The night wind swept over the cliff, carrying the roar of a distant waterfall. This clash between thunder and a cunning fox had ended in the hunter's complete victory. Far to the north, an existence that had lain dormant for a thousand years might still have been utterly unaware of the fate about to befall him.
...Or had he already begun to grow wary?
Whatever the case, the game continued. And the player who controlled the board had acquired new pieces and begun working out his next move.
Several days later, in the underground laboratory in Rōran.
Outside the containers, Orochimaru and Mayuri Kurotsuchi were excitedly studying comparative data from the two specimens.
"Perfect! Absolutely perfect!" Mayuri Kurotsuchi waved his arms and danced with excitement. "Momoshiki Otsutsuki and Urashiki Otsutsuki, two completely different specimens! One specialized in direct combat and absorbing and returning attacks, while the other favored agile maneuvering and stealing and storing! Their biological structures, energy circuits, and information imprints must have enormous differences and complementary properties! Comparative research will take our understanding of the Ōtsutsuki Clan up more than one level!"
Orochimaru licked his lips, an unusual gleam flickering in his golden, serpentine eyes. "There are also the remains of that Fish Basket. Although it was damaged, the spatial folding technology and chakra storage principles it contained have tremendous research value.
"Perhaps we can reverse-engineer a new chakra storage device, or even... create a spatial ninja tool with similar functions."
"And that Fate-Reversing Transfer he used at the end! Although the cost was enormous, that method of temporarily severing causal connections has opened an entirely new door for our research!" Mayuri Kurotsuchi had already begun planning the next stage of their research.
Nearby, Sōkyū Hatake watched it all and nodded in satisfaction. Two Otsutsuki specimens were enough