Land of Fields.
A Certain Valley.
"Remember, you're not a match for Orochimaru yet. So, you're just here to observe," Shishou warned sternly, patting Anko on the head. His voice was serious, his eyes fixed on hers. "If you do anything reckless, I won't bring you to see Orochimaru again."
"I know," Anko replied weakly, giving Shishou a tired glare. She felt drained, suspecting that Shishou had made her practice her curse mark transformation earlier to wear her out, ensuring she wouldn't act impulsively in front of Orochimaru.
"In that case, put this on along with the mask and wig," Shishou handed her a gag and a disguise kit.
"Pervert!" Anko's cheeks flushed as she shot him a reproachful look but complied, putting the gag in her mouth and donning the wig and mask to disguise herself as Uzuki Yugao.
Once she was disguised, Shishou led Anko to the meeting point with Orochimaru.
"You're late," Orochimaru said, leaping down from a tree and frowning at Shishou.
Seeing Orochimaru, Anko's heart raced, and she instinctively started forward, only for Shishou to hold her back. Remembering his warning, she took deep breaths and hid behind Shishou. The disguise and the fact that her curse mark had been suppressed prevented Orochimaru from recognizing her immediately.
Orochimaru, used to seeing such reactions, didn't pay much attention to Anko. "You contacted me. Is the experiment complete?" Shishou asked, studying Orochimaru carefully.
"Muhaha... It's made significant progress, but it's not complete yet. If you can provide me with the cells of that masked man from Akatsuki, I might be able to finish it sooner," Orochimaru replied with a sly grin, eyes glinting with expectation.
"The experiment's payment has already been made. This is an additional request. Besides, you were once part of Akatsuki. Why not get it yourself?" Shishou retorted, a bit annoyed.
"He didn't appear until after I left Akatsuki. Otherwise, I would have already known he could use Wood Release," Orochimaru explained, spreading his hands in a gesture of helplessness before turning serious again. "Also, I have a request for you."
Shishou raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"I need you to acquire some of Uchiha Itachi's cells for me," Orochimaru said, his eyes gleaming with interest.
Standing behind Shishou, Anko perked up at the mention of Uchiha Itachi. His name was well-known in Konoha.
"And what will you give me in return? I'm not interested in money," Shishou replied, glancing at Anko. He wasn't surprised by Orochimaru's request. As long as Orochimaru could offer something worthwhile, Shishou was willing to help. After all, he intended to confront Itachi eventually due to his connection with Mikoto.
"You can ask me for anything you want in return," Orochimaru said eagerly. Shishou's willingness to discuss terms indicated he had the ability to obtain Itachi's cells.
"How do I know what you have to offer?" Shishou shot back, eyeing Orochimaru as if he were an idiot.
Orochimaru frowned. Ninja techniques were a closely guarded secret. Revealing them would put him at a disadvantage. Yet, without offering something valuable, he couldn't convince Shishou.
"Fine. Give me the Dragon Earth Cave summoning technique you use to summon Manda, and I'll agree to your request. But you also need to do me a small favor within a month," Shishou proposed, breaking the stalemate.
"Muhaha... Aren't you greedy? If you want me to do something, you shouldn't be making demands," Orochimaru laughed but didn't outright refuse.
Suddenly, Shishou pulled out a small vial and tossed it to Orochimaru. A snake emerged from Orochimaru's sleeve, catching the vial in its mouth. Orochimaru looked at Shishou quizzically.
"Those are the cells from the masked man," Shishou said with a smile. "Add this to the deal, and what do you say?"
Orochimaru's eyes lit up. He took the vial from the snake and examined it, then looked back at Shishou. "Your skills are indeed impressive. I agree to the deal."
Orochimaru then spat out a snake, which produced a scroll from its mouth. "This contains information about the Ryūchi Cave. Follow the instructions to find the cave and obtain the summoning technique."
Seeing the mucus-covered scroll, Shishou made a face and signaled Anko to take it. As Orochimaru's former student, Anko didn't hesitate, though she still trembled with the urge to attack him. She took the scroll with a steady hand.
"This is what I need you to do. You have a month to prepare. I'll find you when the time comes. Don't disappoint me," Shishou handed Orochimaru a note before disappearing with the Body Flicker Technique.
Orochimaru, now based in the Land of Fields with his newly established Hidden Sound Village, wouldn't be hard for Shishou to locate.
Anko hesitated before following Shishou. She glanced back at Orochimaru one last time, then used the Body Flicker to leave.
"Hehe... Interesting," Orochimaru chuckled, reading the note Shishou left. His curiosity piqued by Shishou's request, but his main focus remained on studying the Hashirama cells.
Holding the vial containing Obito's cells, Orochimaru's eyes burned with fervor.