The Devil of Konoha: Starting as a Medical Ninja

But if the battle leads to the discovery of their identities, then the people who come will not be so easy to deal with.

Not long after Orochimaru left, several ANBU appeared here. They didn't exchange many words, but instead looked at each other and continued to chase after the trail into the distance. Clearly, they had noticed the traces left in the vicinity, otherwise their target wouldn't have been so accurate.

Soon after, the shadow clones arrived. One of them went directly into the laboratory, while the remaining three continued the pursuit.

The purpose of sending a large number of shadow clones into the back mountain was to draw attention away from them, since Uchiha Sasuke was the most important person.

Of course, it's still great to gain some unexpected benefits as a result, after all, the laboratory is a valuable resource.

Of course, no one would care about this at the moment. The most urgent task was to find the intruder who attacked the Anbu. In addition, there were too many Root ninjas in the entire back mountain. Even if one was missing, no one would notice.

The plan in the back mountains of Konoha was being executed perfectly. Information about the large-scale operation of Root was sent to Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was forced to work overtime, at the first opportunity. As a result, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face, which was originally just a little pale, turned completely black.

He didn't care that there were still so many Root members, nor did he care about their identities; he only cared about why Danzo had suddenly become so abnormal.

Why didn't Danzo just watch the show normally and wait until everything settled down before trying to make his presence felt?

Why was the operation so swift this time? Could it be that Danzo was deliberately helping the infiltrators escape?

Or perhaps Danzo wanted to gain some benefit from this opportunity?

Hiruzen Sarutobi was still somewhat wary of Danzo. There was no way he could stop him last time, because the Uchiha clan tragedy had occurred. Although he couldn't do anything about it at the time, the destruction of the Uchiha clan had deprived Konoha of a double-edged sword.

Given Danzo's actions this time, it's hard for Hiruzen Sarutobi to believe that he's simply there to help the Anbu.

It wasn't that Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't trust Danzo; rather, there was simply no possibility of trusting that guy. Every time Hiruzen Sarutobi trusted him even a little, Danzo would cause some kind of trouble a few days later.

Having experienced so much, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt that Danzo was probably up to something big again.

If the focus weren't on Danzo right now, Hiruzen Sarutobi would definitely have warned him. However, given the current unclear situation in the back mountains of Konoha, it's impossible for him to go looking for Danzo.

In fact, Hiruzen Sarutobi had wronged Danzo. Danzo, who was still locked up in the laboratory, had no idea what was going on. The only thing he could see was that Kabuto Yakushi's condition seemed to have become unstable.

The culprit behind all of this was "Yakushi Kabuto," who had sealed it away with a smile not long ago.

Danzo has not suspected anyone about the identity of "Yakushi Kabuto" so far, but the guy's meticulousness is really surprising to Danzo.

Even though he was no longer able to resist, there were still two shadow clones watching him in the laboratory. If he showed any abnormality, even if it was just a change in his gaze, someone would come over to check the sealing formula and then stabilize it.

In this situation, Danzo had no plan to escape. He could only hope that Orochimaru could find some clues in the back mountain and then return to the Root base...

As for Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo had no reason to count on him, because he knew it was impossible. Even if Hiruzen Sarutobi came to the Root base, he wouldn't be able to find anything wrong.

He had never given Hiruzen Sarutobi a kind look, which caused their original tacit understanding to disappear without a trace. If Danzo wanted to remind Hiruzen Sarutobi in the future, he would probably have to perform a self-destruction in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

However, at that time, it was questionable whether Yakushi Kabuto would allow Danzo to appear.

If that guy were to transform into his own appearance and then hurl insults at Hiruzen Sarutobi, there would definitely be no flaws in his deception.

There are too many instabilities on Hiruzen Sarutobi's side; Orochimaru is relatively more reliable.

However, Danzo's fantasy was bound to fail. With the help of the Anbu and his shadow clones, Orochimaru was gradually moving further afield. Of course, during this time, Orochimaru also searched many places.

However, there is still no clue about Kabuto Yakushi.

Orochimaru soon arrived at the forest on the cliff. Calling it a cliff isn't quite accurate; it's a gap between two mountains, the place where Naruto first summoned Gamabunta in the original story, and also above the location of Hongzhi's secret laboratory.

"We arrived here without even realizing it. Has Kabuto Yakushi really been captured by the Anbu?"

Orochimaru gazed at the distant scenery and said somewhat dejectedly, "Once we cross this point, we've basically left the area behind Konoha's mountains. Although some ninjas come here to train, the location is really quite remote."

