Shimoku had come specifically looking for Lady Serpent, but certainly not to check on Sasori's condition.
What does a capitalist care whether a tool lives or dies?
Er...
He was a great revolutionary of the Ninja World—not just some capitalist!
To be honest,
Although Sasori's puppet techniques were superb,
creating a giant Puppet capable of channeling [Susanoo] couldn't be achieved overnight.
There was no need to rush him too much.
After all, he himself was even more desperate than Shimoku to resurrect his parents!
But today, Shimoku came with two main purposes.
First: naturally, to deliver fragments and severed limbs of the [Demonic Statue of the Outer Path].
Though these fragments held tremendous value, they required suitable researchers to unlock their full potential...
They'd just gather dust if he kept them.
Only by handing them over to Lady Serpent and her team could every ounce of worth be squeezed out!
As always,
whatever belonged to Lady Serpent also belonged to him.
No need to be overly formal...
"Whoosh—"
Shimoku pulled out two spatial scrolls, slightly unsealing them. He reached inside and retrieved a fragment of the Demonic Statue.
He tossed it to Orochimaru.
Orochimaru caught the fragment, his serpentine eyes suddenly widening.
He immediately sensed its extraordinary nature.
"What is this?"
"You could say it's the remains of a god..."
Fully explaining the relationship between the God Tree, Ten-Tails, and the Demonic Statue wasn't easy.
Shimoku simply gave a brief explanation instead.
This very fragment was once part of the God Tree itself.
And the God Tree, having absorbed power from most of the planet, truly qualified as a god in some sense...
Upon hearing this, Orochimaru's eyes sparkled with excitement and his breath quickened.
Indeed, even a fragment no bigger than a palm radiated intense vitality within!
Clearly, this object was no ordinary item!
Plus, why would that little brat Shimoku lie to him anyway...
"Is this really divine power?"
"If you consider the [Sage of Six Paths] a god, then yes, this is indeed part of his source of strength."
"And it also contains the key—the ultimate chance for true immortality that you long for..."
Shimoku said enticingly, speaking the truth.
Because he wasn't lying at all.
In a broad sense,
no matter how advanced other immortal jutsu might be, none could rival the eternal life granted by Kaguya's consumption of the God Tree fruit—it was perfect immortality.
And therefore, this Demonic Statue fragment did contain one path leading toward that same immortal destiny.
Of course, whether Lady Serpent could fully comprehend it depended entirely on her skill...
At these words, Orochimaru's eyes burned even hotter than before—several times more intense.
It nearly overflowed with desire!
No one could resist the temptation of immortality.
Especially not a serpent already pursuing ultimate truths...
"So you're really giving me this?"
"What conditions?"
Orochimaru clutched the fragment tightly as if it were his own child,
his face filled with excitement and affection.
As for any conditions,
he didn't care at all.
Not even if it meant selling his own soul.
As long as it meant gaining an opportunity to research divine power, he would gladly accept!
"No conditions required—it's a free gift."
"Just let me know if you discover anything interesting during your research."
Shimoku waved his hand carelessly.
"No conditions? Free of charge?"
"Please, Mr. Shimoku, don't joke with me! If you offer such precious materials for free, it would make people feel uneasy!"
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and pressed further.
If there's no catch, it just feels too good to be true...
"Hm?"
"This thing is valuable?"
"I was actually going to ask whether these are enough—If not, I can always saw off more pieces later..."
Shimoku swung his arm and unsealed all the Demonic Statue fragments contained within one of the scrolls.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In an instant,
dozens of massive Demonic Statue fragments crashed down, quickly filling up nearly half the room.
Judging merely from their volume, they were even bigger than a hundred people tightly bound together.
Looking at this room filled entirely with Demonic Statue fragments and the other scroll still in Shimoku's hand,
for a moment,
even Orochimaru, whose heart was usually as firm as rock, couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.
He'd lived so long, but never before had someone just handed him such a massive stash of rare, seemingly endless research material!
Even the mighty Lady Serpent couldn't help but feel her heart flutter with emotion.
Damn!
Based purely on that alone,
this brat Shimoku is totally reliable!
...
Excited beyond measure, Lady Serpent quickly tracked down Kimimaro and summoned many snake clones.
Together, they began sorting through these precious Demonic Statue fragments.
Tending to each fragment with reverence as they carefully moved and sealed them away...
Meanwhile, Sasori, who was currently assembling something, seemed to sense the presence of a rare treasure and emerged from his laboratory.
When he laid eyes on the massive pile of Demonic Statue fragments, he almost popped out both of his fake eyeballs...
Imagine how amazing it would be to use them for crafting [giant Puppet]s!
It could potentially resolve almost every material limitation faced in the creation of [giant Puppet]s...
As a master puppeteer, how could Sasori not feel tempted?
He was practically ready to snatch them all away...
Naturally, Lady Serpent would never allow that to happen easily?
Even though there appeared to be plenty of material, it might still run out fast if consumed by Sasori's puppets!
Not until they made a breakthrough — until they found a way for the Demonic Statue fragments to reproduce — would Lady Serpent ever let Sasori go overboard.
An immediate confrontation erupted between both parties, fiercely competing over possession.
After quite a while, Master Snake finally relied on numerous clones to drag Sasori back into the lab, roughly shutting the door behind them.
Only then did everything quiet down a bit.
...
As for Shimoku, none of those quarrels concerned him.
He had already provided Lady Serpent with the research material.
How she distributed and studied it was entirely her own matter.
He only cared about seeing the final results of her research!
Everything else—the complicated love-hate relationship between Sasori and Orochimaru—was simply not important...
Once the issue regarding the Demonic Statue fragments had been settled,
Shimoku brought up another topic.
"Do you recognize this?"
He patted the huge camera held in Riyō's hands and asked Orochimaru.
"Yes, I'm familiar with it. It's a new type of camera that recently came into existence."
"It seems capable of recording changes over a set period and displaying them as motion pictures."
"It appears to be quite popular in smaller nations like the *Land of Iron* and *Snow Country*..."
Orochimaru's knowledge and intelligence network were practically unmatched in the Ninja World.
He had at least dabbled in most novel things.
This machine was no exception, as he already understood its basic function.
After all, it had been rumored that at the beginning of next year,
a new film starring the famous Snow Country actress *Fuji Fuyue* would be shown within the *Land of Rice Fields*.
However, due to limitations in filming techniques, limited promotional and distribution capabilities, and playback methods,
this new form of entertainment had yet to become widespread.
At the very least, something like this was still quite rare within the *Five Great Nations*...
"If you already know, then there's no need for further explanation."
"Shimoku-san, what trickery are you planning now? Don't tell me you want to shoot a film?"
Orochimaru said with a curious tone.
He knew full well this brat Shimoku had a talent for stirring things up.
The boy never sat still for long—who knew what mischief he was plotting this time...
"It's nothing much. I just need your help to improve this camera slightly."
"How exactly do you want to modify it? I'm not really familiar with such devices..."
"With Lord Orochimaru's abilities, there must be nothing he can't handle!"
Shimoku laid on the flattery thick.
Even though he knew the compliment was fake, Orochimaru still found himself enjoying it.
Besides, he had just gained a huge profit—a massive supply of research materials.
A small favor like this was a piece of cake.
If he could build a mechanical Nine-Tails, then modifying a tiny camera was nothing.
"Tell me, what kind of improvement do you want?"
"I want to add something into it."
"What exactly?"
"Just... add a pair of eyes into it."
"Oh! Just some eyes—simple enough... Wait, did you say *eyes*?"
"I said, please help me install a pair of [Sharingan]!"
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>