"Your highness, what makes you so certain that technology is the future?" The Genin asked.
The prince turned to the boy and replied. "Technology or Science can be used in two ways. For the growth and betterment of the people and their nation and for destruction and military advantages. The Land of Snow has an unusually high level of technology when compared to the rest of the world. They have airships, railroads, power generators and even these machines called snow mobiles. Now all of this can be used to improve a nation faster. I heard that they recently developed something called Chakra Armor which can help them in battle."
Daichi stayed silent but displayed the appropriate expressions of surprises and skepticism as he listened to the prince. 'His information network is certainly extensive. Some of those things about the Land of Snow are not easy to find out right now. I need to keep up appearances and can't let this guy figure out that I already know about all that.'
The prince, unaware of Daichi's thoughts, continued. "During the second shinobi world war there was a country known as the Land of Sky. It was formed by ninjas from across the lands. Their technology was much more advanced than the other nations and they had the ability to fly. Now unfortunately they declared war on the five great nations and were destroyed but their technology allowed them to deal a lot of damage to the nations."
The prince stopped and looked at the boy sitting opposite. "With chakra a lot of things are possible but times are changing. It may be slow but change is inevitable."
The Genin leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. He had much to think about.
The prince closed his eyes and took in a deep breath of air and slowly exhaled. He kept his full attention on the Genin who was pondering on the implications of their discussion.
"Tell me Daichi, what is your goal?" Katsuya asked the boy.
The young gamer decided to be straight forward and told the truth. He needed to know the intentions of the young prince and wanted to see if the man in front of him would one day oppose him. "To become the strongest. To stand at the top of this era."
Katsuya smirked at that reply. "That's not an easy task to accomplish… But I suppose with your talent and potential it might be possible."
Daichi leaned forward in his chair and asked the same question. "Prince Katsuya, what's your ambition?"
"Hmm… Well, I won't be the Daimyo of this country. That title will belong to my oldest brother when my dear father departs from this world… My second eldest brother will be the commander of the military force. I would just be an advisor. But then again… I have no interest in ruling this country or commanding its military. My ambition is… much higher. I'll tell you next time we meet."
Daichi raised an eyebrow at that last remark. 'What game is he playing? He wants me on his side but what else is he after?'
The Genin decided to move on to the core matter he was here for. "You said something about an alliance? What did you have in mind?"
"I'm suggesting we could establish a covert alliance that would strengthen the both of us. And I'm not talking about the Leaf village and the Land of Fire. I'm talking about you and me. I have certain projects in mind and like I said earlier I'm looking for talented people in multiple fields. You're the best in the field of medicine and biology."
"And I'm someone who's lacking in resources and political power. I'm also not as dangerous as some others, right?" Daichi said with a smirk.
The prince grinned at Daichi. "Ha! Yes. That's true. The others who are capable would be a headache for me to deal with and… I might accidentally kill them." The grin widened and Katsuya's eyes held a dangerous glint.
The hairs on Daichi's body stood and multiple notifications popped up. But the boy kept a cool face despite the danger right in front of him. The intent coming from the prince only made Daichi's blood boil and excite him. The gamer ninja reciprocated in kind and the dangerous intent started pouring out of him as he looked at the prince with a wide smirk.
The calm atmosphere of the garden quickly changed. The birds happily chirping about a few seconds ago fell silent and quickly disappeared into the sky. All other small animals scurried and disappeared into their holes. The air was thick with the intent of the two powerful individuals.
''Crack."
One of the small cups cracked and its sound cut the tension. Both of them quickly reigned in their intent but kept the smile on their faces as if nothing happened.
"Apologies. I seem to have broken your cup, your highness." Daichi said with a small bow.
"Hahahaha… No worries. I was getting bored of them anyway… What do you say we table this discussion for another time, huh? Come. I'll give you a tour of my humble home." Katsuya said and got up from his seat.
"That would be wonderful. This place is certainly gorgeous. Some of the artwork I saw when coming here is magnificent." Daichi said as he looked around.
"Ah! That's just a fraction of my collection. Come come."
And so the 3rd prince took Daichi on a tour of his large mansion and about an hour later it was time for the Genin to leave. When the two shook hands, Katsuya leaned forward and whispered something in Daichi's ear that made the Genin's eyes slightly widen.
