Gnawing Away

Although the steps had been exceedingly complex, Mizuki had made meticulous arrangements for every move the Shinigami would make, which was why everything had gone so smoothly.

But from Orochimaru's perspective, every step Mizuki took had hovered right at the limit of the Shinigami's resistance, as though he had long known the limits of this "god" without an independent will.

Beneath the seemingly methodical actions, every step had carried life-or-death danger. One misstep, and the entire plan would have been lost.

"Although I already knew that if you acted, you must have been completely confident, I never expected it to be such a tightrope-walking gamble. The more complicated the plan and its steps, the more likely something is to go wrong..."

When something became as bewilderingly complex as Mizuki's operation this time, the chance of error became almost unbearable. Yet Mizuki had put it into practice without hesitation—and succeeded. There had to be a crucial factor Mizuki had anticipated but Orochimaru had failed to see.

"What were you thinking? If something went wrong, the outcome wouldn't be pretty!"

Mizuki merely shrugged indifferently.

"You're overthinking it. The one whose outcome wouldn't be pretty would be you. At worst, I'd use the Flying Raijin Jutsu to take my clones and leave this place, then try again somewhere else. As for you, you can bear the wrath of the Shinigami and the Shinobi World!"

If they succeeded, then naturally everything would be fine. If they failed, there had to be a scapegoat, didn't there?

Otherwise, Orochimaru would merely perform a shamanic ritual for a while, gain a decent soul vessel in the process, and get to watch Mizuki use secret techniques that could never be seen outside. It would be tremendously enlightening for Orochimaru as well.

How could Mizuki possibly allow Orochimaru to