Naruto: Reborn with the Tenseigan

"Huh?"

The ninja who was just about to deliver the antidotes paused, confused.

"Sir, we've already taken care of our comrades' bodies according to strict procedures. Only when the number reaches a certain threshold do we use sealing scrolls to move them. If we rush it, we'll end up wasting a lot of sealing scrolls."

"Do as I say! Go and report."

Takashi would rather waste a few sealing scrolls than risk Orochimaru laying hands on their comrades' bodies. Orochimaru's moral boundaries, if they existed at all, were flimsy at best. When he went off the rails, there were no limits to his behavior. Rather than worry, it was better to take precautions.

If it were a promise from Jiraiya, Takashi might be inclined to trust it. But when it came to Orochimaru—forget it. The impression he had left was too strong to ignore.

Better safe than sorry.

No one would care if Orochimaru played around with enemy bodies—as long as he didn't overdo it. But if he touched their own comrades' bodies, and word got out, his reputation would be utterly ruined. Not only would Orochimaru's name be tarnished, but it might also implicate Takashi himself.

Takashi had no desire to be labeled as someone who used his comrades' bodies for research.

"Yes, sir."

The ninja carrying the antidotes obediently went to report.

"Quickly secure our comrades' bodies?"

Nara Shikashin was studying the topography of the Land of Rain when the ninja sent by Takashi delivered the message.

Why rush to secure their comrades' bodies?

Was there a fear that someone might tamper with them?

"Has anyone unusual been around the medical unit recently, aside from the regular guards and medical staff?"

"Um, Lord Orochimaru went there today. He's assisting Lord Takashi in developing antidotes."

Upon hearing this, Nara Shikashin understood Takashi's concern. Takashi was worried that Orochimaru might use the bodies of their comrades for experiments. And was Orochimaru capable of such a thing?

He absolutely was.

People who loved research and experiments were always a bit unhinged. Takashi didn't want to take the risk, and neither did Nara Shikashin.

If this matter were exposed, Takashi would be implicated, and Nara Shikashin wouldn't escape unscathed either.

After a moment of thought, Nara Shikashin said, "Follow his instructions. I'll personally report to Lord Hokage."

Nara Shikashin was confident that the Third Hokage would not oppose the decision because the Third Hokage understood his disciple well.

There were jokes one shouldn't make, and actions one shouldn't take. Once crossed, there was no turning back. Better to err on the side of caution.

It was late into the night by the time everything was finally sorted out.

With more medical ninja and staff arriving, the wounded in the medical unit were all treated and settled. Takashi finally had a moment to catch his breath. Before Sunagakure's puppet corps entered the fray and before Chiyo herself arrived in the Land of Rain, the newly developed antidotes would suffice.

From here, it was just a matter of assigning people to produce more antidotes in the right proportions.

Chiyo loved using new toxins, and the poisons she developed were always incredibly potent. And then there was Hanzo of the Salamander—another terrifying threat. When Hanzo unleashed his full power, even he, the salamander's host, would be poisoned by its venom, which spoke to just how deadly it was.

If you were poisoned by the salamander, there was no point in trying to save you—you wouldn't live that long.

One only had to look at the final battle between Konoha and Amegakure to see the effect. When Hanzo took the field, only Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru were left standing among Konoha's forces.

Hanzo was pure poison—when he unleashed his venom, he spared no one, friend or foe.

You might beat him, but you'd definitely pay a price.

Thankfully, the salamander's venom didn't spread too quickly. Otherwise, Hanzo's threat level would have been as fearsome as the Poison Douluo from Douluo Continent.

Even if he couldn't beat you, he could still kill off your weaker allies with poison.

Nara Shikashin reported everything about Orochimaru to the Third Hokage and Tsunade, as they were both key figures. The Third Hokage was the leader, and Tsunade was someone they relied on, so he reported to both.

What the village decided to do about it wasn't Nara Shikashin's concern. He had enough on his plate without worrying about these matters.

Fortunately, the medical unit didn't require his attention, which saved him considerable effort.

Two specially trained messenger hawks swiftly took to the sky, braving the rain as they headed toward Konoha. By nightfall, the scrolls had safely arrived at Konoha's intelligence division.

The intelligence staff immediately split the scrolls, delivering one to Tsunade, stationed at the medical unit, and the other to the Third Hokage in his office.

Tsunade glanced at the scroll, then tossed it aside. She wasn't interested in handling such matters. Let the Third Hokage worry about it.

The Third Hokage, however, wasn't as carefree as Tsunade. He frowned as he read the scroll from Nara Shikashin, noting that Takashi's arrangements, while sound, would significantly increase the village's expenses.

War is fought with both manpower and money. Without people, even vast resources are useless, and without funds, you can't support the troops.

Konoha certainly wasn't lacking in personnel—it had the most ninja of the Five Great Shinobi Nations. Its finances were also relatively stable, thanks to the foundation left by Tobirama Senju and over a decade of development.

Compared to Amegakure, Konoha might not be as wealthy, but it was certainly better off than the other three major villages.

Still, even with money, wastefulness wasn't an option. Sealing scrolls were notoriously expensive, difficult to make, and produced in limited quantities. Using a large number of them to secure bodies would be quite a financial burden.

The Third Hokage instinctively wanted to reject the request, but reason quickly overruled that impulse.

After all, this involved his most cherished disciple, Orochimaru.

It didn't surprise the Third Hokage that Orochimaru had become Takashi's assistant. He knew his disciple's capabilities well and believed that helping Takashi would be beneficial. But the idea of Orochimaru experimenting on bodies didn't sit well with him.

As mentioned before, researchers and experimenters are often a bit mad. No one could predict what drastic actions Orochimaru might take with corpses.

If he confined his experiments to enemy bodies, that would be one thing. But if he started using their comrades' bodies, it would cause a massive scandal.

"Fine."

After careful consideration, the Third Hokage decided to approve the request.

A bit of extra spending was acceptable if it prevented Orochimaru from tampering with their comrades' bodies. The morgue's budget would increase slightly, but everything else would remain the same. This way, the risk of Orochimaru experimenting on their own could be minimized.

If it hadn't been Orochimaru, the Third Hokage would have likely told anyone else to get lost.

Did they not know how costly war was?

Were they unaware that they needed to economize?

The Third Hokage's reply quickly reached the camp. With his approval, Nara Shikashin no longer concerned himself with the matter. As long as the Third Hokage knew and approved, even if Orochimaru couldn't resist experimenting on their own comrades' bodies, it would be on the Third Hokage. 

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