In the experimental base, Orochimaru was conducting Nagato's final blood draw.
Konan pressed both hands against the outer wall of the incubation chamber, staring without blinking through the clear liquid inside at the little life still growing within.
Recently, observing the growth of Nagato's second body embryo like this had become her greatest hobby.
After three months, the embryo's heartbeat and fetal bud had both formed.
According to Orochimaru, once the little one inside grew up, he would have almost exactly the same appearance as Nagato. However... under the dual influence of Senju Clan and Uchiha cells, his hair would probably turn "pure black."
In other words, he would become a black-haired Nagato when he grew up!
In another seven months, this brand-new life-form would leave the incubation chamber and officially enter the world.
For Nagato, this time also held special meaning—it would mark exactly one year since he had transmigrated.
Of course, Nagato would not allow this new life, created to serve him and ultimately return to him with a brand-new pair of Rinnegan and all its power, to develop an independent consciousness!
That would be no different from erasing another existence someday in the future!
Although many similar stories had no shortage of such plotlines... their creators liked using them to spark discussions about human nature.
But Nagato had no interest in discussing human nature. Knowing the consequences could be enormous, intervening before anything happened to avoid a bad outcome was a quality every rational adult needed.
Nagato had specifically emphasized this to Orochimaru when proposing the Second Body Plan: this body had to possess—"my consciousness"!
That was essential. This second body carried Nagato's future. He would inevitably pour immense effort into it, past, present, and future, so it had to be completely under his control.
Therefore, it