"Let's begin, Orochimaru."
Senju Haruto closed the summoning portal and placed his hand on the correct mask hanging from the wall.
The matter of the one hundred thousand White Zetsu was, in truth, an unexpected windfall.
These White Zetsu were originally created by Kaguya through Infinite Tsukuyomi, a vast army meant to battle the Ōtsutsuki clan.
Though control of them had later fallen to Black Zetsu, who used them in his schemes, making them the forces of Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Obito, things had changed.
Because of Haruto's arrival in this world, the Fourth Great Ninja War had never taken place.
Neither Madara nor Obito had ever been given the chance to use the White Zetsu army.
And with Black Zetsu now sealed away, while Kaguya herself remained in a semi-controlled state, the Zetsu had naturally become masterless soldiers.
Controlling them wasn't difficult at all.
And beyond that…
Though White Zetsu were not adept at ninjutsu, and their individual strength looked weak compared to the Shinobi Alliance, their numbers more than compensated.
At first glance, they seemed unimpressive.
But Haruto saw something different—potential.
For one, each and every White Zetsu was a natural-born impersonator.
They could transform their appearance into that of anyone, just like the Skrulls in the Marvel universe.
And unlike the dwindling Skrull race, the White Zetsu existed in overwhelming numbers.
For instance—if every S.H.I.E.L.D. agent was secretly replaced by Zetsu clones, who would ever know?
"Speaking of which, one of Marvel's biggest events was… Secret Invasion."
Haruto muttered to himself, silently calculating his plans for the future.
He didn't know how many sign-ins he would need to complete here in the Marvel world.
But simply living idly, waiting for each daily sign-in, didn't sit right with him.
What if something happened suddenly one day?
A man without long-term plans will soon face short-term worries.
There were no immediate worries now—so why not plan for the future?
"And then there's General Ross…"
Even though Bruce Banner—the Hulk—had no stand-alone films at the moment, the early days of Marvel had launched with two titles in the same year:
Iron Man.
The Incredible Hulk.
Because The Incredible Hulk had performed poorly and creative disputes arose, Marvel canceled any sequels.
But aside from replacing Banner's actor, everything else from that film had remained canon.
General Ross.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
And even the whereabouts of Abomination.
In one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s short films, Coulson had discussed the matter with Sitwell.
At the time, the World Security Council had wanted S.H.I.E.L.D. to take custody of Abomination for further super-soldier research.
But Director Fury strongly disagreed, deeming it too dangerous. Instead, he tasked Coulson to deal with it.
And Coulson, thinking quickly, had nudged Tony Stark to ask Ross directly for custody.
The result was predictable—an arrogant, sky-high playboy and a strict, battle-hardened general? The two of them negotiating peacefully was impossible.
But the incident revealed just how much authority General Ross held.
Even when S.H.I.E.L.D. came knocking, Ross felt no need to bend.
"You want him? Fine. Go get the Hulk yourself."
As far as Ross was concerned, he wasn't handing Abomination over to anyone.
"And later, in Civil War, Ross even rose to Secretary of State."
"With direct authority to regulate superheroes."
In other words, if Haruto replaced Ross with White Zetsu, he would effectively control the entire world's superheroes.
But that wasn't all.
The White Zetsu's advantages went far beyond infiltration.
Not only could they perfectly mimic appearances, but as humans evolved from the Divine Tree's chakra, their bodies were stronger than Ross's enhanced soldiers.
If Emil Blonsky could transform himself into the Abomination, then Haruto might be able to push White Zetsu through similar processes to enhance them further.
"And there's magic, too."
"Even if White Zetsu can't reach the level of Kamar-Taj's masters, they should at least rival an ordinary sorcerer."
"Plus, their collective unity gives them enormous advantages in coordination, formation casting, and even combined magic."
"Technology and sorcery together…"
"That means each White Zetsu is a hidden powerhouse waiting to awaken."
The thought filled Haruto with energy.
He never expected this White Zetsu army to turn into such a treasure trove.
Orochimaru, however, stood nearby with a heavy expression. He couldn't help wondering whether Haruto was truly aiming to conquer the world.
After all, Haruto's ambition had always burned brightly.
His previous plan to unify the ninja world had already proven that.
And Haruto was no mere dreamer—he had the power to make it reality.
"Still… conquering the world does sound interesting."
"Haruto, if that's your grand vision, then I will devote myself to helping you complete it."
Orochimaru thought silently, then extended his arm. From the wall, he plucked the mask of the Shinigami and placed it upon his face.
During the Chūnin Exams, Orochimaru had witnessed Hiruzen Sarutobi use the Reaper Death Seal, so he was already familiar with this forbidden jutsu.
After all, he was a natural-born genius—his talents surpassed even Jiraiya's. He had even uncovered Ryūchi Cave, the counterpart to Mount Myōboku, where he met the White Snake Sage.
But all power came at a cost.
Because of his Living Corpse Reincarnation, Orochimaru's body could never withstand senjutsu chakra. Entering Sage Mode was impossible for him.
"Well then, I'll begin."
Orochimaru clasped his hands together, starting the sequence of hand seals.
Their goal was simple: resurrect the Fourth Hokage and extract the Nine-Tails from him.
There was no enemy to fight here—so the speed of his seals mattered little.
After two or three breaths, Orochimaru finally recalled and completed the correct sequence for the Reaper Death Seal.
"Reaper Death Seal!"
As his palm struck the ground, pale-blue chakra erupted behind him, quickly forming into the grim visage of the Shinigami.
Then, Orochimaru spat out the Kusanagi blade, grasped the hilt in reverse with both hands, and plunged it into his own abdomen, slicing across.
Behind him, the Shinigami mirrored his every move.
The difference was clear—
Orochimaru doubled over in agony, sweat pouring down as pain wracked his body and blood spilled freely.
But the Shinigami's cut released countless trapped souls from its belly, pouring outward and vanishing into nothingness.
An expression of displeasure flickered across the death god's face.
"Now—enter."
Haruto crouched and forced open a White Zetsu's mouth, creating the vessel for Orochimaru to reincarnate into.
Trusting Haruto completely, Orochimaru nodded slightly before activating the forbidden technique.
His soul surged from his mangled body, flowing into the White Zetsu shell.
As he adjusted and settled into his new form, the Zetsu's features shifted, morphing until Orochimaru stood there once more.
"Next comes Edo Tensei."