Naruto: I Have a Gravity Training Room-Chapter 461 - 459

Orochimaru truly deserved the title of the shinobi world's greatest scientist. As long as he had sufficient experimental conditions, he would always produce results.

And his research into the Tenseigan clearly had already borne fruit.

As for how far along things were now, only the higher-ups knew. After all, the leadership had been supervising Orochimaru the whole time, and they would visit the lab periodically to check in person.

Orochimaru was also very cooperative. With the current conditions, he was more than satisfied. He had no reason to stir up trouble.

Which was good. It saved everyone a headache.

The hanami didn't last long. Everyone adjusted their mood, eased the fatigue and anxiety brought on by nonstop work, and felt noticeably better.

When it seemed about time, the group began to disperse.

Natsuki used Hiraishin (Flying Thunder God) to send Tenten and his father-in-law back to the hospital, then blinked back to the Hokage's office.

But since Orochimaru had come up, Natsuki figured he should go take a look. He left three Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clones) behind, and in the next instant he flashed into the lab.

Orochimaru, in the middle of an experiment, raised his head. His smile carried that familiar rasp. "Natsuki-kun, what brings you here? If I recall, the Five Kage inspected the place not long ago. Don't tell me you found out I'm doing something evil?"

Natsuki found a spot and sat down. "Have you been doing something evil lately?"

Orochimaru shook his head. "No time."

"Then there you go."

Natsuki glanced toward the giant Tenseigan nearby. "A bunch of us went to see the cherry blossoms today. We saw Hanabi has already figured out some of the Tenseigan's tricks, so I came to see your results."

So that was it.

Orochimaru looked enlightened. He didn't hide anything. He simply pointed to his own forehead.

Natsuki frowned, confused.

In the next second, a vertical slit opened on Orochimaru's forehead.

A third eye.

And it was a Byakugan.

Worse, the Byakugan began to shift, the color changing bit by bit until it turned blue.

Orochimaru raised a hand. A burst of attraction yanked a chair into the air, then a burst of repulsion blasted it away.

Natsuki lifted an eyebrow. "You implanted a Byakugan into yourself, and you even evolved it into a Tenseigan. You've got guts. And you actually succeeded."

Orochimaru closed the vertical eye again and smiled. "It's nothing special. The Byakugan is different from the Sharingan. It doesn't reject non-Ōtsutsuki bloodlines. And I'm using a White Zetsu body right now, so my compatibility with special eyes is extremely high. Besides, this Byakugan is the eye I had Naruto-kun create for Toneri using Yōton (Yang Release). It also has the potential to evolve into a Tenseigan. As long as I absorb more ocular power from the giant Tenseigan, success is inevitable."

Natsuki laughed without restraint. "Hah. Karma. The heavens don't answer prayers, but they sure do keep receipts."

He couldn't help wondering whether Toneri regretted his past choices now. Living like this was probably worse than dying.

Still, Natsuki was curious about Orochimaru's current level. "So what's your strength now? Can you ascend to Six Paths level?"

Orochimaru shook his head. "I'm not an Ōtsutsuki bloodline. I can only draw out a portion of the Tenseigan's power, enough to reach beyond Kage-level. Stepping into Six Paths territory would be extraordinarily difficult. However… if I use Fushi Tensei (Living Corpse Reincarnation) on the test subject, then I certainly could."

Oh?

Now that was an idea.

Compared to a White Zetsu body, Toneri's body was obviously superior.

If Orochimaru could seize that body, he would gain Ōtsutsuki blood. Then, with a Tenseigan installed, reaching Six Paths in the future would be entirely plausible. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Natsuki didn't object. A test subject was a test subject. Orochimaru could handle it however he liked, as long as he didn't waste the materials.

What Natsuki cared about was something else. "Orochimaru. If you take Toneri's body and successfully step into the Six Paths realm, what do you plan to do? Break free of confinement and become independent again?"

Orochimaru didn't hesitate. He shook his head. "Six Paths is nothing. In front of you, Natsuki-kun, it would be like an ant. Trying to run would just be asking to die. And while I'm not a good person, I've said before that if the shinobi world is destroyed, it becomes terribly boring. So I won't refuse to contribute to protecting it. More importantly, the power and immortality I seek both point toward the Ōtsutsuki. Only by cooperating with you can I possibly realize my dream, isn't that right?"

Natsuki looked at him for a long moment.

He could tell Orochimaru wasn't lying. And there was no need for him to lie.

If Orochimaru could become part of the League's strength, then he was, in fact, someone they could trust. Consider it earning his way back with merit.

After thinking it over, Natsuki said, "I'll discuss it with the higher-ups. Your idea probably won't be opposed. So don't act on your own. Use Toneri as research material until you're completely certain you don't need anything else from him. Once the leadership agrees, then you can proceed with Fushi Tensei."

"Don't worry. There's still a great deal of research waiting for me. I won't be reckless."

Orochimaru was unusually agreeable when experiments were involved. "However, I'm requesting Naruto-kun's help one more time. Have him create another eye for Toneri. I need to prepare a full pair of Tenseigan in advance. I don't want to start using it until I have both."

Natsuki didn't refuse that kind of request. "I'll report it."

Only then did Orochimaru seem satisfied, lowering his head to continue his work.

Natsuki felt a bit disappointed. It looked like Orochimaru still hadn't made any progress on that "life paper" idea. If he had, he would definitely have said so.

But Natsuki also knew he couldn't force it. He didn't linger and simply flashed away.

Elsewhere, Kakashi's team received the order and immediately began moving toward the Land of Valleys.

Since the higher-ups suspected Victor, they needed a thorough investigation. Fortunately, the members of Kakashi's squad were all extremely capable at reconnaissance, so they expected it to be easy.

In less than a day, the four-man team reached the Land of Valleys. After transforming, they quietly slipped into the town where Victor's company was located.

They first gathered information on the company, and they heard a lot of positive reviews.

Victor's company primarily handled the development and cross-border trade of medical equipment. The quality was excellent, so the profits were naturally significant. The company also hired large numbers of workers within the Land of Valleys, and the待遇 was extremely good.

So its reputation was excellent.

Every time recruitment was announced, civilians rushed to apply.

However, a small number of people had noticed something off. Some of their friends and relatives had joined the company and then… disappeared.

Unlike the employees who came and went normally, some people truly hadn't been seen again. The company's explanation was that those employees had voluntarily joined important experiments and were now living on-site. For confidentiality reasons, they were not permitted to leave, and visits were forbidden.

That explanation only made people more uneasy.

Maybe it was instinct.

But a few people vaguely sensed that some kind of threat had already woven itself into the shadows like a net.

After their preliminary investigation, Kakashi and the other three regrouped, all with grim expressions.

They had clearly sensed the problem too.

(End of Chapter)

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