Naruto Dream Fulfillment Master

Page 209

Orochimaru opened his mouth, a hoarse sound escaping his throat: "This is truly the first time I've ever heard of this..."

"What are you pretending for at a time like this?!"

Seeing this, Mitokado Homura snorted coldly, unmoved in the slightest.

"We all saw it in Danzo's dream the day before yesterday," he accused sharply, his gaze like a knife. "You personally traded this monster with Danzo! Who else could it be but you?!"

Mitokado Homura bluntly revealed what he had witnessed during the movie screening the day before yesterday—in Danzo's dream last night, Orochimaru personally led a White Zetsu to make a shady deal with Danzo.

Furthermore, Orochimaru gave Danzo a detailed explanation of the White Zetsu's abilities!

All the viewers saw this scene clearly.

"Wha...what?!"

Orochimaru's mind was in complete chaos, feeling that things were developing in a way that was far beyond his imagination.

[Ding! Orochimaru's emotional fluctuations have been detected! Emotional value +1000!]

Orochimaru was plunged into deep self-doubt.

Could it be that... somewhere, at some unknown time, he really created that white monster?

Could this really be his research findings?

impossible!

How could Orochimaru, a man of such stature, be completely unaware of his own "research findings"?!

Chapter 182 Danzo has his eye on the Rinnegan, is that right?

on the screen.

The base was in complete disarray.

Several Root ninjas were cleaning up the scene, with the bodies of several ninjas wearing headbands lying on the ground, a rather horrifying sight.

The commotion attracted quite a few people.

The leader was Hiruzen Sarutobi.

He glanced around at the chaotic scene, and his heart sank: "The experiment failed?"

As he spoke, he stared intently at Orochimaru, the experiment's host.

Orochimaru dusted off his white lab coat, shook his head helplessly, and his golden eyes appeared particularly cold in the dim light: "Yes! They all failed!"

Upon hearing this answer, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression changed drastically.

He strode forward two steps, his voice suddenly rising: "What about the ninjas who participated in the experiment? Were they seriously injured?"

He remembered that those who volunteered to participate in the experiment were all elite ninjas from the village. He thought they would only suffer minor injuries at most, but he did not expect the experiment to cause such a big commotion.

Orochimaru's eyes were icy, and his voice remained terrifyingly calm: "Their strength was too weak to withstand the power of Hashirama's cells! They died."

These few words, though brief, are like sharp blades piercing the heart.

"They're all dead?!" Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a buzzing in his head, his pupils contracted sharply, and he stared at Orochimaru in disbelief.

“That’s right!” Orochimaru nodded in confirmation, his expression still indifferent.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood frozen in place, his mind blank.

Not far from his feet, the arm of a sacrificed ninja hung limply on the ground. Where it should have been an arm, there was now a charred tree branch—the wood shavings produced in the experiment.

His Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and he felt a tightness and pain in his chest.

After a moment of silence, Hiruzen Sarutobi lowered his head, his fists clenching involuntarily. He was both heartbroken by the sacrifice of these Konoha ninjas and shocked by Orochimaru's indifference towards it.

Danzo stood quietly in the shadows, leaning on his cane with one hand. His single eye, hidden under bandages, was slightly narrowed, and a hint of mockery flashed in its depths.

He looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi's shocked and angry expression, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

Hmph, that old bastard Hiruzen Sarutobi wants to obtain the Wood Release power of the First Hokage, but he's too proud to risk failure and infamy!

Now that someone has died, who are you trying to impress with this act of shock and remorse?

Danzo inwardly scoffed, but outwardly remained calm, merely shaking his head slightly.

Looking back at this past event, his assessment of Sarutobi can be summed up in just four words: indecisive!

Hesitant and timid, does this kind of person deserve to sit in the position of Hokage?

Danzo's gaze was icy, and he sneered inwardly.

Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi was lost in thought, Orochimaru, who had been observing his expression, suddenly licked his lips, revealing an excited yet strange smile, breaking the silence: "However—"

A fanatical glint flashed in his vertical pupils. "The experiment wasn't entirely fruitless. I discovered that the younger the test subject, the higher the compatibility with the interstitial cells. If we use children for the experiments, the progress might be much faster!"

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up abruptly as if struck by lightning, staring at Orochimaru in disbelief: "You still want to use children for experiments?!"

His voice changed, filled with shock and anger, almost doubting whether this person was still the disciple he once valued.

Orochimaru, seemingly oblivious, spread his hands and said matter-of-factly, "This is the conclusion I've drawn from combining so much experimental data! There's absolutely no problem! Using children to test will greatly increase the success rate! Konoha will soon regain the power of Wood Release!"

His voice was low and hoarse, filled with barely suppressed excitement, as if the cold corpses before him were merely a trivial price to pay.

"Shut up!" Hiruzen Sarutobi could no longer suppress his anger and interrupted Orochimaru with a loud shout.

"This experiment must be stopped immediately!"

