— — — — — —
"Oh? Is that so?"
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow with keen interest and said, "In that case, let's wait for now."
"After all, there's no shortage of test subjects on the frontlines for the time being, and many experiments aren't suitable for these conditions anyway," he added with a sinister grin.
"However, Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu… they intrigue me even more."
"Who would've thought that the so-called Asura of the Warring States period, the Devil of the Ninja world, deliberately deceived the First and Second Hokages—and the entire world—all to gain the First Hokage's cells and awaken the Rinnegan?"
"And what surprises me even more is that the Uchiha and Senju clans are actually descendants of the Sage of Six Paths."
"Moreover, combining their powers can give birth to the God's Eye… truly fascinating!" Orochimaru licked his lips, his face brimming with excitement.
"So, Kaito," he continued, "is that why you're encouraging alliances and even intermarriage between the Senju and Uchiha clans? Are you aiming to produce descendants who naturally inherit both bloodlines and can awaken the Rinnegan effortlessly?"
The idea of intermarriage wasn't new to him; he had heard Tsunade mention it before, though in passing.
"Oh?"
Kaito raised an eyebrow at Orochimaru's question and replied, "So, you've caught wind of that plan?"
"Indeed, that's part of the intention," he admitted.
"But the main goal is to unify the clans' complementary Yin-Yang talents, giving future generations greater potential."
"As for the Rinnegan? It's not so easily awakened!"
"The intel I provided you includes this information, doesn't it?"
"Madara didn't just awaken the Rinnegan because of his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. It's also highly likely because he and the First Hokage were reincarnations of the Sage's sons, Indra and Asura."
"Perhaps the chakra of Indra and Asura is the true catalyst that evolves the Eternal Mangekyo into the Rinnegan."
"We can test this theory as we continue our research."
After all, Kaito thought to himself, his family and clansmen would all eventually awaken the Rinnegan.
When that day comes, the Uchiha will surpass even the Otsutsuki clan, both in potential and future power.
"Is that so?"
Orochimaru paused for a moment, recalling the vast amount of information he had recently absorbed. He nodded, somewhat enlightened.
"You're right. I skimmed through so much data before, I didn't notice certain crucial details."
"It seems I'll need to spend more time digesting all this information properly, so I don't miss anything important."
"If we're to verify whether Indra's and Asura's chakra is the key to the Rinnegan's evolution," Orochimaru mused, "then we'll need samples of Madara's and the First Hokage's chakra for further study."
"Unless… has Asura already reincarnated again?"
"Nope!"
Kaito shook his head. "Both reincarnations usually manifest in the same era."
"This time, Indra's reincarnation, Madara, hasn't died yet. Naturally, Asura hasn't reincarnated either."
"Oh?"
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"If that's the case, I can see why you think the Sage of Six Paths wasn't a good person. A lot of things may very well have been his schemes."
"Because, looking at this, the endless wars between the Uchiha, Senju, and even the entire ninja world over the centuries are all tied to the cycles of Indra's and Asura's reincarnations."
"Heh, how interesting! To deliberately use his sons' reincarnations to perpetuate conflict and war…"
"Constantly harvesting generations of ninja? What a brilliant, if ruthless, strategy!"
This cycle of conflict, Orochimaru noted, had indeed pushed the development of ninjutsu forward, leading to continuous innovation.
But it had also brought immense suffering, with countless ninja and civilians losing their lives to war.
The Sage of Six Paths could hardly be considered a good person, Orochimaru concluded.
"If he truly wanted peace," Kaito interjected, "he wouldn't have spread chakra in the first place. That would've been the simplest way to prevent large-scale conflict."
"Without chakra, humanity might still fight, but the intensity of those battles would be far less. The destructive power of ninja far outweighs that of ordinary people."
"Perhaps," Kaito speculated, "he had other motives—like raising the ninja world's strength to prepare for the Otsutsuki clan's eventual invasion."
Kaito wasn't buying the idea that the Sage was unaware of the Otsutsuki threat.
Even if he didn't know during the sealing of his mother, he must have figured it out later.
"That's certainly possible!" Orochimaru nodded in agreement.
"Anyway, let's set that aside for now."
Orochimaru suddenly shook his head and changed the subject.
"Since you've wiped out Hanzo, Danzo, and a significant number of the Rain ninja forces, what are your plans for the ongoing war?"
"Will you aim to end it quickly?" Orochimaru clearly hoped so.
The sooner the war ended, the sooner he could return to Konoha and focus on his research. War was tedious and a waste of time.
"I'd like that," Kaito said with a shrug.
"With the elimination of 2,000 Rain ninja and Hanzo, plus the subsequent dismantling of their forces, my contributions should be enough to secure the Hokage position."
"With the backing of three clans, plus the alliances I've forged over the years, and a few strategic promises, becoming Hokage shouldn't be an issue!"
"That is… unless the Stone and Sand villages have other ideas."
"If they don't step in, we can crush the Rain ninja completely. But if they do, we might end up at war with them instead."
"They won't just sit back and watch us obliterate the Rain ninja, after all."
"News of Hanzo's death won't stay hidden for long."
"Both the Stone and Sand villages have spies watching him."
Orochimaru frowned. "The Stone and Sand ninja's movements in recent months suggest they've been aiming for Konoha from the start. They're using the Rain as a stepping stone."
"Exactly." Kaito nodded. "If they refuse to back off, we'll have no choice but to fight them too. But we'll discuss our strategy once Tsunade and the main forces return."
"Oh, right," Orochimaru interjected, changing the subject again. "Since you raided Danzo's base, did you get your hands on the Second Hokage's Wood Release research data or Hashirama's cells?"
"I did," Kaito replied with a smirk. "Danzo once promised you a chance to restart the Wood Release experiments, didn't he?"
"I'm very interested in that as well. But I'm aiming for more than just replicating Wood Release or Hashirama's cells. I want to uncover the essence of his Sage Body and figure out how to grant Sage Body traits to others."
"After the war, this will be a priority for our research division, and I'll be directly involved. My medical skills are second to none—even better than Tsunade's."
Hearing this, Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Wonderful! If you're joining, this will make things much easier."
"Speaking of which," Kaito added casually, "I've already talked to Lady Mito about using the Edo Tensei to temporarily revive the First and Second Hokage to assist us."
"What?!" Orochimaru was stunned. "You're reviving them? And Lady Mito agreed? But… isn't the Second Hokage notoriously anti-Uchiha?"
Kaito grinned. "Oh, don't worry about that. If he causes trouble, we'll handle it. Besides, with the Uchiha's current strength, he can't do much anyway.
"And if words won't convince him, I'm sure a few punches from the First Hokage, Lady Mito, and my mother will do the trick."
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