Chapter 284: Genetic Explanation of Reincarnation
Returning to Konoha, Tonari was now fully recognized as the Fourth Hokage, even in the eyes of the Daimyō.
Along with this came the announcement that Konoha's budget would be increased by fifty percent, a piece of news that shocked and delighted the village.
With additional funding, Konoha's post-war recovery accelerated significantly, and many of Tonari's proposed reforms and infrastructure projects could finally be implemented.
The events that transpired in the Land of Fire's capital never reached Konoha. To the villagers, it seemed as though the Daimyō had simply been pleased with Tonari's leadership and had voluntarily increased the funding.
The first order of business upon his return was to deploy twelve powerful Root ninjas to the capital.
Officially, their mission was to protect the Daimyō.
In reality, it marked the official dissolution of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, and from that moment on, every aspect of the Daimyō's daily life—his meetings, his activities, even his performance in bed—would be regularly reported to Tonari's desk.
Over the following weeks, minor matters arose constantly, but there were no major crises.
The most pressing concern was the ongoing stalemate with Kumogakure at the border of the Land of Hot Water.
Tonari had repeatedly attempted to contact Fourth Raikage A to negotiate an end to the conflict.
But every attempt was met with vague, noncommittal answers.
It was clear that A was unhappy with the current situation, making it impossible to predict when—or if—he would be willing to officially end the war.
As a result, Konoha was forced to maintain a force of one thousand ninjas at the border, along with a top-tier powerhouse to hold the line.
On the other hand, the Konoha forces stationed in the Land of Taki and the Land of Rain to defend against Iwa and Suna could finally return home.
Konoha, once eerily quiet during the war, burst back to life as more ninjas returned.
Tonari's workload as Hokage increased exponentially.
Fortunately, Shadow Clones and Nara Shikaku—who had become his unofficial full-time assistant—helped ease the burden.
During this period, Tonari also joined Orochimaru in his research.
Thanks to his interference, Danzo had failed to expose Orochimaru's illegal experiments, and with Sarutobi Hiruzen no longer Hokage, no one cared enough to investigate.
So long as Orochimaru wasn't harming Konoha's people, Sarutobi turned a blind eye.
Because of Tonari's direct involvement, Orochimaru had no opportunity to experiment on Konoha ninjas.
In the original timeline, Orochimaru had gone rogue after being denied the Hokage position. Feeling betrayed, he had descended into madness, fueled by Danzo's manipulations.
But now?
Tonari didn't ban Orochimaru's experiments.
On the contrary, he actively encouraged them—under proper supervision.
With unlimited resources, unrestricted access to test subjects, and no need to flee Konoha, Orochimaru had no reason to defect.
Why risk rebuilding everything from scratch when he could thrive under Konoha's protection?
His former student was now Hokage.
His research was fully funded.
And his every whim was catered to.
Life had never been better.
Ever since Tonari took office, Orochimaru rarely left Root's underground laboratory, engrossed in his research.
Root's facilities were far superior to his personal lab—better equipment, more funding, and access to classified records.
Tonari even gave him the title of "Root Vice Commander", though it was purely symbolic.
With Orochimaru handling research, Tonari could continue strengthening his body—particularly his Senju Hashirama cell integration experiments.
Test subjects were readily available.
After all, Konoha had captured countless Ame ninjas during the war.
And if that wasn't enough, there were plenty of hostile nations nearby—the Land of Taki, the Land of Rain, and other minor states.
When Tonari had free time, he would personally assist in experiments, maintaining the scientific partnership he had cultivated with Orochimaru.
Neither of them had expected that their ideal research collaboration would actually become a reality.
Orochimaru had once considered defection, but the political landscape of Konoha changed too rapidly for him to act.
Instead of being cast out, he had become more powerful than ever.
"Orochimaru-sensei, any progress this time?"
Tonari entered the deepest level of Root's underground lab, donning a white lab coat out of habit.
Orochimaru was hunched over an operating table, deep in thought.
At the sound of Tonari's voice, he slowly turned, his golden snake-like eyes filled with excitement.
His tongue flicked out, licking his lips.
"Tonari-kun… You won't believe what I've discovered."
His pale skin looked even more corpse-like than usual, a side effect of spending too much time underground.
"Your body… holds more secrets than you realize."
Tonari's expression sharpened.
He quickly stepped forward, grabbing the research report from the table.
He had long accepted his scientific limitations—many of his greatest breakthroughs were built upon Orochimaru's findings.
Despite his intellect, Tonari knew his limits.
If he wanted to push his body beyond its current threshold, he needed Orochimaru's help.
That was why he had personally donated his own cells for research.
"My power largely comes from Senju Hashirama's cells and the Uchiha Mangekyō Sharingan," Tonari muttered as he skimmed the report.
"These two forces are balanced within me, allowing them to coexist."
He wasn't hiding anything from Orochimaru.
Firstly, Orochimaru was no longer obsessed with personal power. His true passion lay in understanding the essence of life and knowledge.
Secondly, Orochimaru had never realized how powerful the Uchiha and Senju truly were.
In the original timeline, he hadn't pursued Uchiha powers until he lost to Itachi.
Even when he had access to Hashirama's cells, he had never experimented on himself, despite knowing how to combine them with human DNA.
This was because Orochimaru was extremely arrogant.
He saw himself as superior to both the Senju and Uchiha.
It was only after Itachi crushed him that he acknowledged their power.
And even then, he sought perfection, targeting Sasuke's body rather than simply implanting Sharingan.
In the Fourth Shinobi War, Orochimaru completely abandoned his pursuit of power, embracing scientific discovery instead.
With Konoha and Naruto funding his research, he spearheaded advancements that made Konoha's technology the most advanced in the world—even creating artificial humans.
Thus, Orochimaru was not obsessed with raw strength—at least, not yet.
More importantly, Tonari trusted him.
If there was anyone in Konoha whom he truly trusted, it was Orochimaru.
People like Minato, Kushina, and Shikaku all had a moral compass.
If Tonari crossed the line, they would oppose him.
Orochimaru, on the other hand?
He would follow Tonari anywhere.
Just as he had followed Sasuke in the original timeline, he now followed Tonari.
The bond they shared, forged through countless experiments, went beyond loyalty—it was a shared pursuit of knowledge.
Even if Tonari were to go rogue, Orochimaru would go with him.
Standing beside Tonari, Orochimaru's grin widened.
As expected, Tonari's eyes filled with shock.
"Orochimaru-sensei… is this real?"
Tonari's power had grown so much that almost nothing surprised him anymore.
But this discovery?
Even he found it unbelievable.
Orochimaru's grin stretched even wider.
"I was just as shocked as you. But after countless tests, I finally confirmed it."
Tonari's eyes gleamed with excitement.
What Orochimaru had discovered… changed everything.
To be continued…
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