After arriving here, Orochimaru had already given up hope of finding Kabuto Yakushi in the back mountains of Konoha.

Footsteps came from the woods behind him. Without hesitation, Orochimaru jumped into the crevice in the middle. If he continued forward, he would be seen by the Anbu even if he crossed the crevice. Therefore, he had to choose a place where he could escape out of sight.

The moon is still very bright tonight. Orochimaru can't afford to gamble that the ninjas chasing him from the Anbu all have presbyopia.

As he jumped into the gap, Orochimaru instinctively gathered chakra in his hands and feet, but even so, he almost slipped and fell.

Orochimaru, lurking in the shadows, planned to wait until the ANBU left before figuring out how to retreat, but suddenly a green glint appeared in his vision!

Chapter 67 The Taste of Hashirama Cells

Looking at that patch of green, Orochimaru's expression changed from serious to astonished, and finally to confused.

Even if Orochimaru wasn't a professional in this field, he knew that trees couldn't possibly grow in such an environment.

However, things were just that absurd. The key point was that the trees grew in a rather hidden way, and if he hadn't been in the crevice, he probably wouldn't have been able to see them at all.

Faced with this unusual situation, Orochimaru did not hesitate at all and immediately dived down to hide in the trees, which was safer than hiding here.

After a few quick movements, Orochimaru landed steadily on a branch of a large tree. Orochimaru, who was already somewhat surprised by this, twitched at the corner of his mouth when he saw the forest that had obviously been taken care of.

If a single tree can be admired for its tenacious vitality, then so many trees can only prove that this place is extraordinary.

Orochimaru walked directly into the passage, completely forgetting that he was being pursued by Konoha's Anbu.

In fact, Orochimaru didn't need to worry, because the Anbu ninjas on the cliff above were deep in thought, watching the other side without any movement.

Looking down into the narrow crevice, the daunting terrain immediately deterred him. How could anyone possibly go down there? Or rather, how could a ninja capable of going down be chased by four ordinary ANBU members?

When the ANBU ninja left, Orochimaru had already arrived at the perimeter of the laboratory, around the two treehouses where Hiroji and Kabuto Yakushi had once stayed.

Upon arriving here, Orochimaru's expression turned serious again. Although he wasn't entirely sure, judging from the surroundings, this place seemed to have been abandoned not long ago, perhaps less than a month ago.

Pushing open the door of a treehouse, Orochimaru looked at the charred treehouse and felt somewhat surprised.

"Destruction caused by lightning-attribute chakra? Someone is training in lightning release here?"

Orochimaru stroked the marks on the ground, feeling somewhat incredulous. This was the back mountain of Konoha, and someone was actually practicing Lightning Release in such a secluded place. This was something Orochimaru truly couldn't understand.

After carefully observing the wooden hut and finding nothing unusual, Orochimaru turned to look at another wooden hut.

The moment Orochimaru pushed open the door, he smelled a pungent odor. This smell was very familiar to him; it was the smell of blood…

Looking at the simple wooden platform in the treehouse, Orochimaru seemed to understand where this place was. Once, a ninja or an ordinary person had become someone else's experimental subject here.

Orochimaru made this judgment based on his observation of the wooden platform, but in addition, he also sensed a familiar aura.

As for the specific feeling of familiarity, Orochimaru couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he was certain that it was a feeling he seemed to encounter frequently.

Having gained nothing of substance from the wooden hut, Orochimaru turned to the laboratory that had clearly been there for a long time.

Based on the laboratory's door, Orochimaru could tell that the laboratory had existed for a long time and had been discovered and reused.

Of course, this is evident from the wooden house itself, but even so, Orochimaru still wanted to go inside and take a look.

Since the Anbu's search of the back mountain of Konoha won't stop anytime soon, why not see if they can find anything special in the laboratory that has been used twice?

If possible, then this trip to the back mountain of Konoha can be considered not a complete waste. Although I am very worried about what happened to Kabuto Yakushi, if I go out now, I will probably only run into trouble. It is better to hide here for a while.

Pushing open the laboratory door, Orochimaru couldn't help but marvel at the age of the laboratory, seeing the obviously outdated experimental equipment inside.

"There's nothing of particular value, it's really..."

Orochimaru walked along, looking at the laboratory, and felt a little sorry for it. Judging from the equipment, the person who had such a perfect laboratory in that era could not have been an unknown figure.

Unfortunately, there was nothing of value found, though it's possible that the previous person who discovered the lab took it away.

