Kyōichi, Konoha’s Life Mentor

Kyōichi hadn't interacted much with Orochimaru. Among the few times they had, many were orchestrated by Jiraiya, who had brought them together to drink—though Kyōichi himself hadn't touched a single drop.

In terms of friendship, they couldn't really be considered close. In fact, there had even been a time when they were scheming against each other.

However.

It had to be said that at times like this, the sense of security Orochimaru brought was simply overwhelming.

One of the Sannin.

With such combat power, Kirigakure would surely make a choice once informed. Otherwise, with one of the Sannin, along Kyōichi, Might Duy, and the Military Police Force, they could easily storm Kirigakure's stronghold.

When Kyōichi saw Orochimaru, he was sitting with Inoichi, drinking tea, relaxed and at ease, exuding an air of total control.

If it weren't for having watched the anime, Kyōichi might have truly believed that Orochimaru was a genius with unparalleled foresight.

Kyōichi chuckled inwardly.

Seeing Kyōichi return, Inoichi stood up and offered his seat, saying at the right moment, "I still have some intelligence to handle. You two can talk first. If you need anything, call me at the tent."

"Thank you, Inoichi-senpai."

Kyōichi bowed slightly in gratitude.

Not only had Inoichi decrypted intel, he'd also guarded the camp And for Someone of his status wouldn't address others as "-sama" without the Sandaime and Tsunade's influence.

Inoichi smiled wordlessly, exchanged nods with Orochimaru, and withdrew.

Kyōichi took the vacated seat.

Orochimaru poured him some tea and said, "You've only been here for less than a month, yet everyone above and below respects you. Impressive, better than I was back then."

"Orochimaru-sama, you flatter me. As the Sandaime's disciple, who'd dare slight you?"

"Status is useless. What matters is one's own abilities."

Orochimaru shook his head lightly.

This was something he admired about Kyōichi.

Although Kyōichi had Senju bloodline, aside from knowledge and secret techniques, he had hardly relied on the Senju's influence. He had climbed up step by step entirely through his own merits and achievements.

This was truly commendable.

Moreover.

What was rare was that Kyōichi, like him, had a strong interest in forbidden techniques. So Orochimaru felt that they should have common ground for conversation, but…

There seemed to be some misunderstandings between them.

Orochimaru pondered for a moment but didn't directly address the issue. Instead, he started with the main topic.

"I released Kirigakure's messenger bird. By now, Yagura should have received the message from Kirigakure's Anbu. Your plan to force Kirigakure to surrender should have a higher chance of success now."

"I anticipated as much. Thank you, Orochimaru-sama."

Kyōichi wasn't stupid.

He naturally understood one of Orochimaru's intentions, and as soon as it was mentioned, he recalled the suspicious bird circling the sky during their battle.

At the time, he had found it strange. With all the fighting, the birds should have fled long ago, yet that one had lingered.

Now, putting it all together, he realized it must have been Kirigakure's communication tool.

He made a mental note to use it in the future.

Their discussion turned to eastern front strategy.

Orochimaru fully supported Kyōichi's idea of forcing Kirigakure to surrender now. Otherwise, once the war fully broke out, it would be even harder to deal with.

And the chances of success were high.

He had paused his experiments to come here precisely for this reason.

Orochimaru naturally wasn't trying to claim credit. He was simply showing goodwill—

He and Kyōichi weren't enemies.

Neither mentioned the chūnin exam incident, tacitly dismissing it as misunderstanding.

"Orochimaru-sama, are you researching Hōzuki Chikage?"

"Yes, and I must thank you, Kyōichi-kun. I've always been curious about the Hōzuki clan's physique, and you've fulfilled my wish."

Orochimaru chuckled softly.

The Hydrification Technique.

Although it didn't grant immortality, its near-invulnerability had once made Orochimaru envious, so he had wanted to study it. However, the Hōzuki clan members were all quite slippery.

In a sense, there were many ways to deal with the Hōzuki clan, but their speed made it difficult to catch them if they were determined to escape.

Kyōichi was an exception.

As he spoke, Orochimaru took out a scroll.

It contained records of the Hōzuki clan's secret techniques, physical research, and conjectures.

"Why give this to me?"

Kyōichi glanced at it briefly and lost interest.

Indeed.

This technique required a specific physique to use.

For example, Kabuto had transplanted Suigetsu's cells, which allowed him to use the Hydrification Technique.

However.

Transplanted cells were still inferior to the original.

Such knock-offs weren't worth learning.

Clearly, Orochimaru felt the same way. After finishing his research, he had lost interest in Hōzuki Chikage.

"It seems Kyōichi-kun isn't interested in this."

Orochimaru smiled, then said, "Then, are you interested in Hashirama's cells?"

"Hashirama's cells?"

Kyōichi frowned.

Was Orochimaru being this direct now?

This was different from the original timeline.

"Your grandmother was closer to the Nidaime-sama, but ultimately, you are still of the Senju lineage. According to my research, you should be able to integrate Hashirama's cells well, gaining powerful regenerative abilities and Wood Release techniques."

Orochimaru explained.

"You can acquire them?"

Was he trying to lure Kyōichi into becoming a test subject?

Kyōichi pondered.

"I can. Are you interested, Kyōichi-kun?"

"No, I'm not."

"..."

Orochimaru was momentarily stunned, not expecting Kyōichi to respond this way.

After a long pause, he regained his composure.

Hard to manipulate.

