The matter of conducting "clinical trials" was tentatively settled.
Next, a detailed plan needed to be drawn up—everything from the participants and group divisions to the dosage and timing for each group. Orochimaru would handle this, and once it was ready, he'd pass it to Uchiha Hikari for review.
At this point, Uchiha Hikari casually brought up the topic of "Reaper Death Seal."
The reason? Minato Namikaze.
The two were old acquaintances by now.
At first, Uchiha Hikari had approached him with a deal: she'd look after Naruto in exchange for various secret and forbidden jutsu from Minato. But after over a year of interaction, they'd built a decent friendship. It was about time to consider pulling him out of the Reaper's belly.
Still, she needed to consult the expert, Orochimaru, on how to proceed.
After all, in the original timeline, he was the one who freed Minato.
Though, Orochimaru's intense research into the "Reaper Death Seal" was likely driven by his desire to unseal his own hands. Since he hadn't yet clashed with Sarutobi Hiruzen, his motivation might not be as strong now…
"…A way to undo the 'Reaper Death Seal'?"
Orochimaru thought for a moment. "I've been studying this forbidden jutsu, but progress is slow. The Uzumaki clan, who developed it, was wiped out years ago, and many of their secret scrolls were lost. Finding a way to break it will take time."
He paused, then added, "But if you're interested, Lady Hikari, you could try the Cloud Village. You might find some useful intel there."
"The Cloud Village?"
"Yes."
Orochimaru nodded. "When the Whirlpool Village fell, multiple parties were involved, with the Cloud and Mist Villages doing the heavy lifting.
The Mist Village, caught up in its Blood Mist policy, is a mess—even their intel chief, Fuguki Suikazan, sells secrets. I've bought some jutsu data from them, including sealing techniques. But the Cloud Village, with its unique geography and tight defenses, is tough to infiltrate…"
Listening to Orochimaru, Uchiha Hikari frowned slightly but soon got the picture.
It made sense.
The Cloud Village had a history of stealing bloodlines and secret techniques from other villages.
Take the Second Ninja War, when they kidnapped Kushina, or a few years back, when they tried to snatch Hinata during peace talks with the Leaf. If they didn't even fear the top ninja village, the less populous Uzumaki clan wouldn't stand a chance in their eyes.
Come to think of it…
The Cloud Village, never known for sealing techniques, had produced perfect jinchuriki for the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails in recent decades. That was suspicious.
As for the Mist Village, no need to elaborate.
Among the five great ninja villages, it was closest to the Whirlpool Village.
Even if they didn't strike first, when the Land of Whirlpools fell, they were in the best position to swoop in and pick up the scraps.
"Speaking of which…"
"When the Whirlpool Village fell, wasn't Uchiha Madara already in the Mist?"
Maybe… the Uzumaki clan's downfall had his hand in it too?
Uchiha Hikari mused silently, keeping her face neutral. "I'll consider a trip to the Cloud Village, but the plan's not your concern. Your job now is to finalize the trial plan and show it to me."
"…Yes."
Orochimaru nodded in agreement.
…
Orochimaru left in a hurry to work on the plan.
Only then did Esdeath narrow her eyes, staring at his retreating figure for a moment before turning to Uchiha Hikari. "Your subordinate seems a bit restless. Need me to put him in line?"
"Put him in line?"
"Heh."
Esdeath smirked coldly. "I'll admit your strength is impressive, but when it comes to managing subordinates, you're still green. It's normal for underlings to have their own agendas, but showing it openly is another matter. Indulging them isn't what a leader does."
"…It's fine."
Uchiha Hikari didn't think Esdeath was exaggerating.
—Compared to Esdeath, she was indeed inexperienced here. The latter had been an empire general, managing an army of over 100,000 with precision—something no ordinary person could pull off.
But…
Uchiha Hikari wasn't without ways to keep Orochimaru in check.
Not to mention his weak resistance to Sharingan genjutsu.
She hadn't used "Yasaka Magatama" to alter his memory, but she'd already left a mark on him. Rewriting or even destroying his will wouldn't be too hard—it just depended on whether she wanted to.
Like Esdeath's Three Beasts, taking in villains as subordinates meant you couldn't expect them to be perfect. As long as they didn't cross the line or relapse into old habits, a bit of personal scheming was tolerable.
If Orochimaru used his soul-transfer jutsu to take over Nagato, Obito, or even Kaguya's body, Hikari might even praise his skill.
At that moment, Uchiha Hikari looked up at Esdeath, her lips curving into a slight grin.
"…What?"
"Nothing, just wondering if you're worried about my safety, Little Ai. Even during your spar with Orochimaru earlier… If something happened to me, wouldn't that be good news for you? You'd be free again."
"…Tch."
Esdeath snorted, turning her gaze away from Hikari's face, her tone casual. "Don't overthink it. It's just mutual respect. There aren't many opponents who can push me to fight all out and make it fun—you're one. If you died, I'd feel lonely."
"Besides, worry, sympathy, pity… those are weak emotions for ordinary people, burdens a strong person like me doesn't carry."
"Oh… got it~~"
Uchiha Hikari drew out the words, flashing a teasing smile.
A few months ago, when Esdeath first "submitted" to her, Hikari wouldn't have doubted a word of that.
