At the sight of Anyo, Shigemitsu first brightened, then his gaze dimmed. He stood and bowed respectfully in greeting.
Anyo nodded to him, stepped forward, and asked Orochimaru, "Uncle, what experiment are you working on now?"
Without stopping his work, Orochimaru said calmly, "It was only during this Shinobi World War that I discovered how many unknowns still exist in this world. For example, the Ten-Tails' true form is a tree. It must hold the secret of immortality, and that makes it worth studying."
"Then I've brought you something good this time." An extremely compressed black sphere appeared in Anyo's hand.
Orochimaru grew interested. "What is it?"
"Black Zetsu, the mastermind behind a thousand years of unrest in the Shinobi World. It is an immortal being."
Orochimaru's pupils narrowed into vertical slits. "A fine specimen," he said with satisfaction.
"Besides bringing you an experimental subject, I also came to ask you a favor."
Orochimaru gave him an ambiguous smile. "Isn't that how you've always been? You only ever come to me when you need something."
Looking somewhat embarrassed, Anyo said, "This time is different. It's happy news. Tsunade and I are holding our wedding today. As one of the Sannin, she'll certainly want you and Jiraiya to attend together. It's at the Senju Clan's old grounds. Shigemitsu, you should come too."
Shigemitsu's face filled with excitement, but just as he was about to speak, the Anyo before him turned into a fading image and vanished.
"What was that?" Shigemitsu was stunned.
"The power of time. His time can already cross space. Once his allotted time in this space runs out, he automatically disappears."
Noticing the longing in Shigemitsu's eyes, Orochimaru smiled faintly. "The power of time is in your bloodline. Perhaps you'll be able to master it someday too."
Shigemitsu