For Kushina Uzumaki, who had heard nothing of the outside world and had only been able to lie in a hospital bed undergoing dull, tedious, and highly repetitive treatment, the public appearance of Hashirama Senju's Edo Tensei body inside Orochimaru's research institute naturally dealt her an enormous mental shock.
But after hearing from Hashirama Senju and Kabuto Yakushi, who had hurried over after hearing her cry of surprise, about the series of events that had recently happened between the Konoha exchange delegation and Kirigakure, the disbelief on her face gradually transformed into a solemnity that almost seemed ready to solidify.
As the Fourth Hokage's wife, and as an elite jonin who had received Konoha's complete shinobi education system, how could she fail to hear the sound hidden behind this series of actions—
The sound of Kirigakure raising a hoe high toward the corner of Konoha's wall?
No. Reality was even more excessive than that. Not only did Kirigakure have no intention of concealing its poaching behavior at all, even the leader of the Konoha exchange delegation, Jiraiya; the vice leader, Tsunade; and even the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju himself, had shown no intention of openly countering Kirigakure's actions.
This intense and incomprehensible contrast truly made her unable to help suspecting that the time she had spent inside the culture vessel and independent ward had not been only a few months, but several years.
The people of the Konoha exchange delegation ultimately spent a considerable amount of effort and words before Kushina Uzumaki barely understood why they were doing this now, as well as the current state of the shinobi world.
Although this matter affected the progress of Rei Kaguya's document and archive sorting to a certain degree, he showed no reaction to it at all.
The reason was simple.
Through documentary materials copied from the Hyuga clan's collection, he had already found the records of Otsutsuki Hamura taking a portion of Hyuga blood descendants away from the shinobi world to the moon created by Six Paths: Chibaku Tensei, as well as the place where they ultimately disappeared.
"So this is… the final record left behind in the shinobi world by the Otsutsuki clan?"
Looking at the collected intelligence summary produced by Rei Kaguya, who knew the truth, Orochimaru could not help licking his lips. With an excited expression, he muttered to himself,
"Those who ascended to the moon—do they still exist to this day? If they have not survived until now, then what kind of legacy did they leave behind for explorers like us who came later?"
"If they exist to this day, there should still be some of them."
Rei Kaguya lightly tapped another piece of intelligence in his hand and said calmly,
"Otherwise, the Hyuga clan probably would not have obediently handed over even these documents that clearly point toward them."
"Oh~"
Orochimaru's tone curved upward.
"Rei-kun, what you mean is… the descendants of Hamura on the moon have not only existed safely until today, but have also maintained observation of the shinobi world through the channel known as the Hyuga clan?"
"The possibility is not low. After all, among the documents the Hyuga clan handed over, there are simply too many clues pointing toward their ancestor Hamura. Even someone who did not start out like me with the idea of searching for them could still see certain hints from within."
"It seems our Hyuga friends do not have such a harmonious relationship with those descendants of Hamura who share the same ancestor…"
Orochimaru browsed the location-related information in the documents, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"They are separated by heaven and earth, are they not?"
Rei turned his face sideways, looking at the especially bright full moon outside the window.
"And I cannot help suspecting… whether the Hyuga clan's Caged Bird Curse Mark became so terrifyingly effective precisely because of the threat posed by the Otsutsuki in the sky."
"The Caged Bird is also related to them?"
"A technique that can directly destroy the brain nerves of those branch family members branded with the Caged Bird Curse Mark with a single thought, no matter how far apart the two sides are, while also completely locking down their Byakugan… Even if it was originally meant to protect the Byakugan from being stolen, its effect is far too powerful, is it not?
"The Hyuga clan is not some weak ninja clan either. Even when compared with the Uchiha clan, another dojutsu clan, excluding those who possess the Mangekyo Sharingan, the gap between them should not be so great that the Hyuga clan of the same period needed to worry about this kind of thing, while the Uchiha clan did not, right?"
Rei Kaguya put down the scroll in his hand and said seriously,
"And through the Hyuga clan's documents, we can now almost one hundred percent confirm that the rumor claiming the Byakugan is the common origin of the Sharingan and Rinnegan is, in fact, an undeniable truth… In that case, the Byakugan should also possess a power that goes one step further, just like the Sharingan."
"You mean… a stronger power of the Byakugan that does not require the Kaguya clan's Dead Bone Pulse?"
Orochimaru showed an interested look.
"If that kind of power truly exists, then the true purpose of the Caged Bird Curse Mark has two completely different possibilities… No, considering the obvious fact that the Hyuga clan was at a disadvantage in its dealings with the Otsutsuki clan, the true purpose of the Caged Bird should be to prevent the Hyuga clan's Byakugan from being seized by the Otsutsuki clan, who are also descendants of Hamura, correct?"
"Whether it is true or not, as long as we find the location that leads to the moon, we will have our answer."
Rei Kaguya shook his head. Then he pointed at Orochimaru and said calmly,
"And to ensure that our operation has an absolute chance of success, that pair of Byakugan perfectly compatible with me is something absolutely indispensable."
"…That is true. After all, the opponent is an enemy who has lived on the moon since the mythical era. Even if Rei-kun's current strength has already surpassed the limits of my understanding of the concept of a ninja, you should still be unable to directly take your clansmen and ascend to the moon like Otsutsuki Hamura did, correct?"
Orochimaru nodded and said somewhat emotionally.
"Then, how much longer will it take before I can see your results, Orochimaru?"
The veins around Rei Kaguya's eyes suddenly bulged. His white eyes carried undisguised pressure.
"Hashirama Senju himself is very interested in your research. The materials of the Uzumaki clan, who can use Adamantine Sealing Chains, are also in your hands to sample freely… If, under these conditions, you still need two or three years to produce a qualified result, that would be somewhat disappointing."
"Do not be so anxious, Rei-kun…"
A cold smile curled at the corner of Orochimaru's mouth.
"To transform materials in hand into concrete results also requires time and a little luck… There is no need to worry that I will hold you back in this regard. When it comes to ascending to the moon and seeing a bloodline purer and more powerful than the Senju, Uchiha, Hyuga, Uzumaki, Kaguya, and other ninja clans, I will only be more proactive and more dedicated than you."
"I hope so," Rei Kaguya said calmly.
"Heh. There is no need to doubt it… Rei-kun, you still retain some nostalgia and value for your own body. Completely replacing your body is something you would absolutely never consider. But I am different. If I could obtain a living Otsutsuki blood descendant, or personally create an artificial body that meets all my requirements, I would transfer my soul into it without the slightest hesitation."
"And to achieve those two goals, Rei-kun, your help and support are indispensable to me… Perhaps when we reach the very, very end, there may be a possibility that we turn against each other. But something that only has a certain chance of happening decades from now—why bring it into the present and let it affect the cooperation and trust between us?"
Orochimaru narrowed his long, snake-like eyes and spoke with frank sincerity.
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