novelraw Chapter 496 Orochimaru's Laboratory
Chapter 496 Orochimaru's Laboratory
Chapter 496 Orochimaru's Laboratory
The Wind County, late at night.
In stark contrast to the dazzling lights of Star City and the vibrant urban life along the Youhe River, the heart of Wind County is an endless expanse of yellow sand.
The moonlight, like mercury spilling onto the ground, could not warm this desert shrouded in eternal desolation.
The night wind howled, whipping up fine sand that danced in the air with a mournful sound, adding to the desolation and chill.
However, deep within this forbidden zone of life, there is a straight and solid two-lane highway that stands out from its surroundings, extending from a distant oasis and stubbornly piercing into the heart of the desert.
At the end of the road stands a futuristic, silver-gray man-made building complex.
It is not a city or fortress in the traditional sense. There are no towering city walls or complicated fortifications. Instead, it is a city composed of countless geometrically shaped giant buildings that are closely and orderly connected by sky bridges, underground passages and dense pipeline networks, forming a city with a clear function and complex structure.
The building's sharp edges reflected a cold, hard luster under the moonlight, while scattered laboratory lights shone through the massive glass curtain wall.
There is no hustle and bustle of a typical city here, only an almost absolutely rational silence.
This is the largest comprehensive scientific research city established by the Star Kingdom in the heart of the desert of the Wind County.
It is far from densely populated areas, with a closed and controllable environment. It has the largest and most advanced scientific research facilities in the entire Star Kingdom, the most stringent security protection, and the highest level of confidentiality regulations.
Numerous groundbreaking scientific research projects, poised to alter the future of the ninja world, are quietly underway here, spanning energy, materials, biology, and other fields.
From medicine to cutting-edge ninjutsu and bloodline limit research, and even—
A final exploration that walks the line between ethics and taboo!
Even top scientists like Orochimaru and Hiruko have large-scale, resource-rich independent research bases here, where the platform and relatively relaxed research environment provided by the Land of Stars allow them to push their talents and ambitions to new heights.
Research City, Zone B-7, Deep Biology Laboratory.
Clear and rhythmic footsteps echoed through a long, smooth, silvery-white corridor.
The boy who walked over looked to be about sixteen or seventeen years old.
He had short, smooth white hair, a delicate face with a hint of feminine beauty, fair skin, and wore a white detention uniform similar to a hospital gown.
Biruho walked at a leisurely pace, as if strolling in his own garden, already accustomed to the technologically advanced yet lifeless environment around him.
Finally, he stopped in front of a large silver metal door at the end of the passage.
On the wall next to the door, there is a palm print and iris recognition device that emits a faint blue light.
Hiruko extended his right hand and placed it on the recognition area, while leaning slightly forward and bringing his face close to the iris scanner.
"Beep—Identity confirmed."
"Researcher Hiruko, Access Level: A."
"Welcome to Main Laboratory B-7-3," a cold, electronic voice announced.
The metal doors slid open silently to both sides, revealing a much larger space behind them.
The laboratory is extremely spacious, with a ceiling height of over ten meters, and the lighting is soft, non-glaring diffused light.
The walls are lined with huge LCD screens that constantly flash data and images, as well as various complex and sophisticated instruments and equipment.
The air was filled with a faint smell of ozone and a certain peculiar culture medium.
In the center of the laboratory are several independent operating areas separated by high-strength transparent material.
At this moment, in the largest operating area, several researchers wearing full protective white coats, masks, and goggles are busy preparing around two operating tables placed side by side, checking the pipelines of various life support and monitoring equipment connected to them.
Outside this operating area, on a command platform enclosed by reinforced glass, a figure sat in a black swivel chair.
The man had his back to the door, seemingly observing the preparations below through several screens on the control panel in front of him.
He had long, smooth, jet-black hair and wore a white research coat that was more sophisticated than those of the researchers.
Hearing the sound of the door opening and footsteps behind me, the chair slowly turned around.
It revealed a beautiful, androgynous face with pale skin, slightly narrowed golden snake eyes, and a playful, ambiguous smile at the corner of its mouth.
It was by using the latest cloning technology that Orochimaru regained his youthful appearance.
"Oh my, you're here pretty early, Hiruko." Orochimaru's voice sounded much younger, but that unique, husky, and magnetic tone was still so familiar.
"It seems you're also looking forward to tonight's show?"
