If he could control the bodies of the Impure World Reincarnation dead, he could certainly guard against some unexpected developments.
"Are you done?" Orochimaru released the hand seal, and the woodenized White Zetsu collapsed into dust.
Qi was still staring at the battlefield while Black Zetsu controlled the shadows on the ground, extending them into the black shadow beneath Orochimaru's feet.
"Your test subject has been recovered." A low, hoarse voice echoed from every direction.
Within the shattered battlefield, Orochimaru stood concealed in the shadows cast by the colossal Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, his golden snake eyes reflecting the overwhelming majesty of the Ten-Tails' roar.
The dazzling golden light of Madara's Nine-Tails Chakra Mode and the violet Tailed Beast Cloak spreading over the Allied Shinobi Forces lit up the dim sky.
The corners of his pale lips curved with amusement, his eyes overflowing with undisguised greed and a scholarly urge to explore.
That was an obsession with power beyond the ordinary.
The Ten-Tails' nearly inexhaustible vitality and its terrifying chakra were, in his eyes, treasures waiting to be dissected and studied.
At that moment, the sand beneath his feet suddenly stirred. An inconspicuous grain of sand rapidly swelled, transforming in the blink of an eye into a half-emerged White Zetsu clone.
White Zetsu spoke in a gentle, almost flattering voice, "Orochimaru-sama, Lord Black Zetsu asks that I tell you..."
Orochimaru's gaze did not shift even slightly, yet a deep, hoarse chuckle escaped his throat.
"Heh... he finally can't wait any longer."
He extended his slender fingers, deliberately rubbing his fingertips together. His shadow had already slowly reached toward the ancient undead descending from above.
"Yes, sir~" White Zetsu's curved mouth split into a strange smile.
"The 'test subjects' of the Impure World Reincarnation may now be put into