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The smoothness of white stockings combined with the softness of a young girl's feet was a perfect match.
'Stepping on someone's chest and abs isn't really a massage, is it?'
The girl thought angrily and embarrassed, but Yoichi's words of agreement and broken promises eventually led her to step down in anger and embarrassment.
The soft, white-stockinged feet pressed repeatedly on the hard muscles, making the distracted girl think of many things: The hand seals for the Fireball Jutsu... The next Fire Release jutsu she needed to learn... The shorter time she spent listening last night compared to before...
Ninja maturity came early. In the Warring States period, ninja children went to battle at the age of four, and by the time of the ninja villages, they became ninja at ten. When they became ninja, they were no longer treated as children.
"Hmph!"
Jumping off the sofa, Yugito snorted coldly, her neck and ears turning red, and she walked straight back to her room, her white-stockinged feet tapping on the floor, forgetting even the slippers beside the sofa.
"Zoning out while stepping on my back can't be blamed on me, right?"
Yoichi stood up and said, feeling he might have gone too far today. Yugito probably wouldn't talk to him for at least a week.
Back in her room, Yugito locked the door behind her. She then dove headfirst into the soft pillow, wanting to bury herself so deeply that no one could see her.
After a while, she raised her delicate, flushed face, having heard the sound of the door opening. It must be that pervert who left.
"Hmph!"
With the house to herself, Yugito was no longer like a timid squirrel. But sitting on the bed, her face turned red again as she remembered stepping on... that part.
She sat cross-legged, picking up her delicate foot, recalling the sensation under her foot.
The girl then felt puzzled and muttered to herself while searching for a book hidden under her bed, "Did I misunderstand? It shouldn't be that big..."
She wanted to check "information" for comparison, worried she might be too sensitive.
...
"Orochimaru, I've heard you haven't been outside lately. You should get some sunlight occasionally. By the way, which one of these is the real you?"
One of the shadow clones said, "None of these. The real one is receiving the test subjects."
"Oh, right, today is the day for delivering test subjects."
Yoichi suddenly remembered and waited in the lab.
In the three labs, about ten shadow clones were busy, which was Orochimaru's limit. According to him, after releasing the clones, it took an hour to sort through the vast amount of experimental memories to avoid errors.
When Orochimaru returned and saw Yoichi, he no longer felt the previous anticipation.
Perhaps he had anticipated too much, and recently he had been so tired that he no longer looked forward to it.
Orochimaru thought for a moment, realizing the change in his mindset. Having many treasures was good, but too many required a lot of time to decipher, which was bad.
Seeing Yoichi walking toward him, Orochimaru silently repeated what Yoichi often said: 'Orochimaru, I've brought you a surprise this time.'
"Orochimaru-senpai, long time no see. I've brought you a surprise."
Yoichi smiled as he approached Orochimaru, but seeing his calm face, he asked, "Orochimaru-senpai, what's wrong?"
"Too many surprises, Yoichi-kun. Let's talk after I finish my current work."
Orochimaru sighed. He loved uncovering unknown ninjutsu and truths, but getting something new every now and then became overwhelming.
Even Sarutobi-sensei didn't use him like this.
"The test subjects are also consumed quickly. The Guard Unit said that there are fewer death row inmates in the Fire Nation recently. Instead of monthly deliveries, they'll now deliver every three months. Otherwise, they'd have to buy them from other countries."
Orochimaru paused, then continued, "But each project needs test subjects. I've already requested more medical ninja from the Fourth Hokage to reuse some test subjects, but none have come yet."
Human experiments were not exactly a secret among Konoha's higher-ups, and Sakumo knew too. With the Second Hokage as a precedent, Orochimaru using death row inmates was no big deal.
However, requesting medical ninja assistants depended on two factors: skilled medical ninjutsu and acceptance of human experiments.
Konoha had some ninja with good medical skills, but few could accept human experiments.
Mina was one, and if Yoichi asked her, she would do it. But she wouldn't be suitable for human experiments for the next one or two years, so she was out of the question.
There was almost no one left; the most suitable, Kabuto, was still in the Ninja Academy.
"Not a single one?"
"Unfortunately, none. And the Fourth Hokage wants me to take on some missions instead of staying in the lab all the time."
Orochimaru said this while staring straight at Yoichi, who was suddenly attracted to a water stain on the floor.
As the Hokage's assistant, Yoichi was well aware of the current mission situation in the village. There were many low-level tasks and quite a few high-level ones needing ninja.
But having just come out of a war, Konoha's ninja had suffered many casualties, causing a backlog of mission requests. For nearby ones, Yoichi had sent shadow clones to handle them.
He himself was slacking off, so it wouldn't be right to ask Sakumo to assign Orochimaru tasks.
