Zombie Sage in Naruto

Chapter 99: Either become a tree or become a corpse!
The Third Hokage, with keen insight, remained seated, puffing on his pipe, without uttering a word.

That's right, the village's top leader once again displayed his traditional skill—watching the spectacle.

If you, the workers, have reached a consensus that you can get everything done, then go ahead and do it.

He gets a share of the credit when things go well, but he takes full responsibility when things go wrong.

"Lord Momoka, I have truly felt your powerful and resolute will, but it has not reached that point yet. The Senju clan is still strong."

Kaede Tsukasa said, "Although the preliminary work for the cell transplantation experiment has been completed and all the necessary biological knowledge has been mastered, to be honest, we are not entirely confident that we can succeed when it comes to the cells of the First Hokage."

Senju Momoka resolutely said, "I know that the cells that carry the power of Wood Release are extremely dangerous. Even just a little bit of it is enough to turn a healthy person into a tree in a very short time. But no matter how dangerous it is, it is still a way out."

Of the three great bloodline clans of Konoha, the Senju clan is in the worst situation. The awkward part is that the Senju clan doesn't seem to have any clearly visible bloodline limit, which means they don't possess a physique that surpasses that of ordinary ninjas.

However, the Uzumaki clan also possesses this life force, and they also have a special sealing technique. Not only has no one in the Senju clan inherited the Wood Release bloodline limit, but they also find it difficult to reproduce the strength of the First and Second Hokage era. Even their former glory, which once rivaled the Uchiha clan during the Warring States period, has gradually faded away.

Jiraiya still couldn't understand: "I'm sorry, Momoka-senpai, I didn't know the Senju clan's current situation was so serious. But even if what you say is true, even if we really become a second-rate ninja clan, it's not a big deal. Nothing in this world is permanent, and neither are clans. The Senju clan will still have a chance in the future—"

"No! The First and Second Generation Lords entrusted the clan to me, and I absolutely cannot allow this clan to weaken under my leadership!" Senju Momoka said sternly, this usually gentle and decisive person was now somewhat out of control.

Everyone present watched the Thousand Hands Clan Chief in silence.

"She's carrying too heavy a psychological burden... Before her, there were the First and Second Hokage, but she didn't even manage to become the Third Hokage, let alone a high-ranking position in the village. That's bad enough, but now there's a possibility that she'll be relegated to a second-rate clan, and it looks like she'll be sitting at the same table as the likes of Inuzuka and Ino-Shika-Cho."

To be fair, Hiruzen Sarutobi's appointment as the Third Hokage was well-deserved; there was nothing wrong with him in any way, and there was no question of him using any schemes or tricks to seize the position.

Konoha Village is not Kumogakure Village after all; it's impossible for four consecutive Kage to come from the same family.

Moreover, the Yoruzuki clan has produced four Raikage in a row. These four Kage have indeed possessed the qualities of a Kage in terms of personal strength and charisma, leaving no room for argument.

"The glory of our predecessors is the direction in which we strive, not the reason why we should bear undue pressure."

The Third Hokage smiled as he spoke, "We share common memories. The Senju clan is an indispensable and important part of the village, and that will never change, no matter what."

"Lord Hokage..."

Shortly after, Kaede Tsukasa and Jiraiya walked out of the Hokage Building.

"This is the first time I've seen Momoka-senpai in this state. I can hardly believe it." Jiraiya said with a complicated expression.

"Is Jiraiya-sama very familiar with her?"

"Yes, when I went to see Tsunade before, I visited her quite a few times. She is a very confident person."

“People change, and you change too.” Kaede looked up at the azure sky. “I will push forward with the human experimentation program, so don’t try to stop me. The Hokage hasn’t refused, so that means he approves.”

"What if we fail? What if many innocent comrades die?"

Kaedeji's expression was somewhat strange: "So be it. Everyone who participated in the transplant experiment should have expected this outcome. They died for the village, and also for their families and themselves... Lord Jiraiya, you can understand, right? To gain power, how much risk would a human being be willing to take?"

