He took a step forward, closing the distance to Kiyohara a little more.
"Do you know?" Orochimaru said softly. "Life itself may not have any meaning at all—like rain falling into the sea, leaving no trace."
Kiyohara lifted his gaze to Orochimaru, waiting for what came next.
"But—" Orochimaru pivoted, and something feverish glinted in his eyes.
"While we're alive, we can discover interesting things. We can chase the answers we want to know. That pursuit itself… is the most captivating part of life."
He turned and headed for the tent flap, then paused at the entrance.
"Kiyohara-kun, interested in seeing some of the… interesting things I've been working on lately? My lab is pretty big."
"Alright," Kiyohara hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
Being valued by Orochimaru wasn't a bad thing—at least, before Orochimaru defected, he treated his subordinates well.
By the timeline, Orochimaru was probably looking for an assistant right now.
Later, he'd find Yakushi Kabuto to be perfect, and he'd lure him in when Kabuto was lost.
In the end, it was simple: nobody could truly understand Orochimaru.
Humans are pack animals. Even Tsunade and Jiraiya—partners who could trust each other with their backs—couldn't understand Orochimaru.
Kiyohara decided he needed a patron first. Orochimaru or Tsunade—either was fine.
Anyway, by the time Orochimaru actually defected, who knew how many future versions Kiyohara would have already inherited?
Orochimaru's temporary lab was set up in a hidden cave behind the outpost, the entrance concealed by sealing formulas.
As soon as they stepped inside, Kiyohara caught a sharp, stinging smell—a mix of formalin and blood.
Pale, glowing crystals were embedded along the cave walls, lighting the interior.
On the lab tables were all kinds of delicate instruments: microscopes, centrifuges, surgical tools, scroll-recording devices.
Wooden shelves against the wall were stacked with scrolls and notes.
The most eye-catching thing was a row of transparent containers lining the wall, each filled with pale yellow fluid and submerged biological tissues.
In one jar was a mouse with extra limbs. In another was a frog with its heart exposed—still beating slowly. Others held grotesque constructs spliced from different animals.
All the specimens retained an unsettling sense of "freshness," like they might open their eyes at any moment.
"These are all failed byproducts," Orochimaru said lightly as he walked to the table.
Human experimentation was taboo in Konoha—so naturally, he used animals.
Kiyohara glanced around. It all looked… relatively legal.
Anything truly illegal, Orochimaru wasn't showing.
"Even failures provide valuable data. Kiyohara-kun, I remember you've learned some medical ninjutsu?"
"Basic medical ninjutsu—plus trauma treatment and general biology," Kiyohara answered, eyes flicking across the containers.
"Good." Orochimaru pulled a sealed container from a cold cabinet and opened it.
Inside was the relatively intact corpse of a summoned beast—the one Mist had summoned during the outpost raid.
"Break it down for me. I need muscle tissue, nerve bundles, and gland samples preserved separately."
Orochimaru handed over a set of surgical tools, then stepped aside.
It felt odd, but Kiyohara took the instruments and got to work.
His cuts were precise—separating along fascial layers, avoiding major vessels and nerve nodes.
Basic medical training gave him a strong grasp of anatomy; even if this summon looked bizarre, the underlying biological principles were similar.
Orochimaru watched Kiyohara's calm, almost indifferent reaction to blood and gore.
A helper who didn't flinch.
A very good candidate.
Orochimaru thought so.
Anbu/Root operatives obeyed, but they didn't think.
Civilian geniuses were restrained by the village's framework.
Clan geniuses tended to drown in the vanity of their bloodline.
He pulled a scroll from his robe and tossed it to Kiyohara.
"These are some foundational research notes on chakra nature transformation, plus a few improved techniques. Not anything precious—but it should give you ideas."
Kiyohara accepted the scroll, then asked with mild confusion, "Why are you giving me this, Orochimaru-sama?"
"Because I appreciate researchers with potential."
Orochimaru turned his back to Kiyohara and walked toward the workbench as he spoke.
"Most people in this world live in a haze, repeating the same dull cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death. But a rare few… they want to see the truth of the world clearly. Kiyohara-kun, I think you're one of them."
Kiyohara tucked the scroll away. "Thank you for your recognition, Orochimaru-sama."
"Alright. It's late. That's enough for today—go back. Kiri's offensive will likely come within the next few days. Be ready."
Kiyohara nodded and followed Orochimaru out of the lab.
If even someone at Orochimaru's level was saying it like that, then Kiri's invasion probably really was imminent.
…
Graveyard of Mountains.
"Madara-sama, the plan is basically in place."
