Back when Naruto had the Nine-Tails torn out of him, it was Senju Haruto who injected his own Nine-Tails chakra into Naruto's body, forcefully keeping him alive.
But such a method only bought him time.
Without Kurama sealed inside, Naruto could no longer generate fresh Nine-Tails chakra. Once the borrowed chakra ran dry, his life would be in grave danger.
As the complete Ten-Tails jinchūriki, Haruto could not transfer a tailed beast from his own body into Naruto. That would weaken him fatally.
He thought back carefully.
Because the course of events had already diverged from the original history, the Fourth Great Ninja War had never taken place. Orochimaru had never had the chance to summon the previous Hokage to the battlefield.
Which meant—inside the Shinigami's stomach, the soul of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, and the Yin half of Kurama still remained sealed.
If Haruto could release Minato through the Reaper Death Seal and transfer that half of the Nine-Tails back into Naruto, not only would it erase Naruto's looming death sentence—it would also restore his power, strengthening him enormously for the battles to come.
A terrifying addition to their future fighting force.
"Orochimaru, the technique you used just now—it didn't look like ninjutsu. What exactly was it?"
The pale man's golden eyes gleamed as he examined the portal. He could not decipher its workings, but two things were clear:
First, the jutsu resembled space–time ninjutsu, transporting people instantly from one location to another. Though not as fast as the Flying Thunder God, it could carry multiple passengers at once.
Second, when Haruto had used it, he hadn't molded a shred of chakra.
No matter how gifted a shinobi might be, no matter how far they had surpassed hand seals, chakra was still indispensable to any jutsu.
Ninjutsu and chakra were inseparable. That rule could not be rewritten.
And so, Orochimaru was utterly convinced—this was not ninjutsu.
"Strictly speaking, what I used is called magic. It's this world's own power system—similar to ninjutsu, but also fundamentally different."
Haruto explained, his tone light.
For one thing, thanks to Kotoamatsukami, Orochimaru was bound to his side. Betrayal was impossible.
For another, Orochimaru's intellect was sharper than any blade. His strength as a fighter might pale next to others, but his ability to invent—the Living Corpse Reincarnation itself being proof—was terrifying.
If such a mind could absorb the knowledge of the Marvel world, it could only benefit Haruto's plans.
"Magic…"
Orochimaru's eyes glowed, as though he wanted to begin his research immediately.
But Haruto wasn't ready to share that yet. There were more pressing matters.
"Magic will have to wait. For now, follow me."
With a wave of his hand, Haruto led Orochimaru toward the shrine where the Shinigami mask was kept.
"Orochimaru, I want you to release the Reaper Death Seal. Then, use Edo Tensei to summon the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato."
He stated his purpose plainly.
Orochimaru's pupils contracted.
"Namikaze Minato?"
He had tried to summon Minato once before, during the invasion of Konoha—but for reasons he hadn't understood, he had failed.
Now Haruto gave him the missing piece:
He explained the nature of the Reaper Death Seal, and how Minato had sealed half of Kurama's chakra—its Yin half—within himself using that very technique on the night of the Nine-Tails' attack. The other half, Yang chakra, had been sealed inside Naruto.
This time, Haruto's goal was clear.
To reclaim that half of Kurama.
"You mean… you're doing this for Naruto?"
Even Orochimaru, now piecing things together, couldn't help but ask.
Through Anko's body, he had witnessed the flow of events after his own death. He knew Naruto had lost Kurama. And without a tailed beast, a jinchūriki's fate was always the same—death.
Haruto may have saved him once, but it was only borrowed time.
Now, Orochimaru could see his intention plainly.
"Yes." Haruto nodded without hesitation. "This world we've landed in is complex, filled with powers unlike anything we've known. To survive, to fight back, we must keep growing stronger. Every edge matters."
Even as he said it, Haruto felt a flicker of unease.
Would the sign-in missions end with the timeline of Avengers: Endgame? Or encompass every Marvel movie to date? Or—worse—include arcs from the comics?
The uncertainty gnawed at him.
Perhaps, he thought, this was why Kaguya had created her army of White Zetsu. Why she had feared the Ōtsutsuki clan's return.
Strength was the only shield against the unknown.
And after Marvel, who knew what the next world would be?
"Yes… increasing our strength can never be a mistake," Haruto murmured inwardly.
Orochimaru tilted his head, a faint smile playing at his lips. "If I didn't know better, I'd almost say all of this is connected to you, Haruto."
But the moment Haruto's gaze locked with his, Orochimaru abandoned the thought, shifting smoothly.
"I understand. But tell me—how exactly do we release the Reaper Death Seal? And for Edo Tensei, you know I'll need a living sacrifice."
In the original course of history, that information would have reached him later—through Team Taka, during the war. But here, with no war and no missing hands, Orochimaru knew less than he might have.
"A sacrifice, huh…"
Haruto whispered, recalling the requirements of Edo Tensei.
Then he twisted the Ring of Suspended Worlds, opening another portal.
Before Orochimaru's stunned eyes appeared an endless plain—teeming with White Zetsu.
"Impossible…"
Orochimaru froze, utterly dumbstruck.
He had once joined the Akatsuki. He had seen Zetsu with his own eyes. He had later learned that Black Zetsu was the will of Kaguya herself, manipulating shinobi history from the shadows.
But this—
Hundreds of thousands of White Zetsu, stretching beyond sight.
Before he could even process it, Haruto raised his hand. With a single pull of Banshō Ten'in, two hapless Zetsu were dragged through the portal.
One he tossed to the ground—fodder for Edo Tensei's sacrifice.
The other—he handed to Orochimaru.
"For your next vessel."
"You want me to perform Living Corpse Reincarnation… on a White Zetsu?"
Orochimaru's eyes widened in shock.
Living Corpse Reincarnation granted him immortality, but it had always been flawed. Every few years, he needed to abandon a body, and even then, compatibility was a harsh limit.
But White Zetsu…
They were perfect vessels.
As realization dawned, Orochimaru shivered—not with fear, but with exhilaration.
Still, another thought coiled in the back of his mind.
So many White Zetsu… far more than the number of shinobi in the entire ninja world.
Could it be that Senju Haruto… intended to conquer this world?