Orochimaru

The cold, damp underground passage reeked of preservatives and the distinctive musk of snakes. Uchiha Sakuya moved through the maze belonging to the mad scientist like a phantom, making no sound. His Eighty Gods Mirror had already seen through every trap and every illusion, guiding him precisely toward the laboratory at the deepest part of the complex.

The laboratory door slid open automatically, as if it had expected him.

The room was filled with containers holding various specimens and an array of complex instruments. A pale-skinned figure with long, loose hair stood with his back to the door, intently mixing some kind of purple potion. His long tongue unconsciously licked his lips.

"An uninvited guest... How rare." Orochimaru's voice was hoarse yet strangely captivating. He didn't turn around, seemingly unsurprised by Shuoyue's arrival. "And one who's come with such... interesting eyes."

Shuoyue stopped, his gaze sweeping coldly across the laboratory from beneath his bandages before settling on Orochimaru's back. "You knew I'd come."

"Hehehe..." Orochimaru let out a low chuckle and slowly turned around. His golden, slit-pupiled eyes appraised Shuoyue with interest, lingering especially on the eyes that radiated an extraordinary power even while concealed. "The last survivor of the Uchiha Clan, possessing a Mangekyo form even I've never seen, and recently making waves throughout the Shinobi World... How could I fail to notice when such a fascinating research subject comes to me of his own accord?"

His gaze was greedy and fervent, as though he were looking at a flawless work of art.

"I need your knowledge," Shuoyue said bluntly, dispensing with any pleasantries.

"Oh? That's no way to ask for help." Orochimaru smiled mischievously. "Besides, why should I help someone who might bring me a great deal of trouble? Konoha is watching me very closely."

"Because you can't refuse." Shuoyue's voice remained calm. "You crave knowledge. You long to uncover the ultimate secrets of ninjutsu and transcend the cycle of life and death. And I can provide you with 'specimens' and 'possibilities' unlike anything you've ever encountered."

He raised a hand slightly, chakra flowing around his fingertips. "For example, this..."

The next moment, before Orochimaru's astonished eyes, another "Orochimaru" slowly took shape in the shadow beside Shuoyue. His appearance, his presence, even the faint fluctuations in his chakra were almost identical to the original!

"This is... the ability of the Eighty Gods Mirror? It can replicate someone this perfectly?" Orochimaru's golden eyes lit up, brimming with intense excitement and curiosity. "It can even simulate the cellular information and chakra frequency of my own body... Incredible! Simply incredible!"

Shuoyue controlled the Wood Release clone, which combined copied cellular techniques with the essence of genjutsu. The "fake Orochimaru" could even mimic the original's expressions and let out a hoarse laugh.

"A perfect 'substitute' who can draw every eye and shoulder every risk for you," Shuoyue said calmly. "Meanwhile, the real you can escape Konoha's surveillance and go to a completely safe place to study whatever you wish. There, you'll have a complete copy of the Book of Sealing, the latest data on the Tailed Beasts, and even... samples of His cells."

Every condition he offered struck directly at Orochimaru's deepest desires: an unrestricted research environment, top-tier specimens, and the chance to escape surveillance.

The playful look on Orochimaru's face gradually gave way to genuine, feverish interest. He gazed at Shuoyue as though he were looking at an inexhaustible treasure trove.

"What... an offer I simply can't refuse." Orochimaru's long tongue swept over his lips again. "So, what's the price? What do you need me to do?"

"The Tailed Beasts." Shuoyue uttered two words. "I need their power. But not by killing their Jinchūriki."

He fixed his gaze on Orochimaru and stated his ultimate goal. "I want you to find—or rather, develop—a method to extract the Tailed Beast inside a Jinchūriki, completely or at least with most of its power and chakra intact, without endangering the Jinchūriki's life."

Orochimaru narrowed his golden eyes. "Oh? That's an interesting problem. Taking a symbiotic being without killing its host... It involves life energy, a soul contract, and the ultimate reversal of sealing techniques... Quite a challenge." Excitement gleamed in his eyes. It was exactly the kind of difficult problem that would satisfy his thirst for research.

"You can do it." Shuoyue's tone carried an unquestionable certainty. "You're the only one who might."

"Hehehe... You have quite a lot of faith in me." Orochimaru laughed. "It seems I have no reason to refuse. Then let's work together, Uchiha Shuoyue."

"Come with me." Shuoyue turned.

He left the "fake Orochimaru" in the laboratory to create the illusion that he was still working. The real Orochimaru, curiosity and excitement barely contained, followed Shuoyue. With a spacetime technique prepared in advance—derived from Obito's or replicated and refined—they vanished in an instant.

The next moment, they appeared in an even more secretive underground base, where advanced technology was combined with sealing techniques. It was the headquarters Shuoyue and Obito shared.

Orochimaru breathed in greedily, savoring the potent, rare energies filling the air. His golden eyes were alight with delight.

"Then let's get to work." Shuoyue's cold voice echoed through the vast hall. "I need an answer as soon as possible. As for the specimens..."

His gaze swept toward a section deep within the base, sealed behind layer upon layer of barriers.

"...They'll be here soon." He meant Nadeshiko Haku, temporarily sealed away with Three-Tails chakra inside her, and Fu, the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki, whose condition had already begun to stabilize.

A dangerous bargain and alliance—one that would shape the fate of the Tailed Beasts and their Jinchūriki—was officially struck in this hidden corner. The mad scientist of the Shinobi World and the true demon of vengeance had joined forces, each pursuing his own goals.