Jiraiya did not continue arguing; he knew he could not stop him no matter what.

He couldn't stop Senju Momoka, he couldn't stop Kaede Tsukasa, so he certainly couldn't stop Orochimaru.

Who would have thought these people would come together for a forbidden goal? If they succeed, even if only one person succeeds in the experiment and masters Wood Release, it will still be meaningful. But what if they fail…

Countless people will die tragically, becoming material for Kaede Tsukasa and Orochimaru.

"You are the ones performing the surgery, and I hope you will control the degree of it well. Stop immediately once the line is crossed! Don't let too many fanatics die at your hands."

"I understand, but it's no use telling me. At most, I'll be responsible for backing up the experiment. Orochimaru will lead the experiment, and you don't need to worry about the specific experimental process," Kaedeji said calmly.

He watched Jiraiya's departing figure, then withdrew his gaze and walked expressionlessly towards the laboratory.
Beneath her seemingly calm face lies a passionate heart.

Finally, we've reached this point. Human trials are not the goal; the goal is to obtain interstitial cells rationally and conduct a series of cultivation experiments.

Although Kaede Tsukasa no longer lacks chakra, the prerequisite is that he needs to regularly extract the life force of a batch of corpses to ensure his own vigorous vitality. There is still room for improvement.

When Kaedeji no longer needs the zombies to use the Reincarnation Technique, and can rely solely on his own body to no longer worry about chakra, then that will be enough.

“Cultivating a satisfactory body is the first step. But what kind of body would satisfy me? That requires careful consideration,” Kaedeji pondered.

Over the years, he has actually made more than one plan and even specifically marked out several different levels of physique. Now that he has the opportunity to achieve the best in one step, choosing the most perfect one for the current stage is naturally the best.

"The difficulty lies in the second step: how to get my soul into this new body. The most perfect method is extremely risky. If I'm not careful, I could really kill myself. Fortunately, I made preparations in advance."

Kaede Tsukasa was brainstorming, rapidly calculating various details in his mind.

While Kaedeji's attention was no longer on the war, the other ninja villages in the ninja world were watching closely.

The news that Hidan had killed the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, causing Iwagakure to lose the Four-Tails, quickly spread from Konoha to the entire ninja world, leaving everyone utterly astonished by this incredible achievement.

That's a tailed beast!
The death of a Jinchūriki is nothing special; Burubi and Mito Uzumaki are already dead.

What's truly rare is that even the tailed beasts died!
"Hahahaha, that old bastard Onoki must be furious right now. Under his brilliant leadership, Iwagakure lost a tailed beast, and its military potential has been greatly weakened."

"But this is truly astonishing. Iwagakure suffered such heavy losses, and the person who did this was actually Kaedeji's disciple, that Konoha ninja named Hidan, who was only 12 years old!"

"Absolutely impossible. Something else must have happened in that battle that we don't know about. For example, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki was on the verge of death, and it was Hidan who launched the final attack and successfully killed Rōshi. That's why this rumor exists."

12 years old? Killed the Four-Tails? Such an achievement would immediately lead people to judge it as fake information.

As time went on, more and more information came in, making the various ninja villages even more confused. No matter how they investigated, the only thing they could confirm was that Iwagakure should really have lost the Four-Tails. Then, according to Konoha's propaganda, Hidan and Minato killed the Four-Tails.

Okay, the information is a bit more detailed now, with the name Minato Namikaze appearing, but what does that prove? Did 12-year-old Hidan team up with 15-year-old Minato to practically kill a tailed beast?
The key point is that Iwagakure has maintained a deathly silence, making absolutely no response! Given the Third Tsuchikage Onoki's terrible temper, if the news were false, he would have already flew into a rage and refuted it, and then immediately led his troops to find an opportunity to give Konoha a good beating, further proving the falsehood of the rumor.

