chapter 99 part 3
Han sneered, "What, are you planning to kill me? You don't have to; how about I commit suicide right now and chop off my own head to show you? I'd like to see how you explain that to the Village—the magnificent Third Tsuchikage who made the Village lose all its Tailed Beasts in one fell swoop!"
Onoki's mind exploded.
Honestly, whether Roshi lived or died, he didn't care that much. But Roshi died, and the Four-Tails couldn't die! Ten Roshi couldn't compare to one Four-Tails! Now, the Four-Tails was gone, and who knew when such an abomination of a Tailed Beast would revive.
Bang! Han's massive figure smashed directly through the main door and strode away. They had completely fallen out, leaving Onoki no face at all.
But then again, the relationship between Onoki and both Roshi and Han was extremely poor.
Kitsuchi, standing nearby, scratched his head. "This makes the situation even more complicated. Lord Han wouldn't defect, would he? You pushed him too hard."
"Hmph, defection should be out of the question." Onoki's confidence wavered.
If Han ran off with the Five-Tails, then Iwagakure would have to live with its tail between its legs. Relying solely on him, a Kage Level Ninja, for support... and Kitsuchi? He was still lacking at the moment, ultimately not having mastered Dust Release, and thus lacking its terrifying destructive power to erase everything.
"Then our top priority now is to wait for the Four-Tails to revive. But no one knows how long a Tailed Beast takes to revive after death, or where it will revive. If it revives in the place it died, that would be within the Land of Fire..."
"Hmph, if that's the case, I'll personally go out. I'll reclaim the Four-Tails even if it means waging a full-scale war!" Onoki's eyes gleamed with ferocity. He would absolutely not allow the Hidden Leaf Village to get their hands on the Four-Tails! For now, Iwagakure would have to lie low for a few years, trying not to provoke war. They had to be wary not just of the Hidden Leaf Village, but also of Kumogakure, their ancient enemy.
However, Intel brought back by Spies indicated that Kumogakure was also having a tough time. Having also lost their Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, just containing the Eight-Tails had already consumed too much manpower and resources.
From that moment on, the Shinobi World's situation suddenly stabilized. The various Hidden Villages no longer undertook any particularly eye-catching major operations; instead, spy activities became more frequent than ever before, and intelligence warfare became the mainstream form of war.
For Tsukasa Kaede, this was an excellent environment. He hoped this situation would last for several more years.
Inside the laboratory, Tsukasa Kaede had already met with Orochimaru. The two had officially received authorization from the Village to begin research on Hashirama's Cells.
"So these are the First Hokage's Cells..." Orochimaru couldn't help but stick out his tongue and lick the sealed container before him.
"Lord Orochimaru, you'd best be careful. I can't guarantee that Cells won't penetrate the surface and infect you."
The Anbu Ninja responsible for transporting Hashirama's Cells spoke with a cold voice, his eyes behind his mask carefully observing Orochimaru's state, ready to cut off Orochimaru's tongue at any moment.
He was serious. Even a research genius like Orochimaru lacked sufficient understanding of Hashirama's Cells; this was a secret only a Hokage could access.
As for why he, an Anbu, could escort something so sensitive and important... it was certainly because he was the Third Hokage's son, with no possibility of betrayal.
"Heh, I know. You're as cautious as ever. Don't worry, I don't want to be assimilated into a tree by the First Hokage's Cells, even though I'm very interested in Wood Release."
Orochimaru retracted his tongue, his raspy voice filled with extreme excitement. "Tsukasa-kun, it seems we've finally gotten our hands on what we've been longing for."
Tsukasa Kaede nodded calmly. "Yes, it's a phased step forward, but this is just the beginning. We need to research these Cells quickly. The Senju Clan has prepared for the transplantation of these Cells; we can't keep them waiting too long."
"Hehehe, Tsukasa-kun, ever so calm... Aren't you afraid our research will fail? That would surely enrage the Senju Clan."
"It's not important. This was Toka Senju's decision. As far as I know, she's probably keeping this from Lady Tsunade, right? Deaths are inevitable. All we can do is minimize losses and produce results that will silence any objections," Tsukasa Kaede said.
Orochimaru said no more. Even with Tsukasa Kaede's assistance, he felt that perfectly utilizing Hashirama's Cells would be an extremely difficult task... But that's what made it interesting; a smooth sailing process would be boring.
The Anbu Ninja said coldly, "Then, the handover is complete. How you conduct your research is none of my concern. I will guard you outside the laboratory with an Anbu squad. If you have any needs, you can call me."
With that, he vanished from the spot, squatting on the nearest large tree, watching the laboratory.
"Then let's start quickly. First, we need to confirm the characteristics of the First Hokage's Cells..."
Orochimaru was already impatient to begin. To his surprise, Tsukasa Kaede displayed an unexpected calmness, as if the person who used to be so enthusiastic about human experimentation had suddenly disappeared.
"Hehehe, is it because of Hidan? With such an excellent disciple, are you less concerned about acquiring other high-quality corpses? Even corpses that might master Wood Release?"
"No, that's not the reason. The more high-quality corpses, the better, of course. I was just thinking that I could try telling you some things in advance, because I certainly can't hide them from you... I'm actually very interested in the Uchiha Clan's power," Tsukasa Kaede said slowly.
"...Izanagi? Your interest in the Uchiha Clan doesn't surprise me, because Danzo has also long coveted the power of these two Clans, attempting to fuse their two Kekkei Genkai to achieve a more potent effect. He seems to possess special Intel and believes it can certainly be achieved. What about you, Tsukasa-kun?"
Orochimaru chuckled deeply. He enjoyed seeing Tsukasa Kaede reveal his objectives, as it meant he was gaining more Intel on Tsukasa Kaede.
Tsukasa Kaede said, "Some special things have happened. You'll know in the future; there's no need to tell you now. I help you, you help me; it's perfectly logical."
"Logical, very logical. We are the best partners in this world, wouldn't you say?" Orochimaru's dangerous slit pupils reflected Tsukasa Kaede's image.
"As long as we keep producing new results, then yes," Tsukasa Kaede replied.
"Heh, how pragmatic. But you're right, we're simply fulfilling each other's needs."
Orochimaru said hoarsely, "Then let's begin the research; I can't wait... Once I help Tsukasa-kun get what he wants, it will be Tsukasa-kun's turn to help me. I'm very much looking forward to the Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu."
For the next few weeks, Orochimaru and Tsukasa Kaede dedicated their time to researching Hashirama's Cells.
Even with prior psychological preparation, the terrifying invasiveness displayed by Hashirama's Cells once they began working with them far exceeded expectations. Any type of cell that came into contact with Hashirama's Cells suffered the most brutal attacks and absorption.