Crack!
It sounded like breaking a lotus root.
In front of Shishou, White Zetsu No. 1 split in half, pulling out strands of white, sticky filaments. As each half regrew its body, Shishou looked at White Zetsu No. 2 with a peculiar expression.
His experiment had succeeded but not entirely.
The success lay in White Zetsu No. 2 possessing Hashirama cells.
The partial failure was that White Zetsu No. 2 had noticeably fewer Hashirama cells than the original White Zetsu No. 1. Furthermore, even White Zetsu No. 1 had fewer Hashirama cells than before.
However, overall, the total number of Hashirama cells had increased.
Initially, White Zetsu had 10 units of Hashirama cells. After splitting, each half had 8 units. The total had increased by 50%.
Then the two 8s split into four 6s.
Next, the four 6s split into eight 4s, reaching a total of 32 units.
At this point, Shishou halted the experiment. Further division would not increase the total number of Hashirama cells.
Despite the imperfect result, Shishou was satisfied.
In the following days, he began a cycle of enhancing animals, transplanting Hashirama cells into White Zetsus, splitting them, and then absorbing them back into himself.
After using four batches of extract and absorbing the essence of over a hundred White Zetsus with Hashirama cells, Shishou finally awakened the power of Hashirama.
If he had used the Phosphorous Parasites, which were evolving into legendary insects, he would have needed only two batches of extract. However, that would require waiting about a month for their evolution to complete, and Shishou had no patience for that.
Anyway, if he ran out of extract, he could always get more from Orochimaru by force or trade, or even cultivate it himself.
"Good, nothing weird grew on me," Shishou muttered, checking his body thoroughly and sighing in relief when he found no anomalies.
"This is the power of Hashirama," he marveled. "My chakra levels must have exceeded 100 units, and they are still increasing."
Feeling the changes within, Shishou was ecstatic. With his own power, he could now probably unleash the Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence.
Since he had awakened Hashirama's power, the boost was much greater than what Orochimaru achieved by merely transplanting Hashirama cells. After all, transplanted powers, no matter how perfectly integrated, were still foreign. But the power Shishou awakened was his own.
"Let's leave it at this for now," he decided.
After sealing the remaining White Zetsus, Shishou left the lab, feeling pleased.
"Do you want to stay here or come out?" he asked his assistant, standing outside her room.
With the New Year approaching, Shishou planned to spend the holiday in Fire Source City with Mikoto and the others.
"I... I want to stay here," the assistant replied, sneaking a glance at Shishou before lowering her head.
The base made her feel safe, and the room Shishou provided was well-equipped and comfortable. She had no desire to leave.
"A homebody, huh?" Shishou thought, noticing the snacks and movies in her room. He nodded in agreement.
After the New Year, he planned to make her head of his fertilizer research team.
Arriving in the capital of the Land of Fire, Shishou carefully selected New Year gifts for each of the women around him.
Over the next half month, he traveled between Konoha, Fire Source City, the Land of Demons, the Land of Iron, and Kirigakure.
Finally, after spending the New Year with Yugao and Izumi in Fire Source City, he sent them back to the Land of Iron to continue their training.
During these weeks, his chakra level, which had exceeded 300 units, began to increase more slowly, but it still grew.
With 300 units of chakra, Shishou's reserves might not match Hashirama's, but they were far beyond anyone else's. Plus, he still had half of Kurama, the Nine-Tails.
For now, his chakra was more than enough.
In early January of Konoha Year 60, eight years before the Fourth Great Ninja War...
Late at night, Shishou sat at his desk in his Konoha home, organizing his recent gains and planning his next steps.
"The Phosphorous Parasites are about to evolve into legendary insects, gaining two powerful abilities: Devour and Rebirth (Level 2)."
"The next system lottery is imminent."
"I've basically completed my genjutsu studies and fully developed the Mangekyo Sharingan's abilities."
"I've awakened Hashirama's power, greatly enhancing my chakra, Wood Release, and Mangekyo Sharingan abilities."
"Kushina is on the verge of resurrection, and I have almost mastered the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques."
Looking at the golden cocoon on his desk containing Kushina's soul, Shishou smiled and continued writing.
"I've acquired Ryuchi Cave's summoning contract, subdued the three snake princesses, and can now use sage chakra to a certain extent through the curse mark."
"I saved Tsunade and established a connection with her, laying the groundwork for obtaining Shikkotsu Forest's Sage Mode."
"Let's not forget I also obtained half of the Nine-Tails, Baku, the Totsuka Blade, and the Yata Mirror."
Finishing his list, Shishou added a final note.
For him now, half of the Nine-Tails, the Totsuka Blade, and similar items were merely footnotes, while other gains didn't even make it onto the paper.
His goal in finding the Fourth Hokage wasn't just for half of the Nine-Tails but to ensure Minato returned to the afterlife, clearing the way for him to make his move on Kushina.
With his gains listed, Shishou began planning his next steps and organizing the training schedules for Mikoto and the others.
His ultimate goal was to devour the Otsutsuki clan members who would come to Earth in the future, gaining their bloodline abilities and achieving immortality. He needed thorough preparation.
"I need to deepen my relationship with Tsunade to learn Wood Release techniques like Wood Human and Wood Dragon from her. Researching them myself takes too long."
"I must find a way to unlock Sage Mode to stabilize techniques like True Several Thousand Hands."
"The Mangekyo Sharingan has reached its limit. It's time to aim for the Rinnegan. I need to find Uchiha Madara to understand how to quickly evolve the Mangekyo Sharingan."
"Flying Thunder God and sensory techniques need further refinement..."
"I also need to arrange for Mikoto and the others to gain Hashirama's power. The mother-son battle between Mikoto and Itachi would be quite a spectacle, even if Sasuke vs. Itachi is unlikely."
"Oh, and I need to finalize the fertilizer research and find a way to promote it. I made a promise and need to deliver."
Finishing his list, Shishou realized he had a lot on his plate. He almost forgot about promoting the fertilizer.
However, he still had twenty to thirty years before the Otsutsuki clan arrived, giving him plenty of time to plan.
Burning the paper, Shishou put away Kushina's soul cocoon and walked to the window, looking out at the dark night.
"Tonight is a perfect night for grave robbing," he murmured, vanishing from the spot.