But Onoki didn't do that, and Iwagakure was eerily quiet in terms of public opinion, which already speaks volumes.

"What is Hidan's background? What bloodline limit does he have? What techniques does he use? How did he become Kaede Tsukasa's disciple?"

"We need to find out! Even Kaede Tsukasa himself might not have the ability to kill the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, so how did his disciple manage to do it? There's definitely something wrong here. If we don't figure it out, we might be the ones who die next time we face Hidan!"

Spies keep infiltrating the bustling Hidden Leaf Village. They can't be caught all of them, there's no way they can catch them all. Even a powerful village like Hidden Leaf Village can't possibly identify which of the merchants and tourists who come and go every day are spies.

Information about Hidan was constantly being leaked and appeared on the desks of the leaders of various ninja villages.

"What? Not a villager from Konoha, not even a citizen of the Land of Fire, but someone from the Land of Hot Springs?"

"Kaede Tsukasa only taught Hidan for a few months? That's absolutely impossible. He must have been secretly teaching Hidan for many years before finally bringing him out into the open!"

"We can't get any information about the technique. We only know that Hidan likes to use taijutsu, but how could taijutsu possibly kill the Four-Tails? Even the Third Raikage couldn't do that. Besides, the Third Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra Mode is a ninjutsu, not a pure taijutsu!"

In people's general perception, pure taijutsu? It has absolutely no future. Expecting to use this thing to fight tailed beasts is definitely falling into genjutsu. Only ninjutsu and genjutsu can fight tailed beasts.

The world still doesn't know exactly how Hidan defeated the Four-Tails.

The more information they gathered, the more mysteries surrounding Hidan became. The only speculation was that he must have learned Kaedeji's Corpse Release technique and become the second Corpse Release ninja. Otherwise, why would Kaedeji specifically take Hidan as a disciple? He must have been teaching him the Corpse Release technique.

The various ninja villages immediately issued wanted notices and offered bounties for Hidan, which quickly reached a total of 39 million, and this number is definitely not the end; it will only get higher in the future—the world still suspects that Hidan killed the Four-Tails by trickery.

Iwagakure, serving as a backdrop, suffered a major embarrassment and the most severe losses in the entire ninja world, using a tailed beast as a stepping stone for Hidan.

"A humiliating disgrace! Since the founding of the ninja villages, not only Iwagakure, but the entire ninja world has never witnessed anything like this!!"

Onoki paced furiously around the office, his face flushed red with anger and his eyes twitching wildly.

He wanted to lead Iwagakure to a new peak, but instead became a new joke. For many years to come, he will be used as a scapegoat. Whenever the tailed beasts are mentioned or studied, people will use "Iwagakure losing its Four-Tails" as a negative example to judge him.

Thinking about this made Onoki so angry that his head spun.

"Han! Why didn't you save Old Purple when he was about to be killed! You clearly had the ability to do so, even if you had gone into full tailed beast form and caused chaos everywhere, you could have given Old Purple a chance to escape."

With nowhere to vent his anger, Onoki stood with his hands behind his back, staring directly at the tall man.

"...I've already explained the cause of Lao Zi's death, haven't I? It's not that I didn't want to rescue him, but that there was simply no way to rescue him."

Han's temper was also ignited, and he said in a deep voice, "That Hidan is very strange. He can't die at all. No matter what kind of injury he suffers, he can live a healthy life! Even just gathering information about such a guy would take Old Purple an extra amount of time and effort."

"Gathering intelligence is one thing, but does that mean Old Purple was instantly killed by Hidan?"

"Hmph, in a way, that's true. Hidan used a strange technique to simultaneously copy his own injuries onto Rōshi, and then chopped off his own head at the last moment. That's the cause of Rōshi's death. Even a Jinchūriki will die if their head is removed! What could I do? What could I do in that situation?"

"You're fast, you can enter Tailed Beast form! You can escape with Old Purple!"

