NARUTO: Ninja World Scientific Revolution

Orochimaru's laboratory was located in an underground space at the edge of the village, an area likely constructed by the Root organization before being handed over to him. Its location was highly secretive, and there was no surveillance from Root outside the laboratory. Although Orochimaru was conducting experiments for Danzo, the two shared an equal partnership—if Danzo treated Orochimaru as a subordinate, the research on Hashirama's cells would be ruined.

Hyuga Mirai arrived at the entrance of Orochimaru's laboratory. Using his Byakugan, he scanned the area and then sent a bit of chakra into the barrier's weak spot, signaling Orochimaru of his arrival. After the barrier activated, Orochimaru emerged from the laboratory.

Seeing an unfamiliar face outside, Orochimaru let out a rasping laugh. "Mirai-kun, still so cautious..."

"Research is at a critical stage, so caution is necessary..." Hyuga Mirai casually responded as he followed Orochimaru inside the lab.

"Orochimaru-sama, has the experiment really reached that point? Have you been able to replicate the genetic traits from Hashirama's cells in the test subjects?"

Orochimaru's face showed a brief flash of surprise before he smiled. "If I didn't know that you were at Konoha Hospital, I'd have thought you were keeping an eye on me. Heh."

"Has it really reached that point?" Mirai asked, his voice filled with disbelief. The question he had asked concerned the ability to replicate the key elements of Hashirama's power from his cells. He hadn't expected Orochimaru to have already achieved that.

Mirai thought that merely accomplishing what was described in the scroll would have been an impressive feat, but to his surprise, Orochimaru had hidden even more progress—he had already managed to reproduce Hashirama's genetic traits in the test subjects. In less than a year, Orochimaru's progress with the cellular experiments was nothing short of rapid.

"It's still just barely manageable, though. The mortality rate of the test subjects is still quite high," Orochimaru said hoarsely, though his smile suggested that he was quite pleased with the current state of the experiment. Achieving this step meant that they were very close to success.

After descending a set of stairs and walking a bit further, Hyuga Mirai arrived at Orochimaru's laboratory. Following his suggestion, Orochimaru had heightened the lab's cleanliness standards, even assigning his temporary assistant to maintain the space.

Inside, three test subjects were secured to beds, surrounded by various instruments monitoring their bodily changes. 

"May I see the data from these experiments?" Mirai asked.

"Of course, Mirai-kun. That's precisely why I wanted to talk to you," Orochimaru said, stepping aside with a rasp.

Mirai took the test data and began reading it. He had always been interested in Hashirama's cells, but due to his numerous other commitments, he had yet to dive into researching them. He planned to focus on Hashirama's cells once he had unlocked the seal on the Caged Bird curse mark.

After reviewing the data, Mirai nodded in agreement. "As expected, the genetic sequence in Hashirama's cells is overwhelmingly dominant. Most people can't handle it, but by extracting only a small portion of the genes, it becomes manageable for a regular person to endure the genetic intrusion of Hashirama's cells."

Orochimaru's face lit up with excitement as he smiled. "This is all thanks to your advice, Mirai-kun."

Transplanting Hashirama's full cells into a test subject would be too much for most to bear. Even Danzo had to use the power of the Sharingan to balance the cells. However, by extracting only a portion of the genetic sequence from Hashirama's cells and combining them with the test subject's own genes, the survival rate increased by several dozen times.

"Of the three test subjects, two have developed an extremely strong cell revitalization ability. Even a ten-centimeter wound heals completely within a few minutes. The third test subject has gained control over the Wood Release technique; using chakra, he can grow wood branches from his body."

Orochimaru slowly explained his research findings to Mirai.

"However, the third subject's strength is too weak, and his Wood Release doesn't replicate Hashirama's power."

Mirai, after reading through the data, began to think deeply and then said to Orochimaru, "What if we replaced the test subjects with one male and one female? After their success, we could extract their chromosomes and cultivate embryos. The resulting children might inherit the Hashirama cell genes completely..."

Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with excitement as he processed the idea. "That's an excellent suggestion, and the success rate is high. As expected of Mirai-kun."

At this moment, Orochimaru genuinely considered recruiting Mirai as his assistant. If the two of them worked together, he believed that there would be nothing they couldn't accomplish. Scientists, particularly those in the same field, tend to respect each other, and both Mirai and Orochimaru were among the few in the ninja world researching biological genetics.

"Orochimaru-sama, I came here today to exchange something with you. This is my recent research on perfect cloning techniques," Mirai said, handing over a scroll.

"Perfect cloning..." Orochimaru's interest piqued as he took the scroll and opened it to read the contents.

After being guided by Mirai, Orochimaru had gained a deep understanding of cellular genetics. He was able to comprehend parts of the research in the scroll, and for sections that he didn't fully grasp, he made a note to ask Mirai later.

Time passed, and Orochimaru's excitement grew. Once he had read the final line, he immediately looked up at Mirai and asked, "Mirai-kun, what would you like in return?"

Mirai answered decisively, "The Summoning Scroll from the Ryūchi Cave and the technique for spiritual transformation."

He then added, "Orochimaru-sama, you needn't worry about the cloning technique not working. I'm confident in it, though I lack the time and funding to proceed."

Orochimaru chuckled hoarsely. "Heh, I don't doubt you, Mirai-kun. There's much in this technique that will greatly inspire my research… but aren't you worried that asking for the Ryūchi Cave's Summoning Scroll might expose our connection?"

Mirai shrugged. "I'll likely only use it to save my life. Mostly, I'm interested in studying Sage Jutsu… once I'm done with my current research."

Orochimaru thought for a moment and then said, "Sage Jutsu, huh? It is indeed a powerful ability, but it requires a very high level of training."

Mirai shook his head. "Their method is too crude. They can study and control Hashirama's power, so why not Sage Jutsu?"

"That's true..." Orochimaru agreed. 

With a wave of his hand, Orochimaru performed the Summoning Jutsu, bringing forth a ten-meter-long snake. The snake's body coiled around a half-meter-high scroll, which it slowly unfurled before Mirai.

"Mirai-kun, this is the Summoning Scroll of the Ryūchi Cave. As for the spiritual transformation technique, I'll have the White Snake deliver it to you later." 

(End of Chapter)