Chapter Forty-Six: Attention and Darkness

The documents Orochimaru now holds were compiled back when Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage, encountered setbacks during the New Spring Project. After conventional methods failed, progress ground to a halt. Tobirama sought new avenues, turning his attention to the soul as a possible means to advance the project. As a specialist in soul studies—though lacking proficiency in healing and support—he involved members of the Kato clan at the time.

Yet, none of that generation of the Kato clan had successfully mastered the Spirit Transformation Technique, and their contribution to the project was minimal. The records also included the same points that Kato Yufeng mentioned today: Tobirama Senju had attempted to research the Spirit Transformation Technique but ultimately failed. Thus, soul-focused approaches were shelved until recently, when another attempt was made.

The most recent effort followed Kato Dan’s breakthrough with the Spirit Transformation Technique. While Kato Dan himself wasn’t formally involved in the New Spring Project, that attempt was barely documented—a passing mention.

At roughly the same time, in different corners of Konoha, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat in his office at the Hokage residence, while the chief advisor, Danzo Shimura, was stationed in a subterranean base belonging to the Root organization. Both received intelligence regarding the New Spring Project.

On his first day reporting to the secret base and participating in project experiments, Kato Yufeng extended the lifespan of the test subject by nearly ten minutes. Both parties immediately raised their estimation of Kato Yufeng’s importance.

Hiruzen Sarutobi’s interest in Kato Yufeng stemmed largely from the hope that someone in Konoha might inherit the Will of Fire and the Wood Style power of the First Hokage, strengthening the village’s future prospects. He was gratified to see the new generation of ninja growing rapidly and poised to contribute even more to Konoha.

Danzo Shimura, in contrast, as the primary person in charge of the New Spring Project, possessed a much clearer and more detailed understanding. He had access to everything: the conversation between Kato Yufeng and Orochimaru in the base, the specifics of the Spirit Transformation Technique performed in the operating room—all minute details, far beyond what conventional surveillance could provide. Danzo’s habitual monitoring of his subordinates extended even to Kato Yufeng, whom he had personally recommended but who had not yet earned his full trust. Given the high secrecy of the project, this level of scrutiny was routine for newcomers. Still, Danzo hadn’t expected such a valuable result on the very first day, making the intelligence a pleasant surprise.

Danzo Shimura, reviewing the reports in his hand, interrogated his subordinates further and allowed his mind to wander, recalling more.

He remembered his teacher, Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage—the driving force behind the New Spring Project, whom he had assisted for many years. Tobirama, when faced with stalled progress, had considered soul-based approaches, but the lack of Kato clan members who had mastered the Spirit Transformation Technique forced him to abandon the idea.

Danzo felt that fortune now favored him. In reviving the New Spring Project, he had not only the advanced cellular research skills of Orochimaru—equal to those of his teacher—but also Kato Yufeng, a Kato clan ninja proficient in the Spirit Transformation Technique and skilled in soul healing, willing to contribute to Konoha.

Most importantly, Kato Yufeng was pragmatic and unorthodox—unlike his brother, Kato Dan, who had refused village assignments for laughable reasons. Danzo scoffed at the thought, recalling that even though Kato Dan had also mastered the Spirit Transformation Technique, his attempts yielded none of the effects seen with Kato Yufeng. Clearly, Dan must have declined participation in human experimentation for those so-called reasons, deliberately avoiding the darker aspects.

Kato Yufeng, engrossed in the immense trove of project documents, had no inkling of the new perspectives and speculations about him forming in the minds of Hiruzen Sarutobi, Orochimaru, and Danzo Shimura. Nor did he realize that the unique qualities of his soul-nurturing and Spirit Transformation Techniques were genuinely influencing the power of Hashirama cells, inadvertently shifting blame onto his brother, Kato Dan, in Danzo’s eyes.

Kato Yufeng was unaware that Danzo had once tried to recruit his brother, hoping he would advance the New Spring Project from the soul aspect—the very work Yufeng now undertook. Kato Dan, however, refused for two reasons: after learning the specifics of the project, he found it incompatible with his own principles and ninja way; and, during a trial experiment arranged by Danzo, his use of the Spirit Transformation Technique proved ineffective. Considering everything, he ultimately declined formal involvement.

Previously, Kato Yufeng knew nothing of this, for the New Spring Project was an SS-ranked mission in Konoha, shrouded in extreme secrecy. He had been repeatedly reminded of the village’s confidentiality regulations upon accepting the task—no information about the project was to be divulged without special cause. Kato Dan was bound by the same rules, and unless there was compelling reason, he certainly couldn’t disclose his involvement to Yufeng.

With so many documents, it was impossible for Kato Yufeng to thoroughly review every detail in a single afternoon. Even a general overview of the project’s history to the present was already a sign of remarkable efficiency. The more he understood, the more familiar he became with the power contained within the First Hokage Hashirama’s cells.

He began to grasp, ever more deeply, the true strength of Hashirama Senju—the gentle grandfather Tsunade spoke of, the founder of Konoha who bested Madara Uchiha and single-handedly ended the warring era, revered as the god of the ninja world.

These documents, aside from their confidential nature, were vast, arcane, and dry, yet also deeply unsettling. It was clear that a portion of Konoha’s knowledge about Hashirama’s cells had been built atop a literal pile of human lives. Too dark and cruel to elaborate on, these things left Kato Yufeng in an unpleasant mood after hours of study. He could foresee many more sessions ahead, requiring even deeper research—and personal involvement.

He wasn’t a bleeding-heart saint, but the weight of it all was hardly uplifting. He urgently needed solace for his spirit; work would never end, and the true wisdom lay in balancing labor and rest. As soon as his work hours were over, Kato Yufeng left the underground base early and headed for Konoha Hospital, seeking comfort in Tsunade’s company.

PS: New author humbly requests your support, recommendation votes, and collection.