Naruto: The Ninja World's Life Buyer

Chapter 196 Another Use of Eye Power

Danzo's funeral was very grand, and Sousuke also attended.

"Sousuke."

After the funeral, Hiruzen called out to him.

"Lord Hokage."

Danzo is gone.

Hiruzen stared at the memorial tablet, as if talking to himself.

"At the root—a group without a leader."

"Those people are all elites trained by Konoha. Although they have been brainwashed by Danzo, they are still a force to be reckoned with. I plan to break them up and incorporate them into the Anbu."

Sosuke nodded.

"This is a wise move."

"but----"

Hiruzen turned his head, his eyes sharpening.

"I heard that something is missing from the base at the root."

"Data, equipment, and—some special experimental data."

"Jōnin Takaya, do you know where these things went?"

Zongjie remained unfazed.

"Perhaps Lord Danzo activated the self-destruct program before he died. Or perhaps it was stolen by enemy spies in the chaos."

"After all, the scene was very chaotic at the time."

Hiruzen stared at Sousuke for a long time.

Finally, he sighed and waved his hand.

"That's enough."

"As long as those things don't harm Konoha—"

"Go."

Sosuke bowed slightly, then turned and left.

Underground base.

Orochimaru was standing in front of a huge dissection table. On the table were piles of documents and several sealed jars.

Those were Danzo's records of human experiments on Hashirama cells and the Sharingan over the past ten years.

"It's so rough—"

Orochimaru, wearing white gloves, flipped through an experimental logbook, emitting a mocking hiss.

"That old man Danzo treats science like a hasty butcher. All he knows is to stuff cells into the body, and then it seems he can't use his power before the recipient dies."

"Completely devoid of beauty. Completely devoid of reverence."

Sosuke sat on a chair to the side, flipping through another experiment log.

"But his data is very useful, isn't it?"

"certainly."

Orochimaru smiled.

"He used hundreds of lives to help us eliminate hundreds of wrong options."

"Especially the data regarding the suppression of physical mutations by 'spiritual energy' —"

Orochimaru picked up an X-ray film, which showed a deformed arm skeleton.

"Look, Sosuke-kun."

"Danzo's right arm. Over the years, he painstakingly collected so many Sharingan by assassinating lone Uchiha clan members and forcibly transplanted them into his own arm."

"This is using the Sharingan's Yin Release chakra to block the rampant Yang Release chakra from Hashirama's cells."

"It's an extremely painful dynamic balance. It's like having two wild beasts tearing each other apart inside your body."

"This also explains why Danzo's personality became increasingly twisted. His nervous system was constantly subjected to the clash of two completely different types of chakra."

Zongsuke answered.

"Prolonged exposure to this kind of rejection reaction will erode a person's rationality, leaving only the instinct for survival and paranoia."

"That's right."

Orochimaru put down the film, turned around, and looked at Sousuke.

"This has given me an interesting idea, Sosuke-kun."

"If the interstitial cells represent the ultimate in vitality—"

"Then why is this extreme vitality highly toxic to the vast majority of humans?"

"Shouldn't life be driven by a desire to evolve?"

Orochimaru walked to the culture tank and looked at a piece of flesh floating inside, which was a proliferating body of the sarcophagus cells.

"unless----"

Orochimaru's voice became deep and chilling.

"This kind of power is simply not suitable for human life."

Sousuke's gaze froze for a moment.

This man truly is the scientist in the ninja world closest to the truth. Without any prior knowledge of Kaguya Otsutsuki, he grasped the essence of the "Divine Tree" solely through dissection and experimentation.

"An interesting conjecture, Lord Orochimaru."

Sosuke also shared his experimental experience.

"Based on my research, ordinary people, including myself, are not suitable for interstitial cell transplantation."

"Hehehe————"

Orochimaru laughed.

"It seems that our research conclusions are consistent."

"However, our goal doesn't necessarily have to be Hashirama's cells. With Danzo's data, I have a new perspective on my research into Sage Mode."