The prince pulled back and just smiled at the boy. "Safe journey, kid."
Daichi left the mansion and Hotoja watched the boy disappear into the busy street. He came near his master and looked at the smiling prince.
"Do you think he will join you, my lord?"
"He's definitely interested in my offer. He's a smart, cunning kid and definitely a lot stronger than what was mentioned in the reports… I have a feeling he'll be seeing us sooner than he thinks."
"So you told him what was happening?"
"I gave him a short warning. What he does next is entirely up to him."
—-
"Safe journey, kid."
Daichi silently gave a short bow and quickly left the place. 'What did he mean when he said that? Does he know something? Looks like I need to be more cautious… I should keep the visit to the prince to myself. At least for now. My visit to his place wasn't exactly a secret and interested parties are bound to find out about it…'
The Genin decided to drop the matter and think about the next few months. 'In just two months Naruto's graduation will take place and canon will begin. Here's hoping I haven't fucked everything up.'
The boy soon reached his house and found Kensei waiting for him. "Finished with your sightseeing?"
"Yeah. It was an interesting walk."
Daichi and Kensei left the Capital and by evening reached the village gates. As soon as they verified their identities with the guards, an Anbu ninja appeared in front of the two.
"Daichi Hekima. The Hokage has asked for your presence."
Daichi nodded and glanced towards Kensei. "Must be about our trip."
The old man nodded and was about to go to the tower with his grandson but the Anbu raised a hand stopping the old ninja. "Just the boy."
Kensei narrowed his eyes slightly and then agreed. He looked at the Genin and spoke. "I'll be heading home. Make sure to buy something for dinner when you get back."
"Right." The boy vanished in a swirl of leaves and the next instant the Anbu was gone as well.
—-
Hokage Office.
Hiruzen was going over some documents when he sensed the presence of the body flicker jutsu. 'He's getting quite good at it. Practically no chakra waste and no sound. I doubt the guards could have reacted in time if he was an enemy.'
The Hokage looked up from his paper and saw Daichi giving him a small bow and straightening.
"Lord Hokage."
"Ah Daichi. I'm sorry to summon you here so quickly and just after you got home but there are a few important matters I need to discuss with you." The old kage said with a small smile.
"I'm guessing this has to do with what Lady Tsunade wrote in the report?"
Hiruzen's face turned serious. "Yes. You said Orochimaru was behind that man Jin's poisoning. Are you absolutely sure about that?"
The Genin nodded. "All the evidence points me towards him. But I don't know why Orochimaru would poison him or why he doesn't care that the man lives now. So my theory is that it was a test or maybe he just did it for his amusement. Don't know about the motive really."
Hiruzen nodded and leaned back in his chair. "So you're sure of the who but not the why?"
The kage was silent and then asked the boy something that's been on his mind since he read the report. "Based on Tsunade's report, the plant that was artificially created to synthesize part of the poison, it must have taken a great deal of time and research to create something like that. Any thoughts on why?"
'So you want to know the real reason huh. It seems you have some suspicion about his plans just like me. I have to give you credit. You're certainly a smart old man. Still can't just give up the info like that or he'll be suspicious.' Daichi was keeping a cool calm face as he was debriefed about the situation.
Daichi looked puzzled at that question. "What do you mean Lord Hokage?"
"I've taught Orochimaru a great deal. I know he has several lethal poisons of all kinds under his belt. But for him to spend his energy and time and try to create something like this… What is he trying to accomplish by combining and cross breeding different species of plants? Any ideas?" Hiruzen asked.
Daichi was silent for a minute before he gave his reply. "I believe this was an experiment. I think he was doing genetic engineering and trying to see if using recombinant DNA to create a successful test subject was possible."
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow at the boy and gave him a deadpanned look.
Daichi could see that the old ninja didn't understand what he was talking about and began explaining in simple terms. "Yeah. Um, right now scientists have developed something called genetic engineering. Genetic engineering techniques allow a person to identify and isolate specific genes responsible for desirable traits. In plants those would be disease resistance, increased yield or improved quality. Using genetic engineering scientists could transfer these traits between different plant species."
Hiruzen's eyes widened in alarm as he heard what was possible. "So… So if he wanted to use these genetic engineering techniques on humans… Would they be successful?"
