"What exactly are you people planning to do?" Mitokado Homura’s face was full of confusion. At first, he thought Kyoichi just wanted to set up some new project here in the research institute. Who could’ve guessed that after receiving a Flying Thunder God transmission, Kyoichi would actually bring in an outsider from another village? A descendant of the Uzumaki. As one of Konoha’s higher-ups, of course Homura knew who this boy was. In fact, he had already noticed Nagato’s recent appearances at the research institute. But today was different. Kyoichi had directly brought him here, with the clear intention of letting him "settle in." That Kyoichi wanted Nagato to stay in Konoha long-term, doing research work here? Nagato was still someone from another village. Everything here was top-secret—wouldn’t that be a little too much? Homura didn’t say it outright, but he knew very well that Kyoichi understood exactly what he meant. Homura was indeed conscientious— So long as it didn’t involve running the village. Kyoichi wasn’t annoyed. In fact, it was precisely because of Homura’s persistence and sense of responsibility that the institute was as well-ordered as it was now. He gave a simple explanation. "Elder Homura, it’s a bit complicated to explain. How about we finish what we need to do first, and then I’ll explain everything properly?" "Alright, alright. Go ahead then. Do you need any help? If so, there are still some people in the institute right now." Homura didn’t press further. Kyoichi had already shown him respect. Besides, he trusted that Kanda Kyoichi would never harm Konoha. First, though Kyoichi didn’t bear the Senju surname, he carried their bloodline and inheritance. Second, Konoha was practically under the leadership of him and Tsunade now. Why would they want to betray the village and cause trouble? Homura didn’t think it was possible. Though the research institute was currently under his supervision, it was originally founded by Kyoichi. Many of the projects here were ones Kyoichi had proposed. One of the latest, for instance, was— The use of chakra threads in weapon manipulation and expansion. In fact, most of the institute’s manpower and time was spent on tackling the tasks Kyoichi assigned. So who in their right mind would go against him? That would be absurd. Homura didn’t hesitate and simply allowed Kyoichi and Nagato to proceed. They could finish whatever they were doing, and then discuss the details afterward. Kyoichi formed hand seals, sending a chakra thread snaking out from his body to link with Nagato. Nagato formed seals of his own, summoning the Gedo Statue with Kyoichi’s assistance. He tried to use only his own chakra. After all, Kyoichi’s chakra was too valuable— At present, he was the only one in Konoha who could sense White Zetsu. No one else could even detect their presence, let alone capture or kill them. Nagato relied almost entirely on his own chakra. Luckily, the distance from the Forest of Death to here wasn’t too far. Though the Gedo Statue was enormous, the chakra cost wasn’t beyond his limit—his reserves were enough to sustain the summoning. A grotesque head emerged into the air, followed by its outstretched hands, its torso, and finally its full colossal form. The cavern wasn’t large enough—part of it collapsed under the statue’s bulk. Fortunately, Kyoichi quickly reinforced it with Earth Release, stabilizing the chamber again. Still, the terrifying chakra presence it gave off drew the attention of many. They were curious, but... Sensing Kyoichi’s chakra, no one dared approach without permission. Of course, there were exceptions. Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹•𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒•𝙣𝙚𝙩 Orochimaru—fearless and shameless. Unless the secret risked immediate execution, he would always come snooping. He came face to face with the massive statue. Recently, Orochimaru had been dabbling in many fields of research, life force among them. Even from a distance, he could feel the overwhelming vitality radiating from the statue. One glance was enough to tell him this thing was anything but ordinary. He immediately thought of retreating, but by then it was too late. "Orochimaru-senpai, you’ve come at just the right time!" "...Tch." Can you not talk to me in that tone? Why had he let his curiosity get the better of him? If he hadn’t looked, nothing would’ve happened. But now that he had, trouble was guaranteed to come knocking. Not that he feared punishment. He knew full well this meant Kyoichi was about to rope him in as a tool. Orochimaru cursed silently, then exhaled softly. He couldn’t help himself—his curiosity always won. A beheading whether he stuck his neck out or not. Orochimaru walked closer, carefully studying the colossal statue before finally asking, "What... is this thing?" He had never seen anything like it before. After a long moment of thought, he finally turned to Kyoichi. That was exactly what Homura wanted to ask as well. Both of them turned to Kyoichi and Nagato, waiting for an answer. "The Gedo Statue. A summoning of the Rinnegan, and very likely the key to Madara’s method of prolonging his life." Kyoichi spoke with a half-smile. Orochimaru sighed again. He knew him too well. Every word landed squarely on his weakness. Nagato didn’t know much about Orochimaru, but Homura had spent plenty of time matching wits with him recently. He immediately understood what Kyoichi was trying to do. Homura’s mouth twitched. In the end, he said, "Don’t you dare try anything reckless." "Elder Homura, you worry too much. I won’t let him do anything out of line. What matters right now... is this statue. It’s extremely important. From this point on, it will be the research institute’s highest-priority surveillance subject. We must ensure there is always someone capable of Wood Release nearby, monitoring it at all times." Kyoichi’s expression turned serious. Homura nodded lightly. He understood priorities well enough. Something would of course need to be strictly monitored. What Kyoichi didn’t mention was— He also intended to leave a Wood Clone here, one that would minimize chakra consumption and refresh its reserves periodically to ensure absolute security. Orochimaru, having moved past his initial hesitation, now had his full attention locked on the Gedo Statue. His eyes practically burned with the desire to dissect it on the spot. When he tried, he found he couldn’t even make a scratch. It was unbelievably resilient... Its toughness surpassed even Hashirama’s cells. "In short, that’s the situation." Kyoichi laid out the statue’s origins in detail, while Nagato stayed silent beside him. "Alright. I’ll keep that in mind." Orochimaru, meanwhile, frowned, deep in thought. Something about this thing... Once Homura left to arrange patrol protocols, only Kyoichi, Nagato, and Orochimaru remained. It was then that Orochimaru suddenly murmured, "I can’t help but feel this thing is... a bit like the First Hokage’s cells." Nagato was taken aback at first. One was the First Hokage’s tissue, the other was the Gedo Statue. How could the two possibly be compared? Thinking more deeply, it began to make sense. Hashirama had died, yet his cells still brimmed with vitality, refusing to perish even over time. In that sense... wasn’t it rather similar? Orochimaru wasn’t saying it just for that reason. There was also the matter of... trees.