Filled with confidence and driven by hatred and ambition, Shinno quickly threw himself into his research.
Satori Hyūga found that with an extra person on board, the research progressed much faster. A flood of new ideas and plans emerged constantly.
This reminded him of the saying: "Two heads are better than one."
But Orochimaru and Shinno were no ordinary craftsmen; each of them was a Zhuge Liang-level genius in their own right.
Their combined research efforts, further strengthened by Satori's own input, led to an exponential increase in productivity.
Thanks to Tsunade's medical notes and the joint work of these two geniuses, progress was soon made on the Body Regeneration Technique.
However, one critical flaw—accelerated aging due to rapid cell regeneration—remained unresolved.
Shinno proposed creating the Zero-Tails to absorb negative emotions, condensing them into Dark Chakra to replenish energy.
But this experiment required many human subjects as sources of nutrients and raw material to generate massive amounts of negative energy.
As a result, those used as living conduits would endure endless torment.
Orochimaru disagreed, considering the method too risky and unreliable.
He had heard of the Zero-Tails and Dark Chakra before—they were remnants of secret experiments conducted by Konoha.
Orochimaru, not yet fully gone rogue, refused to walk down such a dark path, leading to a rift between them.
Satori didn't expect Orochimaru to turn conservative.
He noticed that Orochimaru had indeed taken his warning to heart, opting instead to optimize and enhance his own body.
Moreover, since the Third Great Shinobi War had yet to begin, Orochimaru hadn't fully succumbed to darkness and remained resistant to horrifying, inhumane experiments.
Faced with this disagreement, Satori sided with Orochimaru.
As for Dark Chakra, Satori wasn't particularly eager to accept it either.
There's a saying: "When you stare into the abyss, the abyss also stares into you."
Relying on negative emotions often leads to mental instability and eventual corruption.
Satori craved power—yes—but not at the cost of his sanity or soul.
"I guess I'll have to think of another approach."
With the experiments at a standstill, Satori racked his brain but failed to come up with a solid solution.
After all, he wasn't a scientific prodigy like them. Even using knowledge from his previous life, he couldn't solve every problem.
Just as he hit a wall, rumors began spreading from the outside world.
Through Chonghuo Hyūga, Hyūga Yui, Hizashi Hyūga, and others, Satori learned that someone had been spreading rumors behind his back—that he had contracted an incurable illness.
Some even claimed to have seen the renowned medic Shinno secretly summoned into the Hyūga Clan and never seen again.
Meanwhile, Satori rarely appeared in public—only shadow clones handled external affairs.
The rumors spread like wildfire, gaining the aura of truth, saying that heaven envied talent too much, and that Satori had fallen terminally ill and would soon die.
Even Satori might have believed the rumors if he hadn't known the truth about his condition.
After collecting numerous clues, all signs pointed toward Elder.
Hmph. I haven't even come after you yet, and you're already going after me? You really don't know your place.
The continued stagnation of the experiments put Satori in a terrible mood.
Furthermore, as his body matured, his chakra reserves grew steadily, becoming impossible to suppress.
If things continued like this, even the solution proposed by Tsunade would soon become ineffective.
Satori Hyūga's eyes flickered with thought. After a moment of contemplation, he made up his mind—he could no longer leave the Elder alive.
A potential threat could strike at any moment, and he had no intention of waiting idly like others until an opponent gained the upper hand.
Besides, the opponent was none other than the clan's revered Elder—an individual whose status was unique and highly significant.
After careful consideration, Satori ordered word of his critical illness to be quietly spread throughout the clan while simultaneously seeking medicinal herbs and Medical Ninjutsu.
This had a dual purpose: one was to lull the Elder into a false sense of security; the other was to gather more Medical Ninjutsu techniques for research.
These actions delighted the Elder immensely.
But before the Elder could enjoy his happiness for even three days, he learned that Satori had found a cure for his illness—a special hot spring deep within the Forest of Death, which, when combined with certain medicines, could heal his ailment.
Satori publicly announced his plan to go there for treatment and, in the days prior, deliberately undermined the Elder's faction.
These moves further convinced the Elder that Satori truly intended to recover from his illness.
Otherwise, why would he harm his own faction and create chaos for himself?
Elder: "Satori Hyūga, don't blame me for being ruthless."
With a cold gleam flashing in his eyes, he summoned every ally he could muster, preparing to ambush Satori in the Forest of Death.
Satori had grown too quickly, completely overshadowing the Elder.
Power and influence within the clan were finite—every gain Satori made meant another loss for the Elder.
Driven by conflicting interests, the Elder resolved to kill Satori.
Once Satori departed, the Elder followed secretly into the Forest of Death.
As for Konoha's outer patrol units, they proved completely ineffective, bypassed with ease.
The Forest of Death sprawled along Konoha's outskirts. Within it stood massive trees, numerous traps, wild beasts, and countless dangers.
For this reason, ordinary people never dared enter this place.
Satori was carried inside a palanquin by Branch House youths, swaying gently as they made their way to a secluded spot.
Their supposed destination was that fabled hot spring.
In truth, however, the so-called "special hot spring" was nothing but an ordinary one—the real goal was to lure the Elder out.
As the group arrived near the hot spring, they carefully set the palanquin down and happily announced, "Lord Satori, we've finally found the hot spring! You may now step out and soak in it."
At that moment, the curtain of the palanquin lifted, revealing Satori stepping out with a pale complexion, occasionally pausing to cough into his hand.
Cough... Cough... Cough...
"Good. This is indeed the hot spring Master Shinno spoke of. Quickly, help me over."
Chonghuo Hyūga mastered the art of masking his emotions.
He hurried forward, reaching for Satori's arm, intending to gently guide him into the hot spring.
Yet just as he did, a pitch-black kunai shot down from above, embedding itself in the earth in front of the hot spring with lightning speed.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several shadowy figures dropped from the sky, their eyes sharp with menace as they encircled Satori and the Branch House youths.
They were all members of the Branch House, and rather than concealing their faces, they revealed their true identities openly.
The reason for this was mainly because everyone possessed the Byakugan, able to see beyond appearances and perceive the true nature beneath.
Whether they concealed themselves or not was entirely meaningless.
"Hmph, hmph, Elder," Satori gasped, his eyes locked on the leading figure as though he were about to collapse at any moment. "I didn't expect you'd actually come after me yourself."
The Elder's gaze was icy and filled with malice. "Satori Hyūga, you are an unparalleled genius of the Hyūga Clan. But your brilliance threatens the balance—we cannot allow you to live."
As for this rising star—he didn't know exactly when it started, but he had long harbored a deep fear and jealousy toward him.
...
...
Does this sound a bit ridiculous?
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>