Hiruko calmly surveyed Orochimaru on the command platform, lingering for a moment on the man's excessively youthful face, a complex light flashing in his eyes.
His ultimate goal is to devour and fuse the supreme power brought by various bloodline limits, but eternal life and youth are also among his goals.
Although Orochimaru's current form follows a different path of "soul transfer," it has indeed reached the prototype of "immortality," and it seems that this new body may even enhance his original strength.
This surprised him, and also stirred a sense of envy that he couldn't suppress.
"It seems your experiment is progressing quite smoothly."
"This body looks good, but how long can it last?"
He asked very directly.
They all knew that both the Ghost Sprout Technique and the Corpse Reincarnation Technique carried risks and costs.
The fusion of Oni-Garaku with a bloodline limit has its limits in terms of physical and mental endurance, as well as the risk of fusion conflict; the Reincarnation of the Corpse has issues with the compatibility between the soul and the vessel, and the potential soul damage that may result from each reincarnation.
A satisfied glint flashed in Orochimaru's golden snake eyes, as if he was enjoying this professional discussion with his peers or kindred spirits.
His fingers slid randomly across the touch panel of the control panel, bringing up some data as he browsed it, saying, "It's still not perfect enough."
"Although this clone's genes have been optimized, and Hashirama cells and White Zetsu cells have been implanted to enhance its vitality and chakra compatibility, and its nervous system's synchronization rate with my soul's wavelength has reached 97.3%, there is still a sense of lag." This means that when performing certain ninjutsu that require extremely high neural reaction speeds, there will be some additional delay.
"Moreover, although the natural wear and tear of cell telomeres is greatly slowed down, it is not completely stopped. Theoretically, this body's optimal state" can probably be maintained for thirty to fifty years, after which it will need to be reincarnated again to find a more perfect vessel.
""
He paused, shifting his gaze from the screen to Hiruko below, his tone carrying a hint of enticement as he suggested, "However, it's enough for now. As for you, Hiruko, I've seen your latest report. The universally applicable improved version of the Oni-Garra Technique is becoming increasingly mature. The minimum requirements for the recipient's physical and mental well-being have been reduced by 15%, and the stability and controllability of bloodline limit fusion have also increased by 22%."
"How about it? Interested in testing your latest version of the Oni-Garra Technique on my clone? Let's see how much the upper limit can be increased when the clone, enhanced by both Hashirama cells and White Zetsu cells, fuses with a specific bloodline limit?"
"Maybe it can help you find a completely new path?"
Orochimaru and Hiruko are both giants in the field of ninja science, or rather, forbidden research. Although their research directions overlap, their core paths are different.
Orochimaru's interests are extremely broad, including biology, soul studies, forbidden techniques, cloning technology, and bloodline limits.
It encompasses almost everything, but in recent years its core has indeed focused on the creation of "the eternal vessel of the soul" and "the perfect vessel for life".
This is largely due to the fact that Menma pointed out the potential fatal flaw of the Reanimation Jutsu, which involves possessing another person's body and using it for a long time, leading to soul wear and tear and a decrease in compatibility with the vessel.
Therefore, Orochimaru devoted more energy to cultivating clones that could perfectly match his own soul and have a longer "shelf life" or even "growth potential".
Hiruko, after being recruited by Menma, focused on improving and perfecting his Oni-Garara technique.
The core of this forbidden technique lies in "devouring" and "fusion," and theoretically, it can infinitely fuse the bloodline limits of others into one's own body.
Besides having Orochimaru occasionally provide some technical support, Menma also provided a large amount of rare research materials, including Hashirama cell samples and White Zetsu cells, which transformed Hiruko's Oni-Garara Technique.
Many promising elite ninjas in the Star Kingdom's military underwent "gene enhancement surgery" based on a modified version of the Oni-Garara Technique after rigorous selection. This not only significantly improved their physical strength and mental resilience, but also allowed a few outstanding individuals to successfully fuse with relatively mild or highly compatible bloodline limits, greatly increasing their strength.
It can be said that Hiruko's Oni-Garara Technique, in the hands of the Star Country, became a "universal socket" and "power-granting device" to some extent, breaking the natural barrier that bloodline limits can only rely on bloodline inheritance.
Of course, this is not without limitations.
The physical potential, soul strength, and mental growth ceiling of most ordinary ninjas mean that the "enhancement" and "fusion" they can withstand are limited; forcibly increasing their strength will only lead to collapse.
