Orochimaru's God-Creation Plan

The morning sunlight filtered through the leaves of Konoha, casting dappled shadows. Neji stood in front of Uzumaki Naruto, his white Hyuga Clan robes spotless. His Tenseigan pierced through the door, revealing Naruto sitting at the table, lost in thought, waiting for his instant noodles to soften.

"Naruto," Neji said softly, his voice carrying clearly into the room.

Naruto looked up abruptly, and when Gate of Opening, his face was already sporting its usual carefree smile. "Neji! Is something wrong so early?"

"Come with me." Neji hadn't finished speaking when he grabbed Naruto's shoulder, and the two vanished from the spot in an instant.

The corridors of the Sound Village Underground Base were dark and damp, with water droplets condensing on the walls. A dim yellow light was placed at intervals. The air was filled with the pungent smell of disinfectant mixed with some kind of chemical reagent, and occasionally the low hum of experimental equipment could be heard in the distance.

Once Naruto regained his footing, he immediately looked around, a clear sense of unease on his face. "Is this... Orochimaru's lair?"

"Not bad." Neji walked ahead, his white clan robes seeming to glow faintly in the dim light. "Keep up."

They walked through several corridors, passing several laboratories with transparent glass walls. Naruto saw all sorts of instruments he couldn't understand inside, and some containers even contained specimens that looked like human tissue. He suppressed his discomfort and quickened his pace to keep up with Neji.

Finally, they stopped in front of a heavy metal door. Neji didn't knock; he simply placed his hand on the identification device on the side of the door. A blue light swept across his palm, and the door silently slid open to both sides.

The laboratory was much brighter than the corridor, and the spacious room was filled with various sophisticated instruments. Several holographic projections floated above the central control panel, displaying complex energy waveforms and data streams. Orochimaru, with his back to the door, was intently adjusting the parameters of a certain instrument, his long black hair cascading down his back.

"Wait a moment," Orochimaru said without turning his head, his voice still hoarse and calm. "This data collection will be completed in thirty-seven seconds."

Neji nodded and stood quietly by the door. Naruto, however, couldn't help but look around. He saw a device that looked like a Chakra tester fixed on a bracket in the corner of the room, but it was much larger and its surface was covered with complex sealing runes and wires.

Thirty-seven seconds later, Orochimaru pressed a button, and the data stream on the holographic projection stopped scrolling. He turned around, his golden snake eyes sweeping over Neji and Naruto, finally settling on Neji's pure white Tenseigan.

"Neji, a rare guest." Orochimaru's lips curled into a slight smile. "And Uzumaki Naruto. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Neji took a few steps forward, his gaze calmly meeting Orochimaru's. "Lord Orochimaru, I need your help to Impure World Reincarnation the Fourth Hokage — Minato Namikaze— once again using the Impure World Reincarnation technique."

The laboratory suddenly fell silent, with only the low hum of the instruments. Naruto abruptly turned to look at Neji, his eyes filled with shock and confusion.

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, his slender fingers tapping lightly on the edge of the control panel: "Does it require self-awareness?"

"Of course." Neji's answer was brief and affirmative.

"Wait! Neji!" Naruto finally couldn't help but speak, his voice ringing out loudly in the empty laboratory, "Why did you Impure World Reincarnation the Fourth Hokage using the Edo Tensei technique? Is the final battle already over?"

Neji turned to Naruto, his expression still calm, but a complex light flashed in his Tenseigan: "You should know what your relationship is with Minato Namikaze, right?"

Naruto's expression froze. Anger, sadness, anticipation, resistance—a mix of emotions swirled and shifted across his face, ultimately settling into a deep weariness. He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white from the force.

"He's already dead." Naruto's voice lowered, trembling with suppressed emotion. "Wouldn't it be better to let him rest in peace in the Pure Land? Why disturb him?"

"This Impure World Reincarnation will preserve Minato Namikaze's complete self-awareness," Neji's voice was calm and steady, as if stating a simple fact. "I will allow you and your father some time alone. But I hope that through this meeting, you can obtain the complete Kurama."

Naruto frowned, confusion replacing some of his anger. "Isn't Kurama inside me? What are you talking about?"

Neji chuckled softly, a laugh devoid of sarcasm, more like a gentle reminder: "You can ask the Kurama within you yourself."