"If this doesn't work, the research will be delayed. But you mentioned the gene primordial; I think it's suitable for Tsunade. I remember discussing a similar technique with her on the battlefield, but she hadn't developed it yet."
Orochimaru's words reminded Yoichi of something. If he wasn't mistaken, Tsunade was referring to the Yin Seal. Had she already had the idea?
"Is that so? But you misunderstood me, Orochimaru-senpai. This time, I wanted to invite you for a meal, but if you're so busy..."
"Let me see it."
"Alright, this is a research project I stumbled upon called the Extremis Virus."
Hearing Yoichi's words, Orochimaru was skeptical. He believed the Hero Water came from Taki Village, but the gene primordial seemed unrelated to ninja.
Now there was the Extremis Virus, starting with brain mutation. Although interested in its effects, Orochimaru knew researching it would be challenging as it involved the body's most intimate parts.
Orochimaru understood his strengths and weaknesses. While proficient in ninjutsu research, Yoichi's increasingly complex studies on human mysteries were taxing.
"Give this to Tsunade. Or your wife, but she's not as suitable as Tsunade. Do you have a backup? I'll keep this one."
Mina's medical ninjutsu was comparable to Tsunade's due to her special chakra. But in human research, Tsunade excelled.
Orochimaru initially wanted to return the Extremis Virus data but decided to keep it for future study.
"Keep it. I'll think of another way. Oh, and be frugal with the death row inmates. I'll try to have the merchants buy them from other countries."
Yoichi waved at Orochimaru and left.
He didn't achieve his goal and lost his original data on the Extremis Virus.
But he knew some of what Orochimaru mentioned. Konoha indeed lacked personnel due to taking missions from Kusagakure and Takigakure. Many long-term missions were now Konoha's responsibility.
If Kakashi wasn't waiting for Hashirama cell fusion, he'd be on a mission.
Even Yugito, a Jinchuriki, frequently left the village, though her team hadn't taken long-distance missions yet.
Yoichi decided that after Mina gave birth, he'd focus on winning Tsunade over.
...
"Foolish, thinking some preparations would make everything foolproof."
Hanzo looked down at Yahiko and Nagato, then threw a kunai at the kneeling Konan.
The kunai grazed Konan's neck, cutting a strand of her blue hair.
"Reveal yourselves. I know you're not really here. If you don't come out, I'll kill this woman."
"Damn it, kidnapping Konan."
Yahiko was furious, wanting to kill Hanzo instantly.
But with Konan in Hanzo's hands, he had to compromise.
Poof! Poof! The two shadow clones were dispelled, and soon, two figures hurried from a distance.
Watching from afar, Danzo felt bored. If not for Hanzo promising to cut off all communication in the Land of Bears, he wouldn't have played along.
A bit of trickery could easily handle these people.
As for the sudden intelligence, Danzo suspected internal strife within Akatsuki, with someone wanting them dead, hence leaking the hidden information.
Let's end this quickly. After dealing with these people, he could focus on developing Root in the Land of Bears.
Hatake Sakumo, the Fourth Hokage, had destroyed his previous efforts. Without his trained subordinates, rebuilding Root would take a long time.
"Is that... the Rinnegan?"
Danzo noticed the red-haired Akatsuki ninja's eyes, identical to the Sage of Six Paths' Rinnegan.
"Aaaah!!"
"Summoning Jutsu: Demonic Statue of the Outer Path!"
From a distance, Obito watched silently. With Yahiko, the vigilant leader of Akatsuki, dead, Nagato was caught in a vortex of hatred, and Konan, being indecisive, posed no threat. With Fugaku still hidden within Akatsuki, Obito could now slowly persuade Nagato to accept their plan.
White Zetsu and Black Zetsu emerged from the ground and asked, "Should we persuade Nagato now, Obito?"
"No, he's in extreme grief and hatred now. If we approach him, he might suspect something."
Obito turned to leave, feeling increasingly uneasy. His words had felt like he was describing himself.
"Nagato is deeply confused now. He will come to me on his own. Just inform me in advance."
"Where are you going?"
"To gather intelligence!"
With that, Obito used Kamui to disappear.
After he left, White Zetsu remained silent for a moment before saying, "It's becoming increasingly difficult to monitor Obito now that he has Kamui. He won't discover what happened back then, will he?"
"He shouldn't. But suspicion is inevitable. Once he sees the Three-Tails, those suspicions should be dispelled."
Black Zetsu replied slowly, "Besides, he has no other choice but to believe in the Eye of the Moon Plan now. To create the world he desires, this is the only way."
"You're right. Let's go monitor Nagato. He will likely seek out Obito soon. Even if not for the Eye of the Moon Plan, he'll want to harness the power of the Rinnegan to avenge his friends."
(End of Chapter)