"Natural energy—that's something far more powerful than Hashirama cells. Perhaps I can try to tackle this kind of challenge."

Sousuke nodded.

"I will continue to provide you with funding and materials."

On a sunny high ground next to the Uchiha Armory, upstream of the Namka River, a brand new building has been completed.

This is the new orphanage.

Thanks to the strong financial resources of the Takaya Trading Company, the reconstruction work is progressing at an astonishing speed.

However, while houses can be rebuilt, the psychological trauma inflicted on children is much harder to repair.

"No! Fire! It's a huge fire!"

A seven-year-old boy was awakened from his nap with a scream, his body drenched in cold sweat, his hands flailing wildly in the air.

"It's alright, Xiao Jie, it's alright————"

Yakushi Nonou held the child, gently patting his back. A soft, healing chakra glowed in her palm.

But it didn't work.

The boy was still screaming and even started scratching his face, leaving streaks of blood.

It wasn't just him. Low sobs could be heard coming from several rooms in the corridor.

The fire, coupled with the trauma of the previous war, shattered the fragile psychological defenses of these children.

They became sensitive, fearful, and even experienced severe stress reactions. Some children were afraid to close their eyes all night, and some would wet their pants at the slightest sound of a match being struck.

This post-traumatic stress disorder is a challenge for medical ninjutsu. Chakra can heal physical wounds, but it cannot heal psychological trauma.

After finally getting the child to sleep, Nono walked out of the dormitory with a worried look on her face.

"There are more and more children like this."

She said to her assistant.

"If their psychological problems are not resolved, they will either become timid and cowardly, or they will become dangerous individuals."

Sosuke stood at the end of the corridor and witnessed it all.

He came to deliver supplies today and also to see Nonou.

"Psychotherapy?"

Sousuke stepped forward.

"Nonou".

"Mr. Sosuke."

"I heard you."

Sosuke pointed to the dormitory.

"Conventional reassurance methods are not working. We need more professional intervention."

"But Konoha doesn't have any psychologists," Nonou said helplessly. "Although the Yamanaka clan is skilled in mental arts, they are more used for interrogation and mind reading, not for treatment."

"There are other ways."

Sosuke came up with an idea.

"Illusion."

"The essence of illusion is to construct a false world. Since they live in a nightmare, let's use illusion to weave a beautiful dream."

"This is called—illusion therapy."

"Find the Uchiha."

Sosuke made a decision.

"The Sharingan of the Uchiha clan are masters of genjutsu."

"If we could get a skilled genjutsu user with a meticulous mind to help us—"

"Would the Uchiha clan be willing to help?" Nono asked with some concern.

After all, the Uchiha clan is known for its arrogance and aloofness.

"rest assured."

Sousuke smiled.

"The Uchiha clan desperately needs to improve their image in the village. If they could get involved in charitable work helping orphans," it would be a huge boost to their reputation.

Sosuke, carrying gifts, arrived at the Uchiha clan's territory.

Compared to the bustling factory, this place is unusually quiet.

The rustic Japanese gardens are arranged in a pleasing, staggered pattern, with high walls and courtyards preventing prying eyes. Although Fugaku's funeral has been over for a long time, a solemn sorrow still hangs over this proud clan.

"Mr. Sosuke?"

The patrolling guards recognized him, immediately stopped, and saluted respectfully.

That's respect for both the financial backers and the allies.

"I'm looking for Clan Chief Soji," Sosuke said.

"The clan chief is at the factory processing an urgent shipment bound for the Land of Lightning; he might not be back until tonight," the guard replied. "Should I inform him?"

-

"No need, it's not something extremely urgent."

Sosuke waved his hand.

He came this time regarding the orphanage's psychological treatment. He was talking to Zongji about official business, but finding specific candidates might require a more nuanced perspective.

The young man, Zongsi, is decisive and ruthless, but he may not have the same keen intuition as a woman when it comes to selecting and appointing people.

"Is Lady Mikoto home?" Sousuke suddenly asked.

