"I can't do anything about that right now," Tsunade replied, and it really didn't surprise Asahi.
Asahi was a person without any kind of Kekkei Genkai, so it's difficult to break through the limits on his chakra reserves because of his undeveloped body. At this time, Tsunade still hadn't yet developed the [Yin Seal], and so it's really difficult for her to help Asahi in regards of accumulation of chakra.
But Asahi wasn't much disappointed. If Tsunade's side didn't work, maybe Orochimaru's side could help him solve it.
If Orochimaru had a breakthrough in studying the Hashirama Cells, he could then transplant it on to his body. If he becomes successful in it, firstly, he would be able to master Wood-style ninjutsu, and his chakra reserves would greatly improve.
For the present Asahi, chakra had become the biggest issue limiting the growth of his strength.
In terms of taijutsu, he had mastered Tsunade's [Chakra Enhanced Strength] and methods to improve his cell activity. Even if he gets involved in hand-to-hand combat with an adult ninja, he would not fall on the losing end. In terms of ninjutsu, Asahi had learned a lot of Earth-style jutsu and medical-ninjutsu, which was good enough for him to develop different tactics. In terms of genjutsu, he's not very proficient, but with his strong spiritual energy, he had a lot of experience in resolving genjutsu.
Now what Asahi lacked the most was combat-experience and accumulation of chakra. These two things were the most urgent matters he needed to address.
There was one more thing that he had to care about.
It had been several days since he returned to Konoha, but Orochimaru had still not contacted him yet. He didn't know if Orochimaru had been delayed or maybe he didn't want him to participate in his forbidden jutsu research.
If it was the first option, then he had nothing to worry about, but if it was the second one, he would have to take one step further and show more of his own exploitation value to attract Orochimaru.
Leaving Konoha Hospital, Asahi visited Ueno once again. He holds a special feeling for this former jonin team-leader.
It was this Ueno that brought him, the kid who had just graduated from the ninja academy, to and fro in the shinobi world, guided his training, and taught him using his personal experience.
Unfortunately, shortly following the death of Keita, Shinohara joined the medic team, and Asahi worshiped Tsunade as his master, and with that the purpose of Team Ueno no longer existed.
Just back from the battlefield, Ueno also had a couple of days off. Asahi stayed at his former team leader's house until night, and left just after dinner.
Walking on the street, he looked around, and caught Orochimaru walking with a little girl walking slowly from afar.
Asahi had a smile at the corner of his mouth and stepped forward and said, "Orochimaru-sama, long time no see!"
Despite their relationship, he still acted his part and showed enough respect to showcase the difference in status.
"Hehe, Asahi-kun, why don't you join for a walk with me." Listening to his voice, Asahi concluded that he should still be on a good position in Orochimaru's mind.
Asahi nodded, following Orochimaru from behind, his brain was moving fast. With Orochimaru's character, he would not do anything meaningless, and so he immediately set his sights on that little girl.
"Her name is Mitarashi Anko, my disciple. Her talent is not below that of Kakashi and you." Seeing Asahi's gaze, Orochimaru licked his lips, and slowly said.
Anko was still accepted as a disciple by Orochimaru, and he should be still be nice to her at this point. At least right now, Orochimaru seemed to still hold human feelings in his heart, he didn't seem as desperate as he was in the original.
"What's wrong, Asahi-kun?" Orochimaru keenly caught a trace of his expression change, and asked while walking.
"Nothing." Asahi shrugged.
Following Orochimaru's fast walk, it didn't take long to reach his home.
Although it's a very bad thing to walk into Orochimaru's house like this, since it's very easy to expose the relationship between the two of them. But since Orochimaru didn't care, he didn't think much about it, and could only follow behind him.
Dismissing Anko, Orochimaru led him into his secret laboratory.
The entrance to the laboratory was extremely secretive as expected, and there were restrictions on the entrance. Even if Asahi saw Orochimaru's lifting the seals in person, he couldn't understand or even study the secrets behind the seals through Orochimaru's actions.
Forbidden Jutsu, Barrier Jutsu, and Sealing Jutsu are the three most difficult types of ninjutsu to learn. At his current level, such a complicated category of ninjutsu was not even accessible to him.
Walking in the corridor of the laboratory, Orochimaru grinned suddenly, staring at him like a poisonous snake, and asked, "If you follow me like this, aren't you afraid that Tsunade will suspect your relationship with me?"
"Hehe, if that's the case, I won't be able to get any of the jutsus from the Senju clan." Asahi said with a smile, and a touch of taunt in his tone.
"That's your business." Orochimaru didn't care at all about his small rudeness, and even talked with a hint of appreciation in his husky voice.
Asahi laughed, he also didn't care.
If Orochimaru's matters were to be found so easily, he wouldn't be worthy of the title of "Leader of Sannin". The Anbu of the village didn't dare to monitor him. As long as he didn't intentionally expose his whereabouts, Asahi's meetup with Orochimaru would not be discovered.
'Orochimaru's laboratory is still as gloomy as ever.'
There were corpses that looked like that they have already been dead for a long time and there were still more than a dozen dying "experimental materials" in the prison, all hoping for survival.
"Asahi-kun, you go and check that person." Orochimaru pointed at a person on the test bench, with a slight irritability in his tone.
Asahi approached the test bench, and while glancing at the test bench he was pleased.
White skin, this should be the effect of being swallowed by the Hashirama Cells. It seems that Orochimaru had indeed already started to collaborate with Danzo in researching Hashirama Cells.
Concealing all of his emotions, he conducted a comprehensive examination of the person on the test bench.
Fusion of Hashirama Cells was what he wanted the most right now, so Asahi took this very seriously and kept all changes caused by the Hashirama Cells in his head.
This was a rare opportunity to access cells of the legendary First Hokage, and Asahi didn't want to miss it.
Soon, he came to a conclusion, "There is a very powerful cellular energy that is engulfing his cells. Although suppressed by medicine, the life force of that white cell is extremely tenacious, and it's still eating the other cells little by little cells. Once the white cells have swallowed up all the cells of this person, this person will die."
Honestly, Asahi didn't dare play any tricks under Orochimaru's watch.
Orochimaru hearing this licked his lips in excitement, the corners of his mouth widened, and an unprecedented smile appeared on his face, "It seems that choosing you is indeed correct, Asahi-kun. Is there any way you can make him live?"
*****
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