Mayuri Kurotsuchi Card Game, starting from Naruto

Chapter 58 Conversation

"Do you have any knowledge about the Tailed Beasts?"

In the laboratory where only Orochimaru and Shikagure were present, Shikagure prepared tools for Orochimaru's experiment while asking a question.

Orochimaru stiffened for a moment, then turned to Shikagure with a strange expression: "Why have you suddenly become interested in the Tailed Beasts? Is it because you encountered the Two-Tails from the Cloud Ninja?"

"Yes, that kind of catastrophic power was truly awe-inspiring. If it weren't for Wood Release's ability to counter the Tailed Beasts, our escape route probably wouldn't have been so smooth," Shika Nie replied to Orochimaru while disinfecting his tools.

"Facing a Tailed Beast with your current strength would indeed be a disaster. But as the ultimate deterrent force of the ninja village, the Tailed Beasts cannot be easily studied by you." Orochimaru's words were meant to curb Shikane's rampant research desires.

"Of course I know that. I don't expect the village to provide us with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki for our research. But what if we don't need the Nine-Tails?" Shikane licked his lips, speaking almost frankly to Orochimaru.

"Don't need the Nine-Tails? Are you planning to find tailed beasts from other ninja villages to use as material?" Orochimaru suddenly sensed an almost arrogant curiosity from Shikagure.

"Haven't you noticed? I'm practically a Jinchūriki now, aren't I?" Lu Nie said, his tone becoming somewhat uncertain at the end.

Theoretically, he has a tailed beast sealed within him, making him a Jinchūriki. However, in terms of power, the tailed beast sealed by him as a Jinchūriki is probably the weakest of all the tailed beasts.

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru's face showed a look of shock.

Shiro deliberately lifted his clothes, revealing the Bagua seal on his abdomen cast by Minato to Orochimaru. At the same time, a fierce and violent chakra, completely different from Shiro's own, rose from his body.

"This chakra, is it the Two-Tails?" Orochimaru carefully sensed the chakra that he found somewhat familiar. His usually cold and calm face still showed no sign of shock.

"You dealt with the Two-Tailed Fox?" he asked Lu Nie.

"How is that possible!" Lu Nie shook his head. His mental strength and Yin Release power were already nearly exhausted. If he continued to draw from them, he would lose consciousness and fall into the Bloodline Body.

He simply took what he could and stopped while he was ahead, taking only a portion of the Two-Tails from it.

"For reasons I'm not sure about, I cut off a part from the Two-Tails, and this part carries the Two-Tails' consciousness," Lu Nie frankly explained his situation.

"Splitting consciousness? How interesting!" Orochimaru's eyes lit up upon hearing Shikagure's words. He himself was attempting to cut his consciousness, or rather his soul, into multiple fragments, and through body modification and certain forbidden techniques, to achieve his goal of immortality.

What Lu Nie said really piqued his interest, so much so that he postponed his upcoming research.

"So, the two-tailed beast inside you right now isn't from the Cloud Village?" Orochimaru licked his lips, a strong sense of curiosity on his face.

Orochimaru knew that some people possessed the chakra of tailed beasts but were not Jinchūriki. For example, the Ginkaku and Kinkaku brothers, the culprits behind the deaths of the Second Hokage and Second Raikage, possessed the Nine-Tails' chakra.

But Orochimaru had never seen anyone like Shikane, who split a tailed beast into two parts and simultaneously became a tailed beast's jinchūriki. He vaguely sensed something in this that stirred his heart.

"Yes. I've even seen it in my consciousness space and spoken to it." Lu Nie nodded.

"That's truly amazing." Orochimaru chuckled strangely. "You know, Shikagure, I used to be very interested in the power of the Tailed Beasts. I even considered pursuing and researching them."

Lu Nie looked at Orochimaru, who was lost in his memories, and silently waited for him to say something next.

"Follow me!" Orochimaru tossed aside his tools and led Shika Nie to an open area in the Technology Development Department. He bit his fingertip, drawing his own blood to form the hand seals for a summoning jutsu.

Bang!

A snake as thick as an arm was summoned. Upon seeing Orochimaru, it opened its mouth in an astonishing arc and spat out a sticky jar containing an unknown liquid.

The jar was about half a meter tall and covered with densely packed sealing runes.

Orochimaru crouched down, unconcerned about the sticky liquid on it, and gently rubbed the jar with his hand. He said to Shikagure, "I once infiltrated Kumogakure and applied a neurotoxin to Brubi, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki at the time, and cut off a portion of the Eight-Tails' chakra before it went berserk."

Shika Nie was astonished by Orochimaru's audacity. Finding the Jinchuriki's identity wasn't difficult; it would take some time to infiltrate the village, and as long as they weren't caught, they could find out with enough effort.

The challenge lies in avoiding the ANBU ninjas who are both monitoring and protecting the Jinchūriki, achieving one's goals without alerting anyone, and making a safe and unscathed retreat.

If Orochimaru had been discovered back then, given the Cloud Village's vengeful nature, they would have certainly publicized it throughout the entire ninja world, then amassed a large force to either launch a direct attack or intimidate Konoha, reaping substantial benefits from it.

But since there was no such information, it's clear that Orochimaru kept it from everyone in Kumogakure, including the Jinchuriki.

A crazed Jinchūriki poses a tremendous threat to any village. Without strong intervention and suppression, the village will inevitably suffer extensive damage and losses. If this were to happen during wartime, it would be a devastating blow to the village and its morale.

"This jar contains the chakra I cut and sealed from the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki. Of course, it's just pure chakra. All I can do is seal it away and preserve it, preventing it from dissipating quickly."

Orochimaru looked at Shikane as if she were a priceless treasure.

He wasn't excited because Shinobu had become the Jinchūriki of the Two-Tails. He wasn't particularly attached to Jinchūriki, nor was he attached to Tailed Beasts or other bloodline limits.

He now only wants to perfect his technique for achieving immortality.

He has now sensed an opportunity and inspiration from Lu Nie that will allow him to perfect a certain technique! It has given him hope for his art of immortality!

"I can give you all the research data on the Eight-Tails. Similarly, I can help you master the power of the Two-Tails, but you will have to make a sacrifice." Orochimaru held up a finger: "Help me perfect the method of splitting the spirit."

"Of course," Lu Nie replied without refusing. The same technology, in the hands of each individual, will produce different effects depending on the user's mindset.

Orochimaru's willingness to let him join the research on immortality signifies that his recognition and importance to Orochimaru have reached an unparalleled level.

(End of this chapter)