Kamizuki Gen faced Orochimaru, that handsome face still carrying the same gentle smile that made Orochimaru's skin crawl.
He got straight to the point.
"Simple. I need you to attach that arm for me."
Orochimaru's mouth parted slightly, confusion written all over his face as he probed:
"With your strength… you don't need something like that, do you?"
A being on par with Pain, who possessed the Rinnegan—why would he need ordinary Sharingan to enhance himself?
Of course, Orochimaru was well aware of the Uchiha clan's ultimate forbidden technique—Izanagi.
But he didn't believe someone at Gen's level would need it.
When death itself is already a luxury, resurrection becomes meaningless.
Gen smiled. "That's none of your concern. So—Orochimaru-sama, are you willing to part with it?"
During the cooldown of "All Things Equal", Gen needed to maximize his margin for error in unexpected battles.
And in the shinobi world, Izanagi—the ability to rewrite fate—was the ultimate safety net.
That said, the arm transplant came with severe side effects.
Gen would also need to find a way for his ordinary body to perfectly adapt to Hashirama's cells—and suppress that many Sharingan.
He pondered seriously.
He already possessed Wood Release.
Maybe… perfect compatibility with Hashirama's cells wasn't impossible.
As for how he had wiped out most of Root without using All Things Equal—
he relied on a three-tomoe Sharingan.
At the time, even without Yin Release to activate its true abilities, the base functions of the Sharingan alone had boosted his strength by several tiers.
"Hehehe…" Orochimaru forced a bitter smile. "That won't be a problem. When would you like the surgery?"
Gen nodded in satisfaction. "Once I'm done with a few things, I'll come find you. You won't be working for nothing."
He pointed at the container of Sharingan.
"Whatever Danzo could give you—I can give you more."
"I understand."
Orochimaru's expression eased, the tension in his chest finally loosening.
As long as he remained useful to Gen, his life was safe—for now.
As for Danzo?
Sorry—not that close.
Orochimaru wasn't about to risk his life repaying some old favor about supporting him for Hokage.
Besides, their relationship had always been purely transactional.
Now that Root was gone, Danzo's future looked bleak anyway.
With Gen around, Orochimaru didn't even need to worry about retaliation.
He had simply switched employers.
And in the end, he was still the one benefiting.
After a moment of thought, Orochimaru looked up.
"If there's nothing else, I'll go prepare the materials for the surgery."
"Ah, no rush."
Gen resealed the container into a scroll and put it away.
Then he said casually:
"We're both from the same village, meeting far from home… don't you have anything to say?"
"Orochimaru… the cherry blossoms of our homeland…"
Orochimaru's lips twitched.
He forced an awkward smile, sighing inwardly:
I just want to get as far away from you as possible.
Also—it was autumn. Early October.
What cherry blossoms?
He couldn't make sense of Gen's train of thought.
And Gen's shifting attitude—from Orochimaru-sama to Orochimaru-san—was completely unpredictable.
"The cherry blossoms… bloomed?" Orochimaru asked cautiously.
Gen sighed.
"They exploded. The cherry trees in our homeland—gone, all gone."
"That day, Naruto skipped class and got bored. Said he wanted to test explosive tags."
"So I lent him a few…"
Orochimaru froze.
He couldn't take it anymore.
Internally, he screamed:
WHAT ARE YOU EVEN TRYING TO SAY?!
Suddenly, Gen's smile vanished.
His expression turned serious.
"Orochimaru—have you heard a saying from an ancient, mysterious eastern land?"
Orochimaru forced himself to stay composed and shook his head.
"Please enlighten me."
Finally calling me Orochimaru again… he thought, oddly relieved.
Gen said calmly:
"It goes—'A wise man submits to circumstances.'"
"Orochimaru, in my eyes, you're someone capable."
"I know you want to leave the Akatsuki. Give that idea up."
"From now on, work under me."
"Your future will only get better."
If Orochimaru followed him—
he could go straight to the "good side" and skip twenty years of detours.
"…"
Orochimaru's pupils dilated.
He didn't know how to respond.
Is he… openly forming a faction inside Akatsuki?
"Then… shall I wish us a happy cooperation in advance?" Orochimaru asked with a forced smile.
"Not cooperation."
Gen stood up.
He walked over and patted Orochimaru's shoulder like a senior leader addressing a subordinate.
"It's a superior-subordinate relationship."
"You work for me."
"And you'll get closer to your goal of immortality."
Orochimaru's golden pupils trembled violently.
His heart pounded.
Has he… seen through me completely?
Clearly, this man had studied him thoroughly.
Gen's serious expression quickly faded, replaced with a friendly smile.
"Oh right—Orochimaru, where's your place in Amegakure?"
Orochimaru exhaled quietly and answered honestly:
"My personal laboratory is inside the tower. As long as I'm in Amegakure, I stay there."
Gen withdrew his hand.
"Good. You can go now. Don't wander off these days—I'll come find you."
"Yes!"
Finally free, Orochimaru released the tension in his chest and quickly agreed.
"Oh, and one more thing," Gen added.
"Please don't spread information about my strength."
"I prefer to keep a low profile."
"Of course," Orochimaru said with a strained smile.
Low profile?
You mean blowing up a 'planet' in front of an entire village?
Without looking back, Orochimaru hurried out of the conference room.
After he left, some time later, Konan returned.
"Come," she said from the doorway. "I'll take you to your quarters. Which floor do you want?"
Gen smiled.
"I'm not picky about where I stay."
"I'll just take the room next to yours."
"…."
Konan's expression darkened slightly.
"Is that inconvenient?" Gen asked curiously.
"Follow me."
She turned and walked off.
Gen quickly followed behind.
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