novelraw Chapter 387 From Chaos to Order
Chapter 387 From Chaos to Order
After confirming Orochimaru's research direction and initial results, and leaving instructions to "look forward to seeing actual output," Naruto made an additional request to Orochimaru before leaving.
"I need a Kusanagi sword."
Orochimaru, whose personality has changed drastically, readily agreed.
Fortunately, this time he retrieved the longsword from a storage scroll at his waist through a spiritual connection, rather than vomiting it uncomfortably from his throat.
A long, slender Kusanagi sword, gleaming with a cold, sharp light, was respectfully presented. The faint, flowing glint of cold light on the blade indicated that it was no ordinary weapon; it was a truly top-tier ninja tool.
Naruto's reason for wanting this sword was simple: Uchiha Sasuke's birthday was just around the corner. In recent years, Sasuke had been diligently training in the swordsmanship passed down in the Uchiha clan, and a Kusanagi sword that suited her current strength would undoubtedly be a practical and thoughtful gift.
As for Orochimaru's research findings that could benefit countless people and solve the food problem, Naruto decided to wait and see, and then conduct further evaluation and promotion after the actual output was achieved.
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Back in Konoha, Naruto resumed his normal life, but he didn't relax. Based on his memories of the original timeline and cross-referencing recent information, he could be fairly certain that the Akatsuki's operation to capture the Tailed Beasts had already begun, and might even be nearing its end.
At this point in the original work, apart from the One-Tailed Shukaku, the Eight-Tailed Gyūki, and the Nine-Tailed Kurama within himself, the remaining Two-Tailed to Seven-Tailed creatures seemed to have been captured one after another before the high-ranking officials of the five great nations were fully alerted or unable to react in time.
However, when Naruto asked Jiraiya about the current situation of the Akatsuki organization, the answer he received was somewhat unexpected.
"Akatsuki? Ah, that mercenary organization."
Jiraiya recalled his previous intelligence network. He had indeed heard of it and conducted some preliminary investigations. Based on the information he currently possessed, Akatsuki seemed to primarily undertake military support from various countries and factions that was not convenient to do openly, in order to earn commissions.
They operate with a low profile but are highly efficient. So far, there are no obvious signs that they are provoking major powers.
This answer caused Naruto to fall into a brief moment of contemplation, but he quickly regained his composure.
First of all, the composition of the Akatsuki organization in this world is quite different from that in the original work. Powerful members such as Kakuzu, Kisame Hoshigaki, and Deidara have already been poached by Akatsuki.
Although Akatsuki itself doesn't seem to have strict requirements for its members, Kakuzu had quite a few partners in the original work.
So, what caused Akatsuki to maintain such a low profile despite seemingly being ahead of the curve in collecting the tailed beasts?
The answer likely points to the shadow that has been manipulating things for millennia—Black Zetsu.
Black Zetsu possesses exceptional reconnaissance and stealth capabilities. It is highly likely that it witnessed, through the White Zetsu network, the entire "Otsutsuki-level" battle between itself and Sasuke Uchiha from the future during Otsutsuki Urashiki's attack on Konoha several years ago, which far exceeded the scope of ordinary ninjas.
Its devastating power is enough to make any rational schemer wary.
Perhaps it was this fear that prompted Black Zetsu to persuade Obito Uchiha, the actual manipulator, to temporarily delay the Akatsuki's high-profile capture of the Tailed Beasts.
However… Naruto's right eye, the [Star Eye], still possesses a mysterious power that has not yet been fully developed. Once this power can be fully utilized…
Passive waiting has never been his style. Now that the threat has been confirmed, and the other party may be hesitant to act out of fear, then... it's time to consider taking the initiative.
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Slowly, time flowed by smoothly for a long period of almost uneventful days.
There were no rumors of the Akatsuki organization causing trouble, no sudden world-ending crisis, and no mysterious force popping up from some corner claiming to rule the world.
Life returned to its simplest and most grounded rhythm. Every day, he trained with Zuo Yue, improving their strength and teamwork, handling routine ninja missions, maintaining the daily operations of Konoha, and participating in small activities in his spare time, such as temple fairs, gatherings, and autumn festivals.
Today was no different. The sky was clear and cloudless, and the warm sunshine shone on the streets of Konoha, creating a peaceful and prosperous scene throughout the village.
However, a minor "turmoil" recently took place within the [Jin] organization.
The reason for this was the milestone success of Orochimaru's research project. The new staple food crop, which utilizes interstitial cells to improve genes and possesses low cost, high nutrition, ultra-fast maturity, and excellent environmental adaptability, has finally completed large-scale trial planting and verification, with both yield and stability meeting expectations.
Regarding the name, Orochimaru ultimately decided on it as "Kite-sui".
Naruto did not interfere with the naming rights, after all, he only gave the direction of the research, and the specific results should be named by the researchers, although Orochimaru himself was not very interested in naming things.
The process of creating this name was almost as random as that of "Kiryu Sento".
Because the core material originated from the cells of Hashirama Senju, who was skilled in Wood Release, the characters "wood" and "hand" were taken, and combined with its ear-like shape, it became "Wood Hand Ear".
This almost divinely provided food was quickly transported through the secretive and efficient channels of the [Jin] organization to impoverished and even displaced marginal areas throughout the ninja world.
They were distributed at near cost price, or even free of charge, saving countless lives struggling with hunger.
But this act of kindness pained the organization's financial officer, Kakuzu, as if he were watching countless mountains of gold and silver slip through his fingers.
Because Kakuzu immediately realized the terrifying commercial potential hidden within, he hurriedly sought out Orochimaru, trying to persuade this "reformed" scientific genius.
With his intelligence, it would be a terrible waste if he didn't develop projects that could directly generate astronomical profits, such as high-efficiency material conversion devices and rare mineral synthesis technologies! It would be a huge waste!
However, Orochimaru's moral principles and behavioral logic have undergone a complete transformation.
He decisively rejected Kakuzu's "money-making proposal," giving a valid and irrefutable reason.
"The leader's order to me is: use your research capabilities to 'atone for your sins.' This means that my research projects must have a clear public interest attribute of 'benefiting humanity.'"
"Want to research ways to make money? ...It's not entirely impossible, but you'll need the leader's approval first."
Orochimaru's current morality left Kakuzu feeling suffocated with powerlessness.
Naruto did feel a little awkward after learning of Kakuzu's suggestion. Although he was happy about Orochimaru's change, he thought about Orochimaru's past... It would be more appropriate for Orochimaru to focus on "good inventions" that could actually improve people's lives and atone for his past sins at this stage.
As a result, Kakuzu's request for "commercialization" was rejected. After countless attempts to persuade Orochimaru to switch to "profitable projects" were rejected, Kakuzu finally lost his temper and had a fierce argument with Orochimaru.
Of course, the argument was limited to disagreements over research direction and debates over economic benefits, and did not involve personal attacks or armed conflict—after all, no matter how much Kakuzu cared about the money, he dared not openly defy the tone set by the leader.
Orochimaru is no longer the mad scientist who would conduct dangerous experiments on living people.