"You stubborn old fool, let me emphasize again, I was facing attacks from Kaedejima, Jiraiya, and Momoka Senju, and I couldn't spare a single hand! These three guys are not easy to deal with, and Kaedejima even commanded three elite Jonin and a bunch of corpses to surround me!!"

Facing a Kage-level ninja, several elite Jonin, and a whole bunch of fearless, death-filling corpses, Han felt that he had already done a very good job of holding them off on his own!
At that time, he had already entered a half-tailed beast form, teetering on the edge of losing control. He had already done his best, so how could he care about Rōshi?

"Old Purple was facing a group of young boys and girls at the time. Even the most famous Minato Namikaze couldn't hurt him in the slightest. Who would have thought he would die so casually?" Han retorted.

Onoki roared, "You bastard, how can you criticize a dead comrade, even if his death was truly shameful?"

"What makes you any better, you rigid, arrogant, and stupid Tsuchikage? You ordered the two of us to team up and invade the Land of Fire. You said that Konoha couldn't use the Tailed Beasts and that those powerful Konoha ninjas were helpless against us. We followed your orders strictly, and this is the result? It's better than you criticizing living people!"

Han cursed without any politeness, did he really think that he, the Steam Ninja Han, was some kind of easy target?
Enraged, Onoki's eyes flashed with a dangerous glint, and his hands twitched as if he were about to gather Dust Release: "How dare you defy the Tsuchikage! This is outrageous! Do you know what you're doing?"

Han sneered, "What, you're planning to kill me? You don't need to lift a finger, I'll just kill myself right now and cut off my own head. I want to see how you explain this to the village—the formidable Third Tsuchikage caused the village to lose all its Tailed Beasts in one fell swoop!"

Ohnoki was mentally devastated.

Honestly, he didn't really care that much whether Rōshi lived or died, but if Rōshi died, the Four-Tails couldn't die!
Even if ten Roshi died, they wouldn't be as good as the Four-Tails!
Now that the Four-Tails is gone, who knows when those Tailed Beasts will revive?

boom!
Han's massive figure smashed through the gate and stormed off, completely abandoning all pretense of civility and showing no respect whatsoever to Onoki.

However, both Old Purple and Han had a very bad relationship with Onoki.

Huang Tu, standing nearby, scratched his head and said, "This makes the situation even more complicated. Will Lord Han defect? ​​You've pushed him too far."

"Hmph, it's unlikely to be a defection." Onoki's voice was less confident.

If Han escapes with the Five-Tails, then Iwagakure will have to live with their tails between their legs, relying solely on him, a Kage-level ninja. As for Yotsuchi? He's still lacking; he hasn't mastered Dust Release and doesn't possess the terrifying destructive power to wipe out everything.

"Our primary task now is to wait for the Four-Tails to revive, but nobody knows how long it takes for a tailed beast to revive after it dies, or where it will revive. If it revives in the place where it died, then it'll be within the Land of Fire..."

"Hmph, if that's the case, then I will personally take action and fight a full-scale war to retrieve the Four-Tails!" Onoki's eyes flashed with a fierce light; he absolutely would not allow Konoha to obtain the Four-Tails!
As for now, Iwagakure needs to keep a low profile for a few years and try not to provoke war. They need to be wary not only of Konoha, but also of their sworn enemy, Kumogakure.

However, according to intelligence sent back by spies, life in Kumogakure seems to be very difficult as well. They have also lost the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, and just restraining the Eight-Tails has already consumed too much manpower and resources.

From that moment on, the situation in the ninja world suddenly stabilized. No more major, attention-grabbing actions were taken by the various ninja villages. Instead, espionage activities became more frequent than ever before, and intelligence warfare became the mainstream form of warfare.

This is a very good environment for Kaede Tsukasa, and he hopes that this situation can continue for a few more years.

Inside the laboratory, Kaede Tsukasa had met with Orochimaru, and the two officially received authorization from the village to begin research on Hashirama cells.

