Several months later.
Konoha Village.
Deep beneath the Hokage Tower.
This was Orochimaru's secret research lab, specially built for him by Kaede. These days, Orochimaru serves as the head of Konoha's Science Division.
Inside one of the rooms, Kaede slowly withdrew his hand and said calmly:
"All done."
Standing before him was Kimimaro. His complexion, once deathly pale, had begun to regain color. His lips no longer looked dry and lifeless.
Orochimaru, sensing Kimimaro's improving condition, looked toward Kaede and said:
"Thanks, Kaede."
"It's nothing."
Kaede smiled lightly. "The Shikotsumyaku bloodline limit is extremely rare, he might be the only one left in the ninja world who possesses it. It'd be a shame to let that line die out. Besides, Kimimaro's a talented shinobi."
Kimimaro's illness had grown progressively worse over the past year or two. Orochimaru had done everything he could, even bringing in Tsunade to try treating him. But even she had been helpless, this was an illness rooted in his bloodline, beyond her abilities.
In theory, Tsunade could have treated him by forcibly severing his chakra pathways, but doing so would strip him of his powers as a shinobi.
That kind of treatment was meaningless.
And Kimimaro himself would rather die than lose his strength. With no other options, Orochimaru had turned to Kaede.
For Kaede, it was an easy fix. Now that Kimimaro was also part of the Science Division, he had no issue keeping someone so promising around.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Kimimaro said, bowing his head with genuine gratitude.
Kaede, as Orochimaru's student and the legendary ninja who had unified the world, was one of the few people Kimimaro deeply respected.
Kaede smiled at him. "Don't let your bloodline vanish."
"I won't fail. You have my word, Hokage-sama!"
There was a spark of conviction in Kimimaro's eyes. He could feel that his illness was gone. No matter the mission, he wouldn't fail, and he certainly wouldn't die in battle.
Kaede shook his head with a small sigh. "That's not what I meant… You're fifteen now. Maybe it's time to find yourself a girlfriend."
"Uh…"
Kimimaro froze.
Kaede chuckled at his reaction, then turned to leave. That was as much as he could say. With Orochimaru now in a female body, Kaede wouldn't be surprised if he had some... odd ideas. He didn't want to see someone as pure as Kimimaro become another victim of Orochimaru's whims.
After leaving Kimimaro behind, Kaede walked down a quiet, dim hallway toward its far end.
"How's the research on Otsutsuki Urashiki progressing?" he asked.
"The first batch of test subjects has been a success," Orochimaru answered from behind, his eyes gleaming. "The cells from that body are even more potent than the First Hokage's, but more stable. The risk of loss of control is low, and they consistently enhance physical performance."
Kaede gave a slight nod. "Not surprising. The First Hokage's cells carry excessive yang chakra; without Uchiha blood, they're hard to suppress. The Otsutsuki cells, on the other hand, are much more balanced."
He glanced at Orochimaru. "Are there still enough test subjects? If not, I'll have the Land of Fire sent over to another batch."
In today's Land of Fire, the punishment system had one level above even indefinite imprisonment and immediate execution: becoming one of Orochimaru's test subjects. Kaede had arranged this himself, as he didn't want Orochimaru experimenting on random civilians.
Sure, some shinobi might volunteer to become test subjects in exchange for power, especially if Orochimaru informed the village in advance, but Kaede didn't think that was necessary. They were still Konoha's people. Even volunteers should only be used when the risk was minimal and the success rate was reasonably high.
These high-level criminals, serial killers, mass murderers, were perfect candidates. If they were going to die anyway, they could at least serve some final use.
"Keep them coming," Orochimaru said with an eerie smile. "Even if I have enough, there's no such thing as too many."
He understood Kaede well, merciless to enemies, but relatively lenient to allies. For example, in Konoha's recent Chunin Exams, the mortality rate had dropped to nearly zero.
Orochimaru didn't comment on that. Whether it was the Blood Mist of Kirigakure or the village of Konoha, he had long since lost interest in politics and governance.
All he cared about now was unlocking the deeper secrets of the human body.
"Mm."
Kaede nodded. "I'll leave it to you. Let me know if anything new comes up."
"Of course."
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Leaving the underground lab, Kaede made his way back to the Hokage's office. Inside, Kakashi was seated at the low table, sorting through documents.
Roughly half a month ago, he had stopped mentoring Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura.
Their training had borne fruit, while Sakura's progress was average, Naruto and Sasuke were already well above Chunin level. Even seasoned jonin could easily fall to them if they let their guard down.
Now that their training had ended, the trio was free to take missions, and Kakashi had signed them up for the Chunin Exams. Since then, he had begun transitioning into the role of Hokage's assistant, or more accurately, Hokage's successor.
"Hinata's applying for the Chunin Exams?" Kakashi asked, flipping through paperwork as Kaede walked in.
Kaede walked over, picked up the stack Kakashi was working through, and scanned it. "Chunin Exams, huh... Sure, let her join."
Hinata was now part of the Hokage Guard, but those ranks didn't conflict with Genin, Chunin, or Jonin titles. The Chunin Exams were still a good experience.
"I'll add her name, then."
Kakashi nodded and jotted her down on the form.
Kaede flipped through the rest of the files. Everything seemed well-organized, so he placed them neatly back on the table and smiled.
"Looks like you've really gotten the hang of this Hokage work. After the Chunin Exams, I think it's about time you took over fully."
Kakashi replied, "Take care of your health."
Why did that sound so ominous?
Not bothering to respond, Kaede left the office and headed upstairs to the rooftop.
As he walked out, Kakashi tilted his head, then resumed reading through the documents. With Tsunade and Shikaku still active, the Hokage's duties weren't too overwhelming.
Though when Kakashi officially took over, Tsunade might step back from village affairs, then the burden would get a bit heavier. Still, he wasn't too concerned about that.
What did worry him... were the enemies Kaguya feared.
No one knew when those threats from beyond would arrive.
And no one knew whether even Kaede could stop them.
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria