"As long as I can obtain enough information, it's worth it."
"That's true, but..."
Orochimaru's mouth curled slightly. His eyes narrowed, a sly look in them, as he pointed to the scroll.
"Once the curse mark has finished eroding its host, I'll set a one-time jutsu inside it to 'send a delayed warning.'"
"The chakra spirit inside the curse mark can't do much, but it can interfere with the jutsu's normal function."
"That way, if I receive the warning, I'll know the trip to the Pure Land has failed. Then I can simply summon it back."
Of course, it was possible that the moment the curse mark entered the Pure Land, the spirit inside it would be consumed. But Orochimaru estimated that was unlikely.
Given how little he knew about the Pure Land, this was the safest plan he could think of.
The Lamp God glanced at Orochimaru. "You really are devious."
Orochimaru toyed with the scroll. "Reducing risk is basic practice. If I didn't have even this much up my sleeve, I'd have been dead a long time ago."
The Lamp God had asked out of idle curiosity, but he'd clearly underestimated Orochimaru.
Shaking his head, Orochimaru took out the notes and insights of the ninjas who had practiced the Spirit Transformation Jutsu over the generations and began studying them.
He hoped to find a way to improve it and lower the difficulty of the Spirit Transformation Jutsu.
The laboratory fell silent again. The lamplight flickered, and the only sound was the turning of pages.
After an unknown amount of time, a noise jolted Orochimaru out of his reading.
Poof...
As the smoke dissipated, a one-eyed viper appeared in the corner of the laboratory. It slithered obediently over to Orochimaru and spat a black box from its mouth.
Orochimaru