Konoha: Offer your heart to the Hokage!

She gazed at the pattering rain outside the window, her voice tinged with melancholy: "If it weren't for you, Shen'er, I probably would have died of bloodline disease ten years ago. The old folks of the Warring States period are passing away one by one, and now I'm the only one left..."

"It's time for the old guard to step down from the stage of the times and give opportunities to the young people."

"Ever since his crushing defeat to Uchiha Yanagi, Uchiha Kagami has been training very hard. Although he hasn't awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan yet, I think he's already qualified to be the clan leader."

“I plan to officially step down from the position of clan chief in the middle of the year.”

While they were talking about the Uchiha clan, they were actually discussing private matters that didn't need to be discussed openly between the two of them.

This time, Shen Er didn't refuse; he simply and forcefully replied with a single word: "Okay."

...

Shen Er returned to the underground laboratory of the Zen temple and took out a sealed scroll from a hidden compartment.

It contained a finger's worth of flesh and blood.

He clapped his hands together, "Impure World Reincarnation Technique!"

Before the flesh sacrifice beside him could even scream, he was covered by countless spirit talismans. When the talismans dispersed, the sacrifice's form had transformed into the appearance of Uchiha Bin.

Shen Er stared at the figure before him, his eyes completely unmoved.

He acknowledged Uchiha Bin's abilities and resolve, but he would not waste any of the potential value he could tap into.

The First Raikage, reanimated; Uchiha Bin, reanimated.

The number of the corrupted earth alliance forces under his command continues to increase...

After confirming that everything was correct, Shen Er put the two back into the coffin and sealed it with a sealing scroll.

Only after doing all this did he happily fall asleep.

The next morning, what woke him was not his biological clock, but a series of hurried footsteps outside the tribe's territory.

She even opened her eyes in bed.

When he appeared in the courtyard, the ANBU ninja rushed over and knelt on one knee before Jin to report:

"Lord Shinji, Matsumoto Kazuka... is on the verge of death."

Chapter 95 I will take Orochimaru as my adopted son

They didn't even mourn for Uchiha Bin's death for a moment.

The person immediately sent to the hospital was Matsumoto Kazuka, a former disciple of Shinji!

...

After ten years of development.

The Gospel Hospital is no longer what it used to be; the number of medical ninjas has exceeded fifty, nearly half of whom are trained by the medical class of the Ninja Academy.

To summarize with outrageous arguments...

Shen Er's disciples and their descendants control the entire Konoha medical system.

Currently, the person in charge of the medical research department on the second basement floor is another disciple of Shinji, Hinata Jun.

He was transferred from the Anbu (Anti-Secession) to work at the Gospel Hospital, where he held the dual identity of a medical ninja and an Anbu ninja, earning him enough prestige to command respect. In addition, having received heartfelt "encouragement" from Shinji in his early years, he remained equally loyal to Shinji.

This morning, Matsumoto Waka, accompanied by members of the Anbu, took Orochimaru to the Fukuin Hospital for a medical check-up.

During the journey, she suddenly fell to the ground and could not get up.

Orochimaru stood by, watching his mother fall, completely at a loss.

Hinata Jun happened to be nearby and, seeing his former fellow disciple collapse, immediately stepped forward and used his Palm Healing Technique to examine her. Realizing her extremely poor condition, he promptly decided to arrange for her to stay in a top-floor VIP ward.

The top-floor VIP ward at Gospel Hospital is limited in number, and there happened to be only one left.

Another competitor was a wealthy merchant from the Land of Lightning. He waved his banknotes arrogantly and claimed that he was a distinguished guest from the Land of Lightning and that the ward was rightfully his, with no one else having the right to compete for it.

The nurse in charge of processing the paperwork looked troubled and was caught in a dilemma.

Hinata Jun's expression was indifferent. He immediately instructed the nurse to complete the formalities and stated that Matsumoto Waka was a former disciple of Lord Shinji, and that no one would be held responsible should an accident occur.

Upon learning his identity, the nurse's expression changed drastically, and she immediately began processing the formalities.

Enraged by the sight, the wealthy businessman immediately signaled his bodyguards to cause trouble.

Before the bodyguard could make a move, he was subdued and pinned down by the ANBU guards accompanying Matsumoto Waka. The wealthy businessman was furious and shouted angrily, threatening to go to the Hokage Building to complain to the Hokage in person about Konoha's unfair treatment and rudeness towards its guests.

Nobody paid him any attention.

In the hearts of the people at the Gospel Hospital, a wealthy merchant from a barbarian country is not worth a hair of Lord Shen.

And Matsumoto Kaori is indeed Lord Shinji's feather, the most eye-catching black feather on the white swan.

Orochimaru didn't understand what was happening. His biological instincts made him hold his mother's hand tightly, his mind blank. He followed her the whole way into the VIP ward.

