Chapter 23:
The next task for Orochimaru was the creation of the gene fusion fluid, a scientific breakthrough that would bring him 8,000 technology points upon completion.
But as Orochimaru glanced over the technology points he had accumulated, he realized that they held little immediate value for him. Most of the items he could purchase with them were auxiliary tools useful, but not essential at this point in time. His focus had shifted entirely toward his current project.
The subsequent unlocked technology, the gene repair fluid, didn't hold much appeal either, at least for now. The gene repair fluid could supposedly repair any severely damaged genes or cells, but Orochimaru's attention was focused on something else the gene fusion fluid.
With his priorities set, the next few months for Orochimaru were simple: a strict routine of research and missions. His days revolved around two main activities completing the missions assigned by Hiruzen, and then immediately returning home to immerse himself in genetic experiments. Everything else happening in the world seemed irrelevant to him.
The First Ninja World War was still raging, but as a genin, Orochimaru remained largely untouched by the direct consequences of the conflict. He felt no urgency, especially since the war was nearing its conclusion and Konoha had ample fighters at the ready. If the war had been more desperate, even genin like him would have been forced into the Chunin exams and sent to the battlefield. But for now, Orochimaru had time. Time to train, time to study, and time to pursue his scientific goals without distraction.
And so, two years passed in the blink of an eye.
By the end of Konoha Year 18, Orochimaru was eight years old.
His home had transformed into a veritable laboratory, filled with a wide variety of animal and plant specimens. He smiled with satisfaction as he surveyed the rows of bottles and jars filled with preserved snakes, insects, rats, ants, birds, and other creatures. His experiments had yielded significant progress, and his house now resembled a full-fledged research facility, albeit a small one.
In these two years, with the assistance of the system, Orochimaru had evolved into a genuine genetics expert.