Chapter Sixty-Two: Hashirama Cells

The original cells of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, were indeed Kato Mikaze's goal, but he certainly wasn't foolish enough to attempt stealing them right now. What would be the point? Secretly cultivating the cells by himself? Had he lost his mind? Kato Mikaze didn't think that his own capabilities in scientific research could possibly compare to the collective expertise of all of Konoha Village.

What else could he do? Let his ninja system analyze and study Hashirama's cells? Unfortunately, while his system could research and learn ninjutsu and chakra, cellular research was simply beyond its capabilities. He was after the latent power within Hashirama's cells—not, like Orochimaru, someone who had aspired from a young age to become the scientific pioneer of the ninja world.

The security measures here were incredibly strict—the most stringent in the entire Spring Base. After a series of inspections, primarily focused on disinfection, Kato Mikaze was finally allowed inside.

The room wasn't large, but it was packed with all sorts of finely crafted, expensive laboratory instruments and benches. Contrary to his expectations, the original tissues of the First Hokage were not preserved chunks of human remains floating in formaldehyde.

"Kato Mikaze, sir," a voice called from behind. He turned to see Kang, whom he had just met in the conference room—the head of the Spring Base's cell culture lab. Kang had hurried over, having been informed by a subordinate that Kato Mikaze would be visiting the most important cell culture room.

Kato Mikaze waved a hand dismissively and said, "I'm just here to have a look around. You can attend to your work; no need to mind me." Kang, however, wasn't so naïve as to leave him alone. He stayed close, acting as a guide and providing explanations—much like a department head showing a company executive around during an inspection.

The original cells of Hashirama, when he was alive, might have been more viable, but now, so many years after his death, no matter how lively they were, they couldn't possibly keep dividing and reproducing on their own. If that were the case, the world of ninja might as well be renamed Biohazard.

Under Kang’s guidance, Kato Mikaze finally saw the true form of the original Hashirama cells. The tissue itself was no longer visible, but the cells could still be seen under a microscope, cultured in a special nutrient solution and kept in a custom-made laboratory container.

This room was staffed daily by fixed personnel, not only guards but also lab workers who maintained the cultures on a regular schedule.

The green energy Kato Mikaze had absorbed yesterday came from a soul fragment released after the "patient" died. That energy, he was certain, originated from Hashirama's cells. Tracing it back through the entire Spring Base, these cells were the closest to the original source. Kato Mikaze wanted to see if he could directly obtain that green energy here.

There was another reason as well—Kato Mikaze was deeply curious about the true form of the legendary cells that, in his previous life’s account of the story, were said to have the power to change the entire ninja world. Now that he had the chance to see them for himself, he couldn't pass it up.

Of all the abilities capable of altering the world in the later parts of the original story, most were in the hands of a select few. But Hashirama’s cells and the Edo Tensei technique could mass-produce powerful individuals. It was almost absurd.

Setting aside the origins of these two abilities—Hashirama and Tobirama—and their subsequent development, it was all closely tied to Orochimaru. What else could Kato Mikaze say? Truly, the mad scientist Orochimaru had proven that science was indeed the primary productive force.

Kato Mikaze had no intention of attempting to extract that green energy directly from the original Hashirama cells today. He wasn't reckless—he already had a relatively safe method for acquiring life-force and physical vitality. Why take unnecessary risks? He had witnessed the dangers firsthand just the day before; today was more about satisfying his curiosity, and perhaps preparing in advance—if he ever needed to make a move in secret, he'd be ready. People like Danzo Shimura, for instance… or perhaps others…

After leaving the cell culture lab, Kato Mikaze didn't linger in the base. He returned straight to his office, where he had a large batch of files and documents brought over from the archives to continue the work he hadn't finished yesterday.

He had planned to bury himself in that mountain of paperwork all afternoon, but Orochimaru summoned him for another discussion. This time, their conversation focused on specific ideas for upcoming experiments. These matters were Orochimaru's field of expertise; Kato Mikaze could only offer input on anything relating to souls.

This had all been agreed upon during the morning meeting and their private talks, but it was clear Orochimaru wasn't satisfied with letting Kato Mikaze take things easy during the New Spring mission. Using the excuse of unfamiliarity with soul-related matters, he insisted on consulting Kato Mikaze—the expert in that field—so he could design better experimental protocols.

Souls—of course, that was a subject Orochimaru was drawn to.

Kato Mikaze already knew of Orochimaru’s fascination with such things, especially anything related to biotechnology. One day, he would become not only Konoha's but the entire ninja world’s foremost scientific maniac and an expert on souls as well. What Kato Mikaze hadn’t expected was just how obsessive Orochimaru could be—when confronted with something unknown yet intriguing, he had a dogged persistence no force could deter.

Whenever they encountered a soul-related problem he didn’t understand, Orochimaru would bombard Kato Mikaze with question after question from every conceivable angle. Fortunately, Kato Mikaze had anticipated this and prepared a well-thought-out explanation for both Orochimaru and Danzo the night before, which helped him get through the interrogation.

This explanation had been crafted based on Kato Mikaze’s actual experiences the previous day—almost entirely true, with only the nonessential details tweaked to conceal the benefits he himself had gained. In fact, it could be said to be completely honest; the only omissions were things that didn’t affect the bigger picture.

If he had tried to fabricate a story from scratch, he might not have fooled either Orochimaru or Danzo. Orochimaru wasn't just talk, either; when he came across something he still couldn't grasp, he would drag Kato Mikaze into a practical experiment. If an adjustment to the experimental procedure required sacrificing a "patient," that was nothing to Orochimaru—after all, they were just materials. The truly exceptional "patients" weren’t to be wasted, but there were plenty of lesser ones to use.

If not for Kato Mikaze's prior knowledge of Orochimaru's true nature—and the occasional greedy glint he spotted in those serpentine eyes—he might have mistaken him for a pure, single-minded researcher.

Setting aside his hunger for power, that relentless drive for discovery alone explained why Orochimaru became the Third Hokage's most prized disciple, and, after his defection, such a successful and formidable villain.

What could you do when someone smarter than you worked even harder? Redouble your efforts? Resign yourself and lie flat? Or was there another path?

Today, Kato Mikaze spent the entire day at Spring Base. Aside from being dragged into that experimental session by Orochimaru, he also participated in two scheduled emergency operations to try and save "patients." There’s no need to elaborate on the process—he managed to collect just one soul fragment, and it seemed smaller than the one he’d obtained the previous day. Perhaps the difference lay in the patients’ qualifications.

The drop rate for these fragments was truly abysmal. That he’d succeeded so easily yesterday was probably thanks to Tsunade's infamous death-kiss anti-buff.

After wrapping up his work at Spring Base for the day, Kato Mikaze went to pick up Tsunade from Konoha Hospital as they’d agreed that morning.

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