Tatsuma felt that Orochimaru was probably feeling lonely.
Lonely to the point that the green-skinned disciple who used to be troublesome in the past now appeared as a beloved apprentice in his eyes.
This is a common phenomenon, especially for researchers or workers whose work revolves around project cycles. It is even more prevalent in such cases.
When a major project is completed and a large amount of free time becomes available, one's heart will unconsciously feel empty. Unless there are continuous projects to engage in, this attention will fall onto those around them.
For instance, suddenly expressing affection towards one's wife, suddenly showing extra concern for parents and children, or even lavishing extra attention on the household cat.
Minato wanted to give Kushina a gift, also driven by this mindset, but their current job only lasted for a short week, so he wasn't as affected as Orochimaru.
Orochimaru, without a wife, parents, or children, and no cats or dogs at home, thus Nawaki, his sole disciple, became the object of his focus and emotional compensation.
However, at this moment, Jiraiya also came to "compete" for Nawaki, which made Orochimaru, who already had a strained relationship with Jiraiya, even more dissatisfied with him.
Tatsuma himself did not experience such a situation; perhaps he was naturally indifferent in this regard, but that didn't mean he didn't understand.
Watching Orochimaru, who seemed like a clean slate, visiting his child at his predecessor's house with a gaze full of love, concern, and a hint of guilt, yet keeping a distance, Tatsuma couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
He took out a scroll and casually handed it to Orochimaru, saying, "Orochimaru-sama, I have a personal project here. Are you interested?"
"Oh?"
Orochimaru retracted his gaze and looked at the scroll, opened it and saw the seal on it, an he chose to untie it without hesitation.
"Bang~"
As the seal was untied, several items fell into his hands. With Orochimaru's knowledge, he instantly understood what these were. He raised his eyebrows, and his attention focused completely. He looked at Tatsuma and said:
"Why are you suddenly interested in the Shikotsumyaku?"
"I am not interested in the Shikotsumyaku."
Tatsuma 's answer came from the heart. He was indeed not interested in the Shikotsumyaku. Even if he could decipher the secret of the Shikotsumyaku in the future, he had no idea of using it. After all, the Shikotsumyaku had too many shortcomings.
Unless he has the ability to upgrade the Shikotsumyaku to the Kekkei Mora All-Killing Ash Bones, but that ability is simply impossible.
When Orochimaru heard that Tatsuma was not interested in the Shikotsumyaku, he thought quickly, and then his eyes fell on the half-head forehead protector that Tatsuma had chosen to wear in recent months, and said:
"Researching genetic information is extremely difficult. It took us so long just to eliminate other interfering factors from the genes of the First Hokage-sama. Yet, we still can't decipher what remains. Not to mention, you only have a unique Chakra."
Even with Senju Hashirama's cells, they couldn't produce any results. Tatsuma only possesses Mito's Chakra but hopes to decipher the Uzumaki Clan's power, which is almost a pipe dream.
Regarding how to handle the Chakra left by Mito to Tatsuma, Orochimaru surprisingly agrees with Tsunade's opinion: first, learn the Yin Seal and how to utilize this Chakra.
However, Orochimaru's thoughts diverge from Tsunade's later on. Tsunade wants Tatsuma to use the power left by Mito without psychological burden, treating it as no different from his own Chakra, even if it gets depleted.
Orochimaru, on the other hand, intends to use this Chakra to drive the Adamantine Sealing Chains, a power only possible for the Uzumaki Clan, viewing Chakra as a vital and expendable resource.
Mito has already dismantled the Adamantine Sealing Chains in great detail. Although Orochimaru hasn't seen it himself, he believes that Tatsuma's understanding of Sealing Jutsu is sufficient to use Mito's Chakra to employ techniques like the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
Even if they ultimately cannot decipher the power of the Uzumaki Clan, when facing situations like the rampage of the Nine-Tails, Tatsuma can still use the means left by Mito to control or even kill the Nine-Tails.
Tsunade, driven by personal reasons, doesn't want Tatsuma to bear too much burden, while Orochimaru, practical as ever, recommends an effective approach that requires minimal effort.
However, Tatsuma is dissatisfied with both approaches. He decides to shoulder this "burden." For no other reason than because he made a promise.
Even if it requires a great deal of time and effort, even if success seems unlikely and the path forward unclear, Tatsuma is willing to explore everything on his own.
He looked at Orochimaru, gently shook his head, and said, "I still want to try. I want to understand what exactly causes each clan, each person's Chakra to have their own unique characteristics."
Anticipating this answer, Orochimaru simply nodded without further persuasion, saying, "I will study it carefully. However, I can't use the facilities at the base, and I can't guarantee the time or the results."