"Yes, Lady Mikoto has been resting at home recently."

"Then I shall go and pay a visit to Lady Mikoto."

2

Sosuke arrives at the former clan head's residence.

After Fugaku's death in battle, the mansion became much quieter than before.

"jingle."

Sosuke rang the doorbell.

Soon, the door opened. An elderly maid opened the door and immediately bowed respectfully upon seeing Sosuke.

"Takaya-sama."

"I've come to visit Lady Mikoto." Sousuke handed over the gift box. "Is this convenient?"

"Madam is resting in the tea room. Please wait a moment."

A moment later, Sosuke was led into the inner courtyard.

In the courtyard, white sand was raked into wave-like shapes, with a few blue stones dotting the landscape. Sunlight streamed onto the wooden corridor, giving it a warm, lustrous sheen.

Mikoto Uchiha was kneeling on a cushion in the corridor, trimming a pot of flowers.

She was wearing a loose purple loungewear kimono with a low-cut obi belt. Even with the large garment concealing it, her lower abdomen was still noticeably protruding.

She was five or six months pregnant.

"Mr. Sosuke."

Seeing Sousuke approach, Mikoto put down the scissors and tried to get up to bow.

"Lady Mikoto, please sit still."

Sosuke quickly stepped forward and offered a helping hand.

"You're feeling unwell now, so let's skip the formalities."

Mikoto smiled gently, did not insist, and sat down again. Her complexion was rosier than at the funeral, and she had a soft glow about to become a mother.

"I'm sorry to have troubled you again."

Mikoto glanced at the gift box the maid had handed her. It contained top-quality medicinal herbs for preventing miscarriage.

"It's just a new batch of goods that just arrived at the Chamber of Commerce. I thought it would suit you, so I brought it along."

Sosuke sat down on the other side of the corridor, maintaining a distance that was both intimate and polite.

The maid brought tea.

"This is barley tea."

Mikoto explained softly.

"The doctor said I can't drink strong tea right now, I can only drink this. If it doesn't suit your taste, I'll have someone change it to sencha."

"No, this is good."

Sosuke picked up his teacup and took a sip.

It has a wonderful aroma of wheat, a very simple and rustic flavor.

"I'm thinking of adding this drink to my dessert shop. It would be a good option for customers who can't drink strong tea."

Mikoto covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

"You really are something else—you can think of business in everything you see."

"Occupational hazard," Sosuke chuckled self-deprecatingly.

After a few casual words, the atmosphere became relaxed and warm.

Sosuke put down his teacup, his gaze lingering on Mikoto's stomach for a moment before looking away.

"Lady Mikoto, I've come here today with a request for your help."

"Please speak."

Mikoto said seriously. She knew that Sousuke wouldn't come to her door without a reason.

"It's about the orphanage."

Sosuke explained in detail the psychological trauma problems currently facing the orphanage, as well as his proposed "illusion therapy".

"Conventional medical methods cannot reach the deepest fears within children. We need more direct and delicate methods to enter their dreams and heal those traumas."

"In Konoha, only the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan can perform such precise operations."

Sousuke looked at Mikoto.

"I would like to ask a member of our clan to come out of seclusion and serve as a psychologist at the orphanage."

Mikoto listened intently. She lowered her eyes, her fingers gently stroking her swollen belly.

As a mother, she had a natural sympathy for the plight of orphans.

"I understand. The Uchiha clan will take on this task."

"This is not just a mission, but also atonement—our clan has killed too many people on the battlefield. If we can use these eyes to redeem some souls, perhaps we can accumulate some blessings for this unborn child."

"I'll take care of this."

"Aren't you going to see Sōji?" Sōsuke asked.

"Although Zongsi is the clan leader now, he is still a man, and a combatant at that. If you let him choose people, he would probably pick a few brutes with strong eyesight but no understanding of human nature."

Mikoto smiled helplessly.

"Let us women do this kind of delicate work."

Sosuke nodded.

"So, do you have someone in mind?"

Yes. Me.

""