"White Zetsu?"
Orochimaru looked in the direction pointed out by the Lamp God, a flicker of light flashing in his eyes.
Putting aside the matter of materials for now—Orochimaru was still in the early stages of understanding how to wield six-path-level powers. Using a preexisting specimen as a reference wasn't a bad idea.
White Zetsu, once a human ninja thousands of years ago, had been eroded over centuries by the Gedo Statue until transformed into a degraded form of the Ōtsutsuki bloodline. In many ways, it was a "finished product."
But that raised a more intriguing question: how much of its humanity did White Zetsu still retain?
Seeing Orochimaru deep in thought, the Lamp God raised an eyebrow. "What's the matter? I thought White Zetsu was a perfect match?"
Given Orochimaru's usual decisiveness, he expected him to start dissecting it immediately.
"It's not that," Orochimaru replied, shaking his head. He reached out toward the earth. The soil and rocks churned and soon regurgitated a Bai Jue from deep underground.
"...Orochimaru, you—" White Zetsu barely spoke before collapsing unconscious.
Glancing at the limp figure, Orochimaru turned to the Lamp God. "Aside from its body, this thing still has a brain, internal organs, a digestive system… It's no longer human. It's a different species entirely."
He paused, then continued thoughtfully: "Even if I succeed in corrupting the bacteria, what exactly will the end product become? Something like me… or more like the bacteria?"
A perfect result would be something he fully controls—one that can absorb solar energy like the original strain. But such perfection rarely exists. In reality, he suspected that when the corruption was complete, he might create something closer to a degraded clone of himself.
The Lamp God squinted. "You mean…"
"I'm beginning to think the bacteria shouldn't be the one being eroded," Orochimaru said. "It should be the one doing the erosion—infecting and imparting its traits onto a host."
He licked his lips, a glimmer of hunger in his eyes. "Which means I need to choose a suitable host..."
The little white snake was a truly unique being, but the gap between it and native ninja lifeforms wasn't necessarily larger than the gap between the Ōtsutsuki and ordinary humans from a thousand years ago. At least both possessed chakra.
With the right host, it might be possible to create a stable strain-based lifeform.
"But why not just use White Zetsu?" asked the Lamp God, puzzled.
Orochimaru shook his head. "The Ōtsutsuki influence runs too deep in its body. It's a refined, fully-processed product. Too stable to change."
He tossed White Zetsu into the mouth of a waiting summoning serpent. "Still, it can serve as a useful reference."
But only that. White Zetsu's unique physiology was fixed—its potential already consumed.
Moving forward, Orochimaru would have to avoid even using ninja who had received White Zetsu implants or enhancements.
"Heh... back to human experimentation, are we?" The Lamp God chuckled darkly. "This time, at least no one dares to object."
Orochimaru gave a faint smile. "Maybe, but it's not necessary."
Just as before, he knew how to present such things differently. Frame them as 'voluntary procedures,' and volunteers would come on their own.
After a moment of reflection, he added, "Replicants might be more suitable than natural humans for erosion."
Finding the right natural person was like searching for a needle in a haystack. But with synthetic beings, he could pre-engineer desired traits and lower the risk of failure.
At the six-path level, it wasn't just his strength that had grown—his understanding of biology and chakra engineering had reached terrifying new heights.
"Then the next step is to create an erosion-conducive environment… and a host."
Golden light flickered in his eyes as he started forming concrete plans.
Just then, the sound of wind breaking caught his attention. Moments later, Jiraiya landed nearby, his expression tense.
"Orochimaru," he said urgently, "the old man's looking for you. You need to go. Now."
He paused, remembering Orochimaru's parting words earlier, then added with a grim smile, "Uchiha Madara's return… is no small matter."
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Good. I was planning to speak with him anyway."
---
Hokage Meeting Room
Inside the war council room of Konoha, word of Orochimaru and Jiraiya's return had already drawn in every key figure—Danzo, the elder advisors, Nara Shikaku, Uchiha Fugaku. The situation was too urgent for delays.
Even if the two hadn't returned from Mount Myōboku, the intel from Amegakure alone warranted an emergency meeting.
