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After that, Kagaya immediately steered the conversation away from the topic of Sasuke. Orochimaru didn't want to turn against him, but he equally didn't want to turn against Orochimaru. After all, turning hostile held no benefits, while cooperation offered many advantages. This was the primary reason neither wished for a falling-out.
So, teasing Orochimaru a little was fine. But pushing him too far? Absolutely not. Even a cornered rabbit will bite, let alone a snake.
"Orochimaru, although I feel sorry about what happened with Sasuke, the reason for my visit this time is to discuss something with you. Do you have time?"
With these words, Kagaya brought the conversation back on track.
In truth, when Kagaya's group initially set out to find Orochimaru, their primary goal was to enlist his help in locating Obito. Unexpectedly, Obito had approached them first, offering terms for reconciliation—two conditions Kagaya found difficult to refuse.
First, the resurrection of Shisui and his parents. This condition held some temptation for Kagaya, but it wasn't overwhelming. Kagaya had always felt conflicted about reviving them. Part of him longed to see them again, yet another part feared them learning the truth about the Uchiha clan's massacre. So, he had been hesitant. If Obito had offered only this condition, whether Kagaya would have agreed was uncertain.
But the second condition—the method to evolve the Rinnegan—was far more enticing. It wasn't that Kagaya was solely self-interested. The primary reason was that the Rinnegan, within the world of Naruto, was simply too powerful, almost akin to a "divine spark." Once one evolved it independently, one could truly act as a "god" in this world.
With that power, Kagaya could accomplish many things on his own, without relying on others. For instance, reviving Shisui and his parents—with the Rinnegan, Kagaya could find a way to do it himself, without depending on Nagato. Moreover, after evolving the Rinnegan, regardless of what changes occurred in the world, Kagaya would have the power to protect himself.
Conversely, without the Rinnegan... things were manageable now. But in the future, if the situation changed drastically with the appearance of figures like Madara Uchiha, Hashirama Senju, or the Ten-Tails... at that point, Kagaya, possessing only the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, would truly be insignificant. Forget fighting; even self-preservation might be uncertain.
Therefore, Kagaya couldn't refuse Obito's proposal. He ultimately agreed. And since he accepted Obito's terms, there was naturally no need for Orochimaru's help in locating Obito anymore.
Kagaya's visit to Orochimaru, besides hindering Sasuke, had another purpose. That was...
Orochimaru nodded, slightly surprised. He had thought Kagaya came near the Hidden Sound Village solely to obstruct Sasuke and disrupt his plans. He hadn't expected there to be an actual matter at hand.
"Of course I have time, Kagaya-kun."
Since they were to cooperate, things became straightforward. Cooperation could never be one-sided. Kagaya wanted something from Orochimaru, and Orochimaru also had things he desired.
What Kagaya proposed next surprised Orochimaru in one respect, yet from another perspective, it was entirely expected.
"I want Hashirama's cells."
Kagaya stated this plainly. Now that he was seriously considering those terrifying future battles, naturally, he had to prepare some life-saving measures. He might never need to use them, but he couldn't afford not to have them. After all, what if?
The life-saving measure Kagaya sought wasn't the regenerative power of Hashirama's cells, but the power of the Senju clan itself. By possessing the combined powers of the Senju and the Uchiha, Kagaya could perform a forbidden jutsu—Izanagi!
The ultimate life-saving technique of the Sharingan! Coincidentally, Kagaya possessed no small number of Sharingan eyes—some collected during the Uchiha massacre, some taken from Danzō's arm. Though certainly not as many as Obito's collection covering an entire wall, Kagaya still had over a dozen.
Hearing Kagaya's words, Orochimaru smiled faintly. He had already abandoned his research on Hashirama's cells for two reasons. First, Danzō was dead, and no one supported his research anymore. Second, even if someone did support it, Orochimaru felt that Hashirama's cells wouldn't yield many significant discoveries anymore.
This was because research on Hashirama's cells had been ongoing since his time in Konoha. It had always been the project with the greatest investment. Countless infants had died in the process. Despite immense human and material resources, coupled with an extremely long duration, they had only managed to produce Yamato—whose existence Orochimaru was unaware of. In Orochimaru's view, a tremendous cost had been paid with no tangible results.
At precisely this time, Orochimaru's research on the Living Corpse Reincarnation succeeded. Consequently, the status of Hashirama's cells plummeted in Orochimaru's estimation. The reason he had researched Hashirama's cells in the first place was for their powerful regenerative properties, hoping they might lead to immortality. However, the Living Corpse Reincarnation was already close to achieving true immortality, while Hashirama's cells showed no progress whatsoever. Naturally, Orochimaru was disappointed.
Subsequent research, supported by Danzō, was merely perfunctory. Once Danzō died, Orochimaru abandoned the research on Hashirama's cells entirely.
Up to now, the greatest advantage of Hashirama's cells was their ability to provide vast amounts of chakra. But the problem was, Orochimaru sought immortality. What use was providing chakra? Orochimaru couldn't care less.
Therefore, when Kagaya asked for Hashirama's cells, Orochimaru agreed without hesitation.
"That's possible, Kagaya-kun. However..."
Kagaya showed no surprise. If he was asking Orochimaru for something, he naturally had to do something in return.
"Go ahead. We're cooperating, aren't we?"
Orochimaru smiled. Although Kagaya had ruined his plans with Sasuke, this cooperative attitude still pleased Orochimaru.
"Good, then I'll be direct. Kagaya-kun, how would you fare against the leader of Akatsuki, Pain?"
Kagaya felt somewhat speechless. He could guess what Orochimaru wanted.
"For now, I will not act against members of Akatsuki."
Orochimaru sighed.
"Ah, I see. I was rather interested in the legendary Rinnegan."
Kagaya thought to himself,' As expected. This guy still had his eyes on the Rinnegan.'
Seeing no hope regarding the Rinnegan, Orochimaru thought for a moment and spoke again.
"Then, Kagaya-kun, if I recall correctly, you once took Konoha's Scroll of Seals for a period, didn't you?"
Apart from immortality, Orochimaru had another dream: to learn as many ninjutsu as possible. Initially, this dream was pursued for the sake of immortality. In Orochimaru's thinking at the time, by learning every ninjutsu in the world, he would eventually find the path to immortality.
Now, although he had basically achieved immortality, the dream of mastering all ninjutsu remained. If possible, Orochimaru still wanted to strive for it. Moreover, his target was the forbidden jutsu within the Scroll of Seals—an even greater temptation!
Kagaya spoke up. "What do you want to learn? The Multiple Shadow Clone Technique?"
Orochimaru rolled his eyes. "No. I don't have that much chakra."
The Multiple Shadow Clone Technique wasn't particularly difficult—at least compared to a technique like the Flying Thunder God. Its classification as a forbidden jutsu was due to its immense chakra consumption. Ordinary people couldn't handle it; one could easily "drain" oneself dry if not careful.
In truth, when Orochimaru fled Konoha, he had also seen many forbidden jutsu. But in the end, he only mastered two: the Eight Branches Technique and the Impure World Reincarnation, plus a technique to release souls from the Reaper Death Seal. He had mostly forgotten the other forbidden jutsu, hence his desire to obtain one from Kagaya. One could never have too many forbidden jutsu.