"Turning a blind Mangekyō into a ninja tool? That's quite an unexpected idea!"
In the underground laboratory, after hearing Kagetsu's idea, Orochimaru showed a hint of interest on his face.
For him, the pursuit of immortality had already become clear, and he even had multiple options. As a result, his obsession with it had inevitably lessened.
Right now, all his interest was focused on research. Especially in organizing and digging into Kagetsu's past studies.
From the research materials he sorted out, Orochimaru found many things that intrigued him. Unfortunately, Kagetsu had only scratched the surface of most of them without delving deeper. Or rather, he had temporarily set them aside to start the next project.
This research style gave Orochimaru a sense of familiarity, as if he was facing the Second Hokage. As a fellow researcher, Senju Tobirama had an astonishing talent for developing ninjutsu.
At least half of the forbidden techniques recorded in Konoha's Scroll of Seals were connected to Senju Tobirama. However, even after developing them, he rarely refined them further.
Among the forbidden techniques Orochimaru had mastered, aside from those he created himself, nearly all came from the Second Hokage.
Many of Tobirama's forbidden techniques had distinct personal characteristics, designed to suit his own combat style.
To learn his techniques, the best approach was to build upon their foundation and incorporate one's own modifications.
After all, no one could match Tobirama's mastery of ninjutsu, and the difficulty of learning his forbidden techniques was extremely high.
For example, the Flying Thunder God Technique, developed by Tobirama, was only successfully learned by Namikaze Minato, who had the talent to master it and further improved it by integrating sealing techniques.
As Orochimaru and Kagetsu knew, Namikaze Minato had always wanted to lower the difficulty of training in the Flying Thunder God Technique. He had even asked them for advice on it.
As Minato's fame in the ninja world grew, his version of the Flying Thunder God still shared the same core as Tobirama's. However, in terms of style, it had already begun to show subtle differences.
For example, the Impure World Reincarnation, which Orochimaru had yet to fully master.
Senju Tobirama developed this technique not just for interrogation and other purposes but to complement another large-scale destructive summoning jutsu—the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags.
The immortality of the Impure World Reincarnation, combined with the continuous explosions of the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags, could be devastating in war. When used effectively, it could inflict massive damage and deplete enemy forces.
However, this approach did not suit Orochimaru.
In Orochimaru's mind, the way to use Impure World Reincarnation should be refined! He did not want to summon the dead just to turn them into stationary, fearless, and self-destructing human bombs.
What Orochimaru desired were fighters at the level of the Five Kage!
As long as he could reincarnate ninja with the strength of the Five Kage, their immortal bodies would ensure victory in this great ninja war.
Unfortunately, the living would never accept this idea.
Even if he used powerful deceased ninja from other villages, it would still provoke outrage and immense pressure from their side.
Moreover, the strength of the reincarnated ninja depended on the quality of the sacrifice.
If the sacrifice was weak, even a powerful ninja from the past would be significantly weakened, far from their prime.
Right now, Orochimaru's primary focus is Hōgyoku.
His secondary goal was to use the power of the Hōgyoku, combined with biological cloning technology, to create reincarnation sacrifices or combat units that met his standards.
But this was a long-term project.
Just like refining the Second Hokage's forbidden jutsu, Orochimaru now had to decide which of Kagetsu's unfinished or abandoned research projects he wanted to take over.
However, before he could make his choice, Kagetsu had already assigned him another intriguing and fascinating research topic—
The weaponization of Kekkei Genkai!
And it wasn't just any Kekkei Genkai—it was the Mangekyō Sharingan!
If this theory proved successful, what about Wood Release? Could it also be weaponized?
If it could, wouldn't that mean he had essentially gained control over the power of Wood Release?
"What do you need?"
Orochimaru licked the corner of his lips and got straight to the point. "Test subjects? Equipment? Or something else?"
"I need samples and materials!"
Kagetsu sensed Orochimaru's rising interest and stated his request without hesitation.
"Since you've come to me and want me to join your research, what do you need me to do?"
Orochimaru had no strong attachment to leading the research. What he cared about was the possibility of success.
This was Kagetsu's research. Over the years, they had developed a mutual understanding—Orochimaru never interfered unless necessary. If something piqued his interest, he would even lend a hand.
However, there were few occasions where something interested him enough to make him set aside his own work and get involved.
One such case was the Hōgyoku. Kagetsu had come to him for assistance, and after understanding his concept and reviewing the research data, Orochimaru had decided to participate.
Now, Kagetsu looked just like he had back then—his research didn't necessarily require Orochimaru, but there were certainly areas where Orochimaru could help.
"I need Sharingan. Preferably in large quantities. The stronger the ocular power, the better!"
Kagetsu stated his request bluntly.
Hearing this, Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.
"That's quite the bold request. Saying something like that in front of Shisui… is that really okay?"
Shisui, whose eyes were still covered by bandages, tensed up as he listened to their conversation. He could sense a dangerous atmosphere between them.
"Orochimaru-sensei, I think you've misunderstood," Kagetsu quickly noticed the dangerous glint in Orochimaru's eyes and realized that his words might have been misinterpreted.
"Do you not need me to arrange for some Uchiha jōnin to undertake dangerous missions so we can retrieve their eyes afterward?"
Orochimaru spoke his thoughts openly, completely disregarding Shisui's presence.
"Although it's a bit unfortunate for the Uchiha, they probably wouldn't mind making such a sacrifice if it means restoring Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan, would they?"
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