Naruto: Wooing Tsunade from Day One!

"Nagato, bring me that solution," Tsunade instructed as she focused on her work in the hospital's laboratory.

The finger used for the experiment on Hashirama's cells had shown increased stability after extensive observation. Tsunade had also recently discussed with Fugaku the plan to use death row inmates as test subjects for further research.

As a Medical-nin, Tsunade didn't shy away from human experimentation, particularly when the subjects were dangerous criminals. Orochimaru, of course, wouldn't hesitate—he'd simply say, "More." Still, for the sake of appearances and some degree of humanitarian caution, it was best to keep such work under wraps.

"Okay," Nagato replied obediently, fetching the solution from the side table.

"Sensei, is this what Seven-Tails cells look like?" he asked curiously, peering at the thin, translucent specimen in the petri dish as he handed it to Tsunade.

"These are cells taken from Chōmei's wings," Tsunade explained while carefully adding the culture fluid. "When cultivated, they grow in this form."

"So how long will it take to develop this into something usable?" Nagato asked, his curiosity evident. He seemed as intrigued by this as he was by the mysteries of his own eyes.

"It's probably going to take a very long time," Tsunade said after a moment's thought. Cultivating Tailed Beast cells wasn't particularly difficult, but accelerating their growth posed a significant challenge. In the original work, Orochimaru had needed nearly twenty years to grow the Eight-Tails cells into a massive pair of horns.

"Sensei..." Nagato began to ask another question, but their conversation was interrupted by the sudden creak of the door opening.

"Nagato is here today as well," came a familiar, gloomy voice. Orochimaru entered the lab, his presence unmistakable.

"Lord Orochimaru," Nagato greeted him softly, his voice tinged with apprehension. Despite his obedience, he was clearly uneasy around Orochimaru.

"Good boy," Orochimaru said with a smile, reaching out to stroke Nagato's head. As he did so, a strand of Nagato's bangs shifted aside, revealing his eye with its distinct circular pattern.

"Mesmerizing," Orochimaru murmured, licking his lips instinctively. His reaction made Nagato instinctively take a step back.

"Orochimaru," Tsunade snapped, glaring at him. "Why are you scaring him?"

"Haha, I was just joking," Orochimaru replied with a chuckle, averting his gaze. He knew little about Nagato's eyes, only snippets mentioned by Kawakaze. Still, even hearing about such power was enough to spark fascination.

"Don't be afraid, he's just a smart-ass," Tsunade said, comforting Nagato as she noticed how unsettled the boy looked.

"I've got something good for you," Orochimaru said with a sly smile. He was genuinely curious, though in the original story, he would undoubtedly have done anything to claim Nagato's eyes for himself.

"What is it?" Tsunade asked, eyeing him cautiously as he took out a small transparent bag containing some blue powder.

"From Two-Tails," Orochimaru explained, handing the bag to Tsunade. It was a sample he had collected from the Two-Tails Jinchūriki. While it was impossible to bring back the entire Tailed Beast, obtaining some of its cells was enough.

"This is good stuff," Tsunade remarked, holding the bag up to the light. The powder sparkled brilliantly.

"What are you standing there for? Go get a petri dish," Orochimaru said, gesturing to Nagato, who was still frozen in place.

"Oh, oh. I'm going," Nagato replied, snapping out of his daze and hurrying off.

"This child is just too introverted," Tsunade commented, shaking her head as she watched Nagato dash away. Around others, he seemed even more reserved than usual.

"That's not necessarily a bad thing. He has love in his heart," Orochimaru remarked, his tone unusually reflective. He seemed to understand Nagato's nature, recognizing the kindness that defined him.

"Is this okay?" Nagato asked as he returned, slightly out of breath, careful not to delay any further.

"Okay, just put it here," Tsunade replied, taking the petri dish from him. She poured the blue powder into it, her movements precise and deliberate.

Nagato, curious and eager to learn, lifted his bangs and carefully observed her actions, his focus unwavering.

"What do you think you can understand?" Orochimaru said with an amused smile, as though watching a child trying to run before they could walk.

"Here, read this while you watch," he added, grabbing a book on cellular biology from the side and handing it to Nagato.

"Yes, thank you, Lord Orochimaru," Nagato replied, scratching his head awkwardly as he realized his lack of knowledge. He took the book and quietly left the room, heading to Kawakaze's usual resting spot, where he sat down to read.

"What a good boy," Orochimaru remarked, watching him fondly.

"Okay, get to work," Tsunade said, handing him a pair of lab gloves. The two began extracting the Two-Tails cells together.

"When will the Uchiha deliver the test subject they promised? I can't wait," Orochimaru asked casually while assisting Tsunade, steering the conversation toward the matter at hand.

"It should be in the next two days," Tsunade replied. "We'll check the back laboratory after this." She had everything prepared, just waiting for the subject to arrive. Thankfully, the basement laboratory was spacious enough to accommodate the work.

"I hope they send more," Orochimaru said, his tone half-joking. He didn't expect success on the first attempt, so the more subjects, the better.

"Don't even think about it," Tsunade warned, knowing Orochimaru's tendencies too well. She understood that a lack of resources might prompt him to take matters into his own hands, often leading to "surprises" she wasn't keen on.

"No, no," Orochimaru replied with a grin, not pressing further. He genuinely appreciated having a colleague who understood him so well.

"That's fine. We're in no rush," Tsunade said, exhaling lightly. While she agreed to the experiment, she still had her limits.

"You may not be in a rush, but Kawakaze is," Orochimaru quipped. His tone was light, but he wasn't exaggerating. Kawakaze had brought up the topic numerous times in casual conversation.

"Let him be in a hurry," Tsunade retorted without looking up. "I'm not going to let him turn into a monster." Her movements remained precise and steady as she continued the extraction.

...

The two scientific experts worked efficiently and quickly extracted the Two-Tails cells from the pile of blue powder.

"Done," Tsunade said, placing the extracted cells into a brand-new petri dish.

"This stuff is really slow," Orochimaru remarked, his focus still on the experiment. "We'll need to study it thoroughly."

With Tsunade's expertise and sufficient funding, accelerating the experiment's progress wasn't out of the question.

"Well, let's just consider it a new subject," Tsunade agreed, carefully adding an unknown liquid to the petri dish before storing it away.

With their work completed, the two began chatting casually, while Nagato sat outside, engrossed in his reading.

"Why isn't Kawakaze here today?" Orochimaru asked.

"I told him to stay home and teach his disciples so he wouldn't cause trouble," Tsunade replied bluntly, not sparing Kawakaze's dignity even in front of Orochimaru.

"On my way here, I saw Konan carrying Yahiko home," Orochimaru said, recalling the scene. "But I didn't see Kawakaze anywhere."

By coincidence, Orochimaru had greeted Konan at the time, leaving Yahiko so embarrassed he seemed ready to disappear into the ground.

"Who knows what new tricks he's up to," Tsunade said dismissively. "Just ignore him and let us work in peace."

She couldn't help but imagine the sight of Konan carrying Yahiko and almost burst out laughing. She wondered what the two kids had done to provoke Kawakaze's latest antics.