Naruto paused for a moment, then closed his eyes. A few seconds later, Kurama's voice, deep and solemn, echoed in his consciousness:

[When Minato Namikaze used the Reaper Death Seal, he sealed my Yin half inside him, while my Yang half—that is, me—was sealed inside you. We are two sides of the same coin.]

Naruto opened his eyes, a look of sudden realization crossing his face, but it quickly turned into a new confusion. "But... I should be strong enough now with Kurama inside me. Besides, aren't you still in Konoha? You're Six Paths Tier expert!"

Neji gazed silently at Naruto, his Tenseigan reflecting Naruto's bewildered face. In that moment, Neji suddenly realized that he might have underestimated this seemingly reckless boy— Naruto wasn't completely clueless; he was simply thinking and testing the waters in his own way.

"Sasuke has already relayed the Sage of Six Paths' words to me," Neji said slowly. "I will be leaving Konoha soon. The matter of the Otsutsuki Clan will ultimately be left to you and Sasuke to resolve. Therefore, you need to become stronger."

Naruto opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just silently looked at Neji. In his eyes there was understanding, the weight of responsibility, and a kind of unspeakable loss—as if he realized that some support would eventually leave.

Meanwhile, Orochimaru had already begun his operation. He took a specially treated White Zetsu body from the refrigerator and placed it flat in the jutsu array in the center of the laboratory. Kabuto Yakushi had appeared in the corner of the room at some point, silently handing over the prepared Impure World Reincarnation materials— Minato Namikaze's DNA sample.

"You can step back a bit," Orochimaru said, his hands beginning to Hand Seals. His movements were fluid and precise, each seal accompanied by subtle fluctuations of Chakra.

The Impure World Reincarnation technique array glowed with a dark purple light, and the body of the sacrificed White Zetsu began to be covered by countless grayish-white paper pieces. The paper pieces spun and converged, gradually forming a human shape. Naruto held his breath, watching the process intently, his left hand unconsciously pressed against his heart.

When the last piece of paper was in place and the dust settled, a familiar figure appeared in the center of the spell array.

Minato Namikaze opened his eyes.

A hint of confusion flashed across his deep blue eyes before they quickly cleared. He looked down at his hands, which were made of dust, then looked up and surveyed the laboratory, his gaze sweeping over Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi before finally settling on Naruto.

"Naruto..." Minato spoke softly, his voice as gentle as when he was alive.

Naruto's lips trembled, and his eyes instantly reddened.

Neji gestured to Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi, and the three silently left the laboratory. The heavy metal door closed behind them, leaving the space entirely to the father and son who had been reunited after so long.

In the corridor, Orochimaru leaned against the wall, his golden snake eyes scrutinizing Neji with interest. "You're leaving Konoha? Where are you going?"

Neji's gaze drifted into the endless darkness at the end of the corridor, his voice calm. "I will probably travel throughout the Shinobi World like Jiraiya. However... I will take my beloved with me."

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, a rare occurrence, his eyes flashing with obvious curiosity—no longer the interest of a scientist towards a research subject, but a human emotion akin to gossip. "What kind of girl could make a 'god' like you, a Six Paths Tier being, fall for her?"

Neji chuckled and turned to Orochimaru: "Lord Orochimaru, you're now interested in these kinds of things between men and women?"

"Not entirely." Orochimaru regained his calm, researcher's demeanor, but his eyes still gleamed with interest. "I want to study whether the offspring of Six Paths Tier cultivators can inherit their parents' power, or rather, how much power they can inherit. This involves the deeper mechanisms of Kekkei Genkai and Chakra inheritance."

Neji was silent for a moment, Tenseigan reflected the light from the corridor ceiling. "Then you might have a long wait. I'm not ready to be a father yet."

Orochimaru let out a low, chilling laugh that echoed through the empty corridor, "No rush. I need to first complete the Six Paths Tier physical data testing, then overcome the hurdle of systematically cultivating Senjutsu, and only then can I begin researching how to safely enable ordinary people to reach the Six Paths Tier."

Neji was intrigued by Orochimaru's research plan. Leaning against the wall on the other side, arms crossed, he began to ask in a scientific tone, "I reached the Six Paths Tier using the Incomplete Ten-Tails 'Chakra. Tailed Beast already possess an extremely large amount of Chakra. How do you plan to solve this problem?"

