Chapter 153:
With Orochimaru's help, Danzo's newly implanted Sharingan was now wrapped under a layer of bandages. How Danzo would explain his new eye to Hiruzen was none of Orochimaru's concern.
In reality, Orochimaru had other methods of granting the Sharingan to non-Uchiha individuals. One was through genetic fusion, while the other was genetic modification. However, genetic modification could only be applied to infants, and genetic fusion didn't produce visible effects immediately. Therefore, for Danzo, Orochimaru had opted for the more straightforward method: cell transplantation.
Reflecting on his work, Orochimaru couldn't help but note the irony. He used to despise Danzo for his ruthless ambition, his willingness to sacrifice others to achieve his goals, and the countless tragedies he'd caused. Many lives had been ruined because of him. But after working with Danzo more closely, Orochimaru found a strange pity for the man.
Danzo wanted power but lacked the means to achieve it fully. He longed to become Hokage, to unify the ninja world, and to gain strength by any means necessary. In pursuit of this dream, he grafted the First Hokage's cells, implanted Sharingan, and transformed himself into a vessel brimming with forbidden jutsu. He altered his body to the point where he was neither fully human nor a proper shinobi.
And after all his efforts, he was ultimately killed by a teenage Uchiha Sasuke. It was almost tragic in a way. For all his ambition and scheming, Danzo's end had been as pitiful as his life.
Of course, sympathy was one thing, Orochimaru had no intention of sharing his most precious secret with Danzo. The gene fusion fluid was Orochimaru's most valuable creation, on par with his cloning technology. This fluid allowed genes from different bloodlines to merge seamlessly, granting ordinary people access to powerful bloodline abilities.
The gene fusion fluid could combine multiple bloodlines into a single formula or simply enhance one specific trait. However, it had a limitation: it had to be prepared with the target genes in mind beforehand. Once created, new genes couldn't be added to an existing batch. Nevertheless, the gene fusion fluid was invaluable. It could grant even those without a special bloodline the chance to wield extraordinary abilities.
Would Orochimaru ever consider giving something so valuable to Danzo? Absolutely not.
Orochimaru currently had two batches of finished gene fusion fluid. One was infused with the Senju clan's sage body, and the other with the Uchiha clan's Sharingan. The fusion process was similar to his biological evolution fluid, with only one application allowed per year to avoid diminishing effects. But for Orochimaru, who already possessed both Senju and Uchiha bloodline traits, this limitation wasn't a problem.