"I understand. Thank you, Orochimaru-sama," Tatsuma nodded, not expecting Orochimaru to make any promises, as it wouldn't be reasonable.
While they still had access to the base, most of its resources had been shut down, and many devices and equipment were inactive, with only a small amount of power left to continue cultivating Dan Kato's kidneys.
Tatsuma knew Orochimaru had his own research lab, albeit modest, which was still better than Tatsuma having none at all.
If Orochimaru couldn't achieve much with his resources, Tatsuma had even less reason to hope for success.
"Oh, by the way, the kidney cultivation is almost complete and can be transplanted anytime. What are your thoughts on this?" Orochimaru thought of the base and the kidney he often considered enhancing. Hearing this, Tatsuma pursed his lips and replied, "I'd like to conduct an extracorporeal test to see if there will be any recipient immune system rejection."
"At the same time, observe whether the kidney can meet the recipient's metabolic requirements. After all, cultivating a kidney takes too long, so it's better to be cautious."
Upon hearing this, Orochimaru nodded and said, "We can first test if the kidney's working circuit is normal, then proceed with extracorporeal transplantation. If everything is fine, we can then perform the replacement surgery."
"I'll discuss this with Sensei and Dan Senpai. This is our first time conducting such an experiment on a human body. This technology is truly remarkable; I really want to delve deeper into it."
"The cost is too high," Orochimaru shook his head. If this technology could be widely applied, it would significantly reduce deaths from visceral injuries and illnesses. However, cultivating a single organ for a person requires such a large amount of funds, time, and manpower.
It's almost impossible to promote unless they can find ways to reduce costs, such as new cultivation methods, shortening cultivation times, or fully automating the process.
But regardless of the approach, it would require substantial initial investment. Without funding from the Daimyo, where could they find the money and people to conduct research?
"Then let's complete this case first. Perhaps in the future, the research environment in Konoha and even the ninja world might improve. The Elders might be willing to invest more money to support it, after all, even Elders are afraid of death."
Tatsuma didn't delve deeper. For problems that couldn't be solved immediately and weren't urgent, the best way was to temporarily set them aside.
It's like doing a test paper—Sensei would also teach similar answering techniques: complete the questions you know first, set aside the uncertain or unsolvable ones, and return to them after finishing others. Perhaps they could be naturally solved by then.
Finally, Orochimaru glanced at Nawaki, who seemed to get along well with Jiraiya, and said to Tatsuma, "I'll go back to arrange things first, then head to the base. You and Dan should confirm the follow-up arrangements."
"No problem."
After Orochimaru left, Tatsuma visited Tsunade, who unsurprisingly hadn't yet woken up, informed her of his and Orochimaru's thoughts, and then went home to sleep.
Two days later, Tsunade freed up two class periods, having Nono and Taji substitute for her, while she took Dan Kato for another medical examination, focusing on the conditions of the renal artery, deep veins, and ureter.
Once it was confirmed that his body met the surgical requirements, Orochimaru conducted experiments on the newly cultivated kidney to ensure everything was in order. After confirming its readiness, Tatsuma took charge of the surgery.
In terms of Medical Ninjutsu and Medical Jutsu, Tatsuma hadn't yet reached Tsunade's level, but the cultivation of the kidney, extracorporeal testing, and subsequent transplantation fell under the category of "new Medical Jutsu."
As the "pioneer" in this field, Tatsuma had more confidence than Tsunade. Therefore, Tsunade voluntarily asked Tatsuma to lead the surgery, while she acted as the assistant, ready to handle any unforeseen circumstances.
Fortunately, no complications arose under Tatsuma's care. The first extracorporeal kidney transplant in the ninja world ended perfectly. Three special material tubes were used, connecting the renal artery, renal vein, and left ureter, linking them to the kidney in the cultivation dish.
At the same time, a temporary flow restrictor was added to the right ureter to test whether the new kidney could filter urine and regulate water balance properly.
After the surgery, Dan Kato had to lie down for a while longer. Even turning over had to be done with extra caution, avoiding pressure or pulling on the tubes.
For ordinary people, this might be a discomforting process, but as a Ninja, maintaining calm was fundamental. Therefore, after the surgery, Tatsuma did not pay further attention to Dan Kato's condition.
Tsunade took care of Dan Kato, while Orochimaru handled data observation. Tatsuma took advantage of what little vacation remained to begin training.
Vacations always passed quickly, especially when they couldn't truly take time off. Tatsuma was torn between ending his vacation immediately to take on a mission or observing for a few more days to ensure Dan Kato's condition was stable before proceeding with the internal transplant surgery. Just then, a mission directly assigned by the Hokage was issued.
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