"So? Happy with the gift I gave you?"

  Natsume's tone was still as casual as ever. He picked up his teacup and drained it in a few gulps.

  Not that it mattered—he was just a wood clone. Zero risk. No pressure.

  Orochimaru’s eyes narrowed.

  He was confident that his little theft st night had gone unnoticed.

  At most, Shimura Danzo would discover Yamato missing after the fact.

  But how had Natsume known it had already succeeded?

  What if he hadn’t gotten Yamato? Wouldn’t this whole trip be for nothing?

  That kind of certainty meant one thing—Natsume already knew everything.

  Orochimaru was now convinced this mysterious man had a powerful intelligence network behind him.

  "I am satisfied," he said coolly. "If it weren’t for you, I’d still be dancing in Danzo’s palm."

  To him, Yamato was invaluable as a scientific subject.

  Now that he’d broken through with Zero, the path for further research was wide open.

  He had nearly given up on Wood Release—but now? No way he was letting it go.

  He was even considering putting the Living Corpse Reincarnation project on hold.

  "No need to thank me."

  Natsume gave a warm, sunny smile. "Looks like our deal can proceed as pnned."

  "How many Hashirama cells do you want?"

  After a brief silence, Orochimaru spoke, “There’s a limit to Hashirama cells. If you want too many, even I will struggle to acquire them.”

  Natsume raised an eyebrow.

  Don’t think I don’t know. It’s not just Hashirama you grave-robbed—Tobirama and the others too.

  “Just enough for two transpnts.”

  He tapped the table lightly. “And on top of that, I want your experimental data.”

  Orochimaru nodded expressionlessly.

  Not surprising.

  Anyone asking for Hashirama cells clearly wanted to transpnt them.

  And in the entire shinobi world, he was the leading expert in that field.

  “I want the data for a perfect Hashirama cell transpnt,” Natsume added. “Not your half-baked methods.”

  Orochimaru’s experiments had left a trail of corpses. Yamato was the only survivor.

  The fatality rate? Astronomical.

  As for Danzo, he only grafted a Hashirama-enhanced arm onto himself. Not even the same ballpark as Yamato’s full-body transpnt.

  Orochimaru’s wariness spiked again.

  This mysterious man knew way too much about the Wood Release experiments.

  How?

  "No problem," Orochimaru said.

  He’d just send him tampered data. Easy enough to rig.

  Unless Natsume had a top-tier medical ninja on his side—

  Someone like Tsunade.

  But that was impossible.

  There was only one Tsunade in the whole ninja world, and she’d never get involved with someone like this.

  "So, can you tell me the other secret now?"

  Orochimaru licked his lips, excitement gleaming in his eyes.

  If Yamato was just a “little secret,” then the “big secret” had to be something incredible.

  “Technically, I should only tell you after I get the Hashirama cells.”

  Natsume sipped his tea slowly. “But I’m not worried about you going back on your word.”

  Orochimaru’s eyes sharpened.

  That confidence... it caught him off guard.

  But on second thought, it matched the man’s mysterious, composed demeanor.

  "What’s your opinion of Senju Hashirama’s power?" Natsume asked.

  "Extremely strong," Orochimaru replied, a little puzzled.

  He had pored over the old records left in Konoha. The reverence for Hashirama was palpable, even between the lines.

  Orochimaru believed Hashirama far surpassed the Five Kage. Otherwise, he couldn’t have ended the Warring States era—let alone capture the Tailed Beasts.

  He had seen the Nine Tails.

  Without extraordinary power, there was no way to defeat it—let alone subdue it.

  "And what about Uchiha Madara, who was said to rival Hashirama?" Natsume asked again.

  "Probably not much weaker." Orochimaru thought for a moment. "The Valley of the End battle between them shattered the earth and carved out an actual valley."

  Even if Madara was weaker, it couldn’t have been by much.

  "And what do you think Madara’s power came from?" Natsume asked.

  "His Sharingan." Orochimaru was getting more and more intrigued.

  But what did this have to do with the “big secret”?

  "What’s your assessment of Uchiha Fugaku?"

  "He’s decent," Orochimaru mused. "Three-tomoe Sharingan is impressive, but he’s only a bit above the average Jonin."

  "Don’t you think that’s strange?"

  Natsume leaned in. “Why is Madara so overwhelmingly strong, when they both have Sharingan?”

  Orochimaru froze.

  Right.

  If Madara were ten times as strong as Fugaku... why?

  He remembered the rumors about the Nine Tails being controlled by Sharingan.

  Could a regur three-tomoe Sharingan really control a Tailed Beast?

  "You're saying... there's something beyond the three-tomoe Sharingan?"

  Orochimaru’s intellect kicked in. It didn’t take long for him to connect the dots.

  "Exactly."

  Natsume nodded. “Above the standard Sharingan… is the Mangekyō Sharingan.”

  “Mangekyō Sharingan…”

  Orochimaru repeated the words slowly. It was his first time hearing of it.

  Even Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo hadn't known about the Mangekyō in the original storyline—only when Uchiha Shisui self-destructed did they learn of its terrifying existence.

  Danzo, of course, immediately backstabbed him and stole the eye.

  “How powerful is it?” Orochimaru asked.

  The name alone didn’t mean much. He wanted details.

  “Wanna find out for yourself?” Natsume countered with a smile.

  “There’s already someone in the Uchiha cn who awakened it?”

  Orochimaru’s eyes lit up. He was already thinking about how to steal it.

  Natsume looked at his eager, unbothered face and couldn’t help but chuckle.

  Clearly, Orochimaru still didn’t get it.

  He probably thought the Mangekyō was strong, sure—but with limits.

  “Yes. His name is Uchiha Shisui.”

  “Him?!”

  Orochimaru’s expression shifted.

  Of course he knew Shisui—he had made a name for himself during the Third Great Ninja War.

  But to think he had awakened the Mangekyō…

  “Here’s some advice: prepare some solid life-saving methods. Otherwise… you’ll be in for a rough time.”

  Natsume’s warning made Orochimaru frown.

  Since earning his Sannin title, he hadn’t encountered many foes that could truly threaten him.

  But Natsume was saying he wouldn't just lose to Shisui—he’d lose badly?

  He didn’t buy it.

  Natsume didn’t press the point.

  With Orochimaru’s survival skills, he probably wouldn’t die.

  And Shisui wasn’t the type to kill someone like Orochimaru on sight—at least not at this point in the timeline.

  As for Natsume himself? He had nothing to worry about.

  The Mangekyō Sharingan was utterly busted.

  At this stage, thinking Orochimaru could kill Shisui was pure fantasy.

  “Well then, until next time.”

  With a pleasant smile, Natsume dispelled the wood clone. “I hope you’ll have those Hashirama cells ready by then.”

  Orochimaru watched him vanish, then immediately ordered a full investigation into Uchiha Shisui’s whereabouts.

  The Next Day.

  He found Shisui—and got completely wrecked. Barely escaped with his life.

  Meanwhile...

  Back at the Ninja Academy, Natsume was quietly attending css when the Ring of Fate chimed.

  [Your actions have altered Orochimaru’s fate. You have gained 58 Fate Points.]

  [Your actions have altered Uchiha Shisui’s fate. You have gained 19 Fate Points.]

  <><><><><>

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