"A medical treatment?"
Orochimaru spoke slowly.
"If you need anything, remember to let me know."
"Danzō has some resources available to him, but Root focuses primarily on combat and elimination operations. Its capabilities in other areas are quite lacking."
"And Danzō himself doesn't understand research, much less medical science."
"I can introduce you to Tsunade. She's the greatest medical ninja in the shinobi world and can review your work. If your patient's case is valuable enough, I can even request that she participate in the project."
Now Orochimaru began offering his own resources.
In his eyes, Danzō had made a serious mistake by placing someone as scientifically gifted as Seisui into the Research Department.
It was like lifting a rock only to drop it on his own foot.
If Seisui had been a research fool—someone impossible to communicate with, just like Danzō—then perhaps he really could have caused Orochimaru some trouble.
Because there would be no mutual understanding.
But Seisui possessed genuine research talent. He thought and reasoned like a research shinobi.
That made everything completely different.
The same principle applied as always...
Within the shinobi world, master-disciple relationships were certainly reliable bonds.
But resonance through a shared shinobi path was even stronger.
At the mention of Tsunade's name, a complicated emotion passed through Tobirama's heart.
Since returning to Konoha, he still hadn't gone to see Tsunade up close.
She was his beloved granddaughter.
Still, Tobirama had quietly gathered information about both Tsunade and Nawaki.
Through Isshin, a member of Konoha's governing council, he had even learned that, with Hiruzen's approval, the Chakra Medical Scroll that would one day save countless Konoha shinobi would be named after Nawaki.
The news left Tobirama deeply moved.
Nawaki's death and Tsunade's tragic experiences were certainly unfortunate.
But there was little point dwelling on them.
After all, he himself had died on the battlefield while serving as Hokage.
What mattered was that his beloved disciple Hiruzen had not only helped Tsunade stand back up again, but had also found a meaningful way to honor Nawaki's memory.
That was enough.
"Then I'll have to thank you for that."
Tobirama accepted immediately.
He also wanted to see how far little Tsunade had grown.
"If it's not too much trouble, could you also take a look at my treatment plan?"
Orochimaru smiled faintly and accepted the document.
But as he read, his brows gradually began to furrow.
This young Seisui wasn't very old, yet his treatment plan was astonishingly aggressive.
Every drop of blood in the patient's body was going to be extracted and purified outside the body?
Yet after examining it more carefully, Orochimaru found himself nodding slightly.
At first glance, the proposal looked outrageous.
But every detail had been meticulously thought through, with corresponding solutions prepared for every problem.
This wasn't reckless improvisation.
"This Uzumaki Shio..."
"Her constitution truly is special. We've already signed a volunteer research agreement with her."
"But your plan will likely consume a tremendous amount of her life force. We're not talking about a small amount here. Will she really agree to that?" Orochimaru could not help asking.
Orochimaru had researched Seisui's background.
He knew that both Uzumaki Shio and Seisui were shinobi rescued from Kusagakure.
The two were extremely close to one another.
And there even seemed to be feelings between them.
Because Shio had once spent a period of time following Tobirama around.
And as one of the biggest stars at the Ninja Academy, Tobirama naturally attracted attention from the parents who came to attend the public classes.
As word spread from person to person, the story gradually circulated throughout the village, to the point that even Orochimaru had heard bits and pieces of it.
Everyone loved a good piece of gossip.
And a story involving the surviving heirs of the Uzumaki and Uchiha clans certainly had enough appeal to attract attention...
Which was precisely why asking Uzumaki Shio to pour such a massive amount of her life force into another girl her age—
Orochimaru glanced at the densely packed experimental data in front of him.
Was some unrelated female shinobi really worth Seisui investing this many resources into?
Obviously not.
"Hiss..."
Orochimaru drew in a small breath and could not help reminding him: "Seisui, are you sure it's appropriate to have Uzumaki Shio treat Tomie like this?"
"Perhaps you should think it over again. She may indeed be the best solution, but there are other factors you should consider."
Tobirama frowned.
Other factors?
What other factors?
Still, he took Orochimaru's words seriously and consulted the veteran romance expert residing within him.
"Izuna, what do you think?"
"I remember you seemed to want to stop me before as well. What's the logic behind you and Orochimaru both thinking this way?"
Inside Tobirama, Izuna had been silently observing the experiment the entire time.
His feelings were complicated.
Although he had long known that "Seisui" was supposedly the descendant of both himself and Tobirama...
Actually witnessing research talent identical to that bastard's still felt absurd.
How could someone possibly carry both his blood and Tobirama's at the same time?
That's not even how dumplings are wrapped!
But on the other hand, Izuna finally understood why Seisui was so frighteningly stubborn when it came to romance.
