It was just that even Danzō himself barely remembered this person.

"Yes, sir. I am known as Sei. I serve under Orochimaru-sama in the Ninjutsu Research Division and oversee security operations for the lab."

The Root ninja bowed slightly and introduced himself.

"I'll be there shortly. Go ahead and report back."

"Understood."

Shinno watched as the operative disappeared, a smirk forming on his lips.

Even within Root—an organization Danzō controlled with an iron grip—Orochimaru had managed to cultivate his own loyal subordinates. The snake was never as obedient as Danzō had assumed.

And now, an invitation to observe experimental results?

Laboratory Seven focused on bloodline limit transplantation and fusion experiments. That had nothing to do with his role as the deputy head of mission assignments and training.

That excuse...

Orochimaru must have noticed his recent activities.

But it was too late!

In just five days, he had already transferred control of the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal to himself across all department heads, key personnel, and combat squads.

Even Danzō's two mistresses had been brainwashed, their memories of him erased so they now worshiped Root itself.

The remaining lower-level members were still important, of course.

But just yesterday, one of his shadow clones had picked out a White Zetsu that had been activated less than half a month ago.

By erasing all of its memories and reshaping its personality, he had created a puppet that was absolutely loyal to him.

As long as there was no interference from a Black Zetsu-level entity capable of overriding the control from a genetic level, no one would ever suspect that the man running Root was no longer Danzō himself!

If Orochimaru tried to stir up trouble now...

Well, he'd be in for a very rude awakening.

After switching out his shadow clone, Shinno left the Root base and made his way toward Laboratory Seven, located in the Bone-Eroded Wastes.

The Bone-Eroded Wastes were about ten kilometers northeast of Konoha's avian summoning grounds, beyond the village's jurisdiction. Due to its rough terrain and harsh environment, it had little value, making it an ideal place for ninja to release dangerous or ill-tempered summons.

Over time, aside from those who came to check on their summons, few people ventured there.

Upon reaching the waterfall that concealed the entrance, Shinno stepped inside the hidden laboratory.

As expected, the interior was dimly lit, filled with a damp chill that clung to the air.

A piercing scream echoed from the depths of the lab.

Shinno's expression remained unchanged as he passed by Sei, who had bowed upon his arrival. Without hesitation, he walked straight toward where Orochimaru's chakra signature was emanating from.

Neither hurrying nor dawdling.

By the time he arrived, the agonized screams had faded into weak, gasping moans.

"Shinno-kun, it's been a while."

Orochimaru, still wearing his Konoha forehead protector and jōnin vest, turned to greet him with a nod. His voice was raspy yet composed, his presence exuding an elegant coldness.

Although he looked paler than before, with purple markings around his eyes and feminine earrings adorning his ears, he was nowhere near as sickly or twisted as he would later become in the original timeline.

The Legendary Sannin's Cold Serpent still carried his own unique charm.

"Is this your latest experiment, Orochimaru-san?"

Shinno returned the nod, shifting his gaze toward the bloodstained cage behind him.

Inside, a disfigured En Oyashiro, his eyes sunken and body writhing, lay curled up in agony. Under his skin, egg-sized bulges twisted and crawled as if an uncontrollable force threatened to rip his body apart.

"One last component remains to complete this experiment."

"Blood Dragon Eye?"

"Precisely. Tell me, Shinno-kun—would you be willing to contribute?"

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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