Orochimaru, hidden in the shadows, paused briefly before slowly stepping out of the darkness.
Holding experimental materials, he stared at Danzo with a strange expression.
"The professor is corrupt?"
Danzo Shimura's face darkened. Gritting his teeth, he spat out, "He has abandoned the Will of Fire! He even took money from the Hyuga Clan!"
After hearing this, Orochimaru's expression gradually turned odd.
He felt something wasn't quite right about all this; perhaps his own disciple was somehow involved behind the scenes.
The so-called Ultimate Massage Chair Danzo mentioned had actually been created by Satori Hyūga.
For such a novel invention, Orochimaru considered it a promising commercial product.
But that was all it was.
Since it couldn't strengthen one's abilities, to him, it wasn't really worth much.
There's no way the old man would have agreed to an unfair treaty with the Hyuga just for something like this.
Based on his understanding of the old Hokage, there must've been some hidden considerations.
But what did any of that have to do with him? Orochimaru grinned.
His current focus lay entirely on the cells of the First Hokage.
The cells of the First Hokage possessed terrifying survival instincts and instability.
That monstrous vitality, with its bizarre ability to grow wildly and uncontrollably, had given Orochimaru serious trouble.
He had grown countless samples in petri dishes, yet every attempt to apply them onto other ninja ended in failure.
Not a single ninja could endure and inherit the true power of the First Hokage.
[Wood Release] seemed like a divine forbidden technique.
Once someone received a transplant of Hashirama's cells, they would soon be overwhelmed by these cells, causing massive trees to sprout uncontrollably from within them.
This kept Orochimaru's experiments stuck at a standstill.
"The experiment still isn't working," Orochimaru said flatly. "The First's power is too overwhelming. His cells can't simply be transplanted and used by ordinary people."
"I need more test subjects—stronger ninjas to assist my experiments."
"Oh, and I'll also require additional funding. The previous budget has nearly run out."
It was impossible to achieve any meaningful progress in less than a month.
Danzo furrowed his brows but eventually nodded grimly.
"I will assign more personnel to gather additional specimens for you. However, I expect results soon."
"I've invested heavily in these experiments—I don't want everything to amount to nothing."
Hearing that his additional requests had been approved, Orochimaru's mood visibly improved.
Experiments always required sufficient funding first.
Only with enough money could research proceed freely and without restraint.
Besides this experiment, he was conducting multiple experiments simultaneously.
Of course, the source of all this funding would come from Danzo—who clearly didn't understand scientific research.
Speaking of research funds, Orochimaru turned his thoughts back to his apprentice, Satori Hyūga.
Recently, through selling the Ultimate Massage Chair, he'd actually earned a small fortune—and sent part of it to Orochimaru.
If the income kept flowing steadily, it might support one or two ongoing experiments.
"By the way, what has Satori Hyūga been up to lately?"
Orochimaru was the kind of person who gets completely absorbed in his work during an experiment.
And precisely because of this, he hadn't seen Satori in nearly a week.
Orochimaru licked his lips, eager to see what notorious deed his apprentice had done this time.
Inside the training room,
Satori Hyūga, who had just assembled new fitness equipment, was now struggling with pull-ups and squats.
He bore a weight of over a thousand pounds on his body, draining both his physical strength and stamina.
"One thousand and one… one thousand and two… come on, almost breaking human limits now."
Due to excessive exercise, Satori's breathing became ragged, his blood surged, and his handsome face turned bright red.
His upper body was bare, exposed to the air, with large drops of sweat pouring down as he moved up and down.
His chest rose and fell violently, as if his entire body were about to ignite from within.
The pressure from the heavy load caused his consciousness to expand beyond itself.
"Break through these limits!"
With a furious roar, Satori's whole body seemed to transform into a blazing flame. Even the sweat on his skin quickly evaporated into steam.
A thunderclap exploded in his brain, and suddenly, Satori felt mentally refreshed, as if his consciousness had entered a vast new space.
At that moment, his body was released. The Opening Gate above his brain unlocked, greatly enhancing his physical strength.
And at the same time, he unlocked the technique of the First Gate of the Eight Gates: the Opening Gate.
[Eight Gates Release: Opening Gate]
"Phew, the Eight Gates really are difficult. Definitely not something an average person can handle."
After opening the first gate, Satori's mind seemed sharper, and his body more active than before.
His chakra reserves had already been greater than those of ordinary people, but now they shot up to the Chunin level.
Someone at this level was essentially a cornerstone-level ninja within Konoha.
"No wonder the Eight Gates demand self-restraint. If you lose control, you'll want nothing more than to burn and release yourself completely."
Satori felt like a raging fire, burning hotter and hotter while rapidly consuming his strength and life force.
In his perception, it felt like a dam inside his body had broken loose, releasing everything uncontrollably.
Luckily, that was only an illusion—since he had only opened the first gate, he could still manage it without any real danger.
After stabilizing the Opening Gate of the Eight Gates, Satori immediately sealed it shut.
After all, he aimed for longevity and health, unwilling to allow even the slightest damage to his body.
After closing the gate, he sat quietly for a moment to gather his thoughts.
Opening the gate meant unlocking internal restrictions, allowing chakra to surge forth like a caged beast unleashed.
And to some extent, chakra was refined from cellular energy—it was life itself.
The more chakra used, the more brutally one's cells were strained.
The more gates opened, the more life force was lost.
It was purely life for power.
One mistake could cause the power within him to break free from control, ultimately draining one's very life.
Just as he was preparing to attempt the second gate, a faint and sinister cold presence brushed against his senses.
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