"These are the cells of the First Hokage..." Orochimaru couldn't help but stick out his tongue and lick the sealed container in front of him.

"Lord Orochimaru, you'd better be careful. I can't guarantee that no cells will penetrate to the surface and infect you."

The ANBU ninja responsible for transporting Hashirama's cells spoke coldly, his eyes beneath the mask carefully observing Orochimaru's condition, ready to cut off Orochimaru's tongue at any moment.

He was serious. Even a scientific genius like Orochimaru didn't fully understand Hashirama's cells; it was a secret that only the Hokage could access.

As for why a member of the Anbu could escort such a sensitive and important item... it must be because he is the son of the Third Hokage, so there is no possibility of him betraying him.

"Hey, I got it. You're as cautious as ever. Don't worry, I don't want to be turned into a tree by the First Hokage's cells, even though I'm very interested in Wood Release."

Orochimaru retracted his tongue, his hoarse voice filled with extreme excitement: "Kaze-kun, it seems we've finally got what we've been longing for."

Kaedeji nodded calmly: "Yes, it's a step forward, but this is just the beginning. We need to study these cells as soon as possible. The Senju clan is ready to transplant these cells, and we can't keep them waiting too long." "Hehehe, as expected of Kaedeji, so calm... Aren't you afraid our research will fail? That would enrage the Senju clan."

"It's not important. This is a decision made by Senju Momoka. As far as I know, she's probably keeping it from Tsunade-senpai, right? Deaths are inevitable. All we can do is minimize the losses and produce some results that will shut people up," Kaede Tsukasa said.

Orochimaru remained silent. Even with Kaede Tsukasa's assistance, he felt that perfectly utilizing Hashirama's cells would be extremely difficult... but that's what makes it interesting. If everything went smoothly, it would be boring.

The ANBU ninja coldly said, "Then the handover is complete. How you conduct your research is none of my business. I will lead a team of ANBU ninjas to protect you outside the laboratory. If you need anything, just call me."

After saying that, he disappeared from the spot and squatted on the nearest big tree, staring at the laboratory.

"Then let's get started quickly. First, we need to confirm the characteristics of the primary cells..."

Orochimaru was eager to take action, but to his surprise, Kaede Tsukasa showed unexpected calmness, as if the person who was once so enthusiastic about human experimentation had suddenly disappeared.

"Hehehe, is it because of Hidan? With such an excellent disciple, you're not so interested in acquiring other high-quality corpses? Even those that might have mastered Wood Release?"

“No, that’s not the reason. Of course, the more high-quality corpses the better. I’m just thinking that I might try to tell you some things in advance, because I know I can’t hide it from you… I’m actually very interested in the power of the Uchiha clan,” Kaedeji said slowly.

"...Izanagi? I'm not surprised that you've set your sights on the Uchiha clan, because Danzo has always been after the power of these two clans, trying to fuse their two bloodline limits to create an even stronger force. He seems to have some special information, and I believe he can definitely achieve this. And what about you, Kaede-kun?"

Orochimaru chuckled softly. He was pleased to see Kaedeji reveal his purpose, as it meant he had gained even more information about Kaedeji.

Kaede Tsukasa said, "Some special things happened, you'll know in the future, there's no need to tell you now. I'll help you, you'll help me, it's only fair."

“That makes sense, absolutely right. We’re the best partners in the world, aren’t we?” Orochimaru’s dangerous vertical pupils were filled with Kaede Tsukasa’s reflection.

"As long as we can continuously produce new results, then it will always be so," Kaedeji Tsukasa replied.

"Hehe, that's really realistic. But you're right, we're just getting what we need."

Orochimaru said hoarsely, "Then let's begin the research. I can't wait... Once I've helped Kaede-kun get what he wants, it'll be Kaede-kun's turn to help me. I'm really looking forward to the Reincarnation Technique."