A White Zetsu emerged from a shadowy corner.
"I see." Uchiha Madara slowly opened his eyes.
"The tailed beasts have already been thrown into the battlefield. The Three-Tails can be deployed at any time under Kiri's control, and the Six-Tails' jinchūriki has been sent to the front."
White Zetsu spoke in that peculiar cadence.
"And as you instructed, we've caused small disturbances at several key points inside the Land of Fire. The defenses near the Land of Grass border have been hit by 'unknown' attacks lately—Konoha's attention is being split."
Madara leaned back against the rough pipes connected to the Demonic Statue, receiving its chakra.
"How's Kiri's infiltration progress?"
"They've established three hidden supply points along the east coast of the Land of Fire—disguised as merchant caravans and rogue-nin shelters. Konoha's defense line is stretched too thin; there are more holes than we expected."
White Zetsu paused, sounding slightly more serious.
"But Orochimaru seems to have sensed something—he increased patrol frequency at the coastal outposts."
"Orochimaru…" Madara murmured.
So-called Sannin meant nothing in his eyes.
Only Tsunade—Hashirama's granddaughter—was worth a little extra notice.
And that was all.
"Do we interfere with him?"
"No." Madara raised a withered hand.
"My ocular power still controls the Fourth Mizukage. Kiri as a chess piece is already set. Next, we only need Kiri to invade the interior of the Land of Fire at scale."
He moved to the edge of the cavern. The underground passage was sealed to prevent escape; only necessary ventilation ducts remained.
The only light source was firelight.
"When the Land of Fire is hit from multiple points and their forces are scattered… have Kakashi, Kiyohara, and that little girl named Rin—anyone who has had deep contact with him—be transferred to a mission near the Land of Grass."
"The timing will be the end of this month. There'll be a border incident in the Land of Rain. Konoha will send people to mediate."
Madara said it calmly.
If he said there would be a conflict, then there would be.
White Zetsu asked, "Will Obito really follow our plan? He's been shaken, but at heart he's still—"
"Kind?" Madara cut in, letting out a cold laugh.
He looked toward Obito, asleep from exhaustion.
"Precisely because he's kind… when he reaches despair, the hatred that erupts will be the most extreme. I understand that type better than anyone."
"It runs in Uchiha blood. The deeper the love, the more complete the darkness when it's lost."
He turned. His Sharingan reflected White Zetsu's pale face.
"The stage is already built. Now we just need to bring the actors onto it and perform a play for Obito."
"He'll understand how false this world is—how ridiculous 'comrades' and the shinobi system truly are."
White Zetsu was silent for a few seconds, then grinned exaggeratedly.
"Wow, that's cruel. But Madara-sama, are you sure Obito's Mangekyō will reach the level of power we need?"
White Zetsu was thinking: what if Obito's Mangekyō ability was trash?
"Not sure," Madara answered plainly.
"But it's a necessary gamble. If his potential is insufficient, then he has no right to be my successor. If he succeeds…"
A flash of red flickered in Madara's eyes.
"Then an existence with Mangekyō Sharingan, utterly despairing of this world, and inheriting both Uchiha and Senju power… will be the perfect executor of our plan."
Combine opposing forces, and you obtain all things.
Since Obito had been grafted with half "Hashirama cells," he could be considered a Senju-mixed bloodline already.
Madara closed his eyes again.
"Go make the arrangements. The 'accidents' near the Land of Grass must look natural—don't let Konoha suspect design. And control the Rain border incident so it lands at exactly the level that requires Kakashi's squad."
At the end, Madara added, "Everything must be completed within this month."
"Got it~"
White Zetsu sank into the ground, leaving its last words echoing in the cave.
"The curtain's about to rise."
The cavern returned to silence.
Madara sat alone in the dark.
He lifted his hand, staring at his withered skin and the bones visible beneath.
Time was running out.
Before death claimed him completely, he had to finish what he'd prepared for decades.
Infinite Tsukuyomi—a world where everyone would be trapped in an eternal dream, a world with no war, no loss, no pain.
"Rin… Rin…"
Madara's brow twitched.
Obito had muttered Rin's name ninety-five times in his sleep.
When Obito finally stopped sleep-talking, Madara intended to rest.
At his age, his stamina was nothing like it used to be.
"Ka…kashi… Kakashi…"
Obito started murmuring another name again.
Madara's face stayed blank.
Silence was the underground tunnel tonight.
…
Several days later, on the coastline—
The quiet was shattered by a piercing scream from beyond the beach.
"Enemy attack!!"
That day, the Mist launched a full-scale invasion.
~~~
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