The thought that Orochimaru intended to harm the child sent a chill down Sarutobi's spine, and his anger intensified.

Hearing the Hokage's furious rebuke, Orochimaru's excited expression froze for a moment, then his brows furrowed deeply as he retorted unwillingly, "Old man, if we stop the research now, all those people who died before will have sacrificed themselves in vain!"

"I said stop the research!" Hiruzen Sarutobi interrupted sharply, waving his hand and glaring at Orochimaru with piercing eyes. "This is the Hokage's order!"

A short sentence, yet it carries weight and reveals absolute authority.

He immediately turned around and ordered the several secret agents behind him, "Seal off all data and samples here! From now on, this research is taboo, and no one is allowed to continue it!"

After saying that, he turned and left, clearly very angry.

Orochimaru's face was gloomy, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, but in the end he stood there without saying a word, only able to watch helplessly as the Hokage left in anger.

Seeing this, Danzo silently took a step back, a cold smile appearing on his face hidden in the darkness.

He remained silent throughout, neither agreeing with Orochimaru's suggestion nor opposing the Hokage's decision on the spot.

Jumping out at this point would only make him look foolish, and he had no intention of provoking Hiruzen Sarutobi.

……

In the audience—

The three Konoha high-ranking officials remained silent for a moment, and the atmosphere suddenly became somewhat tense.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked quite unwell, his aged face filled with guilt and regret.

He was silent for a moment, then sighed heavily and said in a hoarse voice, "It's my fault!"

It was filled with deep self-reproach.

After all, Hashirama Senju's Wood Release was incredibly powerful. In the past, the only way to subdue a Tailed Beast was with the Sharingan or Wood Release.

It was under his leadership that Konoha mobilized the entire village's resources to research and recreate the First Hokage's Wood Release techniques.

However, he never expected that this seemingly simple interstitial cell transplantation experiment would lead to such tragic sacrifices.

Seeing the Hokage's expression, Akimichi Torika frowned and quickly comforted him, "Hiruzen, don't blame yourself too much. Our higher-ups unanimously agreed to this plan to regain control of Wood Release; no one anticipated something like this would happen..."

He patted Sarutobi on the shoulder gruffly, trying to comfort his friend.

“That’s right,” Mitokado Homura pushed up his glasses and nodded slowly. “You were unaware of the situation at the time and thought it was just a routine cell transplantation experiment. Besides, regaining control of the Wood Release was a decision we all made together, not just your responsibility.”

The two advisors spoke in unison, their tone carrying a hint of comfort.

However, these words of comfort did not ease Sarutobi's mind much.

He looked up, and the image of those cold corpses in the laboratory seemed to reappear before his eyes.

He was deeply distressed and filled with regret: "At first, I thought it was just a matter of transplanting interstitial cells, and even if it failed, it wouldn't cause much harm to the participants..."

[Ding! An emotional fluctuation from Hiruzen Sarutobi has been detected! Emotional value +400!]

Everyone fell silent again.

Hiruzen Sarutobi is right.

After all, there are precedents for bloodline limit transplantation.

Eye transplants like the Sharingan and Byakugan generally do not have any particularly serious side effects.

No one expected that the consequences of transplanting Wood Release would be so severe.

Orochimaru, who had been listening quietly to their conversation, chuckled and said in a mocking tone, "Heh... how can you gain power without making sacrifices?"

He crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat, his golden eyes filled with disdain for Hiruzen Sarutobi's naivety. "How ridiculous, old man. Back then, you were the ones who couldn't wait to get the power of the First Hokage."

"Shut up, Orochimaru!" Hiruzen Sarutobi was furious upon hearing this and turned sharply to glare at Orochimaru, who was leisurely chuckling to the side.

His face turned ashen, and he slammed his fist on the armrest of his chair in anger. "Stop being sarcastic! Who else could have created that white monster with Wood Release if not you?! Besides you, who else has researched Hashirama cells?!"

Mitokado Homura was also furious, and snorted coldly in agreement: "That's right! Who else has this condition besides you? Can just anyone have the cells of the First Hokage?"

"Other villages would need certain conditions to research Wood Release!"

Faced with three pairs of hostile and questioning gazes, Orochimaru merely narrowed his eyes slightly.

He did not answer immediately, or rather, he could not find any compelling rebuttal at the moment.

The existence of White Zetsu puzzled even himself—that white humanoid monster could use Wood Release, and looked exactly like a creation of Hashirama's cells.

And in the entire ninja world, besides Orochimaru, there really wasn't another person capable of completing the research on this forbidden technique.

……

on the screen.

Inside the Wood Release laboratory, Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi stormed off, and several Anbu ninjas were ordered to clean up the scene and seal the experimental data.

The young Orochimaru stood there, stunned, his face so dark it seemed to drip water.

He gritted his teeth, watching helplessly as his research was halted, with no way to stop it.

Several medical staff began moving the bodies of the fallen. Orochimaru's eye twitched, but he ultimately said nothing more.