First Encounter with Orochimaru

Chapter 35 First Encounter with Orochimaru

Yu Nu Zhiyi has been staying at Gen's base these days.

This was at Danzo Shimura's request, because he had contacted Orochimaru, who would be visiting Root soon.

"Orochimaru is coming? Great! I've known Orochimaru for a long time."

Shiki Aburame was very interested in Orochimaru's Reanimation Jutsu and the Eight-Tails' horns.

Get ready to amass a fortune, Old Deng!

You Nu Zhiyi was very self-aware; he was confident that he could succeed even without the Primal Gu.

But Shiki Aburame was also aware of his shortcomings.

That is, his understanding and experience with ninjutsu are insufficient; he still lacks far too much knowledge.

After all, he hasn't been in the ninja world for very long, so he can't compare to ninjas who have been around for ten or even decades, especially Orochimaru. This is a lack of experience.

The development of the Poisonous Venom Technique was made possible by parasitic worms and Hashirama cells; otherwise, the Poisonous Venom Technique alone would not have been sufficient, and its power would not have reached its current level.

But now there is an opportunity to make up for this shortcoming.

I believe Orochimaru would be very happy to train him, or rather, Orochimaru is quite willing to train his juniors.

The prerequisite is that you have the potential to catch Orochimaru's eye.

Indeed, choosing Danzo as my master was the right decision; the platform Danzo provided was truly excellent.

This meeting with Orochimaru is an opportunity.

While Aburame Shiki was cultivating the parasitic insects, Shimura Danzo walked in.

Watching Aburame Shizuki cultivate the insects with precious equipment, he didn't react much, calmly saying:

"Orochimaru is here. Come with me to see Orochimaru."

"That's wonderful! I've admired Lord Orochimaru for a long time."

Danzo Shimura glanced at his disciple.

"You really are someone who says one thing to one person and another to another. You said you admired me before, and now you say you admire Orochimaru. Who knows who you'll admire in the future?"

"Let's go."

Danzo Shimura led Shizuki Aburame deeper into the root layer.

"Orochimaru, how's this Wood Release test subject? Will the Wood Release transplantation experiment be successful?"

Danzo gave a soft hum, his face calm.

Orochimaru stopped using his experimental tools and gently shook his head.

"Although the interstitial cells have entered a dormant state, this only indicates that the experimental subject is temporarily safe, not that the experiment has been successful. If you are hoping to achieve the desired effect using phosphorus worms, you will likely be disappointed."

Orochimaru glanced at Shizuka Aburame, who was following behind Danzo Shimura.

Aburame Shiki returned Orochimaru's smile.

"Interesting. You are Shizuka Aburame. You are able to control the Phosphate Bugs to suppress the Hashirama cells without doing anything else. That's a truly powerful talent."

"Lord Orochimaru, you flatter me. Compared to you, I still have much to learn."

"Oh?"

Orochimaru keenly discerned the hidden meaning in Aburame Shiatsu's words.

He wants to learn from me, which is worth cultivating. He's also very interested in having a nanoscale assistant.

Danzo Shimura, uninterested in Orochimaru and Shiitsu Aburame's conversation, interrupted them, asking, "Could the Phosphorus-Destroying Insects have enabled the Wood Release transplantation experiment to succeed?"

"Using phosphorus-depleting insects to suppress interstitial cells is indeed an idea."

"But the First Generation cells have an extraordinary vitality, symbolizing the First Generation's terrifying Yang Release. It is already difficult to suppress the Hashirama cells into a dormant state using Phosphorous Damage Insects."

"If you want to use Wood Release effectively, the best way is to use Yin Release, which is its equivalent."

"The term 'phosphorus-damaged insect' is barely acceptable."

A thoughtful expression appeared on Shimura Danzo's face.

"To transplant Hashirama cells, you still need the Sharingan."

Upon hearing this, Shiki Aburame immediately spoke up: "Master Danzo, Lord Orochimaru, using Phosphorous Beasts to suppress Hashirama's cells is indeed a temporary measure, but that doesn't mean it's worthless."

Aburame Shiki felt it was necessary for him to demonstrate his value.

"Oh, what are your thoughts, Shiichi-kun?"

Orochimaru's words carried a hint of inquiry; he certainly knew the value of completely controlled nanoscale insects like the Phosphorus-Destroying Worms.

Nanoscale insects are simply the best experimental assistants, enabling some experiments to be forced to succeed.

It can even suppress the backlash from interstitial cells, let alone other human experiments.

Shimura Danzo also looked at his disciple, waiting for an explanation.

"Danzo-sensei, Orochimaru-sama, your research focuses on the perfect transplantation of Hashirama cells to recreate Wood Release."

Danzo Shimura and Orochimaru nodded. This was, of course, their research direction, and if successful, they would use it on themselves.

Or rather, it was in order to successfully transplant Hashirama's cells that they used Wood Release, which led to the Wood Release transplantation experiment.

"Since this direction is unlikely to succeed, it's better to switch to another direction and cut your losses in time."

"Continue," Shimura Danzo said, listening to his disciple's words. He felt they made sense; after so much effort, only one Tenzo had succeeded.

His Wood Release technique simply did not meet Danzo Shimura's standards.

Is this what you call Wood Release? This doesn't even deserve to be called Wood Release! Where's the Wood Dragon? Where's the Wood Man?

"My phosphorus worms can suppress intercolumnar cells, significantly improving the success rate of intercolumnar cell transplantation experiments."

"It can increase the success rate, but once the Hashirama cells in their bodies backfire, they will still fail. You've just prolonged the time before they fail."

"The important thing is that they successfully transplanted Wood Release techniques; it was a success no matter what. There's still a long period of controllable time."

"Like this."

Aburame Shiki released some parasitic insects, causing them to attack each other.

"This is the normal state, then... use intercolumnar cells."

The parasites instantly went berserk, and the battle became exceptionally fierce.

Orochimaru watched this scene with interest. "Does Shiichi mean to abandon the perfect transplant and instead pursue a one-time burst of power?"

"Lord Orochimaru is very perceptive. Without the corresponding Yin Release, the Wood Release transplantation experiment would be difficult to succeed. It would be better to strengthen our strength first."

Aburame Shiki said, "Disposable wood-style weapons, if we plan and arrange them properly, I believe they can unleash considerable power before they die."

"You want to use them as disposable weapons, that's one direction."

Danzo Shimura fell into deep thought. He still wanted to perfectly transplant Hashirama's cells, even if he couldn't reach the level of the First Hokage, he would accept the level of Tenzo.

But the ninja world is not peaceful now. The intelligence sent by Root spies who have infiltrated other ninja villages makes him, the dark one of the ninja world, who is immersed in darkness, very uneasy.

"Let's try it first. If it goes smoothly, we can continue, but the key is still to perfectly transplant the interstitial cells."

Danzo Shimura agreed to Shiitsu Aburame's suggestion, but he was still somewhat unwilling about the Hashirama cells.

"Next, we'll need Shiki's cooperation."

"Don't worry, Lord Orochimaru, I will do my best."

(End of this chapter)