"Impossible!"
White Zetsu was terrified. This cat had actually detected him, and not only that, but with a single strike, it had blasted him up from deep underground.
That one blow, with its quake-like impact and tearing force, was like an earthquake. It even set off an avalanche on a distant mountainside.
He was too strong. His mind raced for a way to escape, but at that moment, the black cat slapped a paw down and a series of wooden gates fell from the sky, caging White Zetsu. With a single sealing strike, the Sage Art: Gate of the Great God completed the trap.
It was only temporary.
But there was another sealing master here. Kanna had only been studying fuinjutsu for a short time, yet her talent was excellent, she had already mastered some mid-level sealing techniques.
Without Takeshi needing to give the order, Nagato, Kanna, and Konan rushed over.
"What is this?"
"A human? No, it seems like some kind of strange creature."
"Takeshi-sama, could this be the creature you said has been monitoring us?"
All three were shocked.
They hadn't sensed this thing at all before, not even Kanna, whose sensory abilities were the strongest here. It wasn't their fault, White Zetsu's chakra fluctuations were far too faint. Unless you understood what it was or possessed a Sage Body and Sage Mode like Takeshi, it was incredibly hard to detect.
But now that she knew its chakra signature, Kanna would be able to sense it in the future.
White Zetsu, put bluntly, was not strong. Most people failed to notice it simply because they didn't understand its nature. Once you studied it, it wouldn't seem so mysterious.
Nagato was naturally stunned.
He hadn't expected that there really was something secretly observing him. This meant the black cat's suspicions might be true, his eyes might really not be his own...
Of course, just as Takeshi had said, this was only a hypothesis based on gathered intelligence. It wasn't necessarily the truth, he might simply be some kind of atavism, but how likely was that? Almost zero.
He took a deep breath, a crisis unlike any before taking root in his heart.
"Meow, I don't know either."
Takeshi lowered his head.
This was his first time seeing a White Zetsu as well. This thing was a creature made from humans modified by the God Tree, and after Madara obtained the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, he seemed to have further enhanced it with some of Hashirama's cells.
If Takeshi hadn't exchanged for a Sage Body, even with Sage Mode he might not have sensed it instantly.
Pinned beneath the Sage Art: Gate of the Great God, White Zetsu had no will to resist. Kanna quickly stacked seal after seal over him. Even after the gates vanished, escape would be impossible.
"Takeshi-sama, what do we do with him now?"
Kanna scratched her head.
The seals were in place, and she'd inspected its chakra, but what to do with it now, that was a serious question.
"Meow."
Takeshi answered, indicating he was thinking as well.
White Zetsu was a treasure.
Its cells contained Hashirama's cells. Its organs could be transplanted. Its body could be used for research...
*Ahem*.
He considered it. Maybe he could send White Zetsu to Orochimaru in exchange for certain benefits. If he gave it to Yahiko and the others, aside from being something to look at, it had no real use.
And staring at a mutated man... that was the kind of hobby only someone terminally bored would have. Nobody was that idle.
It was feasible.
But what to trade for, that needed careful thought. Orochimaru didn't know where Ryuchi Cave was, so that could be swapped for something else.
Takeshi himself didn't know the location of Ryuchi Cave, but as long as Orochimaru summoned a snake, Takeshi could plant a Flying Thunder God seal on it and silently follow it into Ryuchi Cave.
That way, Orochimaru would learn its location, and Takeshi wouldn't need to give him any other benefit.
This was, in the near term, the most effortless and reliable plan he had.
The problem was, what did Orochimaru have that Takeshi actually needed?
Living Corpse Reincarnation?
Orochimaru hadn't mastered it yet. The same went for the Impure World Reincarnation, and Takeshi had no need for the latter anyway. Summoning the dead? You'd have to be really bored for that.
There really wasn't much.
Takeshi fell into thought, then quickly let it go.
Once Orochimaru got White Zetsu, he would do everything in his power to study it. Whatever he did with the creature would end up benefiting Takeshi. On that premise, getting even a bit of extra profit out of it was a win.
So, Takeshi thought it through and made his decision.
"Send him to Orochimaru."
"What?"
Konan stared, stunned.
Orochimaru? Wasn't he that man in line to succeed Danzo in Konoha? Rumor said he had done as many horrible things as Danzo. Giving White Zetsu to someone like that...
Huh. Actually, that might be fine.
"Meow. As for Nagato, even if I don't hand this one over, once the people behind him notice a White Zetsu hasn't returned, they'll quickly realize something's wrong."
Takeshi reminded him.
Nagato thought for a moment, then nodded lightly.
It was true.
They couldn't hide this. The only answer was to increase their strength as much as possible to protect himself, Konan, and Yahiko. He might be brooding and dramatic, but he wasn't dumb.
So he bowed deeply to Takeshi and said, "Takeshi-sama, please teach me how to become stronger."
"Become stronger? Meow. Climb."
The black cat pointed at the high tower. The meaning was obvious.
Just like before: climb to the top without using tree-walking. This was part of his training. Takeshi had been climbing earlier and hadn't yet reached the top before the disturbance below caught his attention.
So even Takeshi himself didn't know how tall this tower was. Nagato would have to measure it with his own body.
As for Takeshi, he had to go negotiate with Orochimaru.
Whether Orochimaru was strong was secondary, his brain worked frighteningly well. Takeshi hoped to use Orochimaru's power to dig out a few secrets, for example, where Madara's lair was.
That lonely old man was far too isolated. Takeshi really wanted to personally deliver some warmth to his doorstep, if only he knew the address.
Before leaving, Takeshi deliberately left a Shadow Clone behind.
With the chakra of his Sage Body, his Shadow Clone could last an absurdly long time, easily enough to cover his round trip to and from Konoha.
Back when he was in Orochimaru's sphere of influence, Takeshi had quietly left a seal.
Orochimaru likely didn't even know it was there. At the time, he'd been drinking with Jiraiya and the others, and he'd had no idea the black cat had already mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique.
...
A dark corner of Konoha.
This used to be an old Root base. Since Orochimaru had recently advocated for Root's dissolution, it had become his private research lab.
But now, Orochimaru had run into a thorny problem.
His experiments had hit a bottleneck.
With Tsunade banning human experimentation, plus the lectures she gave him, he had agreed, out of consideration for her, but now he felt a twinge of regret. Many lines of research simply couldn't progress without test subjects.
As he wrestled with this, a figure suddenly appeared.
The black cat.
When? For it to appear here so suddenly, it definitely had a Flying Thunder God seal on him somewhere. But no matter how he searched his memories, he couldn't pinpoint when the black cat had marked him.
Still, that wasn't the key issue right now.
The black cat's presence had grown even stronger. Also, what was that thing wrapped in his tail?
"Meow~ Orochimaru, you gave me a few gifts. Now it's my turn. This is a little present from me, a rather interesting, peculiar creature."
Takeshi set White Zetsu down.
Orochimaru was wary, but his curiosity toward White Zetsu drew him closer. He approached and crouched to observe carefully.
One look, and his excitement spiked.
'Hashirama Cells.'
He'd researched them before, and there was still one surviving subject currently serving in the ANBU for the Hokage. A glance told him this White Zetsu's body bore traces of deliberate modification, clearly some sort of experimental product or jutsu construct.
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