Orochimaru was one of the rare snake-handling experts in the shinobi world.
Black Zetsu was somewhat puzzled. What exactly was this guy trying to do in the Sand Village?
He sank into the ground and followed.
With his ability to conceal his presence, and with Orochimaru distracted by controlling the small snake, he wouldn't be discovered.
Following underground, he sensed that the small snake had actually arrived at the Sand Village's cemetery.
This surprised Black Zetsu a little. Was Orochimaru trying to steal corpses?
Before long, he saw the small snake emerge from the cemetery.
Looking at the shape of its body, it clearly had a piece of bone inside it.
This made him even more confused. What on earth was Orochimaru planning?
This guy had defected from the Leaf Village many years ago because of his human experiments, but what could he possibly do with dried bones from a cemetery?
Highly curious, he continued to follow the small snake's movements.
The small snake found a narrow gap to slip out of the Sand Village, then slithered toward the northern desert.
After slithering for over a dozen kilometers, it burrowed into a small hole.
Black Zetsu, however, stopped at this point. He did not enter the hole.
This hole definitely connected to Orochimaru's base.
An insidious guy like him would undoubtedly have set up traps at the entrance. That was beyond question.
But this couldn't stump him. His Mayfly Technique allowed him to travel freely through the earth.
Meanwhile, underground in a massive cavernous space, a man with a snake-like appearance was manipulating a small snake to return to him.
It seemed he had made another gain this time.
*'The Sand Village's defenses are truly too weak,'* Orochimaru thought. *'As long as I extract the residual matter from this bone, it will be enough to serve as a medium to cast the Impure World Reincarnation.'*
A human was already lying on the ground; this was the living vessel he would use to summon the soul of the deceased via the Impure World Reincarnation.
Using a sharp scalpel, he scraped out the substance from inside the bone. This material, containing the deceased's DNA, would meet the requirements.
He sprinkled it over the vessel lying on the ground. Then, he began to weave hand signs.
"Impure World Reincarnation."
The spot where the person lay on the ground suddenly emitted a bright light, followed by a blue soul descending from above.
Ash and dirt covered the man, causing him to let out a miserable shriek. Soon after, he transformed into a Sand Village ninja.
"What happened to me?"
"Didn't I die?"
Orochimaru looked at the guy and formed a hand sign, forcing him to close his eyes.
Those brought back by the Impure World Reincarnation possessed the strength they had in life.
This one was clearly just a small fry; Orochimaru couldn't sense the aura of a strong fighter from him at all.
He couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.
He had, of course, already successfully summoned the Second Hokage.
But unfortunately, while the summoned figure was very strong, his movements were somewhat stiff, and his strength fell far short of what Orochimaru desired.
It was completely insufficient to support his plans.
He wanted to seize the body and the Mangekyō Sharingan of a certain someone in the Leaf Village.
Along the way, he also wanted to destroy the Leaf Village.
That village, which had forced him into exile across the shinobi world, had no reason to exist anymore.
Therefore, he had to summon more and stronger individuals.
If he could find the leftover bones or flesh of the First Kazekage or Second Kazekage in the Sand Village, he would have hit the jackpot.
He would gain another extremely powerful puppet.
But clearly, this wasn't the case. It was a bit of a pity.
Right at that moment, his eyes narrowed slightly. Then, he abruptly thrust his hand toward the wall.
"Multiple Striking Shadow Snakes."
Instantly, several green snakes shot out from his sleeve. Opening their bloodthirsty maws, they lunged to bite at the wall.
Half of each snake's body pierced directly into the wall.
Right now, Orochimaru was extremely furious inwardly.
As someone akin to a snake, he had actually allowed an enemy to get this close before noticing.
Suddenly, thick wooden branches sprouted from the wall, violently repelling his snakes and forcing them out.
Then, a bizarre man wearing a black cloak with red clouds, whose face was half-white and half-black, emerged from the wall.
"To think I was actually discovered. You truly live up to your reputation as one of the Sannin."
"I only noticed when you got this close. I actually find it a bit humiliating."
Orochimaru's face showed no trace of amusement.
He stared at the person in the black cloak with red clouds before him.
"You're from the Akatsuki. Why have you entered my base?"
Black Zetsu looked at the highly vigilant Orochimaru, who resembled a venomous snake ready to strike at any moment, and quickly said, "Don't be in such a rush to fight."
"I didn't come here to be your enemy."
"I only came here because I happened to spot that little snake and followed it all the way."
"However, it certainly opened my eyes. I didn't expect there was still someone in the shinobi world who could use a forbidden jutsu like the Impure World Reincarnation."
"Are you interested in joining forces with me? I can offer you some excellent assistance."
When Black Zetsu saw the Impure World Reincarnation, he saw immense combat potential.
Orochimaru had defected from the Leaf Village precisely because of his illicit human experiments.
He had even worked with Shimura Danzō on Hashirama cell transplants.
He definitely had Hashirama's cells on hand, which meant he was one hundred percent capable of summoning the God of Shinobi.
No one who knew the Impure World Reincarnation could resist the temptation of the God of Shinobi's terrifying combat power.
Hearing the other party's words, Orochimaru did not believe him easily.
This guy even knew about the Impure World Reincarnation.
*'Still, it might be worth seeing what kind of help he can provide,'* Orochimaru thought.
"So, what kind of assistance can you offer me?"
Black Zetsu spoke with confidence.
"I can give you the perfect vessels, allowing the summoned dead to fully unleash the combat power they had in life."
This condition was absolutely enough to tempt Orochimaru.
However, Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.
"Can you show me?"
If this was true, it would be an absolutely massive help to him.
He knew full well how formidable the God of Shinobi was; even ten of him wouldn't be able to defeat that man.
If he could allow the God of Shinobi to exert his full strength, the success rate of his plans would skyrocket, and it would also greatly accelerate his timeline.
Black Zetsu didn't hesitate and immediately wove hand signs.
With a *poof* in front of them, a puff of white smoke appeared, revealing a person with an entirely white body.
"You can verify for yourself whether it's true or false."
Orochimaru impatiently stepped forward, drew his scalpel, and sliced off a piece of flesh.
But to his surprise, there was absolutely no blood inside.
Looking at these cells, they seemed familiar.
"You actually used Hashirama's cells to create an artificial human."
His eyes burned with a feverish intensity.
The guy in front of him was able to utilize Hashirama's cells to such an incredible degree.
Such technology made him somewhat envious.
It was far superior to his own methods of utilizing Hashirama's cells.
Black Zetsu noticed Orochimaru's gaze, but he wasn't afraid.
He could leave whenever he wanted; this guy couldn't capture him.
"How about it? With a vessel like this, do you think the dead brought back by the Impure World Reincarnation will possess their original strength?"
Orochimaru withdrew his intense gaze. This guy had been able to silently infiltrate his base; taking him down wouldn't be so easy.
"They certainly would. Tell me your conditions. What do you want me to do for you?"
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