Chapter 104 – Orochimaru’s Shock: "You're Planning to Resurrect the Hokage?!"

"Oh?" Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, his snake-like eyes narrowing slightly with interest. "Then let's wait and see. The frontlines certainly aren't lacking in... subjects. Still, some experiments are too complex for battlefield conditions."

He leaned back, his voice oozing curiosity.

"What intrigues me more is Uchiha Madara… and Black and White Zetsu. Who would've thought the so-called Demon of the Battlefield wasn't truly dead? That he deceived both the First and Second Hokage, the entire world, just to obtain Hashirama's cells and awaken the Rinnegan! Even more fascinating is the revelation that both the Uchiha and Senju clans are descendants of the Sage of Six Paths. Their fusion births godlike power—those divine eyes…"

Orochimaru licked his lips, hunger for knowledge flashing in his gaze.

"So Gin-kun, by encouraging marriage and alliances between the Uchiha and Senju, you're hoping their descendants will inherit both bloodlines... and maybe awaken the Rinnegan with ease?"

He had clearly caught wind of these marriage arrangements from Tsunade.

Gin raised a brow but smiled faintly."So you've heard. It's true, that was part of the plan. But primarily, we aim to combine their elemental affinities—Uchiha's Yin and Senju's Yang—to create the most potential-rich future generations. Awakening the Rinnegan, however, isn't that simple. Didn't I include that in the briefing I gave you?"

"Right…" Orochimaru muttered. "Madara's awakening of the Rinnegan wasn't due solely to Hashirama's cells or his Eternal Mangekyō. He and the First were the reincarnations of Indra and Asura, the Sage's sons."

"Exactly," Gin said. "It seems the chakra of Indra and Asura is the catalyst for the Mangekyō to evolve into the Rinnegan. That's what we'll study. Eventually, our children—our clans—will awaken that power. And when that day comes… the Uchiha will rival, even surpass, the Ōtsutsuki themselves."

Orochimaru fell silent, digesting the implications."So… Asura hasn't reincarnated yet?"

"No. They're always reborn together in the same era. Since Madara hasn't truly died yet, Asura's reincarnation hasn't occurred in this generation."

Orochimaru stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"I see why you believe the Sage of Six Paths may not have been as noble as the legends claim. The endless cycle of war, driven by the conflict between Indra and Asura's reincarnations… It sounds deliberate. A divine manipulation, using his sons as pawns to stir conflict and gather... data? Or perhaps power?"

Gin nodded."Maybe he wanted to hone the shinobi world's strength against an eventual Ōtsutsuki invasion. Surely he knew that sealing his mother wouldn't be the end."

"Possible," Orochimaru muttered, before sighing. "Let's leave that for later. Back to reality… With Hanzo, Danzō, and much of Amegakure's elite gone, what are your plans for the next stage of the war?"

"With the fall of over 2,000 Ame ninja and Hanzo himself, and with support from the Uchiha, Senju, and Uzumaki—plus years of strategic clan alliances—my path to Hokage should be clear. That's assuming Iwa and Suna don't interfere. If they step in to preserve Amegakure or to contest Konoha's growing power… we'll have to face them too."

Gin's expression darkened.

"And they likely will. Their eyes have always been on the Land of Fire. Hanzo's death won't remain secret for long."

Orochimaru frowned."Judging by their recent actions… Yes. Iwa and Suna have been waiting for a reason. Amegakure was never their target—it's always been Konoha."

"Exactly," Gin replied. "But we're ready. The strength of our clans, of Tsunade, and my own power—can repel their advance. And war may even be a good thing. Victory will give us a few years of peace, just enough time to enact reforms."

Orochimaru sighed. "Let's wait for Tsunade and the main forces to return. Then we'll gather the jōnin and prepare a unified strategy." He paused, then suddenly leaned forward."By the way—since you raided Danzō's Root base… did you find Tobirama's research on Wood Release and Hashirama's cells?"

Gin nodded."Of course. Danzō was hoarding all kinds of forbidden knowledge—cloning data, cell samples, genetic experiments, everything. I want to continue studying Wood Release, but not just to replicate it. My aim is to create a stable method to pass it on genetically—allow Senju descendants to awaken it naturally, without side effects."

"You want to recreate the Sage's body?" Orochimaru's voice trembled slightly, eyes glowing. "That's... brilliant. And terrifying."

Gin smiled."I'll be overseeing these experiments myself. You know, my medical skills surpass even Tsunade's. Many of the clan's strongest medicines and stimulants—the Life Elixir that saved Lady Mito, the regeneration pills, even our anti-genome backlash serum—were all my work."

Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with fascination."Excellent. With your resources and my research, we'll achieve real results."

Gin then added, almost casually:

"By the way, Lady Mito and I agreed to use the Edo Tensei to bring back the First and Second Hokage. Let them work for us."

Orochimaru nearly choked."You're serious? You plan to resurrect Hashirama and Tobirama?! And Mito agreed to that?! Hashirama I can understand... but the Second?! He hated the Uchiha. You seriously want to bring him back while you, an Uchiha, sit in the Hokage's seat?"

Gin laughed lightly."If there's trouble, Lady Mito will keep him in line. And if not—between me, my mother, and Lady Mito, we'll just beat some sense into him every day until he adjusts."

He smirked, but his eyes were cold."And if that still doesn't work, I'll show him the truth. The evidence of how Danzō and Hiruzen betrayed the village, almost destroyed the Senju, and murdered Uchiha Kagami. Let him see Konoha thriving under our rule. If he still wants to resist… well, he'll find the future doesn't need his approval."

Orochimaru blinked. Then a slow smile spread across his face."Gin-kun... you really are something else."