Chapter 182: Become a Villain! Uchiha Tsukasa!
"Very good!"
In a dark corner, Orochimaru's lips curled into a cold smile.
Now, everything was going according to plan.
Tsunade had indeed misunderstood Tsukasa.
Next, he would continue to use this hastily fabricated lie to manipulate Tsunade!
How could he possibly bear to let Tsukasa die? Besides, it wasn't Orochimaru's doing that Tsukasa only had two years left to live—
It was purely the boy's own reckless actions!
He, Orochimaru, was the one who wanted to save this disciple!
Orochimaru stared intently at Tsunade, probing:
"If he continues to use this forbidden super-speed regeneration technique, will the time be shortened?"
Tsunade frowned, coldly interrupting:
"Orochimaru, are you playing dumb?"
"This super-speed regeneration ability has already exhausted this brat's life force for his next lifetime!"
"Under normal circumstances, he should be dead already."
"But this body you modified has sealed away the last thread of life within him. The super-speed regeneration he's using now is being compensated by the artificial Tailed Beast you implanted in him, isn't it?"
"How audacious—using such forbidden techniques and power to create such a monstrous body!"
"Orochimaru, you—"
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, ignoring Tsunade's accusations, and continued:
"I don't have time to listen to your accusations right now!"
"Tsunade, you must understand—this is all for Konoha!"
"You don't want the village your grandfather founded to be destroyed, do you?"
Orochimaru paused, then asked:
"So you mean his immortality created an insurmountable 'death threshold'—a barrier that can only be broken when his body's cells reach the end of their lifespan?"
Tsunade frowned, looking at Orochimaru with surprise.
"Isn't that obvious?"
Hearing this, Tsukasa suddenly understood. No wonder he hadn't died yet despite using the forbidden technique Corpse Modification, which drained his life force.
The principle was here.
This immediately reminded him of when he'd stormed the Land of Hot Water, before infiltrating the Jashin Cult's fortress and diving into the underground cavern.
Shinnō, the leader of the Sky Ninja, had said he only had three to seven years left to live.
Later, to deal with Suigetsu and Hayate Gekkō, he'd recklessly used the technique again—
It must have been then that his life was supposed to end.
And it was precisely at that time that he'd obtained the Jashin Cult's 'immortality.'
Therefore, he was currently in a Schrödinger's cat-like state of death—
Seemingly dead yet not quite dead. No natural life force could be detected in his body, but what remained was the artificial life force generated by the forbidden technique of Corpse Modification.
This meager life force was like a candle flickering in the wind, only enough to sustain him for two years!
Now that this was clear, a deadline had been set for him:
Either he fought through the Third Shinobi World War within two years, gathering the power to overturn everything—
Or he succeeded in his insurance fraud and returned home safely.
Returning home safely required ensuring that the plot after his death didn't become worse than the original story—and achieving this depended entirely on luck.
Because the current plot had completely collapsed, the future couldn't follow the original storyline.
With only two years, failing to guide the course of shinobi history and correct the protagonist's growth was unreliable. What if an Akatsuki-aligned Naruto or a Konoha-aligned Sasuke suddenly appeared later?
That would be a disaster!
Therefore, he must fight!
There was no time left to stay in the village and play political games with the Third Hokage and Danzō about who would control Konoha's second jinchūriki.
He had to leave the village, fight, and challenge powerful enemies!
He had to relentlessly pursue his death-defying path!
He had to court death!
Realizing this, Tsukasa felt a sudden surge of restlessness, wishing he could immediately get out of bed and do some exercises to ease his anxiety.
At that moment, Orochimaru pondered for a moment, then spoke hoarsely to Tsunade:
"Tsunade—"
"I need your help!"
"The Third Shinobi World War won't end in two years. Within two years, we must find a way to prolong this brat's life so he can continue fighting as Konoha's weapon until the war ends!"
He paused, then said earnestly in a deep voice:
"With my skills and your medical expertise, as long as we open that forbidden door, we'll definitely find a way!"
"After all, it's all for Konoha."
Hearing this, Tsunade's expression suddenly changed. She looked at Orochimaru with shock and anger, and shouted:
"Are you... going to conduct that experiment again?!"
"Orochimaru!"
A sense of absurdity suddenly rose in her heart.
Of course, she knew what Orochimaru was talking about—
The Wood Release experiment, or more precisely, the study of her deceased grandfather Hashirama Senju's cells, in an attempt to create a second Wood Release user in Konoha!
Now, Orochimaru's words essentially meant asking her to help him desecrate her grandfather's remains for research!
Orochimaru said nothing, which meant he tacitly agreed.
Tsunade gave Orochimaru a deep look, her chest heaving, before coldly warning:
"Orochimaru!"
"I advise you to abandon this insane act!"
"The old man has already stopped this research! You're walking on a minefield—one wrong step and you'll fall into an abyss."
She swept past Orochimaru in her green haori, her high-heeled sandals clicking angrily beneath her dark blue pants.
"You'd better watch yourself!"
She concluded with a final word of advice.
BANG!
Tsunade slammed the door as she left.
Gazing at the closed door, Tsukasa glanced at Orochimaru's gloomy face, shook his head, and advised:
"Those were your most trusted comrades, weren't they?"
"Actually, there was no need to go to such lengths for me."
"Orochimaru-sensei."
Hearing this, Orochimaru chuckled, raising his golden serpentine eyes to look at Tsukasa with a chilling gaze.
"Do you need to tell me what to do, you foolish brat?!"
A confident smile quickly spread across Orochimaru's face, his eyes full of certainty.
"The Third Hokage won't refuse. Tsunade won't refuse."
"I believe in them, because they will do what I did for you—"
"For Konoha, they will do anything."
He paused, stepped out from the shadowy corner, and walked to Tsukasa's bedside.
The afternoon sun lazily streamed through the hospital windows, illuminating them both.
Orochimaru narrowed his golden serpentine eyes, tousled Tsukasa's messy hair, lowered his head, and asked in a low, hoarse voice:
"So, Tsukasa—do you understand what you need to do?"
Tsukasa was taken aback.
What are you talking about? What should I understand?
Seeing Tsukasa's bewildered expression, Orochimaru frowned.
"Are you an idiot?!"
"You need to engrave every single word of the lie I just fabricated into your heart."
"Because that will become your truth!"
Tsukasa scratched his head in realization.
Orochimaru-sensei must have his reasons for doing this!
Orochimaru shook his head, deciding to be more explicit.
"Even the Zero-Tails is still a Tailed Beast. Konoha won't send you to the battlefield unless absolutely necessary."
"Therefore, you need a lie like this!"
"Your days are numbered—keeping you in the village is wasteful. Sending you to the most dangerous battlefields to achieve the greatest results is the best option for Konoha!"
"This is how you'll convince the higher-ups to let you leave the village!"
Orochimaru's face revealed a mischievous smile as he looked at Tsukasa with amusement.
"For this, my disciple—"
"You must hide your integrity and kindness. Hide your unwavering 'Will of Fire' that allows you to sacrifice yourself for others!"
"You must become a villain!"
"You must become a shameless, power-hungry person who made a devilish bargain with me—"
"An Evil Uchiha!"
End of Chapter 182
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