For the sake of this experiment, Tsunade and her team had already prepared a backup.
Now, a new clone and a prisoner were brought in. After checking the sealing formation and the embedded Gelel Stone, the second experiment quickly began again.
Since they had already gone through the process once before, the three of them were more confident this time, working together with greater precision and coordination.
However, the second experiment still ended in failure.
Or rather, it was half a success and half a failure.
This time, the clone's body didn't stiffen up right away.
Instead, it retained a surprising level of activity, almost as if its soul had never entered it.
If Tsunade hadn't been suppressing it, and with the right kind of stimulation, this clone might have eventually developed its own consciousness—possibly even becoming a new lifeform.
This was exactly what Tsunade had tried to avoid when she created the clones. But due to the accelerated conditions of the experiment, the mental cage she had built had been broken.
"The soul was still taken away."
Orochimaru stared at the dead convict lying nearby, now nothing but a corpse, then shifted his gaze to the clone, which looked like a living corpse. His golden eyes narrowed into slits.
Was the jutsu itself flawed?
Even though the second attempt had failed, Orochimaru didn't waver.
Instead, he began running every possible reason through his mind, filtering through them one by one.
The inclusion of the sacrificial subject had added an extra step to the process.
That might have been one of the reasons this second experiment failed.
"Was it because the sacrifice was too crude... that it couldn't bypass the rules of the Pure Land? Or maybe the Pure Land didn't even consider it a proper offering—just saw it as another dead soul and took it along with the rest?"
"It's not the problem with the sacrifice?" Tsunade frowned in frustration.
At the start of the experiment, her emotions had been incredibly complicated. But now, what she felt was a hollow sense of loss from a failed attempt.
Hope had brushed past her once again—so close, yet unreachable.
"Maybe the Shinigami thought the value of the sacrifice wasn't equal," Orochimaru offered calmly.
The original body of the clone had been a missing-nin from another village, with strength at least on the level of a Chūnin.
But the sacrifice—a mountain bandit—could barely control chakra in the most primitive sense. He couldn't even perform a single ninjutsu.
Someone like that was stronger than an average civilian, sure—but in real combat, even a fresh Genin from the academy could take him down most of the time.
In many smaller nations, merchants who couldn't afford to hire powerful shinobi long-term would raise warriors like these as bodyguards.
They could wield weapons faster, move more swiftly, and hit harder thanks to their rough chakra control—enough to pose a threat to Genin, but nothing more.
Orochimaru didn't fully understand the Pure Land, but he'd entered Hueco Mundo multiple times.
In that realm, souls were divided by strength and essence during life—the hierarchy was clear.
Take someone like the Third Raikage, for example—his soul was so powerful that even after death, he could dominate the fragments he devoured, regaining his identity and awareness with terrifying speed.
Perhaps the Pure Land judged this offering's soul and found it unworthy—far below the value of the clone's original.
The trade simply couldn't be accepted.
"Then what are we supposed to do? Offer a Jōnin-level soul instead?" Tsunade snapped, glaring at Orochimaru.
A Jōnin from any of the Five Great Villages wasn't just powerful—they were at the top of the food chain.
Skilled, influential, deeply embedded in the networks of their respective villages.
Even rogue Jōnin weren't easy to track down, much less eliminate and use as a sacrifice.
What bothered Tsunade more, though, was the implication.
If Orochimaru's theory was true… then what about Nawaki? What about Dan? Her great-uncle, her grandfather, even Grandma Mito?
What kind of sacrifice would it take to bring their souls back from the grasp of the Pure Land's Shinigami?
If quality isn't enough, then they can pile up quantity.
But how many people would have to die?
How many ninja would be sacrificed?
And after success, how would the elders like the Great Grandpa see her?
Tsunade wasn't crazy enough to throw everything away for that.
"Change the test subject. Use a target with the strength of a genin," Orochimaru lowered the requirements. He had thought about the same problem as Tsunade.
Orochimaru was much colder than Tsunade, but at the same time, being the Hokage both freed and restricted him.
As Hokage, he could study all the forbidden jutsu he wanted but never had a chance to learn before.
He could mobilize all the village's resources to pave the way for his experiments.
He could selectively train and recruit the talents he needed.
Being Hokage gave him more advantages and conveniences than all his previous efforts combined.
But at the same time, as Hokage, he had more to consider. He couldn't act purely on his own will anymore.
Above him were the Third Hokage, Tsunade, and Jiraiya. Below him were the new generation like Minato.
If his plan was too extreme, it would definitely face resistance.
He was no longer the lone Orochimaru who could act recklessly.
The expectations and realities from the villagers, subordinates, partners, and elders, all tied to the title of Hokage, inevitably influenced him.
"If it can be confirmed that the reason is the sacrifice, or interference from the Pure Land, why not choose another method?" During the silence, Kagetsu spoke up.
Tsunade and Orochimaru looked at Kagetsu, who had raised his hand to speak.
"Have you found a solution, Kagetsu?" Tsunade and Orochimaru brightened a little.
In this failure, Kagetsu's words still brought them some unexpected hope.
"Cut off the connection between the soul summoned by the contract and the Pure Land," Kagetsu said softly.
"How do we cut it off? The Pure Land is a mysterious place to us. No living person knows its rules, so how can we break away from the Pure Land and the Shinigami?"
I studied the records of the Senju, Uchiha, and Uzumaki clans. The information about the Pure Land was scarce and fragmented, more like myths or incoherent legends.
The only thing related to the Shinigami (Death Gods) was the technique called Shiki Fūjin (Dead Demon Consuming Seal).
It mentioned that souls swallowed by the Shinigami would endlessly fight and struggle inside the Shinigami's stomach, unable to find release.
But whether this was true or not, no one could say for sure.
If we don't understand it well, it's hard to take action.
Orochimaru shook his head. That meant they had to shift their focus back to the Pure Land. But what would happen then? No one could be certain.
After all, the legends said the Pure Land was closely connected to the Sage of the Six Paths
"Some souls don't go to the Pure Land," Shino reminded them. "They go to another place."
Tsunade and Orochimaru exchanged a glance.
The Hueco Mundo!
It was another destination for souls, and like the Pure Land, it belonged to the realm of the dead.
"You mean to let the souls be influenced by the Hueco Mundo, then let the Hueco Mundo and Pure Land collide?" Orochimaru hesitated.
The Hueco Mundo was their final resting place.
Because of its existence, Orochimaru no longer feared death as he once did.
But if the Hueco Mundo collided with the Pure Land, no one could say what effect it would have on the Hueco Mundo.
If an accident happened because of this, Orochimaru was more willing to pay the price of sacrifice.
****
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