This was never ant to be a one-ti transaction.
Nor was it a deal that would end after a single exchange.
nma had already made his intentions clear from the very beginning. He did not co to Orochimaru rely as a temporary ally, but as a long-term collaborator. nma needed Orochimaru, and from the current situation, Orochimaru also needed nma just as urgently—if not more so. Not to ntion the fact that the fragnted intelligence and unknown variables nma could produce at any ti were, in themselves, an imasurable treasure.
Of course, compared to calling it cooperation, their relationship was better described as mutual exploitation.
It was much like Orochimaru's past dealings with Shimura Danzō. However, compared to Danzō, Orochimaru would find nma far more troubleso—and paradoxically, far more suitable. That "suitability" applied to every aspect of the matter.
What Orochimaru did not know was that, in nma's eyes, he was nothing more than fertile soil.
Before nma fully matured and mastered power sufficient to stand at the top of the shinobi world, he needed soone capable of supplying everything he lacked—manpower, resources, funding, intelligence, experintal facilities, and protection.
That was precisely why, after deciding to sever all ties with Konoha, nma's choices had been extrely limited.
It wasn't that there were no other forces or individuals with resources. Rather, every alternative ca with risks nma was unwilling to gamble on.
Only Orochimaru—soone utterly devoid of hypocrisy in certain crucial aspects—was the most suitable option.
You will beco the most important stepping stone in my plan, Orochimaru-sama. Either I will be devoured by you… or you will be reduced to my pawn.
nma gazed at Orochimaru at close range. Beneath his calm and polite exterior, his heart was colder than ice.
"Then I'll have to trouble Kabuto-san to prepare the items recorded in the scroll from earlier."
nma turned his attention to Yakushi Kabuto and spoke evenly.
"Additionally, I'll need a relatively large open area and a separate room. Please make the necessary arrangents."
"Yes, I understand."
Kabuto adjusted his black-rimd glasses and replied with a professional smile.
"Please rest assured, nma-kun. Everything will be prepared within three days. As for the open space, I will imdiately have the training ground on the far right side of the base cleared. There is an unused laboratory adjacent to it—you may use it freely. Will that suffice?"
"Yes, that will be fine."
nma nodded lightly.
"I trust Kabuto-san's efficiency. Then I'll take my leave for today. Orochimaru-sama, please focus on recovering from your injuries. If there's anything you require, feel free to summon at any ti."
After offering these final words—polite yet distant—nma turned and left without hesitation.
Karin hurried after him, and the two figures quickly disappeared into the dark corridor, their footsteps fading from the dim chamber.
The mont they were completely gone—
Orochimaru's expression darkened.
"Kabuto."
His voice dropped, cold and sharp.
"Based on the contents of those materials, begin a preliminary investigation imdiately. Also, arrange for our people to re-establish contact with Shimura Danzō. There is certain information that must be clarified as quickly as possible. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru."
Kabuto nodded, then hesitated briefly.
"There was a ssage from Danzō earlier. Should we respond to it?"
Shimura Danzō was a man who rarely acted without purpose.
Not long after the Konoha Crush had concluded—and after learning that nma had defected alongside Orochimaru—Danzō had imdiately ordered Root operatives to contact Orochimaru and deliver his instructions.
It was a blatantly condescending approach.
Under normal circumstances, Orochimaru and his subordinates would not even bother acknowledging it. Ignoring Danzō entirely would have been perfectly reasonable.
However, the situation had changed.
And more importantly, it now involved nma.
Kabuto, who had not yet beco the near-equal to Orochimaru that he would be in the future, naturally needed to seek his master's opinion.
"There's no need to concern yourself too much with that."
Orochimaru replied with a cold chuckle, his lips curling into a disdainful smile.
"Just maintain contact through standard channels. That old man won't truly turn hostile. He still needs ."
He paused, then added as if recalling sothing.
"Oh, and deliver what we agreed upon earlier in advance. Inform him that the experint has reached its final stage and will be completed soon."
Orochimaru frowned slightly, then continued.
"And regarding Tsunade—continue expanding the search. Increase the manpower. The mont there's any information, report it to imdiately."
Even with nma's early disclosure, Orochimaru could roughly determine the true thod for counteracting the Reaper Death Seal. Still, nma's words alone were far from enough to earn absolute trust.
Caution was necessary.
Tsunade, his forr teammate, was currently the most powerful dical ninja in the shinobi world. It would be foolish not to attempt to bring her into the equation. Moreover, Orochimaru possessed more than enough bargaining chips to entice her.
"I understand, Orochimaru-sama."
Kabuto nodded firmly.
Uzumaki nma… how interesting.
A glint of cold amusent flashed through Orochimaru's snake-like pupils.
Let see what your true objective is—and just how far you can go.
Since defecting from Konoha, Orochimaru had invested imnse effort into building his own power base. This was most evident in the speed and efficiency with which resources could be mobilized.
Unlike rogue ninja such as Momochi Zabuza, who had relied on only a single subordinate, Orochimaru commanded a vast underground network. With a re gesture, he could not obtain everything—but acquiring basic materials and specialized supplies posed little difficulty.
The items listed in nma's scroll—
Were prepared in just over a day.
When nma saw the neatly organized collection of special materials and experintal tools stacked within the room, his resolve hardened further.
As expected… I still need to move forward with that plan.
And I need to accelerate the pace.
The target—there's no need to hesitate anymore. I'll choose that one.
nma's gaze lingered on the supplies, a thoughtful glint flickering in his eyes.
Personal strength was one thing.
Possessing a force capable of acting on one's behalf was another entirely.
At the very least, intelligence gathering and material acquisition would beco vastly easier.
And unlike Orochimaru, nma could not afford to start from nothing.
Because he only had
Three years left.
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