Hashirama Cells

"Stay away from me. I don't like cold snakes."

"If you rub against me one more time, don't blame me for activating Susanoo to give you a proper massage!"

Natsume raised an eyebrow, took a deep breath, and warned him coldly.

"Don't be so aloof! We are partners, after all. And we're both rogue ninjas of Konoha now..."

"It's not the same. You still have Konoha in your heart, don't you?"

Orochimaru froze for a split second.

Then, he quickly laughed.

"How could that be? I'm busy preparing my revenge against Konoha!"

"A place like that should have been destroyed long ago!"

Natsume rolled his eyes at Orochimaru, snorting inwardly:

"Pah! Your bullshit 'Konoha Crush Plan'. You fought for ages and didn't even kill a single important person!"

"Instead, you ended up solving the Fourth Kazekage problem for Konoha, gave a bunch of genin brats some training, and even let Konoha extort a huge sum of reparations from [Sunagakure]."

"You were just like a 'proud, chuunibyou honor student trying to prove himself in front of a silly teacher.' If you hadn't messed up at the end and had your hands taken by Sarutobi, who knows how it would have ended!"

Of course, Natsume didn't point it out.

After all, he and Orochimaru were currently in a cooperative relationship.

Once they established their own village later on, they would indeed need the assistance of Orochimaru and the [Land of Fields].

In short, it wasn't the time to burn bridges.

Besides, he had paid quite a price to secure this partnership; he couldn't let it go to waste.

"Let's talk business."

"Within three days, I want the lord of the [Land of Fields] to announce to all nations, in the name of the country, that they have decided to officially accept the Uchiha Clan."

Natsume stated his demand.

Once officially accepted by a nation, it would undoubtedly provide the Uchiha Clan with another layer of protection.

At that point, other ninja villages, including Konoha, would have to consider the alliance of nations. It would be difficult for them to launch large-scale attacks openly, leaving them only able to send small, covert Anbu teams.

It was precisely because of this that [Otogakure], established by Orochimaru and recognized by the [Land of Fields], could exist so brazenly.

Otherwise, Konoha would have sent a large force to wipe out [Otogakure] long ago.

Of course, that might also be because Orochimaru had maintained a mutually beneficial relationship with Danzo.

But it was enough to prove that this layer of official state recognition was quite important.

"Oh? That is not a simple matter!"

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, preparing to haggle.

"Cut the crap. The lord of the [Land of Fields] has been under your control for a long time, hasn't he? Otherwise, would your raggedy [Otogakure] have been recognized?"

"Natsume-kun is certainly well-informed!"

"Fine, I will arrange it as soon as possible."

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and gave his answer.

This brat is truly difficult to deal with!

It makes it feel like I'm his subordinate.

If it weren't for coveting this kid's strength and the conditions he promised, I wouldn't be working this hard.

"Also, how is the Hashirama Cells I asked for coming along?"

"Your ambition is not small! Are you really determined to transplant that stuff? If you can't handle it, you'll die, you know!"

Orochimaru stared at Natsume.

It was hard to imagine that this ten-year-old kid would disregard the danger and risk his own body to actively experiment with such forbidden cell transplantation.

It was truly insane!

"I'm confident. I won't die."

"If that guy Danzo could handle the right arm you crafted and transplanted for him, do you really think I'd be worse off than an old man?"

"Besides, if I really died, wouldn't that suit your intentions perfectly?"

"Furthermore, compared to before, your Hashirama Cells transplantation technology has improved quite a bit, hasn't it?"

In fact, from the very first day he arrived in this world, Natsume had been eyeing these 'cure-all' Hashirama Cells.

Now, having defected from Konoha and arrived at the [Land of Fields] Otogakure, he was finally ready.

Without the surveillance and constraints of Konoha.

The matter of finding Orochimaru to transplant Hashirama Cells really should be moved up.

After all, leaving such a great "scientist," the best in the ninja world, unused would be a massive waste!

Furthermore, the current situation for himself and his clansmen is not exactly safe.