Orochimaru was clearly also focused. He straightened up and gestured with his fingers in the air. "Nine Tailed Beasts have Jinchuriki, and Jinchuriki can use the Tailed Beast's Chakra to some extent. My plan is to use the Impure World Reincarnation technique to completely transform the Jinchuriki into Full Tailed-Beast Transformation under controlled conditions, and then analyze in detail the precise properties and fluctuation frequency of each Tailed Beast Chakra."

He paused, his eyes gleaming with the fervent light characteristic of a scientist. "Next, I can use cell cloning technology to mass-produce individuals with specific Tailed Beast Chakra affinity. Although the Chakra amount of a single clone is limited, by connecting enough individuals in parallel for energy supply, it is theoretically possible to simulate a Chakra amount close to that of a real Tailed Beast."

Neji nodded and continued, "So, what do you plan to use to replace the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path —that is, the body of the Ten-Tails?"

This question caused Orochimaru to fall into a brief silence. He tapped his chin lightly with his slender fingers, clearly indicating that he hadn't given this difficult point much thought before.

Just then, Kabuto Yakushi, who had been standing quietly to the side, adjusted his glasses and calmly spoke, "We can use large summoning beasts as experimental subjects. Summoning beasts of the Manda, Gamabunta, and Katsuyu levels have robust enough life force to withstand the infusion of multiple Tailed Beast Chakra. By monitoring the life response data of the summoning beasts, we can deduce whether the optimal ratio for the fusion of the nine Tailed Beast Chakra is appropriate."

Neji's gaze shifted to Kabuto Yakushi, a hint of admiration flashing in his Tenseigan: "As expected, not just anyone can be Orochimaru's assistant."

Kabuto Yakushi bowed slightly but remained silent.

Neji changed the subject, his tone becoming more casual. "Jugo, Suigetsu, and Karin, what are you planning to do?"

Orochimaru smiled, a smile radiating an air of complete control, "Neji, do you have any suggestions?"

"These people were originally Lord Orochimaru's subordinates," Neji replied calmly. "How to deal with them is naturally up to Lord Orochimaru's decision."

"Then let them stay," Orochimaru said casually. "After all, large-scale research projects require sufficient manpower."

Neji nodded, raising his right hand and gently clenching his fist. Almost invisible ripples appeared in the air, and three extremely subtle Chakra fluctuations came from different directions of the base before disappearing without a trace—those were the surveillance restrictions Neji had left on Jugo, Suigetsu, and Karin, which he had now remotely deactivated.

Just then, the metal door to the laboratory slid open.

Naruto emerged, his eyes red and swollen, tears still staining his face. He sniffed hard, trying to make his voice sound steady, "Neji, let's go back to Konoha."

Neji carefully observed Naruto's body using his Tenseigan —and sure enough, Kurama's Chakra level had doubled, and the yin and yang halves of his body had perfectly merged, forming a complete and harmonious Chakra cycle. That power flowed slowly within Naruto's body, stable and powerful.

"Did you finish talking so quickly?" Neji asked softly.

"Yes." Naruto nodded, his voice still choked with emotion. "Dad... he said a lot. He also passed on the other half of Kurama's power to me. He said he was proud of me."

As Naruto spoke, his eyes reddened again, but he forced himself not to let the tears fall.

Neji didn't ask any more questions, but simply waved to Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi. Orochimaru nodded slightly, a subtle, unreadable emotion flashing in his golden snake eyes—perhaps anticipation, perhaps farewell.

Neji grabbed Naruto's shoulder, and the two immediately disappeared.

The next moment, they appeared at Naruto. Sunlight streamed through the windows, bathing everything in a warm golden glow.

"Get some rest," Neji said to Naruto. "You need to get used to the full power of Kurama. I'll talk to Sasuke about it."

Naruto nodded and watched Neji leave the house.

Neji walked alone on the streets of Konoha, the sunlight casting a long shadow of him. Instead of going straight home, he turned in another direction—towards Tenten's Tenten tool shop.

His pace quickened unconsciously, and the eternal calm in his Tenseigan seemed to ripple slightly.

Along the street, the cherry blossoms had begun to fade, their pink and white petals drifting in the wind like a gentle rain. Neji reached out and caught a petal, watching it linger in his palm for a moment before being carried away by another gust of wind.

A faint, genuine smile unconsciously curved the corners of his mouth.