Uchiha Madara had returned.
A legend whose actions had shaped Konoha's fate. Without him, perhaps Hashirama wouldn't have died young. Tobirama could have retired from war. The ripple effects were immense.
No one questioned the authenticity of the reports.
Spies from every major village had confirmed the cataclysmic battle between Orochimaru and Nagato in the swamps of Amegakure. That scale of destruction couldn't be faked.
And no one in the shinobi world—except Orochimaru—could fight Pain to that degree and walk away.
"It never ends…" muttered Mitokado Homura with uncharacteristic frustration.
Even with Orochimaru as their ace, a full-scale clash with Uchiha Madara could reduce the village to rubble.
Their only hope lay in strategy, not brute force. Hence the meeting.
As they awaited Orochimaru's arrival, the room filled with minor administrative chatter, an attempt to soothe nerves.
Uchiha Fugaku, however, looked increasingly uncomfortable.
In recent years, the Uchiha clan had risen in status, largely thanks to Orochimaru's protection. They'd eclipsed the Hyūga in prominence. No one even dared compare the two anymore.
But the return of Madara, long divorced from the clan, left a shadow. He had once tried to destroy Uchiha. And yet, fanatics within the family still worshipped him as the pinnacle of their bloodline.
Seeing his unease, Hiruzen spoke gently. "Fugaku, there's no need to carry this burden. Madara severed ties with the Uchiha long ago—and even sought to destroy the clan. We hold no blame against you."
Fugaku stiffened, his voice firm. "Even so… He was once Uchiha. We carry a responsibility."
Hiruzen nodded slowly, but replied, "This isn't a clan issue. This is a crisis for all of Konoha—and perhaps the entire shinobi world."
Before Fugaku could protest again, Hiruzen added, "And when word spreads, what matters most is how your clan handles it from within."
Fugaku understood. The presence of Madara could ignite old flames among certain Uchiha. He would need to keep the clan in check.
Danzo, meanwhile, observed silently. Inwardly, he sneered.
To him, the Uchiha were ungrateful parasites, and Hiruzen's leniency a pathetic weakness. With Orochimaru on his side, he'd have eradicated them by now.
And yet, Orochimaru—his former subordinate—had surpassed them all.
His jealousy festered.
Just then, the doors opened.
Orochimaru and Jiraiya entered.
Everyone exhaled in relief. Danzo, hiding his emotions, silently crushed his anger.
"Here's the intel from Amegakure." Homura handed Orochimaru a stack of documents.
Orochimaru skimmed through them. A small smile touched his lips.
"So that's it," he said casually. "Nothing too serious."
"You mean you can deal with Madara?" Koharu asked skeptically. "And not just defeat him—you can keep the village safe too. He summoned a psychic beast the size of a mountain."
"That thing?" Orochimaru shrugged. "Don't worry. That was Nagato's summon, not Madara's. He didn't use it in our last battle—there must be restrictions."
This didn't bring much comfort. After all, Nagato was just as dangerous.
"Still," Jiraiya spoke up, "Nagato is... different. He might actually choose not to fight if it risks mutual destruction. Maybe Konoha and Amegakure can maintain a fragile peace."
He fell silent as Hiruzen gave him a warning look.
Jiraiya's bond with Nagato was a sensitive topic.
"Jiraiya is right," Orochimaru said calmly. "Compared to Madara, Nagato is a secondary threat. In fact, Madara's presence threatens Amegakure too."
He looked around the room. "If we're smart, we can exploit their conflict."
"You mean… a joint operation with the Akatsuki?" Koharu frowned.
"Something like that," Orochimaru replied. "No matter the past, we cannot afford another open war with them."
They could both destroy each other. It wasn't worth the risk.
"We'll keep it hidden from the public," he added. "The villagers suffered enough. As for the ninja… exaggerate Madara's danger. Let the soldiers understand what's truly at stake."
His tone sharpened with finality.
"If we can't rule the ninja world yet, then we'll make it serve us. Even Akatsuki."
He didn't say it out loud—but everyone present felt it:
This wasn't just about defense.
Orochimaru had a plan.
And Madara… was just one more obstacle in its path.
_____________________
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