Chapter 123 Ding! Acquired a Legendary Item: Hashirama's Cells

Drip... drip...

The drip-drip of water echoed as Orochimaru and Seiki walked down the dim corridor, one right after the other.

The surroundings were dark and gave off a chilly vibe.

"Lord Orochimaru, where exactly are you taking me?" Seiki asked, glancing around as he spoke.

"Hehe, I thought you, Seiki-kun, would be able to hold your tongue longer," Orochimaru chuckled without turning around.

"My apologies. It seems my cultivation in composure still falls short."

"Seiki-kun is indeed as humble as ever!"

Saying this, Orochimaru stopped and turned toward Seiki. "Actually, I need to borrow your Medical Ninjutsu."

Confused, Seiki asked, "If it's just Medical Ninjutsu you need, wouldn't Lady Tsunade be better suited for this?"

"Hahaha, if she found out what I've done, I might actually get killed." Orochimaru shrugged and continued walking forward.

Seiki followed closely behind. "Did you do something that would hurt Lady Tsunade's feelings?"

"But considering Lady Tsunade's personality, even if you did something outrageous, you'd probably still be forgiven as long as you sincerely apologize. After all, even Jiraiya-sama is still alive and well."

Orochimaru couldn't help but chuckle. "That guy Jiraiya-sama surviving up until now is truly a miracle."

As they talked, they had already reached the end of the corridor.

Pushing open the door, they entered a room filled with various futuristic-looking equipment, an instant that made Seiki feel like he'd been transported back to his previous life.

Preserved specimens floated in tanks lining the walls, and lying on the central hospital bed was a familiar face.

"What powerful Chakra! Why does Mizuki have..." Seiki muttered to himself.

"It's because of the transplantation of First Hokage's cells," Orochimaru answered beside him.

"No wonder there's such a serious rejection reaction." Seiki looked at Orochimaru seriously. "Lord Orochimaru, could you please explain what exactly is going on?"

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. "Mizuki sought strength from me, along with the eligibility to learn Sage Art. However, with his mediocre talent, meeting even the basic Chakra requirement for the first stage was impossible."

"Therefore, I offered him an alternative!"

Seiki couldn't help but smile bitterly. "You mean the First Hokage's cells?"

"Heh... Mizuki's obsession with power is truly admirable. He actually endured through the first phase purely through sheer willpower. No previous test subject has ever achieved that before..."

Seiki interrupted curiously, "Test subjects before him?"

"Sorry, Seiki-kun. I've let you see a glimpse of the dark side."

"Orochimaru took a reagent from the nearby lab table, shaking it as he spoke, 'To restore Konoha's Wood Release abilities and regain power to suppress the Nine-Tails, the Third Hokage and Elder Danzo began experiments with First Hokage's cells long ago. However, too many test subjects died, so the Third Hokage had no choice but to halt the project permanently and seal all related records.'"

Seiki remained silent for a moment before asking, "Does Tsunade know about this?"

Orochimaru smiled sinisterly, "Although Tsunade never mentioned it openly, she drifted apart from the Third Hokage afterward."

Then Orochimaru sighed slightly, "Actually, despite her temper, she was probably the kindest of us three. At that time, I even thought she would confront the Third Hokage and Elder Danzo!"

Seiki sighed deeply, "So you, Orochimaru-sama, want me and the Third Hokage to become enemies?"

"Don't take such a heavy burden," Orochimaru reassured him, "you're simply trying to save someone! Besides, it's my decision to use Hashirama's Cells. You have nothing to do with this. Tsunade isn't someone who can't tell right from wrong."

If Mizuki were just another subject, Orochimaru naturally wouldn't have bothered explaining so much. But Mizuki was different—having survived the first phase made him quite special in Orochimaru's eyes!

Seiki shook his head slightly, "I suppose I've been overthinking. A medical ninja's duty is to heal!"

With that, Seiki started another examination of Mizuki.

"This is...a seal?" After a while, Seiki asked, looking toward the side.

"It's a seal I placed on Mizuki to suppress the powerful physical energy within his body," Orochimaru explained.

"I'll need to temporarily release this seal to observe Mizuki's rejection reaction."

"As a doctor, you should know best."

Nodding slightly, Seiki carefully released the seal.

Instantly, branches sprouted from Mizuki's right arm, growing wildly as if nourished by some miracle fertilizer.

Seiki's pupils contracted sharply as he quickly resealed the growth.

Immediately, the wooden protrusions fell off Mizuki's arm.

Staring at the broken branch lying on the ground, Seiki mused, "This physical energy is indeed terrifying. As for solutions, I can think of only two possibilities."

"The first is suppressing it with equally powerful mental energy, and the second is resolving Mizuki's body's rejection response itself."

"Powerful mental energy..." Orochimaru considered briefly before shaking his head, "Let's hear more about the second option."

The [Sage Art] of the Three Sacred Lands actually enhances [Ninjutsu], [Taijutsu], and [Genjutsu], but comparatively speaking, Mount Myoboku's [Sage Art] offers better balance, Shikkotsu Forest leans toward [Yang Release], and Ryuchi Cave focuses on [Yin Release].

In that case, training at Ryuchi Cave would suit Mizuki perfectly.

However, cultivating [Sage Art] first requires massive [Chakra] reserves, obtaining large amounts of [Chakra] necessitates solving the issue with Hashirama's Cells, and resolving the cellular instability requires suppressing it with powerful mental energy.

It has now become a knot that cannot be untied.

"It's difficult!" Seiki frowned solemnly, "Rejection reactions are inevitable after most transplant procedures. The difference lies in how normal people's reactions are nowhere near this intense."

"Unbelievable. Even after so many years since the First Hokage's passing, his genes still maintain such powerful vitality!"

Orochimaru's eyes burned with excitement. Unlike Danzo, he had never valued the First Hokage's power or the strength of Wood Release, but instead the immense life force contained within him.

"Seiki-kun, is there anything I can assist you with?"

Seiki raised a finger. "First, I need to conduct research on the First Hokage's genes."

Orochimaru wasn't surprised. "Of course. You can work here if you like, or take some samples back with you — either way, no problem."

Seiki nodded. "Besides the genes, I'll also need access to all the experimental records from your previous experiments, Lord Orochimaru."

Orochimaru asked curiously, "You want even the failed experimental data?"

Seiki smiled softly. "Even failed experiments can help me avoid certain detours."

In his past life's memories, Orochimaru and Danzo had secretly launched a second round of experiments. It was precisely because all sixty test subjects in this experiment were believed to have died that made him temporarily abandon this project.

However, Orochimaru didn't know the full story behind these events. One survivor had actually emerged from this batch of test subjects and been picked up by Danzo, eventually becoming Konoha's future ambassador of greenery.

Therefore, the experimental data in his possession wasn't completely useless after all.

Still, Orochimaru wasn't aware of these hidden complexities and quickly agreed, "No problem at all. You can have access to all my experimental data."

"That's great news. I'll make sure to dig up something useful from all that data."

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