Watching the ground where Tobi had disappeared—
Orochimaru casually placed the three sample tubes at the corner of the lab table and returned to his unfinished experiment, as if the interruption had never happened.
Only after two and a half hours—
When all operations were complete—
Did he finally pick up the tubes and walk toward the innermost instrument in the lab.
Kinship testing relied on analyzing specific genetic markers.
By comparing shared allele frequencies between samples, one could determine the degree of relation.
For most—
This required precision instruments and expertise.
For Orochimaru—
It was trivial.
About ten minutes later—
The results appeared.
Sample B (Uchiha Obito) and Sample C (Nohara Rin): no genetic relation.
Sample A (Uchiha Rin) and Sample B (Uchiha Obito): direct blood relation.
Sample A (Uchiha Rin) and Sample C (Nohara Rin): direct blood relation.
But—
One of the genetic profiles…
Why did it feel so familiar?
No—
All three did.
Orochimaru's expression shifted.
He moved quickly toward a sealed chamber deeper within the lab.
Opening a specialized refrigerated container—
He retrieved three preserved cell samples.
Then—
He ran a high-precision comparison.
On the screen—
The genetic match percentage surged upward.
Until it stopped—
At a definitive value.
Perfect match.
"Kehehehe… so it's exactly as I thought."
Orochimaru's thoughts drifted back several years—
To the time before the Nine-Tails Incident.
A young man named Uchiha Mo—
Had come to him with two unknown cell samples.
Requesting—
That he use biotechnology to cultivate a female embryo with specific traits.
Driven by curiosity—
For the Uchiha bloodline.
For the experiment itself.
And the promise of future returns—
He had accepted.
The process had gone smoother than expected.
An embryo—
Combining the properties of both samples—
Had been successfully created.
However…
Shortly after Uchiha Mo took the result—
Orochimaru's human experimentation was exposed.
He was forced to flee Konoha.
Too coincidental.
For years—
He had wondered—
Had Uchiha Mo reported him?
Used him—
Then severed ties once the work was done?
Time passed.
The memory had nearly faded—
Until today.
These three samples—
Had resurfaced in the most dramatic way.
As for the original samples—
He had simply kept them out of habit.
A researcher's instinct.
"How interesting…"
Orochimaru licked his lips slowly.
He still didn't know who the samples belonged to.
Nor what Uchiha Mo was planning.
But one thing was clear—
The creation he had cultivated—
Had grown.
And now—
It had attracted the attention of the Akatsuki.
How fascinating.
Perhaps—
It was time to reconnect with that old acquaintance.
After all—
That promised "future" had yet to be repaid.
And Orochimaru—
Never let debts slide.
...
At that moment—
The ground began to writhe again.
"Senpai, senpai! Tobi's back! Is the result ready? I need to report back!"
The spiral-masked head popped out of the floor like a mole, bouncing up cheerfully and dusting himself off.
Orochimaru handed over a simplified report.
"Take it. It seems your organization is quite interested in these samples."
"Ehehe! Top secret mission!"
Tobi pressed a finger to his mask in an exaggerated "shh" gesture.
"I don't know anything—just a delivery guy!"
He skimmed the report.
When his eyes reached the conclusion—
direct blood relation—
His movement paused—
Just for a fraction of a second.
Then—
He returned to his lively tone.
"Thanks a lot, senpai! I'll report back right away!"
He turned—
About to sink into the ground.
"Wait."
Orochimaru's voice stopped him.
"Tell the one who sent you… if further assistance is needed, I'd be happy to help."
Tobi froze.
Behind the mask—
Something flickered.
Then he tilted his head innocently.
"Huh? I don't understand what you're talking about! But I'll pass the message along~ Bye-bye!"
He sank into the ground—
Gone.
Orochimaru watched the spot.
A trace of amusement flickered in his snake-like eyes.
This "Tobi"—
Was far from simple.
That brief hesitation—
Meant he fully understood the report.
The game—
Was becoming more interesting.
Uchiha Mo's scheme.
Akatsuki's involvement.
And that mysterious Tobi.
As for himself—
Orochimaru was more than willing—
To stir the waters.
...
"Zetsu!"
"Get out here—NOW!"
Inside a dark underground cavern—
Obito's roar shook the walls.
The report in his hand was slammed to the ground.
Behind the mask—
His Sharingan spun violently.
The result—
Was absurd.
Uchiha Obito.
Uchiha Rin—
Genetically—
Was directly related to both him—
And Rin.
Impossible.
Moments later—
Zetsu emerged slowly from the rock wall.
Black and white halves.
Expression unreadable.
"What's wrong, Obito?" White Zetsu asked lightly. "Calling us out so urgently?"
"What is Uchiha Rin?" Obito grabbed the report again.
"Did you already know about her? Why didn't you tell me?!"
Black Zetsu answered calmly:
"We deemed it unnecessary information."
White Zetsu added playfully:
"After all, your memories of Rin are so precious~ We didn't want to disturb your mood with some girl of the same name."
Silence.
Then—
Obito suddenly went still.
The rage disappeared—
But something colder replaced it.
More dangerous.
"From now on…"
"All your actions go through me."
"Everything."
"If I find out you're hiding anything again…"
Black Zetsu replied in a low tone:
"Of course. Everything is for the Eye of the Moon Plan."
Obito turned—
And left without another word.
After he disappeared—
White Zetsu spoke softly:
"Looks like that girl really is shaking him."
Black Zetsu's voice turned dark:
"That's exactly what worries me. If Obito learns about what happened three years ago…"
"What then?"
"Erase the evidence. Observe for now."
Black Zetsu's eyes gleamed coldly.
"But keep a close watch on Obito."
"If that girl truly starts affecting his resolve…"
White Zetsu chuckled lightly:
"Then we'll just arrange… another accident?"
Black Zetsu said nothing.
But the killing intent in his gaze—
Said everything.