Chapter 152: Milking Hashirama Cells for Profit?

"So, all of you knew about this? And I was the only one left in the dark?" Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a complicated tangle of emotions. Orochimaru’s lips curled slightly as he said, “I only found out today while watching the match.” “Same here…” Minato nodded. He’d been surprised at the time too. “I thought Jiraiya would’ve told you. I was busy back then, so I didn’t bring it up,” Kyoichi was the first to speak. “I… Alright, fine. Kyoichi did use it when he captured Roshi, but I assumed he’d tell you himself, so I didn’t mention it. You can’t blame me!” Jiraiya looked ready to cry. Damn it, this clearly had nothing to do with him. How did it end up feeling like he was the one at fault? “That’s not the main point, Hokage-sama. What matters is we have a solid foundation. I believe it won’t be too hard to develop a Wood Release technique that accelerates the growth of plants.” “Looks like you’re very well prepared…” The Third sighed. Kyoichi was far too similar to Orochimaru. On the surface, he seemed harmless, but in private, he was deeply curious about all sorts of things—like the “Seven Heavens Breathing Method” before, and now Ice Release. If he were to bring these things up openly, they’d all have to be sealed away. “If it was going to take over a decade to develop, I wouldn’t have asked the Raikage for that condition.” Even though his shadow clone hadn’t returned yet, there was no doubt—no one knew “him” better than himself. When it came to what the clone was thinking, Kyoichi had the highest say. If it would take ten years to see returns, asking for that condition would’ve been a massive loss. Kyoichi wasn’t that stupid. The Third deliberated for a moment and said, “Since that’s the case, you can proceed with your research. If you need the village’s support, don’t hesitate to ask. Be it funding or manpower, it’s all available.” “Actually, I already have some initial ideas. Once we’re back, I’ll just need to work out the details. The bigger issue is commercial. According to my plan, Konoha should establish a trading caravan owned entirely by the village.” Konoha’s income currently came almost entirely from missions and national funding. That wasn’t sustainable. Only through commerce and turning a profit could a healthy cycle be formed! The Third hesitated. Setting up a caravan was certainly a good idea, but the issue was… The attitude of the Daimyō. “Kyoichi, your idea is good, but I’m afraid the Daimyō might not approve.” Orochimaru had clearly thought of this too. Relations between Konoha and the Land of Fire had already been tense. If Konoha created a merchant caravan and started earning its own income, the resulting boost in power would be significant. The real question was… Would the Daimyō allow it? Hiruzen sat down, brows tightly furrowed, his fingers tracing paths across the map. “It’s not entirely impossible…” “Exactly. We can divide the caravan’s profits into several portions—one for the caravan itself, one for Konoha, and one for the Land of Fire. All revenue would be overseen by a joint three-party system.” Kyoichi laid it out plainly. The Third was momentarily stunned, then quickly nodded. “Right, that’s almost exactly what I had in mind.” They were thinking along the same lines. He had also considered giving the Daimyō a share, but hadn’t gone as far as Kyoichi’s full three-way split or the shared oversight model. Of course… It’s not that the Third couldn’t have come up with that—it just hadn’t occurred to him yet. With more time, he could’ve fleshed out the plan. Still… Kyoichi continued, “The portion allocated to Konoha can be split again—some for village operations, and some to support civilian shinobi, improve rations, and so on.” “But then what about you?” Minato couldn’t help but worry for Kyoichi. The profits would be going to the caravan, to Konoha, and to the Land of Fire. But as the one who proposed the whole idea, Kyoichi hadn’t allocated anything for himself. That felt unfair. “Minato, you don’t need to worry about that,” Jiraiya sighed. This student of his… was just too upright. Did he really think Kyoichi would shortchange himself? From the moment Kyoichi started speaking, it was clear that everything had been carefully considered. There was no way he would forget to include his own slice of the pie— Kyoichi’s earnings were obviously tied to the caravan. Or rather, he planned to control the caravan. Which made perfect sense. The next Hokage would be Tsunade, and since Kyoichi was the one who came up with the idea, who else would oversee it? The Third, meanwhile, was thinking on a deeper level. Kyoichi’s plan accounted for many elements—one of the most important being the “civilians.” Since the era of the First Hokage, the Senju clan had always prioritized the village and its civilians, even allowing intermarriage to spread their bloodline throughout the populace. In truth— Konoha’s current strength was inseparable from the Senju. And Kyoichi… Despite being only a teenager, his mindset resembled that of Hashirama or Tobirama—he thought about the whole system, not just himself or his clan. By benefiting the civilian population, he could strengthen the village’s foundation. Only then could Konoha become truly powerful! Kyoichi genuinely understood the First Hokage’s will—whereas most people’s understanding of the “Will of Fire,” including Hiruzen’s own, remained shallow in comparison… The Third reflected inwardly, filled with a sense of shame. For a moment, he didn’t know what to say. But… He soon pulled himself together and said, “I’ll speak with the Daimyō about the caravan. It shouldn’t be too much of an issue. You must all be tired from the trip. Get some rest first. Whatever else you have to say, we can discuss after you’ve had a break.” For some reason, he felt like Kyoichi hadn’t finished speaking. But even just the topics they’d covered so far were already a lot to process. If Kyoichi kept going, he was afraid he really wouldn’t be able to keep up. “That sounds good, Hokage-sama. We’ll go rest