Orochimaru didn't quite believe what Lord Naraku had said about the Sharingan. He had never heard of the Sharingan having such an ability—it was simply too unbelievable.
He suspected that Lord Naraku must have access to some secret spy network or intelligence organization that had infiltrated the Root Division. That seemed more likely.
Hashirama Senju's cells were classified as forbidden material, but Orochimaru had no shortage of them. He was curious to see what Lord Naraku was planning.
Without further hesitation, Orochimaru unrolled a summoning scroll, pressed his hand against it, and two glass tubes—each about thirty centimeters long—appeared with a puff of smoke.
The tubes contained a green liquid that radiated a strange sense of life. Floating in the liquid was a small piece of living tissue, no larger than a fingernail.
The First Hokage was actually dissected by the people of Konoha!
The body of Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, was so powerful that even Yamato found it hard to believe. Though Hashirama had been dead for more than 30 years, his body hadn't decayed. In fact, it still radiated a mysterious vitality.
Two white snakes slithered out of Orochimaru's sleeves, each gripping a glass tube in its mouth. They extended all the way across the five-meter distance to Lord Naraku's desk, gently placing the tubes down before retracting.
Hashirama's cells were incredibly valuable—but to people like Shimura Danzō and Orochimaru, they weren't hard to come by...
Lord Naraku picked up a tube and examined it closely, marveling at what he saw.
"More than thirty years… and it still looks so alive. I can only imagine how powerful the First Hokage must've been in his prime."
"Hehehe… That's exactly what I want to know, Lord Naraku. You mentioned something earlier—care to explain?"
Orochimaru, with his pale complexion, distinctive voice, and eerie smile, gave off an unsettling yet charismatic vibe.
"Out of sixty test subjects, only one survived," Lord Naraku said calmly. "But, Orochimaru, my Sharingan saw the experiment midway and predicted it would fail—so it was abandoned."
"One child survived. He awakened Wood Release and was secretly taken in by Danzo for training within Root."
Lord Naraku no longer kept Orochimaru in suspense and continued the story.
Orochimaru's pupils narrowed slightly.
"Can his Sharingan really see the future? Or is he just bluffing…?"
This conversation left Orochimaru both intrigued and shaken. He found himself even more fascinated by the powers of the Sharingan.
The Uchiha Clan, one of the two founding clans of Konoha, had a legendary figure whose name had been erased from history. In their conversation, even when mentioning the Third Hokage, they only referred to him vaguely as "that man."
He was powerful, but he couldn't win the hearts of the people.
Though he contributed greatly to the founding of Konoha, he became the first to betray it. Even the death of the First Hokage was connected to him.
Even the Uchiha themselves didn't speak of him often. But the clan elders could never forget his power.
Orochimaru licked his lips, glanced at Lord Naraku, and said:
"Lord Naraku, your information is hard to believe. But since you came all this way to visit me, I'll treat these samples as a gift to build our friendship."
Lord Naraku smiled and took out two scrolls, tossing them to Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru, don't let my information go to waste. Those scrolls contain 10,000 shuriken, 10,000 kunai, and 1,000 explosive tags—a token of our new friendship."
Worth millions of ryo, Lord Naraku gave these away casually, treating priceless treasures like Hashirama's cells as bargaining chips. It was a trade of unequal value—a deliberate investment in their relationship.
"This matter must remain top secret," Orochimaru warned. "Lord Naraku, as Captain of the Konoha Military Police Force, you know the consequences."
"Understood."
Orochimaru's gesture could be seen as hush money—but more than that, it was a calculated investment. It would be unrealistic to threaten one of the Three Legendary Sannin, after all.
Whether Orochimaru believed Lord Naraku or not, he'd decide that on his own terms.
---
Late Night — Uchiha Clan District
At Lord Naraku's home, he formed a hand seal: Boar → Void → Monkey → Sheep → Power
"Summoning Jutsu!"
"Meow."
"Hachiro, long time no see."
"Lord Naraku, it's the middle of the night, meow. I was sleeping."
The black cat ninja, Hachiro, appeared with droopy eyes and a deadpan expression.
"Come on, Ninja Cat! You're a patient cat, right? Let's do this."
Lord Naraku smiled awkwardly and tossed him two dried fish. Hachiro caught them, but being so late, he had no appetite.
"Why did you summon me at this hour, meow?"
"Next time Obito contacts you, tell him to return to Konoha. Tell him we've secured Hashirama's cells, and research can begin."
"Got it, meow."
Hachiro stared at Lord Naraku with tired eyes, checking to see if there were any more orders. Despite his lazy appearance, Hachiro had a great memory and was dependable.
Lord Naraku had just returned from Orochimaru's and was eager to begin the next phase. He forgot it was already past midnight.
"Haha, that's it for now. Just don't forget. This information is crucial."
"Understood, meow. I'll inform Hiruko that we've secured the First Hokage's cells. We can begin the Kigari Project, right meow?"
"Yes."
"Got it, meow. Bye, meow."
With a yawn, Hachiro disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Lord Naraku and Hiruko had a monthly agreement to maintain contact using Hachiro as a messenger. If too much time passed without a summons, it was assumed the link had been broken.
Lord Naraku hoped that Hiruko would be tempted by the prospect of this experiment and return to Konoha. After all, this was the power of Hashirama Senju—the man who brought peace through strength. Hiruko, as a fellow scientist, would surely want to empower himself through the Kigari Technique.
There was no way he could ignore the allure of the First Hokage's power.
Lying on his bed, Lord Naraku mentally reviewed everything that had happened.
The Sannin maintained strong ties with one another. Thanks to Tsunade's introduction, Orochimaru had shown unusual generosity.
Despite his doubts, Orochimaru hadn't hesitated to give Lord Naraku two samples of Hashirama's cells.
These cells were incredibly potent. If provided the right nutrients, they could rapidly grow—but they also acted like a virus. Once implanted, they would absorb all nutrients from the host and turn the person into a massive tree.
Orochimaru once said the deeper he delved into Hashirama's powers, the more fascinated—and frightened—he became.
He didn't elaborate on Root's experiments but couldn't hide his awe at the First Hokage's strength.
As thoughts swirled in his mind, Lord Naraku finally drifted into a deep sleep.
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