This is also the biggest dilemma facing Biluhu himself.
His original physical and spiritual foundation was acceptable among ordinary people, but it appeared mediocre in the face of true geniuses such as Orochimaru and Jiraiya.
Even though he had developed the Oni-Garuru Technique to its fullest extent and fused several powerful bloodline limits, steadily reaching the Kage level, he could still sense that his "upper limit" seemed to be just there.
To go further, perhaps—a better body is truly needed.
Orochimaru's suggestion undoubtedly struck a chord with his hidden desires.
Using a clone with top-tier genetic optimization, possessing Hashirama and White Zetsu cells as a foundation, and unlimited potential as the "base," then employing the Oni-Garara Technique for fusion and enhancement—
What would that look like?
Hiruko's pupils flickered slightly, clearly showing some interest.
Although he looks like a teenager, he is actually about the same age as Orochimaru and Tsunade, and is already over fifty.
The Oni-Garuru technique granted him a youthful appearance and immense power, but the shackles of his talent, like invisible chains, constantly bound him.
Just as he was pondering, a heavy, airtight door on the other side of the laboratory made a soft "hiss" sound as the hydraulic system activated and the door slid inward.
Several ninjas dressed in the uniforms of the Star Country's Anbu, wearing different animal masks, and exuding a cold and shrewd aura, escorted two people in.
The two men being escorted were both dressed in thin white prison uniforms, their hands cuffed behind their backs with black shackles that gleamed with a dim light, and similar shackles around their ankles.
Their mouths were stuffed with special gags to prevent them from biting their tongues and speaking, so they could only make muffled "whooshing" sounds.
Both of them had extreme terror and despair written all over their faces. Their eyes were unfocused, their bodies were trembling involuntarily, and they were walking unsteadily, as if they were being half-dragged and half-carried forward by the ANBU ninjas.
The chakra fluctuations on their bodies were extremely weak and chaotic, clearly indicating that the black shackles not only restricted their movements but also had a strong effect of suppressing or even disrupting their chakra.
Hiruko's attention was drawn to them as he examined the two "experimental subjects".
Orochimaru put down his tablet, stood up from the chair on the command platform, walked to the glass railing, and looked down at the two people being escorted in.
"Ah, our 'performer' has arrived. This is Yoshikawa, the rogue ninja from Kusagakure."
He pointed to the tall, thin man on his left, whose eyes were fierce yet filled with fear.
"The other one is Kurihara, a rogue ninja from Amegakure. He is skilled in Water Release, Hidden Mist Techniques, and assassination. He is cruel and enjoys torture."
"Their strength is so-so, probably around the level of a special Jonin."
Upon hearing this, Hiruko looked at the two of them carefully once more.
For Orochimaru to say "their strength is decent" and "they're not weak," especially considering that these two rogue ninjas weren't from major ninja villages and had limited resources, suggests that they probably do possess some real skills and their crimes are undoubtedly countless.
At this moment, the two rogue ninjas had already been forced to kneel on the cold metal floor by the ANBU ninjas, who had pressed down on their shoulders.
With gags stuffed in their mouths, they could only whimper in terror, their bodies trembling like leaves, their bloodshot eyes darting around anxiously as they surveyed the laboratory.
Finally, their gaze was drawn to what was about to enter the laboratory, and then turned into a fear that almost burst out of their eyes!
Several researchers in white coats pushed two flatbed carts into another room.
Inside the vehicle were two upright, cylindrical, transparent culture containers.
The container was filled with a pale green nutrient solution that was slightly bubbling.
And in that nutrient solution, two naked bodies with their eyes closed were soaking—human bodies with thin, transparent tubes inserted from head to toe!
When Yoshikawa and Kurihara, who were kneeling on the ground, saw the faces of the two human bodies in the cultivation, they felt as if all their bones had been pulled out in an instant. Their bodies stiffened abruptly, and then they began to struggle frantically!
Their eyes widened, almost popping out of their sockets, and they hissed, their foreheads and necks bulging with veins. They strained with all their might to break free from the suppression of the Dark Division, their eyes filled with unparalleled horror and fear as they looked at the two nurtured bodies!
Because the two lifeless human bodies submerged in the culture medium had faces and body shapes that were almost identical to their own!
They're practically identical to each other, just younger and healthier versions of themselves!
Clones!
They are their clones!
>