Naruto: Kurotsuchi Mayuri

Feeling the Hōgyoku's overwhelming power and the way it spread its influence, filling the surrounding space, Orochimaru's eyes burned with insatiable curiosity and a thirst for knowledge.

Even more fascinating was how the Hōgyoku seemed to resonate with his intentions, subtly enhancing his vitality and soul in response to his will. The enhancement was faint but tangible, something Orochimaru could keenly perceive.

"So, you want me to test the power of this Hōgyoku?"

Orochimaru stared at the Hōgyoku in his hand, muttering to himself. This artifact represented a mutual understanding between him and Kagetsu in their research. 

If Kagetsu wasn't rushing to reclaim the completed Hōgyoku, it was clearly a sign that, for the time being, Orochimaru could use it as he pleased.

And indeed, the Hōgyoku intrigued Orochimaru greatly, especially since it could act as a weight to tip the scales of power on the battlefield.

What could be a better testing ground than the chaos of war?

Here, human test subjects were plentiful, and lives were extinguished every moment. The rules and order of the past held no significance on a battlefield consumed by conflict.

The only thing lacking, perhaps, was a fully equipped laboratory. But even that was a minor inconvenience. With medical ninjutsu and an abundance of prisoners, Orochimaru could gather all the precise experimental data he needed.

In the following days, apart from dealing with Ōnoki and handling battlefield and camp affairs, Orochimaru devoted all his time to guiding and harnessing the power of the Hōgyoku.

A large number of Iwagakure prisoners were expended in these experiments.

During this period, Orochimaru used the Hōgyoku to create numerous mutated monstrosities. 

Later, to make use of these abominations and to test their combat capabilities, he deployed those that survived the transformation process as disposable pawns in the battles against Iwagakure.

The weakest of this mutated army was comparable to a chunin, while the elite specimens—those with stronger original bodies—reached the level of jonin.

There was no doubt about the strength of this altered force. However, the tragedy lay in their lack of control.

Uncontrollable, these creatures couldn't understand orders or fight in line with human strategy. They were like beasts driven purely by instinct, and once unleashed on the battlefield, their survival was of no concern to anyone.

Despite the chaos, the numerous test subjects provided Orochimaru with invaluable experimental data. This information deepened his understanding of the Hōgyoku's power and refined his ability to utilize it effectively.

Finally, a breakthrough occurred when one of the prisoners subjected to the Hōgyoku's transformation retained their consciousness, becoming a perfect being. 

Orochimaru, ecstatic, thoroughly dissected every aspect of this success, inside and out.

For Orochimaru, prisoners were nothing more than tools for his research. Mercy was a concept he completely disregarded. As long as his experiments progressed, he cared not how many lives were lost.

Following the success of the first perfect transformed specimen, Orochimaru refined the transformation process using the acquired data. Soon, the second and third perfect beings were successfully created.

Although the success rate of the modification still couldn't reach 100%, Orochimaru had already found the answer he wanted from the vast amount of data.

A 100% successful modification? 

Orochimaru wasn't expecting that. This wish couldn't be achieved in a short time. Furthermore, he believed that the stronger the power, the greater the risk.

Just like forbidden jutsu! 

They're powerful, but difficult to master!

Only those with talent can train them perfectly. There's no need to let fools master these forbidden techniques.

Orochimaru had always pursued talent and genius. In his eyes, fools were nothing compared to those with ability.

Even Jiraiya, who was considered the weakest among the Sannins, had earned Orochimaru's respect for his talent. After all, the fact that he had mastered the Senjutsu of Myoboku Mountain already surpassed Orochimaru.

Not to mention the dangers of training the Three Sage Regions techniques, but just looking at the results, Jiraiya's talent in training Senjutsu had already proven that he was above Orochimaru.

Although Orochimaru had learned some techniques and abilities to harness the natural energy, he was still far from mastering the true Sage Mode.

But the Hōgyoku could fulfill this wish of his!

Orochimaru had a strong intuition!

It might not be Sage Mode, like the Tailed Beast Mode or the Sage Mode of the Sage Regions, but perhaps he could master a power equal to those—something he would call Hōgyoku Mode.

In this way, it would be like he had indirectly mastered "Sage Mode."

Inside the Konoha camp.

In the underground space created by the Earth Release jutsu.

A tall, fat man with the character "food" written on his clothes, a middle-aged man with Byakugan, and a female ninja with a golden ponytail respectfully bowed to Orochimaru and said, "Lord Orochimaru!"

"You should all know of the Hōgyoku, right?"

Under the dim light, Orochimaru looked at the three people standing respectfully and licked the corner of his lips, then asked.

"Yes."

The three, who served as Orochimaru's bodyguards, nodded. Most of the modified bodies had been suppressed and dealt with by them. In particular, the female ninja from the Yamanaka clan had assisted Orochimaru in his research for a period of time.

"You should also understand the power of the Hōgyoku and its dangers," Orochimaru spoke softly. "You have the right to choose."

"I am willing to undergo the experiment, Lord Orochimaru!" The one who spoke was Hyūga Ran, a branch member of the Hyūga clan. His Byakugan stared at Orochimaru without any hesitation.

Akimichi Chodai and Yamanaka Yukari also agreed one after another.

As the war continued to escalate, the battlefield had become more and more brutal. Even though the three of them were Jonin, they couldn't guarantee that they would return unscathed from every battle.

In fact, Akimichi Chodai's body, under his clothes, was wrapped in bandages soaked in blood, with Healing Tags stuck on them.

It was the Healing Tags that eased the shortage of medical ninjas and helped many injured ninjas survive.

"Let me go first, Lord Orochimaru!" Akimichi Chodai glanced at his companions and stepped forward voluntarily. His injuries were more severe, but thanks to his Akimichi clan's physique, he could stand here. 

Other ninjas, even Jonin, would have been lying in a hospital bed, barely alive and waiting for treatment.

"Remember what I told you, don't let the will of Hōgyoku corrupt your own will," Orochimaru did not refuse Akimichi Chodai's self-recommendation. 

As he guided the power of Hōgyoku into Akimichi Chodai's body while he lay on the operating table, he softly reminded him.

The next moment, the Hōgyoku in Orochimaru's hand emitted a brilliant light under his activation, and the light was carefully guided into Akimichi Chodai's body.

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