Meanwhile, the accompanying ANBU, following Hyuga Jun's instructions, used their teleportation abilities to inform Jinji and Matsumoto Waka's old friend.

...

Shen Er was the first to arrive at the ward.

As soon as he pushed open the door, he saw Matsumoto Kazuka lying on the hospital bed, her face ashen, and the various physical data on the monitors were on the verge of zero.

His time has come.

Orochimaru sat silently by the hospital bed, neither crying nor making a fuss, just quietly watching Matsumoto Kazuka.

Only when she sensed Shinji's presence did Matsumoto Waka reluctantly open her eyes, her gaze hazy as she softly called out:

"teacher."

"Hmm," Shen Er responded.

"You've come! I knew you'd come..."

For more than two years, apart from Orochimaru's two birthdays, he has never taken the initiative to contact Matsumoto Kazuka.

Now, in the hospital ward, we have a rare opportunity to spend time together.

He didn't say much.

Silence fell over the ward.

Until her two other friends, Hinata Kotone and Yamanaka Yuki, rushed over.

Their tears broke the silence.

"Kotone, Yuki, please take Orochimaru away first. I want to be alone with my teacher for a while." Matsumoto Waka's voice was weak but clear.

"it is good!"

The two led Orochimaru out of the ward, leaving the master and disciple alone.

Shen Er subconsciously thought that Matsumoto Kaori was going to rebel against her master and say some outrageous things. But to her surprise, she simply took out a sealing scroll from her bosom and slowly handed it to Shen Er.

"Teacher, I tried my best."

"I've developed the grafting-type curse seal you mentioned, and theoretically it can be integrated with the characteristics of a cat. However, I haven't had the chance to verify its actual effectiveness..."

Grafted Curse Seal

Relevant information flashed through Shen'er's mind.

It can combine animal genes with cursed seals and activate them with chakra, allowing ninjas to temporarily acquire the characteristics of the corresponding animal.

The biggest difference between cats and humans is their sense of sight and sense of smell.

Its night vision is six times that of humans, and it is extremely sensitive to moving objects. Its field of vision is about 200°, but at the cost of being unable to distinguish red; its sense of smell is 14 times that of humans, allowing it to identify its environment and companions by scent.

However, the multiples here are only relative to ordinary humans.

Ninjas are essentially superhumans compared to ordinary people, so the boost from cursed seals won't be that dramatic, but for ordinary ninjas, the effect is still immediate.

Hypothesis.

What if one day I control 100,000 White Zetsu and mark each of them with such a curse mark... It's unbelievable to even think about it.

In the ninja world, besides cats, there are many other animal characteristics that can be used to develop grafted curse seals, but there is still a long way to go before they can be truly put into practical use.

Shen Er accepted the curse scroll, which his disciple had risked his life for, without any psychological burden.

But his gaze never fell on the scroll; it was fixed on Matsumoto Kaori's pale face.

Seeing that Shen had taken it, Matsumoto Waka finally smiled with relief: "Besides the teacher, no one knows about the existence of this cursed seal..."

"Alright, stop talking and get some rest."

“If we don’t tell you now, we’ll never have the chance again,” Matsumoto Kazuka retorted. “I really want to verify the effects of this cursed seal myself, but unfortunately, I can only leave it to Orochimaru. That kid will definitely be able to do it.”

"..."

They talked on and on for a long time.

Until Hashirama and Tobirama also arrived outside the ward.

The wealthy merchant from the Land of Lightning did indeed go to the Hokage Building to complain, but upon hearing that it concerned something serious, even a kind-hearted man like Hashirama ignored him, as such a matter was far more important than a complaint from a stranger.

He left Nara Taro to take care of the man and set off for the hospital.

Tobirama also learned of this at the same time.

He knew of Matsumoto Kaori's existence.

After Hashirama discovered that forbidden experiment, he tried to persuade the other party to join his side and work together to develop forbidden techniques by using the difference in their teaching philosophies.

At that time, Shen Eryi firmly and righteously refused him.

Tobirama always believed that it was because Jin hadn't yet experienced true suffering. Once he personally tasted the pain, he would be able to understand the meaning of the Impure World Reincarnation.

But Tobirama wasn't the kind of person who would intentionally create suffering for Shinji to endure.

Therefore, his research on the Impure World Reincarnation has been almost at a standstill for many years.

And now, it seems the time has finally come.

Tobirama had planted spies in the Anbu, and the intelligence would also reach him. He knew that Shen would go to Orochimaru's birthday party every year; that was Matsumoto Kazuka's child.

In other words, Matsumoto Kazuka is Shinji's Achilles' heel.

Once she dies, she will be able to feel pain and understand the meaning of the Impure World Reincarnation.