For the next few weeks, Orochimaru and Kaede Tsukasa devoted their time to studying Hashirama cells.

Even though I was mentally prepared, the terrifying corrosiveness of the cylindrical cells was still beyond my expectations when I actually handled them. No matter what kind of cell came into contact with the cylindrical cells, it would suffer the most brutal attack and absorption.

Hashiro cells are simply the most ferocious and domineering beings in the world, devouring all usable energy, accelerating their own division, and fully demonstrating their survival and expansion instincts.

"...At present, without conducting human experiments, our understanding of these cells can only go this far. It seems that we are finally going to take that step."

Orochimaru brought back one person first, the first sacrifice to participate in human experiments. The person showed a hint of fear on his face when he saw Kaede Tsukasa, and then quickly lowered his head.

"Kaze-kun, he's an old acquaintance of yours, don't you miss him?"

"Oh it's you……"

Kaede Tsukasa sat in his seat, his whole body shrouded in dim shadows. He only needed to look up once to recognize who this guy was.

When he was still a genin, he carried out a mission where, before fighting Ao of Kirigakure, he rescued his seriously injured and unconscious comrade.

For one of them, Kaede Tsukasa, who cherishes chakra, kicked him hard, using a kick to his pubic bone to keep him conscious so that the surgery could be performed. He also specifically led this person to retreat, planning to turn him into a zombie to assist him in battle if things went wrong.

"Since you've survived all this time, why would you risk participating in an experiment with a low survival rate?" Kaede Tsukasa sized up the man, then suddenly remembered something and understood.

The pubic bone is located at the root of the thigh. Even a slight deviation could injure a specific area. So, is this guy going to fight to the death and use Hashirama cells to restore his body?
"Orochimaru, you did this on purpose, didn't you? You carefully selected this guy to participate in the experiment."

"Heh, only those with unwavering willpower are more likely to master the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai, aren't they?"

The two men placed the first test subject on the operating table and began injecting interstitial cells into it.

“Since he’s the first volunteer, let’s start by injecting him in the neck area,” Orochimaru said.

Soon after, amidst screams, the man transformed into a ghostly creature that was half human and half tree.

"That's terrible. It couldn't even last that long. What are we going to do? Do you still want this corpse?"

“Strictly speaking, this thing is no longer a corpse, but a living plant, so it’s not within my scope of needs,” Kaedeji shook his head.

"That would be difficult. What if all the corpses turned into trees?"

"No, there will always be strong enough individuals to withstand this change, otherwise there would be no way to control the Hashirama cells," Kaedeji Tsukasa replied.

The experiment continued, with volunteers joining every few days, until even members of the Thousand Hands Clan were involved. By then, the news could no longer be kept secret from the higher-ups.

Danzo, who had been excluded from the decision-making level, finally learned of this news.

"What? The village has already started human experiments, but they didn't tell me?!" Danzo was very dissatisfied and even a little furious.

He had been coveting the power of the Senju and Uchiha clans for a long time, waiting to use the opportunity of human experimentation to accelerate this process, but who would have thought that this would be the result?
Orochimaru and Kaede Tsukasa were working on a project, but they kicked him out!

Aburame Ryoma asked, "What should we do, Lord Danzo? Should we attack their laboratory and steal their research results? With our current strength, we should be able to do it."

Killing Orochimaru or Kaede Tsukasa is out of the question; Root doesn't seem to have that ability, especially Kaede Tsukasa, who is impossible to kill from any perspective.

"No rush. Orochimaru is a smart man. I will share in the results we achieve now. I need to be prepared to provide him with leverage for our transactions," Danzo said coldly. "I've only been demoted, not killed. It won't be long before Hiruzen reinstates me, and that will be the time when I get everything I want."

Ryoma Aburame believed it without a doubt.

The Third Hokage would never abandon Danzo; this has been an ironclad rule for many years. The bond between the two is unbreakable, far surpassing that of Orochimaru, Kaede Tsukasa, and the like.