He had inherited that side of Tobirama!
The moment he realized this, Izuna had felt an overwhelming sense of relief and repeatedly sighed: 'No wonder... No wonder!'
Back in the Warring States Era, there was one thing everyone knew.
Senju Tobirama was such a legendary case that even after Mito and Hashirama exhausted themselves trying to arrange marriages for him, they still couldn't find him a partner...
Hearing Tobirama's question, Izuna steadied himself and coughed lightly.
"I wouldn't exactly call it stopping you..."
"In your view, isn't Shio's talent destined to contribute to the village sooner or later?"
After thinking for a moment, Tobirama nodded.
"Then there's no problem."
Izuna gave a smile that wasn't really a smile.
"If it isn't this time, there'll be a next time... Seisui, if a problem can't be avoided, shouldn't it be dealt with sooner rather than later? Even if that means setting it off like a bomb?"
"Of course."
Tobirama answered in a deep voice.
"Then that's settled. Don't listen to Orochimaru. Go ahead and do it boldly."
Izuna waved his hand grandly.
"Trust me."
In Izuna's opinion, Seisui's personality—which he had inherited from Tobirama—could only be cured with extremely strong medicine.
Even if this incident didn't anger Uzumaki Shio, there would be a next incident.
And another person.
Rather than dragging things out indefinitely, it would be better to teach Seisui a harsh lesson now and properly cure him of the problem.
Of course, part of the reason was that Izuna had repeatedly tried to persuade him and failed. At this point, he was simply exhausted and, having slipped into full chaos mode, wanted to watch the show...
"Mmm."
"If that's what you think, then there won't be any problems."
Tobirama's tone relaxed considerably.
Professionals should handle professional matters.
Sure, Izuna's romantic history was often good for a laugh.
But his reputation in that area during the Warring States Era had been absolutely solid.
In fact, it was the complete opposite of Tobirama's.
Both were famous—just in entirely different ways.
If someone with that level of seniority said there was no problem, then what was there to worry about?
"It's fine. If we're treating a comrade's illness, then we should use the best possible solution."
"And Shio will be fine as well. Since she's already reached a cooperative agreement with the village, helping treat Tomie is perfectly reasonable."
Tobirama spoke calmly.
The corner of Orochimaru's mouth twitched.
'As expected of an Uchiha... When they become stubborn, it's both ridiculous and impressive.'
'Forget it. This is the boy's personal matter. Besides, I also want to observe the mechanism behind the Uzumaki clan's life force when released on a large scale...'
Having reached that conclusion, Orochimaru nodded in agreement.
"My apologies. I was overthinking it. You're right."
After all, he wasn't the one who had designed the treatment plan.
If something really went wrong, it would simply become one of the hardships necessary for a young person's growth.
Tobirama smiled faintly.
With Izuna available as a reference, he was invincible.
This was one of the benefits of having Izuna around.
He was simply too useful!
Orochimaru continued reviewing the treatment method Tobirama had designed for Tomie.
The style felt strangely familiar.
Direct.
Efficient.
Unconcerned with minor details.
"Seisui..."
"You haven't been in Konoha for very long, yet your foundation in research is surprisingly solid. You've even developed a distinctive style of your own."
"Whose notes do you usually study the most?"
Orochimaru asked casually, probing for information.
He could already make a fairly educated guess.
Most likely, they belonged to the respected Second Hokage.
After all, Seisui was Danzō's disciple, and his younger brother Shisui was descended from Uchiha Kagami.
Still, it wasn't the sort of question he could ask directly.
Because within Konoha—and even throughout the entire shinobi world—Tobirama's reputation in research and jutsu development existed in a sort of Schrödinger's state.
In public, almost no research shinobi would openly admit that their thought process was inspired by Senju Tobirama.
The reason was simple.
Nobody wanted others thinking they were trying to develop techniques similar to the Impure World Reincarnation.
And with Hashirama and Mito having tightly restricted forbidden techniques for so many years, being associated with Tobirama's work was practically inviting additional scrutiny.
But privately, things were completely different.
Throughout Konoha, what talented research shinobi hadn't crossed the river by feeling for the stones laid down by Senju Tobirama?
Even thirty years later, someone like Orochimaru—a disciple of the Hokage—would still become extremely excited upon obtaining Tobirama's research notes.
That was why research shinobi used coded language whenever they discussed Tobirama.
They first sounded each other out to determine the other's attitude.
If both sides shared the same appreciation, the conversation would immediately become lively.
Many even identified themselves as members of the "Tobirama School," using it as a way to quickly establish rapport.
But if one side sensed avoidance or discomfort, the Tobirama supporter would immediately drop the subject to avoid being labeled later.