"Well, that guy's plan actually sounds pretty good," Orochimaru said, casually tossing two scrolls in his hand. A rare smile appeared on his face.
It wasn't his usual creepy smile—it was more like an odd excitement.
After Obito left, Kabuto stepped out from the shadows and bowed respectfully before Orochimaru. "Orochimaru-sama, I've found what you were looking for."
As he spoke, he handed a jar over to Orochimaru.
"That was fast." Orochimaru's smile widened as he took the jar, examined it carefully, and nodded in satisfaction. "I expected nothing less from you, Kabuto."
Kabuto truly lived up to his reputation as Orochimaru's most trusted subordinate. When it came to gathering intelligence, he never disappointed.
Kabuto pushed up his glasses with a single finger, the cold reflection on the lenses flashing. "Ever since I lost to Tsunade, I realized that I'm not that great at direct combat. But as you once told me, my talents go beyond just fighting and medical skills."
That's right. He wasn't just a medical ninja or a fighter—he was the greatest spy.
Losing to Tsunade? That was actually a good thing. It made him understand his own weaknesses. It also showed him that defeating one of the Legendary Sannin didn't require a head-on battle.
"You've grown, Kabuto." Orochimaru let out a sinister chuckle as he handed one of the two scrolls to Kabuto. "Now, I'll leave the next step to you. I need to prepare for the strongest vessel."
"Leave it to me, Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto accepted the scroll respectfully.
Orochimaru didn't say anything more. He simply gave Kabuto a meaningful glance before turning and walking into the darkness of the room.
Only after Orochimaru's figure completely disappeared did Kabuto straighten up from his bow. He adjusted his glasses again, a strange smile forming at the corner of his lips. "I won't let you down, Orochimaru-sama."
Of course, he had no intention of betraying Orochimaru.
As Kabuto left with the scroll, Orochimaru unrolled the one in his own hands. A puff of smoke appeared, and seven objects suddenly materialized on the wooden table in front of him.
A demonic mask and six pieces of what looked like flesh.
"Oh?"
Orochimaru's lips curled up slightly in surprise as he picked up one of the flesh-like pieces. "The First Hokage, the Second Hokage, the Third and Fourth… and even Uzumaki Mito and Uzumaki Kushina. Obito, your appetite is even bigger than I thought."
"But don't you think you're underestimating these people a little too much?" Orochimaru put the flesh back down. "The old man and Minato, sure. But do you really think the others will be so easy to control?"
He turned his gaze toward the back of the room. In the darkness, several massive green nutrient tanks stood tall. Floating inside them were countless White Zetsu bodies, their empty eyes staring blankly as they drifted in the liquid, completely lifeless.
Looking at them, Orochimaru stroked his chin. "If I use White Zetsu to boost the sealing power… it just might work."
He had to admit, whoever created White Zetsu was a genius. These things made the cost of reincarnation much lower, and they were also excellent materials for his experiments.
They could be used for reincarnation, as sacrifices for the Edo Tensei jutsu, to amplify its power, to hide in plain sight, and to take on any form without rejecting strange bloodlines. In short, they were the perfect test subjects.
Seriously, who the hell invented these things?
Orochimaru would love to meet that person and discuss techniques with them.
But that wasn't important right now. Even if he wasn't thrilled about it, if he completely ignored the Akatsuki, their plan would likely fail. The world of Infinite Tsukuyomi… didn't sound very appealing. But for one particular goal, Orochimaru was willing to see it through.
Besides, he had faith in Naruto and Sasuke. Oh, and that weird Nine-Tails, too.
With that thought, Orochimaru turned and retrieved eight White Zetsu from the tanks. But after a moment of consideration, he put one back.
It wasn't the right time yet. Reviving Minato was too risky.
Having made his decision, Orochimaru placed six White Zetsu on the ground, one after another. Then, he picked up five of the flesh pieces and set the jar Kabuto had brought beside them.
A cold smile spread across his face.
"Well then, let's begin the experiment."
Orochimaru picked up the demonic mask and placed it on his face. As he formed hand seals, a transparent figure of the Shinigami (Death God) suddenly emerged from the mask. Orochimaru's arms spread wide involuntarily, as if nailed to a cross, completely immobilized.
"Ugh…"
The Shinigami ignored Orochimaru's voice. It slowly pulled the blade from its mouth and, in one swift motion, sliced its own stomach open. At the same time, the same wound appeared on Orochimaru's stomach.
But before the Shinigami could react, Orochimaru's lips curled into a grin. His chakra flared, and a small white snake shot out from the wound on his stomach. Before anyone could get a good look at it, the snake darted straight into the mouth of a lifeless White Zetsu.
In the next second, White Zetsu's form began to change. With long black hair and those familiar eye markings, he had transformed into Orochimaru.
Standing up from the ground, Orochimaru looked at his discarded old body and formed a hand seal.
Almost at the same moment, the Shinigami floating behind him showed a hint of anger, as if realizing it had been tricked. It raised its hand and swung its blade down at Orochimaru.
But Orochimaru didn't give it the chance to lash out. Just before the old body was struck down, as he completed his hand seals, four strange flames of souls flew out from the gash in the Shinigami's stomach, hovering silently in front of him.
At that moment, Orochimaru's hand seal suddenly changed. "You're useless now, Shinigami."
As Orochimaru spoke mockingly, his hands shifted slightly, and the Shinigami's ghostly figure began to fade into the air. The old body, now lifeless and dried up, crumbled apart like brittle firewood.
"So terrifying," Orochimaru said, though there wasn't a trace of fear on his face.
A mere ghostly figure—would he really be afraid?
Ridiculous. He was a firm believer in science, the greatest biologist in the shinobi world. Orochimaru? Afraid?
Without sparing a glance at the vanishing Shinigami, he turned his gaze toward the four flames of souls in front of him. His expression lit up with excitement, and he instinctively licked his lips. "Something interesting is about to happen."
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