Danzo said coldly, "Moreover, Orochimaru is never someone to be trusted. If we let our guard down against this venomous snake, we will suffer a great loss."

In Danzo's eyes, the youthful vigor of these younger generations was nothing more than a tiny, insignificant speck in the grand scheme of things over the decades. In the long run, the ones who made it to the end were the true winners.

Kaede and the others were unaware of Danzo's reaction, and even if they had, they wouldn't have cared. They would have simply thought Danzo was too noisy to warrant their attention.

"Lady Momoka, are you really sure? To be the first participant of the Senju clan, if we fail, we won't be able to save them with our strength."

Kaede Tsukasa looked at the clan leader before him: "And, have you told Tsunade-senpai about this?"

"I can't let her know about this. She's already done enough, becoming a Hokage's disciple and becoming a renowned figure in the ninja world. She shouldn't have to take responsibility for the mistakes I made. Let me bear this guilt alone."

A resolute look appeared on Senju Momoka's face. She had prepared for the worst. Even if she failed, she could still pave the way for those who came after her.

Orochimaru's eyes flashed with a rare hesitation. After all, his relationship with Tsunade was decent; they had been partners for so many years. Now, there was a possibility that he might kill Tsunade's elder, and the head of the Senju clan at that, without informing Tsunade beforehand...

“I know what you’re worried about. Don’t worry, I’ll announce to the outside world that I’m on a mission. If I fail, the tribes will all say the same thing: I’ve died in battle and my body has been lost.”

Senju Momoka looked at Kaede Tsukasa: "The village probably won't allow you to use my body at will, so I can only apologize to you in advance."

Kaede Tsukasa shook his head: "You're being too polite. Besides, although the success rate of the experiment is very low, it's not impossible. With your bloodline being the closest to the First Hokage, the success rate will definitely be higher."

The problem lies here: in this timeline, Tsunade only lost Nawaki, but not Kato Dan, so she didn't develop hemophobia, nor was she so heartbroken that she left the village and wandered aimlessly throughout the ninja world.

If the Senju clan were to participate in the experiments on a large scale, resulting in numerous deaths, it would be impossible to keep it from Tsunade.

He then looked at Orochimaru: "Although you are the one performing the surgery, and although Lady Momoka is a suitable test subject, this will still put us in a very troublesome situation."

"...Of course, I will never let my fellow villagers down. I will respect everyone who takes the risk," Orochimaru said. "Kaze-kun must feel the same way, right?"

Kaedeji's expression shifted slightly as he looked meaningfully at Orochimaru's profile.

As expected, Orochimaru seems to have made up his mind to push forward no matter the cost. This means that Orochimaru has prepared for the worst, even if his relationship with Tsunade falls to a freezing point.

Kaede Tsukasa needs to prepare carefully, as this concerns his future and he cannot afford any mistakes. He is willing to make some sacrifices to achieve his ultimate goal.

Kaede Tsukasa doesn't mind getting rid of minor obstacles along the way; personal relationships are secondary, his own strength is what truly matters.

"However, even if I get what I want, I don't know what my situation will be like. It shouldn't be to the point of betraying the village. I still have a lot of things to finish in this village."

The thought flashed through Kaedeji's mind, but he quickly suppressed it, watching Senju Momoka go onto the operating table.

As Orochimaru's assistant, he began connecting various instruments to Senju Momoka's body, striving to perfectly grasp all the data and make the best preparations for transplanting Hashirama cells.

At this moment, not only Orochimaru, but even Kaedejima's emotions were slightly affected.

Even if it can only hold a tiny bit of Hashirama's cells, as long as Senju Momoka can use her own body as a container to strongly bind it, then theoretically she can obtain the Wood Release bloodline limit!
Danzo was able to maintain his balance with an arm made of Hashirama cells and ten Sharingan with three tomoe, so there's no reason why Senju Momoka wouldn't be able to suppress a small number of Hashirama cells if she personally stepped in.

