Yakushi Nono, you''re someone to reach out to—but not just yet. Right now, Nono was too young and inexperienced to be of any use. Orochimaru decided it would be best to let Danzo mold her a little first. When the time came, he could step in and take her under his wing, already shaped and prepared, without having to waste time cultivating her himself.


    After leaving the Root training room, Orochimaru noticed the other ninjas exchanging confused nces. They couldn''t figure him out why did he just leave after the sparring match without a word? It seemed strange, but one thing was clear: Orochimaru''s strength had surprised them.


    Defeating five of them, even with the help of Yamata, wasn''t something they had expected. They had grossly underestimated him, and it had cost them.


    As for Nono, she was still puzzled. The young man who had just fought them looked so much younger than many of the elite ninjas at Root, yet his skills were clearly on another level. And why didn''t he wear a mask like the rest of them? It was strange… really strange.


    But Orochimaru didn''t dwell on this. After leaving Root, he returned to his home, his mind already racing with thoughts.


    It only took him one night to make a decision.


    He couldn''t afford to waste any more time.


    Even if it meant using up more resources, he needed to move forward.


    The idea was simple: find a ninja to clone. The person didn''t have to be special, just suitable for the experiment. But whoever it was couldn''t be from Konoha. Thest thing Orochimaru needed was for someone to recognize the clone and start asking questions. That would lead toplications.With that in mind, Orochimaru went to the Hokage''s office early the next morning. He wanted to take on a mission that dealt with rogue ninjas. His n was to capture one of them, strengthen their genes, and start experimenting right away.


    But after thinking it over, he realized a w in his n, Tsunade and Jiraiya would likely join him on the mission. If they were with him, how could he discreetly kidnap someone for his experiment? That would be difficult to exin, especially if they found out.


    After weighing his options, he decided to abandon the mission and turn to Danzo instead.


    A few more days passed. Orochimaru spent that time in hisb, finalizing the details of his n before heading back to Root.


    When he arrived, he approached Danzo directly.


    "The cell transntation technology is almost ready. But I need a living subject to test on," Orochimaru said bluntly.


    Danzo''s face lit up with satisfaction. "That''s excellent news," he said. "We''ve captured a few rogue ninjas recently. You can use one of them for your experiment."


    Orochimaru was slightly taken aback. If he had known this earlier, he wouldn''t have wasted so much time. It seemed that Danzo, ever the nner, had anticipated this need long before. Capturing ninjas alive was no easy task, given that many would rather die than be taken prisoner. But Danzo had his ways, and it wasn''t surprising that he managed to capture a few.


    He led Orochimaru down a dark, narrow corridor within the Root headquarters. At the end of the hallway was a wooden door. Danzo pushed it open, revealing several small cells inside. This area was typically used to detain Root ninjas who had disobeyed orders, but now it served as a temporary holding area for the rogue ninjas they had captured.


    There were only three prisoners. They looked half-dead, lying weakly on the ground, their bodies beaten and broken. To prevent them from using ninjutsu, Danzo had ordered that their right hands be cut off, making it impossible for them to form hand signs. ???ǒ????


    "These men have been here for a while," Danzo said in a matter-of-fact tone, as though discussing the weather. "If you hadn''te soon, they wouldn''t havested much longer."


    Orochimaru nced at the prisoners. They were in terrible condition half-starved, missing limbs, and shackled. It was clear they had no hope of escape.


    "Why not just use a chakra-sealing technique?" Orochimaru asked casually. "Cutting off their hands seems a bit crude."


    Danzo shook his head. "Konoha isn''t proficient in sealing techniques. Aside from the Hyuga n''s Gentle Fist, there''s not much we can do to restrict chakra like that."


    Orochimaru nodded in understanding. Most sealing techniques came from the Uzumaki n, and with the n''s decline, such techniques had be rare. Naturally, Danzo wouldn''t go asking Uzumaki Mito for help.


    He turned his attention back to the prisoners. "What kind of abilities do they have?"


    Danzo pointed to each in turn. "The man on the left is more of a brute—strong, but not much else. The one in the middle uses Genjutsu, and the boy on the right can absorb chakra."


    "Absorb chakra?" Orochimaru''s interest piqued. "As in, he can drain it from others and use it for himself?"


    Danzo nodded. "That''s right."


    "Then I''ll take him," Orochimaru said decisively.


    Chakra absorption wasn''t an extremely rare ability, but it was certainly useful. Orochimaru remembered two individuals from his own ranks who had this power in the original timeline. One was Jirobo from the Sound Four, and the other was a minor character, Yoroi Akado. Even powerful figures like Kisame and Pain had variations of this ability.


    While it wasn''t a groundbreaking talent, it had its uses, especially in situations where chakra management was critical.


    Danzo, however, had concerns. "Orochimaru, many of the strong ninjas we''ve captured in the past couldn''t withstand the power of the First Hokage''s cells. This boy might not be strong enough either."


    "It doesn''t matter," Orochimaru replied calmly. "These early tests are bound to fail. It''s all part of the process." "Besides, this is cloning, not cell transntation. The physical strength of the subject is less important."


    Danzo seemed reassured by this logic and signaled to his subordinates to bring the boy out.


    The prisoner, a young man in his early twenties, was dragged from the cell. Despite his pale skin and handsome face, he looked half-dead from hunger and blood loss. His missing arm had long since stopped bleeding, but his eyes were dull, showing the weight of his despair.


    Orochimaru didn''t care about any of this. All he needed were the young man''s cells.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    An hourter, the young many immobilized on an operating table in Orochimaru''s secretb. Danzo''s men had left, leaving only Orochimaru and his soon-to-be experimental subject.


    The boy, seeing the syringe in Orochimaru''s hand, was filled with fear. "What… what are you going to do to me?" he stammered.


    Orochimaru nced at him, slightly surprised that the boy still had enough strength to speak. "You''re still conscious? Impressive," he said with a dark chuckle.


    "Y-you Konoha ninjas… I''ll curse you to hell… you bastards…" the boy spat, his voice weak but filled with venom.


    Before he could continue his curses, Orochimaru calmly injected him with the syringe, plunging the needle into the young man''s artery.


    Within moments, the boy''s body went limp, his consciousness slipping away as the anesthetic took effect.