Hyuga Kagami originally wanted to bring up the topics of the "Dragon Vein" and "Moryo" to Orochimaru, but after considering how difficult it would be to explain how he knew about such secrets, he hesitated and ultimately decided to keep quiet.
Moreover, judging from Orochimaru's expression, he didn't seem particularly interested in the idea of artificial Tailed Beasts.
This wasn't surprising. For someone like Orochimaru, who had already mastered forbidden arts like the Eight-Headed Technique and Body Regeneration, and was currently developing the Living Corpse Reincarnation technique, chakra was hardly a concern.
After weighing the situation, Hyuga Kagami finally asked, "Lord Orochimaru, what would it cost to obtain the information you have on artificial Tailed Beasts?"
Orochimaru gave him a curious look. "I'm quite interested... Why are you so obsessed with artificial Tailed Beasts? Is there some special reason?"
Hyuga Kagami replied with a question of his own. "Then why are you so fascinated by forbidden techniques? You and I are the same—we don't need a reason to pursue research. Interest alone is enough."
"That explanation doesn't convince me," Orochimaru said, shaking his head. Then he suddenly smiled. "Very well, I'm also curious to see what kind of monster you'll end up creating."
Hyuga Kagami was delighted. "So you'll agree?"
Orochimaru held up two fingers. "I'll give you all the data, but on two conditions."
"Please, go ahead."
"First, you must share your research results with me. Second, I want you to gather intel on every member of the Anbu, including the Hokage's personal shadow guard."
With no room for negotiation, Hyuga Kagami had no choice but to nod and accept.
That night, he obtained all the Leaf Village's data on artificial Tailed Beasts from One-Eyed Viper.
From this, it was easy to infer that before Orochimaru defected, he had already stolen most of the village's forbidden techniques and research documents. Perhaps this was one of the reasons the village elders carried out such a brutal purge of Orochimaru's old subordinates.
Unfurling the scroll containing the experimental records, Hyuga Kagami only had to glance at it briefly before his brow furrowed tightly.
The complexity of creating an artificial Tailed Beast far exceeded what he had previously imagined. There were over 700 intricate jutsu formulas involved, many of which were so advanced that even high-ranking jonin would struggle to perform them.
Additionally, the artificial Tailed Beast required a highly durable vessel.
According to the scroll, the village had tested seventeen high-strength materials, and only one—called Purple Mud Gel—could barely withstand the enormous chakra load.
Purple Mud Gel was a specialty of the Land of Marsh, found deep within the swamps. Due to the difficulty of harvesting it and its extremely limited yield, it was as valuable as gold on the market—an exceedingly rare and expensive material.
Hyuga Kagami had initially assumed that the primary challenge in creating an artificial Tailed Beast would be generating the vast chakra source it required. But after reading the data, he realized that everything from the jutsu formulas to the physical materials posed significant challenges.
"No wonder Shennong, who led the remnants of the Sky Ninja Village, spent so many years on the project and only managed to create the half-baked Zero-Tails."
Sighing softly, Hyuga Kagami rolled up the scroll.
At the moment, neither his technological knowledge nor material resources were sufficient. He had no ability to launch the artificial Tailed Beast project any time soon.
The next morning, Hyuga Kagami arrived at the Anbu registration center.
After receiving his new shinobi credentials, he officially became a Special Jonin of the Hidden Leaf Village and was formally inducted into the Hokage's Anbu.
In the equipment storage room, Hyuga Kagami met up with Guy and Shisui.
After exchanging greetings, the three of them seriously began selecting their equipment.
In front of the mask rack, Hyuga Kagami picked out a hawk-faced mask. Trying it on, it felt just right, so he decided to go with it.
Guy chose a standard dog-faced mask.
Shisui hesitated for a while between a fox-faced and a cat-faced mask. In the end, he gave up the sly-looking fox mask and settled on the gentler cat-faced one.
Inside the Hokage's office—
Now clad in their Anbu uniforms, Hyuga Kagami, Guy, and Shisui stood straight at attention before the Hokage's desk.
The Third Hokage looked them up and down with a satisfied nod. "Good. You all look sharp. From now on, you'll be assigned to Anbu Squad Eleven."
He clapped his hands lightly.
A figure landed beside the three of them.
"This is Kakashi. He'll be your squad captain," the Third introduced.
Kakashi removed his fox-faced mask and said coldly, "I'm Kakashi. Pleased to work with you."
Hyuga Kagami and the others also removed their masks and returned the greeting respectfully.
"We've got a particularly difficult mission right now," the Third said, tapping his pipe on the desk. "A few days ago, the priestess of the Land of Demons sent a request to us. She's asking for help to seal away a foreign demon that threatens the shinobi world. This will be your first Anbu mission—and it's an S-rank task."
Hyuga Kagami felt a chill run through his heart.
Just yesterday, he had been thinking about the demon Moryo. And now, the Third Hokage was assigning him a mission to seal that very demon. He wasn't sure if it was merely coincidence or if the village had somehow sensed something.
The Third stood up and looked out the window at the village. "We don't know the details of this mission, so you'll have to head to the Land of Demons immediately and link up with the priestess there. It's possible she's contacted other shinobi villages too, so be careful. Try to avoid any conflicts with other villages' shinobi."
The four of them replied in unison, "Yes, sir!"
Time was short, and the mission was urgent. They didn't delay. After leaving the Hokage's office, they departed the village and headed toward the Land of Demons.
Outside the village, Guy excitedly turned to Kakashi. "Kakashi, I'm a jonin too now! I've finally caught up to you!"
Kakashi replied half-heartedly, "Yes, yes."
Guy didn't notice Kakashi's disinterest at all. Cheerfully, he continued, "Kakashi, this rivalry of ours—pushing each other forward—is true youth! Just thinking about it fills me with energy!"
Kakashi turned his head and glanced at Hyuga Kagami and Shisui, who were lagging slightly behind. He replied to Guy without much enthusiasm, "Yes, yes."
At the rear of the group—
Sensing something was troubling Hyuga Kagami, Shisui asked curiously, "Senpai, is something wrong?"
Hyuga Kagami shook his head. "It's nothing."
He was indeed feeling uneasy. He had just met with Orochimaru the day before and discussed chakra sources. Now he was being sent on a mission to seal Moryo. The timing felt too perfect to be a coincidence.
But then he recalled—wasn't this around the time when the priestess of the Land of Demons died sealing away Moryo, leaving behind a young successor, Shion, who was about the same age as Naruto...?