A Detailed Plan!

In the laboratory, Orochimaru said, "Nagato, to cultivate another body for you, we'll need to extract your cells as a template. We'll also need Hashirama Senju's cells, as well as cells from the Uchiha Clan."

"I already have Hashirama-sama's cells on hand. I took them from the Konoha Hashirama Cell Laboratory when I defected from Konoha."

"That laboratory was established during the Second Hokage's era for cell research and forbidden technique development. It's far too old, so the cells aren't pure enough. I'm afraid they won't meet your needs."

Nagato's gaze darkened. "I know where to find the purest Hashirama Cells."

"Oh?" Orochimaru raised a brow.

Nagato said, "During Madara's battle with Hashirama Senju, he bit off a piece of Hashirama's flesh. He transplanted it into his own wound, keeping some of Hashirama's original cells and cultivating them using the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path summoned through the Rinnegan."

Orochimaru's eyes suddenly lit up. "Where is that Demonic Statue of the Outer Path now?"

"In Uchiha Obito's lair. My Rinnegan can summon it at any time."

Nagato lowered his gaze and clenched his fist.

If he summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, Obito would definitely notice.

In other words... there was a risk of alerting the enemy.

Half a month ago, he had only managed to secure a one-year buffer period through negotiations.

But whether he could obtain those Hashirama Cells now concerned his most vital interests. Delaying the plan by a year just to avoid alerting the enemy would be far too frustrating.

Then he recalled that the King of Hell of his Naraka Path still held the corpse and soul of a White Zetsu. If he made proper use of it, perhaps he could acquire those Hashirama Cells without anyone noticing.

Nagato told Orochimaru his idea, along with his concerns.

"White Zetsu can communicate over great distances through their consciousness. If the other White Zetsu recognize it, we'll be finished."

"As for that..." Orochimaru pinched his chin with a slender hand, his vertical pupils flickering. "Nagato, I haven't yet researched the White Zetsu you mentioned. Could you lend me that White Zetsu corpse you've stored away? Perhaps I can find a way to break that long-distance communication."

"That would be wonderful!" Without another word, Nagato used the Naraka Path to summon the King of Hell, which spat out the White Zetsu's corpse.

Orochimaru focused his gaze. "I see. I can indeed sense a power similar to Hashirama-sama's cells from it. But if Hashirama-sama is the bright moon, then these things are as feeble as fireflies."

Nagato said, "According to what I saw in the Ayakashi, these things were products of the Infinite Tsukuyomi in ancient times. And the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path I just mentioned is the shell of the Ten-Tails and the Divine Tree. I hope this information will be useful to your research."

Although the Orochimaru of the original story's later stages had thoroughly studied White Zetsu, from their sensory methods to their uses... that had ultimately required the accumulation of time.

To be honest, Nagato did not have high hopes for this last-minute research.

If it worked, all the better. If it did not, he was already prepared to forcibly summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

As for how he would explain it to Obito?

Heh, Pain had once said something rather well.

Things always happened suddenly. As for the reason, one could always find one afterward.

That so-called one-year agreement was not absolute; it depended on how the situation developed.

But what Nagato had not expected was that Orochimaru would soon give him a huge surprise in this matter. It could hardly be called something for later, since it would happen very soon.

Back in the present, Orochimaru ordered Yakushi Kabuto to place White Zetsu's corpse into a specialized preservation device. Then the three of them left the laboratory together.

"As for Hashirama-sama's cells, wait for my news for now. During this time, Nagato, you can find a way to obtain cells from the Uchiha Clan."

"The other body I will cultivate for you will, in terms of life itself, be an entirely new individual. So if all goes smoothly, you will awaken a Sharingan of your own."

"It will be a pair of entirely new eyes. Regrettably, those new eyes will not escape the Uchiha Clan's curse. If you awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan in the future, you will also face the fate of inevitable blindness."

Nagato's eyes narrowed slightly. "So I will undergo the same ocular power evolution as Uchiha Madara?"

Orochimaru wore a knowing smile. "Yes. When your eyes are on the verge of blindness, you will need to choose another pair of Mangekyō Sharingan from a direct blood relative within three generations in order to obtain new ocular power—the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan."

Nagato said, "A life created from nothing has no blood relatives within three generations."

A captivating smile curled across Orochimaru's lips. "That's why we'll need to make a few adjustments. Nagato, if there is someone whose eyes you hope to transplant in the future, bring me a serum sample from him. When creating this embryo, I will attempt to selectively modify some of your cells and establish a blood relationship between you."

Nagato knew nothing about technical matters. But he truly had not expected... that he could choose!

Though it was somewhat excessive, he asked one more question. "Can I only choose one set of backup eyes?"

"Hm?" Even Orochimaru had not expected that, after all, there was only one pair of eyes. "Then how many do you want to choose?"

Nagato smiled. "Naturally, the more the better. After all, I don't yet know what ocular power my Mangekyō Sharingan will awaken in the future. If its power conflicts with the backup eyes I select, wouldn't that be a terrible waste? The more options I have, the better!"

Orochimaru nodded. "That makes sense! With your Uzumaki Clan cells as the template, together with the enhancement from Hashirama Cells, your body should have an extraordinary tolerance for Uchiha cells..."

After careful consideration, Orochimaru gave him a definite limit. "But even so, for the embryo's stability, the samples for your backup eyes must come from no more than five people!"

"Five people!?"

Good heavens... Nagato nearly lost his composure. He steadied himself and maintained his lofty demeanor. "In other words, I need to obtain serum samples from five Uchiha?"

"Yes."

Nagato stopped walking. "Right... what if the child is already in the womb but has not yet been born? How should I obtain the sample? Should I wait until the child is born?"

Orochimaru's eyes flickered faintly. "Well, if... the child is already in the womb, simply take a blood sample from the mother."

"Understood."

It seemed... he was going to be busy.

Nagato's lips curved up slightly.

At the exit of Orochimaru's underground base, he handed Orochimaru a scroll.

"This is the summoning contract for the Animal Path of the Rinnegan. Once you sign it, I can use the Animal Path's ability to summon you to my side anytime, anywhere."

Orochimaru pondered briefly. "Can I reverse-summon you?"

Nagato shook his head. "No. This summoning is one-way. You cannot reverse-summon me."

"However, if you have news, inject blood into the contract. I'll be able to sense it and summon you."

"I see."

After pressing his handprint onto it, Orochimaru tilted his head back and shoved the scroll deep into his throat.

"Gulp..." Orochimaru swallowed hard, licked his long tongue, and let out a hoarse laugh. "Nagato, then let us await each other's good news~."

Nagato smiled. "All right. Once we're done with this busy stretch, let's go to the bathhouse together."

He looked at Kabuto behind Orochimaru. "Kabuto, you're coming too."