Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato looked at the scene before them in a daze.
Wasn't this exactly the kind of peace they had always longed for?
Minato turned to Wen Lan and said, "I need to go to the Hokage's office and report this to Lord Hokage. You handle the arrangements for now."
"Alright." Wen Lan nodded, then turned to Naori and Shisui, lowering his voice.
"Naori, take that old dog Danzō back to prison.
Shisui, take them to the Uchiha compound for the time being. Let them stay there to avoid stirring up unnecessary trouble.
And tell the clan head to issue a public order: from now on, anyone who approaches the Uchiha compound without reporting in will be executed on the spot—including ANBU."
Shisui froze when he heard the last sentence and hurriedly said, "Isn't that a bit—"
"Shisui," Wen Lan cut him off coldly, his gaze sharp, "I'm informing you, not discussing this with you."
"…Yes, Third Elder."
In the end, Shisui could only lower his head and comply.
Nagato and the other two looked at Wen Lan with gratitude. They all understood that once Nagato's Rinnegan was exposed, countless forces would covet it, and his safety would be under constant threat.
After giving his instructions, Wen Lan vanished in a flash, heading straight for Orochimaru's residence.
When he arrived at the shabby wooden door, Wen Lan clicked his tongue.
He still couldn't believe this was where one of the Legendary Sannin lived.
He knocked.
After some rustling inside, a hoarse voice sounded. "Who is it?"
"It's me. Wen Lan."
The door opened, revealing Orochimaru's exhausted face. His golden pupils were bloodshot, eye discharge clung to the corners, and a layer of grime coated his skin.
Wen Lan was startled.
"Damn, don't tell me you haven't slept at all?"
"Hehehe…" Orochimaru chuckled softly. "Experiments don't give you time to sleep."
Though his body looked worn, his eyes still burned with manic excitement as he turned and walked inside.
Wen Lan followed him in and immediately frowned. The room was dim, curtains drawn tight, lights blazing. Scrolls and test tubes littered the floor. In the center stood an operating table, and the walls were covered with anatomical diagrams.
A half-dead ninja was strapped to the table, his chest barely rising—still alive.
When the ninja saw Wen Lan, the despair in his eyes briefly turned into hope. His body trembled violently as he struggled, hoarse pleas escaping his throat. But his mouth was gagged, leaving only faint sounds.
Wen Lan frowned deeply and sat down on Orochimaru's bed—there was no chair available; it was buried under scrolls.
"Orochimaru-sir, the body is the capital of all research. If you keep this up, you'll die before finishing your work."
"Thank you for your concern, Master Wen Lan. I feel wonderful."
Orochimaru lifted a test tube and examined it under the light. A faint dark-red glow shimmered within the liquid.
Wen Lan shook his head. He knew Orochimaru was already half-crazed.
"How's the blood research coming along?" Wen Lan asked.
"I've made a bit of progress."
Orochimaru smiled with satisfaction, drew the liquid into a syringe, and walked toward the restrained ninja.
The ninja was already extremely weak, but when Orochimaru approached, terror seized him and he struggled again—weakly, exhausted beyond limit.
Orochimaru calmly leaned down and slowly injected the dark-red liquid into the side of the ninja's neck.
The ninja's pupils instantly dilated. A choking sound came from his throat as his limbs convulsed. Moments later, his body went rigid, his breathing stopped, and his pupils slowly spread.
Then—
His muscles began to swell. Strange patterns bulged across his body, something crawling beneath the skin. Veins stood out like writhing vines.
His eye sockets split open, bloody tears streaming down his face under the harsh white light, dripping onto the edge of the operating table.
His ribs tore apart, and two arms burst out of his torso, fingers twitching as they clawed at the air.
The newly formed hands slammed into the table's edge, knuckles whitening, blood and tissue fluid oozing from torn flesh.
Orochimaru stepped back half a pace. His face remained calm, but his tension was obvious.
Wen Lan watched from the bed, brows furrowed. This didn't surprise him—mutations like this were common among demons in Demon Slayer.
Soon, the ninja tore free from his restraints and leapt up. His eyes filled with feral hostility as he charged straight at Orochimaru.
Orochimaru didn't panic at all. He thrust his right hand forward.
Several venomous snakes shot out from his sleeve, instantly binding the ninja's body.
Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!
The ninja howled inhumanly as his new arms tore the snakes apart, blood splashing everywhere.
Orochimaru's eyes lit up.
"Stronger than the last one."
Without hurry, he pulled open the curtains.
Sunlight flooded the room.
The ninja screamed in agony. White steam poured from his body as if he were being burned alive. His skin peeled away layer by layer.
He instinctively tried to flee into the bathroom, but Orochimaru kicked him straight back into the sunlight.
After about three minutes of screaming, his body completely disintegrated and died.
Orochimaru glanced coldly at the time.
"Survival time increased by about thirty-four seconds. That means higher cellular activity, but the photolysis reaction is still irreversible."
He muttered to himself while rapidly recording notes.
"If inhibitory enzymes could be injected into the blood, it might delay sunlight decomposition."
Wen Lan stared at the spot where the corpse vanished, his expression grim.
This was far too slow. He only had one year.
He needed two contingency plans.
First: stop Uchiha Obito from releasing the Nine-Tails from Kushina.
But that was extremely difficult—Obito's Kamui was terrifying, and Wen Lan currently had no reliable counter to space-time techniques.
Second: turn Kushina into a "demon."
But the transformation could not have any side effects.
With Orochimaru's current progress, perfect conversion was nowhere in sight.
Orochimaru kept scribbling, completely ignoring Wen Lan. Suddenly, he snapped his head up.
"Master Wen Lan, your blood supply isn't enough anymore. I need another sample."
"No." Wen Lan replied coldly.
Orochimaru's pupils shrank. Eternal life was right in front of him—yet Wen Lan refused?
Just as killing intent began to rise, Wen Lan continued:
"Scientific research requires a clear mind. You're already obsessed. Continuing like this is just wasting time—an extra three or five seconds of survival means nothing.
"And this place is too close to residential areas. Even if we're using death-row inmates, it'll still draw resentment. Once word reaches Konoha's upper levels, your research will be shut down.
"I'll arrange a hidden location for you to continue experiments. You'll rest for three days. After three days, I'll give you my blood again."
Orochimaru fell silent.
—------------------------------
Pat reon Advance Chapters: patreon.com/YonkoSlayer