This was a suggestion from the Third Hokage to Minato Namikaze. Hiruzen believed that, as a civilian ninja with no major backing, Minato had to reclaim some authority from others or risk being sidelined.
Coincidentally, the Third Great Ninja War had just ended, and the major clans in the village were discontent with the current Konoha leadership. It was the perfect time to act.
And indeed, things went smoother than Minato had expected.
These clans aligned with him without much effort on his part.
Minato guessed the Third Hokage must have helped from behind the scenes—he knew he didn't yet have that much influence as a new Hokage.
In the subsequent council meeting, the two elder advisors and Danzo didn't put up much resistance. Minato easily achieved his goal.
The authority of the advisors and Danzo, as assistant to the Hokage, was partially limited and reclaimed.
Danzo's Root was particularly targeted, and its jurisdiction was heavily restricted.
After the meeting, the trio of the council, Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, and Danzo convened.
"What do you two want from me?" Koharu asked coldly.
Ever since she learned Danzo had colluded with Orochimaru to research the First Hokage's cells, she had been deliberately distancing herself.
And because Homura remained close with Danzo, Koharu had distanced herself from him as well.
It had been a long time since the three had discussed anything together.
Homura sighed helplessly. "Koharu, Danzo's research on Hashirama's cells was for the village's good. You should understand that."
"If that's what you brought me here to say, then I'm leaving," she said, standing up.
Danzo hurried to stop her. "Wait, Koharu! We really do have something to discuss!"
"Then get to the point!" Koharu said impatiently.
"It's like this—we need your help to collect a few war orphans under the age of ten. You've always handled that part. Root needs fresh blood, and I need replacements for the losses we've had. Please help me again."
Koharu stared at him for a long moment, then asked, "Are these kids really for Root? Or are they for Hashirama cell experiments?"
"Koharu, I promise, I've stopped researching the First Hokage's cells," Danzo said seriously.
She stared him down for a while longer, but eventually agreed—after all, they had been comrades for many years.
After she left, Homura revealed his true thoughts. "Danzo, can Orochimaru really recreate Wood Style users?"
"He should be able to. Orochimaru promised me," Danzo said flatly.
"He'd better be right. We gave up a lot of power to Minato to lower his guard. If this fails, the cost will be too high."
"Relax, Homura. Wood Style is the embodiment of the Will of Fire. Once we recreate Wood Style, everything we lost can be regained—many times over."
"Let's hope so," Homura muttered, leaving Root.
A few days later, Danzo delivered more than ten children under the age of ten to Orochimaru's lab. These were the orphans Koharu had unknowingly helped collect.
"Orochimaru, I've brought the kids like you asked. Can we begin?"
Orochimaru inspected the children and nodded with satisfaction. He told Danzo the experiments would begin shortly.
Once Danzo left, Hyuga Asana turned to Orochimaru. "Sensei, are we really going to experiment on these children?"
"Asana, we've made great progress with the First Hokage's cells. Even if we can't get all of them to awaken Wood Style, we should be able to keep them alive.
And after this, many of them might benefit—they might go farther in their ninja paths than they ever could have. For kids who had no future, that's not a bad deal."
Asana glanced at the crying children, her eyes full of conflict. She couldn't bring herself to experiment on kids.
Seeing this, Orochimaru didn't press. He chuckled and said, "If it's too much for you, I'll conduct this experiment alone. You don't have to participate."
He was about to lead the children away when Asana suddenly called out, "Wait, Sensei—I have an idea."
"Oh? Let's hear it," Orochimaru said, licking his lips.
Asana quickly explained, "Sensei, I don't think all these children need to undergo the experiment. I have a way to determine which ones have the potential to become Wood Style users, and which ones don't."
Orochimaru frowned in suspicion. "Asana, you're not saying this just to save them, are you?"
Asana shook her head calmly. "Sensei, you know I once fused a segment of Hashirama's cells. My Byakugan has evolved. Now I can see the children's hidden life force—life force is the key to whether they can withstand the First Hokage's cells."
Orochimaru fell silent, thinking for a long time before finally nodding in agreement.
Asana sighed in relief.
Her words had been half-truths. It was true she could see some conditions inside their bodies—but she had no foolproof way of identifying Wood Style potential.
She simply believed that kids with stronger constitutions and life force might stand a better chance of surviving the experiments.
As a fellow researcher, she knew Orochimaru's reassurance that the kids would survive was just to comfort her. The First Hokage's cells were too much for kids this age.
Even weakened, the survival rate was likely under 30%.
Those who survived would indeed be different. At minimum, they'd gain massive chakra reserves.
To Orochimaru, they'd become excellent experimental material—but Asana couldn't bring herself to accept such cruelty.
So she pulled this stunt, hoping to protect at least some of the children.
(To Be Continued...)