for now. If you need us, just call.” Kyoichi could tell. The old man was feeling a little overwhelmed. Forget it… The matter of the research institute could wait until they were back in Konoha for a formal meeting. Besides, that would be publicly funded by the village anyway—no way a small group like this could authorize something so big on the spot. Jiraiya seized the opportunity to make his escape too. The Third was too deep in thought to notice, and by the time he snapped out of it, the tent was empty save for himself. … Outside the tent, Orochimaru and Jiraiya walked side by side. Orochimaru let out a small breath. “Why are you sighing? I’m the one who should be sighing. You don’t know what it was like—I got stuck in there being lectured for an entire hour! Thank Kyoichi. If it weren’t for him, I’d still be trapped.” “Heh. I just realized… I was once praised as a genius. But just now, I found myself constantly worrying about what new thing Kyoichi might throw out that I hadn’t considered.” Orochimaru gave a self-deprecating chuckle. Jiraiya rolled his eyes, not in the mood to respond. Worry? What was there to worry about? Ever since he’d seen Kyoichi’s Ice Release, he knew this kid wasn’t ordinary. You couldn’t judge him by normal standards. So… As long as you didn’t compare yourself to him, you wouldn’t feel so bad. “You don’t understand. I’ve always only cared about ninjutsu, but now that I can’t keep up with the pace of change, I sometimes feel… stupid.” Orochimaru smiled faintly. “I know he still has more to say… but that’s fine. I can more or less guess what it is.” “Oh?” Jiraiya’s curiosity was piqued. There was more? And he could guess it? “So, what is—” He turned to ask, only to find Orochimaru had silently slipped away. Jiraiya was stunned for a moment, then raised an eyebrow. What the hell. Dropping half a sentence just to act cool? Who taught you that? Don’t you have any shame? … Outside the command tent, Minato went off to check on his beloved disciple. Kyoichi, on the other hand, couldn't be bothered. The war was over. Those brats were in no real danger. Worrying about them now was just pointless overthinking. That energy was better spent lying down and getting some proper rest. They’d either been fighting or sailing nonstop lately—finally, a chance to catch up on sleep. But just as he was about to doze off… He heard that familiar notification chime. Feedback at last! [Completed "Economic Warfare" — Basic Tutorial] [Evaluation: Excellent] [Reward: Summoning Jutsu — Rashōmon] Not bad… Rashomon could go up to five layers thick—solid defensive technique. And then… A thought sparked in Kyoichi’s mind— The Gōriki-style Technique could create massive stone giants. If the summoned Rashomon gates were big enough, maybe those giants could wield them as literal shields. And if he infused them with Ice Release, Wood Release, or even Hashirama cells… Maybe he could combine it with sealing techniques—solidify them, store them in a sealing scroll, and summon them only when needed. Or better yet… What if he used the Four Symbols Seal to fuse it with Tailed Beast chakra? The possibilities were making his heart race. Sёarᴄh the NôᴠelFirё.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But just then… Another notification popped up. Kyoichi glanced at it—and saw another reward listed underneath. [Completed "Practical Application of Wood Release" — Advanced Tutorial] [Evaluation: Outstanding] [Reward: Five Elements Seal, Hashirama Cell Analysis] Huh? Kyoichi hadn’t expected much from that one, but to get an Outstanding rating… He stared at it for a long time, then sank into thought. “Economic Warfare” only got an Excellent. But “Grass Release”? That got an Outstanding... He thought it over. He had gone into deep detail on “Grass Release”—a fully fleshed-out combat system. It probably included tactics from his “Grain War” concept, too. “Economic Warfare,” by contrast, had just been a conceptual introduction. Surface-level. That might explain the difference. Shrugging, he claimed all three rewards. Rashomon needed no elaboration. But the Five Elements Seal—now that was a solid technique. Its sealing strength might not match the Four Symbols Seal, but it easily surpassed the Evil Sealing Method. Fewer hand signs, faster activation—superb in real combat. Of course… If he really wanted to learn it, he could just ask the Third Hokage and the others. It wouldn't be hard. The real prize was the last one. Kyoichi immediately focused on it. Hashirama Cell Analysis. With an Outstanding rating, this had to be valuable, right? He claimed it, then began to study it carefully. And soon, Kyoichi was deep in thought. This thing… It was incredibly detailed! Far beyond what he’d expected. If he hadn’t already mastered no-hand healing, he could probably have derived it from this data alone. The information in other areas was just as comprehensive. To put it bluntly— With this analysis, if Kyoichi were to master Wood Release, there was a real chance he could reverse-engineer true Wood Release from it. So then—what was the cost? Life. The reason Hashirama Senju’s cells were so powerful was that every single one of them contained immense vitality. The Wood Release he created was infused with that same life force. However… Producing cells with such overwhelming life force came with massive risks. Highly reproductive, highly invasive— Isn’t that exactly what cancer cells are? Hashirama could control them perfectly because he was born with a Sage Body, inherited Asura’s chakra, had overwhelming life force, and his chakra levels rivaled the Nine Tails. Those conditions were ridiculous. Still, an idea occurred to him. With this data, maybe he could skim from Hashirama cells—not by transplanting them, but by extracting just the Wood Release chakra and life force from within. Extremely difficult, but worth a shot. If he could pull it off, he might be able to enhance his own constitution. But even if not, just the Wood Release chakra and vitality alone would be of immense value—far safer than directly implanting the cells themselves.