Oh well.

Orochimaru didn't dwell on it. His enthusiasm for Hashirama's cells had waned, as he realized that while they were useful, he might not be able to utilize them effectively.

Trying to lure Kyōichi was merely out of research curiosity.

Of course.

He still wanted to know…

"Kyōichi-kun, can you tell me why?"

"It's simple. I've read some fragmented records, though not comprehensive. But piecing things together, I believe the Shodai-sama's Wood Release and his ability to heal without hand seals might be related to life force."

Kyōichi explained.

Orochimaru fell into deep thought.

Wood Release linked to vitality? 

Plausible.

"Elaborate. Don't worry, I'll trade research notes."

Orochimaru was serious.

He was genuinely interested now. Wood Release, life force…

This was something he had never considered.

"Simply put, the Shodai-sama's Wood Release incorporated life force, making it incredibly powerful. For ordinary people, even if they transplanted his cells, unless they were willing to sacrifice their life force, Wood Release would be mediocre at best. it's weaker than a sword strike."

Kyōichi didn't hide his thoughts.

Orochimaru fell into deep thought.

He had considered that the Shodai's healing without hand seals might shorten one's lifespan.

His loss of interest in Hashirama's cells was partly due to the fact that the Shodai himself had died young. Transplanting the cells might lead to uncontrollable healing or overgrowth that consumed the user.

As for Wood Release, he hadn't thought much about it.

So that's…

Another layer to it.

As for Kyōichi, it wasn't that he wasn't interested in Hashirama's cells. He simply felt that Orochimaru's methods were too shady and unreliable. Acquiring them would only give Orochimaru leverage over him.

If he worked on Tsunade a bit, he might have a chance to obtain them without taking such risks.

"Kyōichi-kun, you've never conducted research or seen the data, yet you've deduced so much. I'm truly impressed. I feel more and more that you and I are cut from the same cloth."

Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with excitement.

He was thrilled.

Over the years, he had been searching for like-minded individuals or those with similar interests, but he had never found one. Although he had collaborated with Danzō, he considered Danzō to be low-level.

His methods and thinking were outdated, far from being a kindred spirit.

Only Kyōichi…

In the academy, he had reformed the education system.

As a jōnin, he had liberated forbidden techniques.

These were things Orochimaru had once wanted to do, though he had changed his mind later. Still, he admired Kyōichi's actions.

Kyōichi felt that Orochimaru's visit here was likely more about trying to recruit him as lab partner, rather than dealing with Kirigakure. But unfortunately, Kyōichi had the system.

Dabbling in forbidden techniques was fine, but going out of his way to research them wasn't necessary.

He stretched and said, "No need for payment. Since Orochimaru-sama came to help, let's call it even."

"That's different. I came to the east for the village, not for you personally. Let's keep things separate."

Orochimaru took out two scrolls.

He introduced them one by one.

The left one was about body modification.

The right one…

"The right one is a creation of mine, not something I'm proud of. A special substitution technique, quite useful, but Kyōichi-kun would likely need to research it further."

The Snake Substitution Technique?

That was a good one.

However.

While it was useful, it consumed a lot of chakra and might involve significant body modifications.

As for body modification…

Well.

No harm in taking it.

Kyōichi reached out and took the body modification scroll.

Orochimaru was slightly disappointed.

He had thought Kyōichi would be more interested in the Snake Substitution Technique, as it was a completely new technique. The body modification, on the other hand, could probably be figured out with some research.

"Orochimaru-sama, I think you might have some misconceptions about me. I only research things that are useful to me. If it's not useful, I'm not particularly interested."

Kyōichi explained.

Orochimaru was momentarily stunned, then nodded lightly.

"Being pragmatic isn't a bad thing."

Orochimaru didn't linger any longer and went to find a place to stay.

Kyōichi opened the scroll and examined it carefully.

Finally, he fell into deep thought. This thing…

Kyōichi had to admit that he had some preconceived notions about Orochimaru's research.

Body modification, in Orochimaru's hands, seemed snake-like and unappealing. But upon closer inspection, Kyōichi realized it was actually quite useful.

There were two methods.

One was a quick method involving genetic modification—Orochimaru's specialty.

The other was a form of exercise similar to yoga.

The second method was an early product of Orochimaru's research. After developing genetic modification, Orochimaru had abandoned further research and practice, but the scroll still contained notes and details about it.

However.

Kyōichi actually preferred the second method.

Exercise-based modification!

Of course, it wasn't just about modification. The knowledge about joints could even lead to joint techniques, which someone like Kurenai could learn—

If she mastered this, the damage from using the Strong Fist Technique wouldn't be as severe.

Valuable!

Kyōichi put it away, but his mind lingered on Orochimaru.

His own appearance, along with Tsunade's return and succession, had set Orochimaru on a slightly different path.

This was truly unexpected…

Oh well.

Kyōichi had some idea of Orochimaru's desires. If the timing was right, he might consider sharing some knowledge with him.

For now, the key was Kirigakure.

With Orochimaru's help, this mission might become much simpler.

However.

The negotiations and haggling would still be a hassle.

"I'll discuss the specific terms with Inoichi and Orochimaru later."

Hopefully, Kumo and Iwa would move slowly.

As Kyōichi thought this, a sudden idea flashed through his mind—Kumo and Iwa's intelligence was likely communicated through Kirigakure's messenger birds. If they killed those birds, wouldn't that solve the problem?