Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: ?
Chapter Title: The White Zetsu Specimen
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In Orochimaru's laboratory, an array of precision instruments and experimental culture dishes stood neatly arranged, permeating the space with a stark, enigmatic chill.
At the very center of the lab, atop the operating table, a pale corpse lay motionless—the focal point of the entire room.
Orochimaru carefully placed a sliced fragment of cell under the microscope for meticulous examination.
His pupils contracted slightly, his voice quivering with excitement:
"Unbelievable... It's too incredible... No organs, no blood, not even meridians or acupoints, yet it can contain chakra—and this cell vitality... it's so strikingly similar to Hashirama's cells!"
"It's like... like..." Orochimaru searched for the perfect word to describe the organism, but in his overwhelming agitation, none came to mind right away.
"A plant." Menma stood opposite him across the operating table, his tone flat.
"Exactly!" Orochimaru's eyes lit up with sudden realization, his trembling pupils gleaming with the狂热 fervor of a explorer sighting new lands: "Just like a plant!"
This unprecedented novelty ignited Orochimaru's research passion and curiosity to an extreme degree. He was already itching for deeper experiments to uncover its secrets.
"So, what exactly is it?" Orochimaru set aside his tools, lifted his head, and fixed his golden snake-like eyes on Menma, eager to extract more details from this enigmatic "Asura."
He had lived over forty years, roamed half the shinobi world, yet never encountered—nor even heard of—such a thoroughly inhuman being.
"Want to know?" A faint snort emanated from the "Asura" mask.
Orochimaru wanted to know more than anything!
"This is White Zetsu—ancient humans drained of chakra by the God Tree, reduced to full-fledged plant people. Asexual reproduction, extreme compatibility, all-attribute chakra... prime experimental material." Menma gave a concise rundown of White Zetsu's origins.
"God Tree?" Orochimaru latched onto the key term in "Asura's" words with razor-sharp instinct.
But Menma left it at that, dropping the subject. He'd only shared White Zetsu's backstory to help Orochimaru make the most of his tests.
"Use it sparingly. These things aren't easy to catch." Menma cautioned.
Orochimaru mused: "Looks like I really need to hurry the cloning tech development..."
White Zetsu cells boasted incredible compatibility and all-attribute chakra—practically a chunin-grade lab tool!
If he could mass-produce clones of them as subjects, Orochimaru's experiments would never again be hamstrung by material shortages!
"One year from now, I'll collect ten pairs of Sharingan, plus your progress on White Zetsu and the Ibuki Clan." With that, Menma turned and departed the lab.
The imperious tone irked Orochimaru a touch, but what "Asura" offered—be it "future intel" or these ultra-compatible specimens—far outstripped anything that crusty old Danzo could provide.
They called it a partnership, but Orochimaru had become little more than "Asura's" hired hand.
Having clashed with him firsthand, Orochimaru knew full well: Asura's power likely rivaled the "God of Shinobi" himself. Refusal wasn't an option.
"Oh, right." At the doorway, Menma paused abruptly, tilting his white three-eyed fox mask slightly: "You'd best cut ties with Danzo."
Menma had no intention of letting Danzo snag the White Zetsu research fruits, hence the warning.
Once Menma was gone, Orochimaru sank into thought, sifting through what he knew of "Asura" in his mind.
Hidden Cloud Village's bounty at the Bounty Exchange had "Asura" listed under the name "Danzo." That gutter rat had poked the wrong bear, it seemed.
"Does this involve you, Fourth Hokage...?" Orochimaru sensed deep ties between "Asura" and the Fourth—enough to briefly suspect the man himself had faked his death and slipped away.