Chapter 26: Creating Momentum

Three days later, in the Hokage's office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi carefully perused the document in his hands, his eyes narrowing slightly. Even though the Third had long held a high estimation of Orochimaru’s abilities, he hadn't anticipated that Orochimaru could reach such heights—standing alone against the Leaf’s strongest clan of ocular jutsu masters.

Hiruzen removed the pipe from his lips and exhaled a long breath. Passing the intelligence report to Jiraiya, who stood nearby, he asked, "Jiraiya, with your strength, could you accomplish something like this?"

Jiraiya, holding an infant in one arm, took the file with the other and scanned it quickly. With a smile, he replied, "I’m confident I could fight Orochimaru to a draw, but to defeat an entire shinobi clan as he did? That’s beyond me. His ninjutsu and combat style are even better suited for large-scale battles than mine."

When it came to wreaking havoc among groups of ninja, Jiraiya glanced at the small Naruto nestled in his arms, a touch of melancholy in his expression. "Truth be told, Minato was the true master of such warfare. His efficiency in killing outstripped even Orochimaru’s."

The mention of the recently fallen Fourth Hokage brought a hush between them. Minato’s ascent to the Hokage’s seat was inseparable from his exploits in the Third Great Ninja War. "The Yellow Flash" was a title revered in the Leaf, but to their enemies, it was the stuff of nightmares. His peerless speed, exceptional dynamic vision, and reflexes meant that mid-ranking ninja stood no chance against him. Where Orochimaru overwhelmed opponents with sheer might, Minato danced on the knife’s edge with a completely different style.

As a ninja, Hiruzen admired Minato’s way of fighting even more. Yet he also knew that the First Hokage—hailed as the "God of Shinobi"—and his nemesis, Madara Uchiha, both fought with overwhelming, sweeping force. Now, Orochimaru showed signs of developing in that same direction.

With a slight sigh, the Third shifted the conversation back to Orochimaru. "Orochimaru helped the Uchiha improve their barrier techniques. He must be preparing them to face the jinchuriki of the Hidden Cloud."

"That seems likely. Orochimaru really put in the effort this time—he didn’t hold anything back," Jiraiya said, thinking ahead to the coming battles. "Any news from the front lines? Will the Cloud truly wage war? They suffered heavy losses in the last war."

The Third shook his head. "Though the Stone killed the Third Raikage by attrition, the new Raikage and both jinchuriki have come into their own. The Hidden Cloud’s top brass are not to be underestimated."

"There are factions in the Cloud who oppose war, but the Fourth Raikage is determined to launch it, and he has the full support of both jinchuriki. Unlike us in the Leaf, the Raikage wields highly centralized power. It won’t take long for dissenting voices to be silenced."

Among the five great villages, the Leaf was the strongest, but this very strength bred many factions. The Hokage and his ANBU were merely the largest among them. The Uchiha and the Root were self-explanatory, but others, such as the Hyuga and the alliance of the Ino, Shika, and Cho clans, each had their own interests.

The Hyuga, in particular, were the most "united" family in the Leaf, largely due to the corrupting influence of the Caged Bird Seal.

It was fortunate, in fact, that the main branch of the Hyuga had been so weakened by the power granted them through the Caged Bird Seal; for generations, no truly outstanding individuals had emerged. Otherwise, the village’s power struggles would be far more chaotic.

"In any case, we must prepare for the Cloud’s aggression as soon as possible," Hiruzen ordered, summoning his aide. "Spread this intelligence at the right moment."

The aide quickly skimmed the report and, pausing only a moment, bowed deeply. "Yes, sir!"

As the aide’s figure disappeared, the Third Hokage reflected, "With this information, the villagers’ fear of the Uchiha should diminish considerably. But… Orochimaru’s reputation will only grow."

Unable to discern Orochimaru’s true intentions, the Third felt a vague unease.

"I can only hope that, as he claims, he bears the village no ill will."

…

In the underground laboratory, the chandelier blazed at its highest setting, driving back the cold gloom a little.

Orochimaru retrieved a petri dish from the cabinet and placed it under a microscope, scrutinizing the cellular changes within.

This petri dish contained a mixture of First Hokage cells, cells from Jinjo Uchiha, and those of Yamato, acting as a stabilizer—an ideal setup to study the Uchiha clan’s resistance to the First's cells.

"So far, things remain stable. With Yamato's cells acting as a buffer, the First’s cells remain dormant," Orochimaru muttered, licking his lips. Jinjo Uchiha was an elite jonin, ranking among the best in the police force. The fact that his cells, even when mixed with Yamato's and the First's, could maintain equilibrium gave Orochimaru high hopes for today's experiments.

Perhaps today he could develop an even more potent genetic serum.

He logged his observations and continued methodically with the experiment.

But when the nutrient solution was introduced, the First’s cells once again showed overwhelming aggression. Not only did they assimilate Yamato’s cells, but Jinjo Uchiha’s cells, too, offered no resistance, behaving like any ordinary human’s.

Just as before, the experiment failed at the same critical stage.

"Where is the problem?" Orochimaru discarded the petri dish and fell into deep thought.

The results were utterly at odds with what the Lamp God had told him; the Uchiha’s cells showed none of the expected resistance.

Was the Lamp God wrong, or was his methodology at fault?

"The Uchiha clan is supposed to suppress the First’s cells—so the Lamp God claims. But how do they differ from ordinary people?"

Orochimaru’s eyes widened slightly. "It’s the Sharingan!"

With this realization, he frowned. "But in the end, the Sharingan is merely a kind of ocular kekkei genkai. Bloodline limits are rooted in cells, in genetics. There’s no reason the chakra in their cells would differ from the chakra in their eyes."

"No, perhaps they really are different…"

Orochimaru recalled every time an Uchiha awakened the Sharingan. There was always a moment when their eyes shifted from their normal black to crimson red, but that state could not be maintained indefinitely; soon, the eyes would revert to normal.

"So, perhaps the Sharingan is actually an unstable kekkei genkai?"

Orochimaru himself lacked any ocular bloodline, so he could only speculate based on logic and his own bloodline research. At least in all his records, no other bloodline ninja needed to enter a 'burst' state to activate their kekkei genkai.

"Then what would constitute a stable state for the Sharingan kekkei genkai? The Mangekyo Sharingan?"

Orochimaru shook his head. He had never seen Shisui’s with his own eyes, but by every account, even the Mangekyo was not the final form of the Uchiha bloodline. A true kekkei genkai ought to be permanent once awakened, never regressing.

"It seems, if I want to test the Uchiha clan’s resistance to the First’s cells, I’ll have to conduct human trials directly on them," Orochimaru said, licking his lips. For the moment, that prospect seemed rather difficult.

Suddenly, there was a puff of white smoke.

Orochimaru turned his gaze. A viper, summoned in reverse, slithered up to him and spat out a scroll.