Just as Orochimaru was about to give up his exploration, a sapling in the laboratory caught his attention.

It wasn't just because of the saplings, but because of a scent emanating from them that felt somewhat familiar to him.

Upon closer inspection, Orochimaru finally understood why the smell was so familiar. It was precisely because he realized this that Orochimaru felt somewhat incredulous.

"The taste of hashimoto cells, but how could this be?!"

Experiments with Hashirama cells have been completely shut down in Konoha. The Third Hokage has explicitly banned them, and Danzo and his research have not yielded any breakthrough results.

While it's possible that Danzo is still secretly researching, it's clear that Danzo hasn't gained anything from it; otherwise, he wouldn't have cooperated with him in the first place.

If we exclude Danzo, then who is the person studying Hashirama cells here?

What were the results of the research? Was it a success or a failure? Or did it succeed but fail during transplantation?

Orochimaru quietly watched the sapling that was still growing vigorously. Recalling the familiar feeling he had in the treehouse, Orochimaru had a bizarre idea.

The trees here are the product of failed research on interstitial cells, which could explain why they can survive in such a harsh environment.

"Wait... Danzo's arm!"

Orochimaru frowned and suddenly recalled the somewhat disheveled appearance of Danzo when he first met him.

If the Hashirama cells here originated from Danzo's arm, then the current situation in this laboratory would make sense. But weren't the people who attacked Danzo spies from Kumogakure?

Why would a spy, after obtaining such valuable materials, stay here and conduct experiments instead of leaving?

That's not just because they're bored. If they took those things back to Kumogakure, they'd be heroes at the very least!

"To conclude that this person is a spy from Kumogakure based solely on initial rumors is absurd. Since this person is conducting experiments here, they are most likely from Konoha! Moreover..."

As Orochimaru's expression gradually turned cold, he reasoned that if the guy called the Cloud Village spy's initial goal in attacking Danzo was Hashirama's cells, it meant that he knew clearly that Danzo's arm contained Hashirama's cells.

Thinking about it this way, there aren't many people in the entire Hidden Leaf Village who meet this condition. When they initially cooperated, it was just him, Kabuto Yakushi, Danzo, and his two guards.

"interesting!"

Chapter 68 Hoping everything goes smoothly

In the laboratory, Orochimaru's expression was uncertain. He had just seen Danzo's subordinates at the Root base, and Orochimaru did not believe that Danzo could not even control his own subordinates.

So it seems that only two people remain who know about Danzo's arm: one is Danzo himself, and the other is Kabuto Yakushi, who disappeared in Konoha.

Of course, these are just Orochimaru's speculations. There is another possibility: perhaps that person did not go there for Danzo's arm in the first place, and that the arm was just an unexpected gain.

Of course, it's also possible that the person obtained this information from Yakushi Kabuto and then learned about the special nature of Danzo's arm.

Although Kabuto Yakushi underwent the most brutal training, and the interrogation squad might not be able to pry him open, he wasn't that skilled in genjutsu, and some ninjas could obtain information by reading memories.

That's why Orochimaru found it interesting. Although Kabuto Yakushi wasn't entirely without suspicion, Orochimaru was more inclined to believe that it was someone from Konoha with ulterior motives who obtained information about Danzo's arm from Kabuto.

This shows Orochimaru's trust in Kabuto Yakushi. The child probably wouldn't obtain Hashirama's cells from Danzo and then conduct research on them; that would be redundant for them.

However, Orochimaru was still very interested in the person behind this. After carefully recalling the details, he realized that the blood-stained wooden house was very likely the place where Kabuto Yakushi was imprisoned. To be even more cruel, one of the big trees here might be the one that Kabuto Yakushi transformed into.

Although the possibility is low, it cannot be completely ruled out.

However, the people here had clearly cleaned up when they left, leaving nothing of value behind. If the sapling hadn't been so small and hadn't completely lost the characteristics of the interstitial cells, he wouldn't have received this information.

In the dimly lit laboratory, Orochimaru's lips curled up slightly and his tongue involuntarily stuck out. Orochimaru was very interested in, even excited about, this guy who was conducting research on Hashirama cells in Konoha!

Hongzhi was naturally unaware of Orochimaru's thoughts. After sending out the main force of shadow clones, Hongzhi returned directly to the laboratory, ready to use the summoning jutsu to summon Uchiha Sasuke's blood at any time.

Of course, the shadow clone might also cut off one of Sasuke Uchiha's hands, since he is the reincarnation of Indra and would definitely need to use cells and such.