This war princess was naturally self-centered and cold-blooded, unmoved by anything. In the original story, even after falling for Tatsumi at first sight, she showed no mercy to Night Raid or the rebels, even trying to finish him off when she realized he wouldn't join her.
But now…
Esdeath had followed her out of the empire, seen bigger worlds, and met more people.
Hikari didn't dare hope to rival Tatsumi's place in Esdeath's heart, but some camaraderie, like brothers-in-arms, was probably there.
"Come on, Little Ai."
Uchiha Hikari put her hands behind her head, stretched lazily, and turned to walk off. "Let's go try Aunt Miu's cooking. The mountain rabbits around here are pretty tasty."
…
That evening, Uchiha Hikari brought Esdeath to Karin's family table, enjoying braised rabbit cooked by Uzumaki Miu herself.
Kimimaro and Jugo were there too.
Like the Uzumaki mother and daughter, these two were "recruited" by Hikari from outside and lived in nearby houses. Miu often called them over for dinner, treating them like her own sons. Though Kimimaro and Jugo were still quiet, they'd livened up a bit compared to the original story.
During the meal, Uzumaki Miu chatted about the Sound Village's recent progress.
"Thanks to you, Miss Hikari, the village is doing well. The population's grown several times over, more shops are popping up on the streets, and Lord Orochimaru and Senior Nonou are talking about starting a school to teach adults to read and write… Things should keep getting better."
"That's great."
Uchiha Hikari, nibbling on a spicy rabbit head, gave a faint smile.
Truth be told, the Sound Village was pretty rough—far from the Leaf Village, and even lagging behind some smaller ninja villages.
But compared to the Grass Village, where the Uzumaki duo had been, which only bled people dry, even someone as shady as Orochimaru seemed kind by contrast.
And Hikari had a hand in that.
—Without her, Orochimaru wouldn't be this well-behaved. The Uzumaki family's treatment would've been a lot worse.
"By the way," Uzumaki Miu asked softly, "how long are you staying this time, Miss Hikari?"
"…Hard to say, maybe just a few days. I've got some stuff to handle in the Leaf Village."
Hikari swallowed her rabbit meat and looked up. "Why? Need help with something?"
"Not really. It's just that Karin and the others learned some new jutsu and wanted to show you, so…"
"Jutsu? The Three Basic Techniques?"
Or…
"It's the Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
Karin raised her little hand proudly. "Teacher Orochimaru said it's an Uzumaki clan secret, only the best can learn it… Since I mastered it, Kimimaro and Jugo can't beat me anymore!"
"Oh?"
Hikari glanced at Kimimaro and Jugo, who stayed silent, seemingly agreeing with Karin.
In theory, both were pure taijutsu fighters, easily countered by sealing techniques. But given Karin was the youngest, it was hard to tell if she was really that good or if the "big brothers" were going easy on their little sister.
"So… Big Sis Hikari, can you watch my new jutsu tomorrow?"
Karin looked at her eagerly.
"Sure."
Hikari smiled, ruffling the girl's head.
The gesture made Kimimaro cast an envious look. Noticing, Hikari chuckled and ruffled his head too. "I'll check yours tomorrow too. And Jugo's."
"…Okay!"
Kimimaro nodded hard, his face flushing.
After dinner, Karin jumped up first, swiftly clearing the dishes, with Kimimaro and Jugo quietly helping.
Now free, Uzumaki Miu washed a bowl of oranges and brought them to Hikari and Esdeath. "These are from local villagers—really tasty. Try some, Miss Hikari, Lady Esdeath."
"You're too kind, Aunt Miu."
Hikari peeled an orange, ate a slice, and casually offered another to Esdeath. "Try it?"
"…."
Esdeath instinctively leaned back, then eyed the orange slice, the pale hand holding it, and Hikari's smiling face. Finally, she opened her mouth and ate it.
The moment her lips brushed Hikari's fingers, Hikari's fingertips trembled slightly, a tingly current brewing in her palm. Esdeath lowered her eyes, her expression subtly shifting.
"…How's the taste?"
Hikari took a light breath, feigning calm.
"It's fine."
Hikari skipped further feeding attempts, splitting the rest of the orange and giving half to Esdeath. Taking it, Esdeath's gaze lingered briefly on Hikari's right fingers, then shifted away as she ate quietly.
Neither spoke again.
The air in the room only livened up when the kitchen water stopped and Karin and the others returned.
After more chatting, with the hour growing late, Hikari stood to leave. Kimimaro and Jugo said goodbye to the Uzumaki family, heading off to rest.
"See you tomorrow, Big Sis Hikari!"
"See you tomorrow."
Waving goodbye, Hikari took Esdeath back to her little residence.
To be precise, it was a temporary lodging.
Even in the Naruto world, she mostly stayed at the Uchiha compound in the Leaf Village or roamed the ninja nations, spending the least time in the Sound Village.
Because of that, the place was bare—beds and chairs, like a hospital room, with little decoration.
"…Want to sleep somewhere else? With 'Shangri-La,' getting to the Leaf is easy."
Hikari glanced back at Esdeath, asking.
Esdeath paused, then said faintly, "No need. This is fine."