Konoha, other hidden villages, Akatsuki... and so on.

Any of them might come over to "take a bite" out of this fat piece of meat and test the waters.

If his Mangekyo were to be overused and rendered useless, it would be a huge problem.

At the same time, although the System Shop can exchange for the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, the "ten thousand gold coin" price tag is simply too expensive!

Even Natsume, who is currently rolling in wealth, cannot afford to exchange for it.

He has no choice but to settle for the next best thing: having Orochimaru transplant Hashirama Cells for him.

Although such a transplant will likely have some minor side effects.

Natsume is confident he can suppress them.

After all, Yamato, Danzo, and Obito all succeeded; there is no reason he would fail.

Even if he does fail.

He has the system to save his life, so there is no need to fear.

And once he succeeds, he will be able to use the abilities of the Mangekyo Sharingan without any reservations, just like Obito-bro, with absolutely no need to worry about going blind.

By then, his overall strength will skyrocket even further!

"Hahaha. What a greedy fellow!"

"However, I like it."

"Right, don't forget what you promised. If you die, these Mangekyo of yours will belong to me!"

Orochimaru laughed heartily.

To be honest, he loves these kinds of reckless lunatics.

Moreover, he is very eager to see what kind of brilliance will erupt once Hashirama Cells are combined with this brat!

"No problem."

Natsume said calmly.

When a person dies, the light goes out.

If he were truly dead, who cares whose hands these eyes fall into!

Besides, if he cannot even protect his own life, what is the point of talking about dominating the ninja world.

"Can you have it ready within five days?"

"I can!"

Orochimaru confirmed. Regarding this transplant experiment, he is even more impatient than Natsume himself.

Naturally, he would not make Natsume wait any longer.

Soon, the two chatted in detail for quite a while about the specific matters of the "Hashirama Cells transplant."

Only then were the subsequent arrangements finalized.

At the same time, Natsume secretly noticed the "Sky" ring worn on Orochimaru's finger.

It was then that he remembered.

Originally, Orochimaru was supposed to attempt to seize Itachi's body as a vessel for reincarnation after Itachi joined the Akatsuki organization, failed, and eventually left Akatsuki because his goals differed from theirs.

In other words, Orochimaru should still be within the Akatsuki organization right now.

Good news!

This is a point that can be exploited!

After all, there are quite a few good things inside Akatsuki.

The Rinnegan, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, all kinds of talent, and those six hundred billion explosive tags, etc...

They are all things that can be planned for!

As expected, it is better here with Snake Auntie.

There is a sense of warmth like home.

You can do whatever you want, unrestrained.

Never again having to be like in Konoha, being ostracized every day and monitored every day...

Of course, these ideas all require careful planning over time.

There is another matter at present that needs to be prioritized.

"Orochimaru, you and Danzo have been collaborating for quite some time, haven't you?"

Hearing this, Orochimaru's pupils constricted, and his expression turned uncharacteristically grave.

After all, ever since he defected from Konoha, his dealings and cooperation with Danzo had been conducted in absolute secrecy.

It shouldn't have been exposed!

How could a brat like Natsume know about this?

Just how deep did his intelligence network within Konoha run?

Of course, he could never know that while Natsume lacked any formidable intelligence network, the memories of his past life were infinitely more powerful than the spy network of any hidden village, encompassing nearly every secret in the entire ninja world.

"I didn't expect Natsume-kun to know even this!"

"No need to be wary; cooperation is merely for the sake of mutual interest. Given the position that old bastard Danzo holds in Konoha, I might even cooperate with him myself in the future..."

Natsume did not care about the cooperation between Danzo and Orochimaru; it was nothing more than a mutual exchange of benefits.

Moreover, when necessary, both of these guys were the type to betray each other without a moment's hesitation.

There was no need to overthink it.

"Enough, let's talk business."

"Recently, Danzo should have given you a new mission, or perhaps a transaction, right?"

Natsume stared at Orochimaru and asked quietly.