Chapter 404: Nagasawa is a Good Teacher and Brother
Orochimaru’s base was still in the same location, in a secluded forest to the west. Nagasawa had considered having Orochimaru relocate to a new base for better secrecy in his research. The nature of a ninja village was peculiar—it was a military institution with many ordinary civilians living within it.
Konoha was constructed as a military organization, not a typical town. It had a thick wooden wall over 20 meters high encircling it, perfectly surrounding Konoha in a circular manner, resembling ancient city walls.
Konoha’s villagers didn’t need to leave; all their daily needs was available within the village. Konoha occupied a large area, with the Forest of Death alone covering an area of 314 square kilometers. The total area of Konoha was approximately four times the size of four Forest of Deaths combined.
Despite its vast size, Konoha had a relatively small population of around three hundred thousand residents, making it an example of a sparsely populated area. Thus, Konoha had many unused lands, with various ninja training grounds. Only the central area, near the Hokage Rock, was developed.
In Nagasawa’s plan, the Konoha would change in the future. It would no longer function solely as a military organization. When that time came, he intended to tear down the walls, expand outward, move some of the large training grounds outside, and develop the area where Orochimaru’s underground base was located.
Therefore, Nagasawa planned to let Orochimaru establish a new base outside for the sake of research secrecy. Many of Orochimaru’s studies were considered a taboo, after all.
However, development was not a quick process achieved by writing a plan and constructing a few buildings. It was a slow process. Hence, Orochimaru had ample time to choose an ideal location and relocate his base.
Nagasawa entered Orochimaru’s base as usual. Orochimaru, who was recording experiment data, stopped and approached Nagasawa as he entered.
"Are you facing difficulties in your research, or do you need some equipment to capture experimental subjects?" Nagasawa inquired as he looked at Orochimaru.
Even the usually audacious Orochimaru showed a hint of hesitation now. The man in front of him was indeed capable of killing him. If Nagasawa were serious, Orochimaru had no chance of survival.
Yet, his confidence triumphed over the hesitation. Orochimaru asked earnestly, "Nagasawa, can you let me study your cells?"