Kakashi spoke with deliberate fervor, ignoring Orochimaru's surprised expression.
"Third Hokage is old, so he's hesitant and timid, and he repeatedly condones Danzō's little 'root' projects—pun intended."
"He's no longer the ambitious ninja hero he once was. Now he's just an old man making sure the shōgi board doesn't get flipped."
"So, he can't appreciate your talent, nor can he understand your inner pursuit."
"But Minato-sensei is different!"
"As long as you don't cross the normal human bottom line—and by that I mean no abducting random villagers from the Land of Fire for your lab—I think Minato will absolutely allow your research."
"If you agree, I can even ask Minato-sensei to negotiate with Fugaku and transfer death row prisoners from the Guard's prison to you as test subjects."
Kakashi finished and pulled out three sealing scrolls, handing them over.
"These three contain the corpses of the Yuki Clan, the Hiyori Clan, and… some clones created with Hashirama's cells that I collected during my battle in Kirigakure."
"Hashirama cells?!"
Orochimaru's golden snake pupils contracted sharply.
He had spent years trying to master Hashirama's cells. Even so, his only partial success was Yamato.
Now Kakashi had just casually dropped that someone had already made clones with them? Impossible to ignore.
He opened the scroll containing the White Zetsu.
Bang!
White smoke cleared, revealing about two hundred charred vegetative husks spread across the laboratory floor.
The burnt smell was overpowering, but Orochimaru didn't care. He grabbed one, sliced it open, and began an on-the-spot examination.
"Subarashii~"
Half an hour later, he had his results—and was astonished.
This was a direct replica of Hashirama's cells.
"Kakashi-kun, where did this come from?"
Orochimaru's gaze locked onto him.
"Hey, Uncle Snake, what do you think of my proposal?" Kakashi's visible eye curved slyly. "Tempting enough, or do I need to bring you something shinier than a First Hokage-shaped piñata?"
"Support Minato and avoid crossing Konoha's bottom line while collecting materials? Yes."
Orochimaru agreed after a pause. He still valued his position as one of the Sannin, and provoking the entire village wasn't ideal.
"Have you heard of the Sage of Six Paths?"
Kakashi launched into the edited version of the tale—how the Sage split the Ten Tails into nine parts and scattered them across the world—carefully omitting certain names like Uchiha Madara, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, and Black Zetsu, as well as the Ten Tails Jinchūriki secret.
"You're saying someone used the Ten Tails' husk to create White Zetsu and then boosted it with Hashirama cells? But how do you know this?"
Orochimaru was clearly intrigued.
"That's a 'later in our partnership' kind of secret," Kakashi replied smoothly. "And you need to promise me—keep all this, and anything from it, away from Danzō."
"Oh? It seems you know more than I thought."
"Fine. I promise."
Orochimaru licked his lips thoughtfully.
Kakashi was satisfied. Someone like Orochimaru—obsessed with truth and knowledge—wouldn't waste energy on lying here.
"Since we're partners now, and you were my sensei's teammate… that makes you my uncle in a way. So, 'Uncle Snake' it is. Hope you don't mind."
"Haha, sure."
"Good. Uncle Snake, I have a request—see if you can perfect the Dead Bone Pulse genes to strengthen the bloodline."
"I can. But my focus stays on Hashirama cells, so it might take a while."
"No rush." Kakashi smirked. "Also, I've got better quality White Zetsu samples." He pulled out a small glass vial containing Tobi's cells.
Orochimaru chuckled. "If I hadn't agreed earlier, you wouldn't have shown me this, hmm?"
"Maybe. Or maybe I was saving it for dramatic effect," Kakashi said lightly, waving the thought away.
"And if Danzō comes asking for results—give him defective products. The kind that keeps him looking human… barely."
"You really don't like him, do you? Fine, I'll play along."
For some reason, the more Orochimaru looked at Kakashi, the more he liked the boy.
To be continued....
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