However, it's hard to say. After all, Senju Momoka is a ninja from the Yang Release side, and carrying the combined power of the Yang Release side, such as Hashirama cells, might also help promote the spread of Hashirama cells.

While looking at the various data on the instrument, Orochimaru asked, "Kaze-kun, you should know your mission, right?"

Kaede Tsukasa calmly replied, "Of course, I know what to do. I will take action if there are any signs of things getting out of control."

Senju Momoka listened quietly to the conversation between the two people. She didn't understand many of the technical terms, but she adjusted her physical condition and waited for the transplant surgery to begin.

When Orochimaru implanted Hashirama's cells into Momoka Senju's forearm, the human experiment officially began, and it was too late to turn back.

Kaedeji was keeping a close eye on it.

"Come on, let me see if we can achieve stability with the current level of technology..."

If this were the technology from before or after World War IV, it wouldn't have required so much effort.

Orochimaru was able to transplant Hashirama cells into the dying Sasuke, and Naruto was able to transplant an arm made of Hashirama cells. This was certainly related to the extreme strength of these two people, but the utilization of Hashirama cells at that time had also reached an unimaginable level. Many of the risks that exist now simply did not exist at that time.

"A sharp rise in body temperature and a surge in cell activity are not good signs."

Orochimaru noticed visible wriggling on Senju Momoka's arm, as if some strange object was rolling in waves within her body.

This indicates that Hashirama's cells are spreading rapidly, relentlessly extracting nutrients from Senju Momoka to strengthen themselves.

Senju Momoka showed a pained expression, trying her best to suppress Hashirama's cells with her own power, but the effect did not seem to be ideal.

"This is the power of the First Generation Lord. It's unimaginably domineering, and it's just from a few cells. I can't believe it." Senju Momoka was deeply shocked amidst her pain.

The First Hokage had these cells all over his body and could control them powerfully!

After waiting a while, Senju Momoka sat up with a pained expression. The arm that had been injected with Hashirama cells had swelled up, clearly because the Hashirama cells were expanding rapidly and squeezing the original flesh.

"Well then, it's about time for me to make my move."

Kaede Tsukasa stood in front of Senju Momoka, and under Senju Momoka's puzzled gaze, he placed one hand on Senju Momoka's arm.

Corpse Escape: Corpse Transformation Technique!

With Hidan's example as a precedent, and considering that Kaede Tsukasa had also dissected White Zetsu in private over the past year, he had clearly gained a better understanding of the power of Wood Release and had a general idea of ​​how to deal with it.

"This is... this method? Kaede-kun, you didn't even tell me. You really kept it a secret."

Orochimaru's eyes flashed with a strange light. He realized that Kaede Tsukasa was clearly using the power of Corpse Release to turn living people into corpses!
Hashirama's cells plunder the host's nutrients to increase their number of cells, and Kaede Tsukasa's Corpse Escape does the same thing, also plundering the host's nutrients to increase the number of viruses.

These two life groups, both driven by the same goal of plunder and expansion, clashed and immediately engaged in a fierce battle, using Senju Momoka's body as their battlefield.

With Kaedeji's selfless support, the changes in Senju Momoka's body were quickly and significantly alleviated.

But it's only a temporary relief. This extremely fragile balance must be maintained with utmost care, or it will collapse. In the original timeline, Danzo had to seal his arm and Sharingan and only open them when needed. Senju Momoka's situation couldn't be much better than Danzo's.

"Fortunately, Lady Momoka, your life has been spared for the time being. However, this situation cannot continue and could get out of control at any time. If you want to forcefully use Wood Release, it is not impossible, but you must be prepared to die every time you use it... Either become a tree or become my corpse."

Kaedeji said something, but his attention was no longer on Senju Momoka. Through Senju Momoka's human case studies, he had no more doubts.

So, we can officially begin cultivating a body that suits him, and that requires that guy as material... Madara!

(End of this chapter)