"How did it go?" Akira asked as he watched Orochimaru's expression.
"Akira…" Orochimaru snapped out of his shock, finally composing himself.
With a serious look in his eyes, he asked, "Did you really fuse all those Hashirama cells yourself?"
"Yeah, I did," Akira admitted without hesitation, as if it was no big deal.
Why wouldn't he admit it?
In the Life Simulator, sure, it was Orochimaru who took over a year to help him with the fusion, but it was still thanks to the Simulator, right?
In reality, Orochimaru hadn't really done anything directly for him.
So, claiming he did it all himself seemed reasonable enough. No harm in that, right?
"I didn't expect that!" Orochimaru exclaimed in surprise when Akira confirmed it. "I always knew your talent in training was unmatched, but I had no idea you were so advanced in scientific research too. In this field, you're on par with me!"
Orochimaru looked at Akira with admiration.
Since Orochimaru himself had worked on the fusion for over a year, he could see the intricacies in the process.
Everything lined up perfectly with his own thoughts.
It was like looking at a painting he had created, only from the future.
Akira couldn't help but feel a bit smug. Getting praise from Orochimaru, the greatest scientist in the Shinobi world, wasn't something that happened every day.
Of course, Akira knew the truth.
That's why he didn't dwell on the subject for too long.
"I asked you to look at it to see if there were any hidden risks," Akira said.
"There aren't any," Orochimaru replied confidently. "The Hashirama cells have fused perfectly with your original dragon cells. So far, I haven't detected any risks."
"While Hashirama's cells are powerful and invasive, your own cells surpass them in strength."
"Hashirama's cells are known for their vitality, making them aggressive. It's said the First Hokage could heal even the most serious injuries thanks to them."
"But your cells, Akira, are extraordinary for their sheer strength. Earlier, even the Kusanagi Sword had difficulty cutting your skin."
Orochimaru provided a detailed comparison between Akira's cells and Hashirama's.
Though Akira had suspected there wouldn't be any issues, hearing Orochimaru confirm it personally allowed him to finally relax.
"Speaking of the Kusanagi Sword, you seem to be a fan. You've got quite a few in your collection, right?" Akira shifted the conversation, raising the sword in his hand.
"I do have a few. If you like this one, consider it a gift," Orochimaru offered generously.
"I'm not one to take advantage of others. In exchange, I'll give you some of my blood and cell samples," Akira replied. "They may not be useful to everyone, but for someone like you, they'll be invaluable."
"Deal!" Orochimaru's face lit up with a wide smile as he nodded in agreement.
Of course, Akira knew that Orochimaru would've found a way to keep some of his cells regardless. They were too irresistible for him.
So, why not use them as part of a trade?
Now that he had a Kusanagi Sword, he finally had a weapon that felt comfortable to wield.
Plus, with chakra infused, the sword's length could be adjusted at will.
It truly was a practical weapon for Akira!
"Let's see if you can escape my 39-meter-long blade," Akira mused to himself.
Or maybe he'd say something like, "Shoot to kill, Kamishini no Yari?"
"Oh, by the way!"
Now that the Kusanagi Sword was officially his, Akira added, "About that 1,000,000 Ryo you lent me before—I'll repay you in a few days."
Akira wasn't the type to take advantage of others, so he made sure to remember the debt.
No problem! In a few days, once he robbed Kakuzu, repaying Orochimaru would be a breeze!
"Akira, it seems you haven't heard. Your debt has already been repaid," Orochimaru said as he carefully stored Akira's blood and cells.
"Repaid? By whom?" Akira was startled.
Was it the old man? It seemed like only the old man would do something like that.
"It was the eldest daughter of the Hyuga Clan, Hinata," Orochimaru replied.
"Hinata? She paid my debt?" Akira was genuinely surprised.
"Yes, she came by last night and brought 1,000,000 Ryo," Orochimaru nodded.
At this point, Orochimaru paused, an unusual glint of gossip in his eyes, and added, "So, are you going for the elder princess of the Hyuga Clan now?"
"What's this? Are you interested in gossip too?" Akira responded, amused.
"Not really. Relationships only interfere with my pursuit of immortality," Orochimaru replied without hesitation.
Ah, yes, the classic "no attachments, and the sword comes naturally" approach.
That phrase suited Orochimaru perfectly.
After all, he might be the only person in the Shinobi world who could reproduce asexually!
"All right, I'm off!" Akira waved his hand, ending the conversation as he left the lab.
"Lord Orochimaru, it seems you have a great deal of respect for Master Akira," Kabuto commented after Akira had left.
"I'm a snake, and he's a dragon. Sometimes, it's hard to resist the instincts of the body," Orochimaru replied bluntly. He knew there was no point hiding his thoughts from Kabuto.
Kabuto silently nodded, understanding the situation.
Yes, from the fact that Orochimaru didn't even take Akira's blood directly, Kabuto could clearly sense the level of respect he had for him.
Normally, such a thing would never happen.
After leaving Orochimaru's lab, Akira thought for a moment and headed toward the Hokage Tower.
As he walked, he thought back to Hinata repaying his 1,000,000 Ryo debt, and a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
Isn't that why he liked Hinata so much?
Who wouldn't like a girl like that?
A girlfriend who actually repaid his debt—now that was a keeper!
With those thoughts swirling in his mind, Akira soon arrived at the Hokage's office.
"Hokage-sama, I'd like to request some information," Akira said to Fugaku without wasting time.
"Oh? What kind of information?" Fugaku asked, curious.
With his position as head of the Anbu, Akira had access to most of the village's resources.
Whatever required Fugaku's approval had to be something important.
"I'd like information on Mokuton," Akira stated.
"Mokuton?" Fugaku blinked, surprised by the request.
"That's right," Akira confirmed with a nod.
"But why?" Fugaku was puzzled. After all, the Uchiha Clan had always focused on power through the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Mokuton? That was practically the opposite of what the Uchiha Clan sought.
"I'm just curious," Akira replied simply, offering no further explanation.
"Very well, go ahead and retrieve the information," Fugaku said, handing him a signed approval.
With that, Akira headed to the Konoha archives and retrieved the data on Mokuton.
It felt like he was back in a library, Akira thought, as he unrolled the scroll.
The scroll began with a general explanation of Mokuton as a Kekkei Genkai combining Earth Release and Water Release.
Then, it detailed some of the First Hokage's legendary feats, along with Hashirama's personal notes on Mokuton.
After reading through it, Akira gained a deeper understanding of Mokuton techniques.
Moving forward, the scroll described several ways to perform Mokuton techniques, like the sequence of hand signs.
Even though, in the original story, the First Hokage could just slap his hands together and summon anything he wanted, Akira knew that wasn't always the case.
At a younger age, Hashirama had to follow the proper hand signs to perform Mokuton.
These kinds of details could only be found in Konoha.
Akira made sure to memorize all of it.
But practicing it? Nah, no point in wasting ten years trying to master these techniques.
Good thing he had the Life Simulator!
And soon enough, a walking goldmine would be passing right in front of him.
After memorizing everything, Akira closed the scroll and got a good night's sleep.
The next day, Akira quietly tailed a squad of shinobi heading toward Sunagakure.
The hunt for Kakuzu, the richest man around, had officially begun!
*********
Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 210 at patreon.com/Emik01.
*********Don't forget to pay with the power stone.*********