"How about it?"
"You again… This time it better not be another mess. I'm really busy—seriously, I have no time to spare."
Orochimaru let out a sigh.
The person he most wanted to see, yet least wanted to see, was Kanda Kyoichi.
Wanted to see—because Kyoichi always came with strange and brilliant ideas, each one fascinating enough to draw him in despite himself.
Didn't want to see—because he was already too busy!
His research into Sage Mode hadn't borne fruit, and now the Gedo Statue had appeared, and just when he was already drowning in work, here came Kyoichi again.
He knew Kyoichi all too well.
Kyoichi never came to the lab without a reason. If there wasn't something big going on, he wouldn't bother showing up at all.
But recently… he'd been coming so often he might as well have moved in.
"Don't get the wrong idea. This time I just came to talk. Nothing else."
"…Uh." Orochimaru tilted his head, studying him for a few seconds with a look that clearly said You've got to be kidding me.
Damn it—
Just to chat? Do I look like I've got that much free time?
He stared at Kyoichi for a long moment before finally muttering, "If you've got business, spit it out. If not, stop wasting my research time. Every second is precious, and I can't even keep up as it is."
"How's the Sage Mode research going?"
"Not great. I may not be suited to Sage Mode—or at least, the one from Ryūchi Cave. I just can't get it right… I might have to find another path."
Kyoichi pulled out two scrolls.
Suspicious, Orochimaru took them, unrolled the first, and scanned through it.
It was a collection of knowledge and insights on Sage Mode, far more complete than his own progress so far. Some of it overlapped with what he had already figured out, but much of it filled in the gaps.
His tongue flicked unconsciously across his lips. He quickly opened the other scroll.
The seal lifted, and instantly he felt a powerful, eerie chakra surge out.
This—
Orochimaru's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked back at Kyoichi.
Sage chakra?
No, not exactly.
It didn't carry the same purity as Kyoichi's or Ryūchi Cave's Sage chakra—but it had the same qualities. More importantly…
It felt like a power he could actually control.
"What is this?" he asked, barely hiding his excitement.
"Put simply," Kyoichi explained, "a community of ordinary people lived for generations in an area overflowing with natural energy. Over time, their descendants developed something close to a hereditary Sage chakra, almost like a kekkei genkai."
Orochimaru's lips curled into a grin as he licked them again. "So that's it… Looks like my path to Sage Mode has a new direction. I should thank you."
He knew very well—
Kyoichi was only doing this because he had more pressing matters to deal with. Dropping him a solution here was just to keep him occupied, so he wouldn't waste time fumbling endlessly with Sage chakra.
But still… Orochimaru was pleased.
For him, the pursuit of shinobi world's mysteries was everything. Knowing the answer was one thing, but the process of discovery was a joy in itself.
And as one of the Legendary Sannin, how could he not see through Kyoichi's little ploy?
This was just to keep him busy, to stop him from stirring up trouble. Orochimaru had known this for a while—but damn it, the things Kyoichi gave him really were interesting. And they lined up perfectly with his own goals.
"…So, what did you come here for?"
After all, when you've taken someone's gifts, you can't just turn them away.
"How's the Gedo Statue research going?"
"Well… it's strange. I'm still not sure if it's some kind of mutation caused by Hashirama's cells fighting back, or if it really is just… a tree."
Orochimaru set out a petri dish.
Inside was a tiny fragment he had painstakingly cut from the statue.
And after all his studies—
His conclusion was simple.
It was wood.
Not ordinary wood, no—it was denser, tougher—but in essence, it was tree matter.
"I've been wondering—if we transplanted Hashirama's cells and let them backlash against the host, would they eventually grow into a kind of tree like this?"
"Exactly," Kyoichi said.
Orochimaru froze, then sank into deep thought.
Yes… if the host body were strong enough, it was possible. Such a tree could form.
Of course—
It would require their guidance. Left to grow unchecked, it would just run wild, nothing like the ordered structure of the Gedo Statue.
He nodded. The theory held.
But then another problem struck him.
"…Can you get past Tsunade? Even if this research works, what would we even do with it?"
He truly didn't understand.
Even if they could produce such a tree, what was the point? What use could it possibly have?
Unless—
Tailed Beasts?
His eyes narrowed, glinting with excitement as he looked at Kyoichi. "You're thinking of synthesizing the chakra of all nine Tailed Beasts?"
"That's right. What do you think?" Kyoichi asked.
Orochimaru's mind raced. After a long pause, he shook his head. "Hard to say. We'd have to test it. But that brings us back to the real question—can you get Tsunade's approval? And how do you plan to handle the Tailed Beasts?"
"No problem. I'll just ask." Kyoichi smiled.
He only needed portions of chakra, not the whole beasts. Without Madara, no village would ever agree. But now?
The shinobi world had a common enemy—Madara.
In fact, Kyoichi rather hoped Madara would take his time before showing up.
Because the later he appeared, the longer Kyoichi could borrow chakra under his name—enough to attempt fusing them into a pseudo-Ten Tails. That way, they'd have a fighting chance against the Ōtsutsuki.
And as for Black Zetsu's plan of reviving Kaguya—forget it.
Without the Ten Tails' husk, with Kyoichi cooking up a knockoff version, that plan would be completely useless.
This thing, after all, would be nothing more than a disposable creation.
"We'll split the work. You convince Tsunade. I'll gather the chakra."
"…Huh?!" Orochimaru's jaw clenched.
If he could convince Tsunade, he would've already taken Hashirama's cells long ago! Why would he still be waiting?
Damn brat—always dumping the hard part on him.
"And you'll handle the chakra?"
"Well…"
"I'll speak to Tsunade about it, but you'll still need to explain it to her yourself. That's fair, right? Good, then it's settled!"
And just like that, Kyoichi bolted.
Orochimaru's eyes twitched. Damn him… If only he could beat him, he'd have strangled him already.
But still—
The question gnawed at him. What would happen if the chakra of all nine Tailed Beasts merged together?
He couldn't help but feel a rush of curiosity.
And another question lingered.
What would the Gedo Statue become after absorbing all the Tailed Beasts?
He'd dug through countless records with his clones, but found nothing. Not a single clue.
As for testing it himself? Impossible.
That statue might look inert, but its vitality was terrifying. If chakra ever returned to it and it woke up…
They'd be screwed.
And Madara would probably thank them for their help.
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