In the lounge of the Hokage Building, an unfurled blank scroll lay on the floor in front of Makoto.
As he formed hand seals and performed the technique, intricate and profound black patterns slowly emerged on the scroll, forming a circular shape around the central kanji character "Fire" (火).
Recording jutsu onto scrolls was a complicated process.
Besides requiring a deep mastery of sealing techniques, one also needed to be highly proficient in the jutsu being inscribed.
Although using such scrolls was convenient, mass production remained impossible.
Moreover, relying too much on them contradicted the core principles of being a ninja, as it could lead to complacency.
"Hakumen," Makoto called softly.
In an instant, Hakumen appeared before him.
Makoto handed over the newly inscribed Fire Release scroll, instructing him to test it outside.
The principle behind ninjutsu scrolls was to predefine the chakra flow path and then activate the technique using the user's own chakra.
Though considered difficult, Makoto had mastered it without much effort.
This was merely an experiment; his next step was to inscribe ninjutsu directly onto the human body.
With this method, no hand seals would be required—just the activation of chakra to unleash the jutsu instantly.
The recorded jutsu could range from standard elemental techniques to special secret arts.
Unlike scrolls, where the inscribed techniques could be used only once but had no attribute restrictions, the inscriptions on the human body needed to align with the individual's chakra nature.
However, they could be used multiple times.
Soon, Hakumen returned, still holding the scroll, but the kanji "Fire" (火) had completely disappeared from it.
"Lord Makoto, the jutsu is incredible!" Hakumen reported.
Makoto appeared deep in thought, his gaze fixed on the scroll in Hakumen's hands.
"Hakumen."
"Yes, Lord Makoto!"
"I'm researching a secret technique. Would you be willing to be my test subject?"
Hakumen paused for a moment, then immediately responded, "I'm willing!"
Makoto chuckled softly. "Aren't you afraid of any accidents?"
Hakumen replied, "My life belongs to Lord Makoto."
This was the teaching Hakumen had received from a young age.
To serve the main family, to serve the clan leader, and to sacrifice everything for the clan was an honor for a close personal guard.
Not all branch family members despised the main family.
Those who did were usually adults who had gone through life and developed their own beliefs.
On the other hand, younger members like Hakumen naturally adhered to whatever the family instructed.
The progress of ninjutsu inscription had to be gradual, as testing it on the human body required extreme precision.
Although Makoto was highly confident in his chakra control, he couldn't afford to be careless in the slightest.
While Makoto was dedicating himself to studying sealing techniques and ninjutsu inscription, Orochimaru had also made progress in his research on soul techniques and eagerly sought out Makoto to share his findings.
This surprised Makoto greatly.
Orochimaru had actually found a path outside of Jugo's research.
Due to Jugo's existence, Orochimaru had made much more progress than expected.
Makoto had initially thought that Orochimaru would be stuck, unable to move forward because of his oversight of Jugo's importance.
Clearly, Makoto had underestimated Orochimaru's abilities.
Orochimaru's new insight came from the forbidden technique of Edo Tensei, the Reincarnation of the Dirt.
This was the first time Orochimaru mentioned this forbidden technique to Makoto.
It was a forbidden life technique created by the Second Hokage, capable of bringing the souls of the deceased back to the physical world.
However, the technique was incomplete.
The temporarily revived individuals had many limitations, and their strength was greatly diminished compared to when they were alive.
Orochimaru intended to perfect the technique, but had set it aside for a time due to the matters involving White Zetsu and soul reincarnation.
Orochimaru isolated the method for stabilizing the soul used in Edo Tensei, then conducted a new experiment.
The result was that the reincarnated soul was now able to permanently reside within a White Zetsu body.
When Makoto saw the subject of the experiment, he noticed that the eyes did indeed hold a gleam of intelligence.
Although it was not yet in its perfect form, it was already a significant improvement.
This made Orochimaru very excited.
He kept discussing his ideas and hypotheses with Makoto, but Makoto could only understand the general concepts.
The more technical details were beyond his comprehension.
While Orochimaru was speaking excitedly, Makoto suddenly asked, "Is Lord Hokage planning to create an intelligent White Zetsu army?"
Orochimaru's obsession with White Zetsu surprised Makoto.
Orochimaru had started researching soul reincarnation because of his desire for immortality.
But what about White Zetsu?
After hearing Makoto's question, Orochimaru sneered, "I can already do that."
"Makoto, you're underestimating me."
His tone was full of arrogance as he led Makoto into another secret room within the research facility.
The temperature in this room was much colder.
There was only one piece of equipment in the room, making it seem quite empty.
What caught Makoto's attention was the large glass container in the center.
Inside, it was filled with liquid, and a boy, his body covered in tubes, floated within it.
Compared to the White Zetsu bodies outside, this boy's skin tone was closer to Orochimaru's cold white.
His slightly opened eyes were the luminous white characteristic of the Hyuga clan.
Makoto looked at the boy in the container, confused. "He is...?"
Orochimaru replied, "The First Hokage's cells, the Hyuga clan's Byakugan, and White Zetsu's body. I will add even better things to him in the future."
"This is my masterpiece. This is also the future me."
Makoto suddenly thought of Ultron and Vision.
Orochimaru had created a perfect body for himself to use.
Unlike in the original story where Orochimaru sought bodies with bloodline limits, his ambitions had grown much larger.
"Lord Hokage, are you planning to create a god's body?"
"God?" Orochimaru smirked, his gaze full of disdain.
"Are you talking about a 'god' like the one in the ninja world?"
A mere title could never satisfy him.
He would surpass everything and become the most exalted existence!
Orochimaru said, "Makoto, I can prepare one for you too."
Makoto only replied, "Thank you, Lord Hokage."
Before leaving, Makoto asked Orochimaru for a wise White Zetsu, intending to use it for experimenting with the ninjutsu seal engraving.
He wasn't willing to test it directly on Hakumen.
Hakumen was his most trusted subordinate, and if anything went wrong, it would be Hakumen who would bear the risk.
Orochimaru had plenty of these intelligent White Zetsu in his lab, using them as errand runners and as his assistants.
Makoto only planned to experiment with ninjutsu seal engraving on this particular White Zetsu.
His next step, the Sage Seal, he planned to carry out in secret.
The White Zetsu was certainly Orochimaru's spy.
Makoto felt that he should keep his trump cards hidden.
Even including Orochimaru, no one had figured out the true nature of his Mirage ability, and they all believed it to be a high-level genjutsu.
The more people believed that, the better for Makoto.
Once the Sage Seal was completed, his strength would undergo a significant leap.
And not just his—his subordinates' power would also grow.
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