Such a difficult mission, and they want him to do it alone?
Given the nature of this mission, if he succeeds, his mission record will see a significant boost and his achievements will be remarkable. But what does that have to do with him?
No matter how much contribution he makes to Konoha, as long as the rumors persist, his contributions won't gain the recognition he deserves.
A solo mission with the objective of infiltrating Iwagakure to steal their defense maps and supply routes.
Ye Zi remained silent. As a member of Root, he was never allowed to voice any objections to the tasks assigned, even if it meant going to his death.
"This mission would actually be hindered by more people. I will provide you with the locations of the defense maps and supply routes, and the infiltration routes have already been surveyed," Danzo said, maintaining his calm demeanor.
"Understood."
Ye Zi replied, though he had little faith in the given locations and infiltration routes.
This mission was clearly meant to make things difficult for him. The incident in the Land of Rain had evidently led Danzo to target him.
"You'll depart in three days," Danzo said, leaving after dropping the final statement.
Knowing the mission details in advance, Ye Zi turned and left as well.
Even if Orochimaru were to undertake this mission, he would probably still find it hard to succeed. Especially after stealing the defense maps and supply routes, escaping from the layers of mountains would be incredibly difficult.
Moreover, the Third Tsuchikage was not an easy opponent, especially on his home turf. Leaving safely would be a dream.
Back at home, Ye Zi sat in the living room, contemplating the upcoming mission.
Danzo assigning him this task was quite clear; he had not explicitly stated that the mission was mandatory, so it might just be a warning.
However, he could tell that Danzo seemed to have no intention of keeping him around.
"At worst, I'll just leave directly."
Ye Zi thought it over and returned to his original point—leaving Konoha at the right moment. As for the forbidden scrolls, if he couldn't get them now, he could come back for them later.
Two days later, Orochimaru sent word for him to come to the lab, stating that the number of Hashirama's cells was now sufficient.
Upon arriving at Orochimaru's lab once again, the boy who had previously been on the workbench was no longer there.
Orochimaru looked at Ye Zi and said calmly, "The number of cells is sufficient, but it will only slow down the process. To completely cure it, you would need to replace all of your cells."
Replacing all the cells was obviously not feasible. Hashirama's vibrant cells could only be used to maintain his condition, not to cure it completely.
Though it was only a means to delay the progression, it was still a viable method. As long as he had Hashirama's cells, he wouldn't exhaust his body too quickly.
"Shall we begin now?" Ye Zi asked after understanding Orochimaru's words.
Orochimaru nodded slightly, indicating for Ye Zi to lie on the workbench.
As Ye Zi approached the workbench, he suddenly remembered the Uchiha boy he had seen lying there some time ago. He wondered where that boy had gone—had he died after completing the final experiment?
Ye Zi didn't know. He looked at the workbench, took a deep breath, and then lay down.
He knew Orochimaru's enthusiasm for human experimentation had been growing, but he was willing to trust Orochimaru, even though his unique situation might spark Orochimaru's intense interest.
Orochimaru was indeed very interested in Ye Zi's body. Especially now, as Orochimaru was just beginning to explore the realm of human experimentation, he was eager for more unusual life forms to guide his future research.
However, Orochimaru was ultimately rational. Despite his current enthusiasm, he would not harm Ye Zi.
Once Ye Zi was settled on the workbench, Orochimaru took out the prepared Hashirama cells and the accompanying drugs.
"Are you ready?" Orochimaru asked. Implanting cells was always a painful process.
Ye Zi nodded slightly. He wasn't aware of the pain involved, and Orochimaru thought it unnecessary to mention it.
Cell implantation and drug injection.
Orochimaru worked swiftly and efficiently, completing the procedure quickly.
He then looked at Ye Zi lying on the workbench, waiting for changes to occur.
According to previous experimental records, the first immediate reaction to cell implantation was intense pain, caused by the battle between the foreign cells and the existing cells. The injected drugs would help the two types of cells merge effectively, with the stronger cells eventually prevailing.
Normally, Ye Zi's cells would be stronger than Hashirama's cells, so the fusion would naturally favor his cells. However, Hashirama's cells resisted the fusion, and even with the drug injection, the resistance persisted. Nanako had eventually used a swallowing method, employing a specially formulated drug to reduce the hindrance caused by Ye Zi's cells consuming Hashirama's cells. This process was uncertain in duration but would definitely be very painful.
The goal was to slow down the body's deterioration. With Hashirama's cells, subsequent procedures would be based on having Hashirama's cells. However, the plan encountered a complication—Ye Zi's cells couldn't merge with Hashirama's cells but could consume them, achieving the goal of slowing down deterioration.
In other words, with the maturation of the implantation technique, Ye Zi didn't need to rely on Hashirama's cells to endure the power of the Sharingan or even the Rinnegan. Nanako's original plan had two steps, but the first step had already achieved the results of the second step.
After the cell implantation and drug injection, a long time passed, but Ye Zi's body did not show any immediate changes or pain as expected.
Previously, a life form cultivated from Hashirama's cells—the White Zetsu. The White Zetsu had once implanted spores into Ye Zi's body, which he had unwittingly consumed, and now the experiment was similarly not causing Ye Zi any pain.
Seeing his calm demeanor, Orochimaru's eyes showed a hint of curiosity. In the unseen world within Ye Zi's body, Hashirama's cells began to divide as soon as they entered, while Ye Zi's cells, stimulated by the drug, began to consume Hashirama's cells.
All of this was happening quietly.
Ye Zi had no reaction or sensation, not even feeling the internal changes.
"Interesting," Orochimaru said with a slight smile. Ye Zi's reaction didn't match the expected results, but Orochimaru believed there must be changes happening inside Ye Zi's body, even if they weren't visible.
"Is it done?" Ye Zi asked, feeling confused.
Orochimaru looked at Ye Zi's black-and-white hair and said calmly, "If nothing goes wrong, the effects should have already started. It might become more apparent in the future."
Ye Zi got up from the workbench and said, "I hope so."
"Do you feel confident about that mission?" Orochimaru suddenly changed the topic.
"Who would dare to say they're confident?" Ye Zi replied with a sarcastic smile.
Orochimaru fell silent.
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