Deep beneath the dense Konoha Forest, in the cold silence of Orochimaru's underground laboratory.
"Lord Orochimaru, it has been over 48 hours since the last injection of First Hokage cell culture."
"The subject's pupils are dilated, breathing shallow, heart rate spiking, and full-body convulsions just kicked in."
Kakashi reported dutifully, while a girl with short purple hair beside him jotted down the data with silent diligence.
The man in front of them—pale skin, long black hair cascading down his shoulders, snake-like golden pupils, and eerie purple markings stretching to his nose—was none other than the one and only Orochimaru.
You know, the guy you'd trust to run a kids' daycare... if the daycare were located in a dungeon and fed on snake venom.
Tied to the operating table before them was the latest volunteer—if you could call it that—in the ongoing Wood Style experiment.
"It's too late," Orochimaru said flatly, shaking his head as he examined the subject. "Move him. The cellular corruption has already begun. He'll be sprouting branches soon."
Casual. Like he was talking about overcooked toast instead of a guy turning into a tree.
This was the 32nd failure.
So far, the only things Wood Style had successfully produced were medical waste and more paperwork. The village council still backed the experiment—for now. But if the body count kept climbing, the funding would drop faster than a genin in the Chūnin Exams.
"Kakashi, your thoughts?"
Orochimaru's gaze shifted to the boy unstrapping the soon-to-be mulch from the table.
The purple-haired girl next to him subtly rolled her eyes. Ever since Kakashi arrived, her share of Lord Orochimaru's attention had been, well... hijacked.
Kakashi, blissfully aware of the brewing rivalry—or pretending to be—glanced up.
"Actually, Lord Orochimaru, I've been thinking."
"Dangerous habit," he added mentally. "But let's ride it out."
"We might want to hit pause on the whole 'hey-let's-turn-people-into-plants' operation and pivot. Instead of jumping straight to human trials, why not try cloning the First Hokage's cells into an independent organism first?"
"Hmm," Orochimaru mused. "An intriguing workaround. But growing a stable clone would require immense funding, not to mention time. Two things the village leadership lacks patience for."
He wasn't wrong. The higher-ups wanted instant results—preferably yesterday. And they weren't about to sit through a years-long episode of 'Clone Wars: Senju Edition.'
Kakashi tilted his head, considering how to drop a few critical spoilers from the future without triggering a time paradox.
"Lord Orochimaru, while assisting in your lab, I went through the previous experiment logs. My analysis suggests the First Hokage's cells are simply too dominant. Even the Senju bloodline couldn't handle them."
Orochimaru listened, eyes narrowing with interest.
"In that case," Kakashi continued, "why not take a step back? Begin with in vitro testing. Collect a wide range of cell samples from villagers—screen for dual water and earth chakra affinities. If a sample fuses safely with the First Hokage's cells outside the body, we can test integration with much higher safety margins."
"And," he added, "we might even find someone compatible enough to survive a full transplant."
He left out the part where he knew exactly who that person was.
"Subarashii... What a brilliant suggestion, Kakashi-kun."
"But," Orochimaru added, his voice turning more pragmatic, "the major clans won't hand over blood samples that easily. Especially those with rare kekkei genkai. If we push too hard, they'll scream 'conspiracy' louder than Inoichi at a Genjutsu seminar."
"True," Kakashi nodded. "That's why we don't start with them."
"We start with the orphanage."
Oh yeah. That'll go over great.
"In the name of public health," Kakashi continued, "we launch a village-wide checkup campaign—starting with orphans. No one will question medical screenings for the children. We screen for elemental affinities, collect data, and look for compatible candidates."
"If no matches show up, we expand to civilians, then minor clans, and eventually offer it to the big names—but only once we have results."
"And let's be honest," he added dryly, "once word gets out that someone actually survived Wood Style fusion? The clans will be lining up to donate blood if it means unlocking Hashirama's power."
Mentally, he added, Not that they'll need to. Yamato's already in the orphanage. We just have to survive the next few chapters.
"Subarashii!"
Orochimaru clapped, more thrilled than a mad scientist in a thunderstorm.
"Kakashi-kun, your thinking is truly beyond your years. I'll consult with Danzo immediately."
He turned toward the exit.
"And I'll leave it to you to convince Tsunade. You have more sway with her than I do."
Kakashi nodded and made his way to the hospital director's office.
Konoha Hospital – Director's Office
"Let me get this straight," Tsunade said, arms folded, her golden eyes narrowing. "You're proposing a village-wide medical screening just to filter test subjects?"
"Ninety percent success rate if it's executed properly," Kakashi replied smoothly, hands in his pockets like he was just pitching a new dango recipe.
Tsunade stared him down.
"You do realize that if this goes south, you take the fall. Not Orochimaru. Not Danzo. You. It could destroy your future in the village."
Kakashi shrugged. "I'm used to being underestimated. This might be a nice change of pace."
Tsunade blinked, her serious expression cracking ever so slightly. Typical Kakashi.
"You really believe in this?"
"I just want to stop watching people from your clan die for nothing," he said quietly. "Isn't that reason enough?"
She paused. A long silence passed between them.
Then she sighed and waved her hand.
"Fine. Do it. And if it blows up in your face, I'll be the one picking up the pieces."
As always, she didn't say aloud.
Boom boom boom.
A sharp knock broke the moment.
"Come in," Tsunade called.
An ANBU agent stepped in, mask reflecting the lamplight.
"Tsunade-sama. The Hokage has summoned you. And Hatake Kakashi."
"Understood. Tell the old man we're on our way."
The agent bowed and disappeared as silently as he came.
"Well," Tsunade said, rising from her chair, "looks like your plan's already making waves. This meeting's probably about your proposal."
"Guess I'd better not trip over my words," Kakashi muttered as he followed her out.
He was confident the plan would pass.
But it also meant stepping into the light—right into the vision of the village's more... shadowy elements.
Especially that guy.
Kakashi liked being invisible. Low profiles meant fewer assassins.
But sometimes, you have to trade silence for impact.
And Kakashi Hatake? He was just getting started.