Daichi had a grim look at that question and gave the kage a small nod. "Yes. I believe Orochimaru created the hybrid plant as a test phase to see the effects and the shortcomings of his scientific knowledge and gene editing skills. I think he plans to use the information gained to improve himself and use it on humans with special Kekkei Genkai traits… Theoretically he could combine the Kekkei Genkai abilities of multiple clans and use only the needed traits from them and create a new hybrid human."
"If he hasn't already…" Hiruzen was shocked and stunned. Even the couple of guards in the room were astounded that something like that was possible.
"Hypothetically, if Orochimaru were to experiment with human DNA, how many different Kekkei Genkai abilities would he be able to combine?"
Daichi fell silent and thought about it for a while. Hiruzen wanted to know the answer immediately but he knew he shouldn't rush the boy. After a few moments Daichi looked at the man and replied. "At most 7 or 8 different types of DNA could be combined. At most. If everything went well."
Hiruzen was surprised at the nonchalant way Daichi dismissed the threat. "What do you mean? You don't seem too concerned. Especially knowing how dangerous the man is."
"I know you're alarmed when I said that he could create something with multiple Kekkei Genkai traits but you shouldn't be too concerned about that. Human genetic sequence is far more complex than a plant's. Combining Kekkei Genkai traits isn't as easy or straightforward as you think. Orochimaru would have to find the right clan traits that wouldn't clash against another, isolate the needed gene from them and add them to the test subject without rejection. And trust me. That is not an easy task. Even if he was somehow successful, it would take time for new mutated cells and abilities to emerge… If that even happens."
Hiruzen let out a sigh of relief hearing that. 'So I have some time. But how long exactly?'
"How long would an experiment like this take to bear fruit?" The kage asked.
"I'd say a decade at least. And only if he spends all his time on research and development on this sole project. That's if he wants a perfect subject with the results he's looking for. If all he wants is a weak crude copy of one ability then all he needs to do is correctly synthesize the DNA of a subject and extract the gene sequences of the Kekkei Genkai from that DNA, jam it into a 100 people and see which one of them survives and adapts." Daichi said those words for a specific reason.
To find Tenzo. The man who was widely known as Yamato and the leader of Team 07.
And his gamble paid off. When Daichi talked about the experiment at the end, the chakra of one of the Anbu hidden in the room fluctuated. It was a minor fluctuation that wasn't caught by anyone except for Daichi.
'Got ya. I need a bit of your blood Yamato… Or should I address you as Tenzo? It's time I took a peek at Hashirama's blood at work.' The Gamer ninja quickly memorized the man's chakra and Mana signature. 'Now I'll be able to track you much more easily.'
Daichi continued without giving away his intentions. "Is it a horrific, terrible, morally wrong thing to do? Yes. But it would give some results in a much faster time. But it wouldn't be anywhere close to what he would be looking for. So I don't think he would do that. At least that's the impression I get about the man after all I've heard about him. I could be wrong though."
Daichi fell silent and Hiruzen took in a deep breath of air to process the information. 'You are such a headache. Why couldn't you just let me be in peace Orochimaru…'
He shook his head to get rid of the heavy thoughts. He looked at the boy and nodded. "So I don't have to worry about an army of Kekkei Genkai users with multiple abilities suddenly storming the village, do I?"
Daichi chuckled at that. "Most certainly not."
"Thank you for the information and your insights Daichi. You have given us some valuable intel."
"Of course Lord Hokage."
"I'm sure you're eager to get home and rest. Take a couple days off and then you'll be back on duty."
"Yes sir."
"Dismissed."
Once Daichi left the room Hiruzen called for one of the Anbu in the room.
"From what was said, Orochimaru would need several specialized medical equipment if he wants to conduct a project like this. See if you can find sales of any such machines in or around Fire Country." Hiruzen said. 'It's a long shot. Orochimaru would be sure to cover his tracks. But it won't hurt to follow up.'
"Yes sir." The Anbu vanished leaving the ruler of the Leaf village to this thoughts.
-----------------
Author's Note:
For anyone wondering what Daichi was talking about with the Hokage. I've already given a clue in a much earlier chapter. if any of you guys still haven't figured it out then check out ch 125.