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"Is there really no way?" Orochimaru asked, still unwilling to give up. "As long as the price isn't too steep, we can negotiate."

"Aren't you interested in natural energy, Naruto-kun? I have some—"

Naruto shook his head. "We can discuss that separately."

Orochimaru clicked his tongue.

At the moment, he wasn't desperate to get his hands back. He just wanted to avoid having a physically incomplete body. From a research perspective, it didn't really hold him back, but his strength had taken a hit. He could no longer fully control Sasuke.

"You're really cold, Naruto-kun," Orochimaru said, flicking his tongue. "Then let's talk about something else. How about letting me join your research on Sasuke? I believe I can be a qualified 'assistant.'"

He emphasized the last two words. Although he made the offer, he didn't have much hope, knowing how cautious Naruto was around him.

Unexpectedly, after a brief pause, Naruto nodded. "Alright."

Orochimaru was momentarily stunned, his expression showing shock before he smiled in delight. However, when he smiled like that, his aura became even more twisted. "Naruto-kun actually agreed. Is this something even you find challenging? I'll assist you well in the research..."

Naruto smiled. "It's a difficult project, but it's not something that can't be done without your help."

"Orochimaru, this is a test."

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.

"A test?"

"Orochimaru, the reason you're still standing in front of me as a human after I killed you once," Naruto continued, "is because of your research capabilities. It's the most valuable thing about you. But if, during this process, you can't prove that this most valuable part of you outweighs your other... less savory qualities..."

Naruto didn't finish the sentence. He just looked at him calmly.

People who excelled in research often had unstable mental states. In two worlds, Naruto knew four people skilled in research. It seemed... only Urahara Kisuke appeared normal.

"It seems you're planning something interesting," Orochimaru said, licking his lips as a gleam flickered in his eyes. "Is this my entry ticket?"

Naruto didn't respond.

Orochimaru's smile became even more unsettling. But as the research began, Orochimaru soon found himself unable to keep smiling.

Naruto was better at research than he had imagined. He was methodical and precise. In some aspects, he even seemed more "professional" than Orochimaru himself. Compared to Naruto, Orochimaru felt like the "amateur."

But that wasn't the worst part.

The most torturous aspect for Orochimaru was that Naruto's research delved into areas he had never explored deeply before. Even though he had obtained some knowledge about "souls" from Naruto and had made some progress over the past few years, compared to what they were working on now, the gap was vast.

Naruto was researching how to forge the chakra of "Indra" within Sasuke into a sword. Not just a "chakra scalpel" technique, but actually forging "chakra" into a real, tangible sword.

It sounded utterly absurd. If anyone other than Naruto had proposed it, Orochimaru wouldn't have bothered to participate in such research.

It took over a month for Orochimaru to barely catch up, gaining a superficial understanding of these concepts.

However, the forging of the "Zanpakutō" was not going smoothly. In the Soul Society, Mayuri Kurotsuchi had already discovered something—every "Asauchi" was formed by the fusion of many souls. "Many" wasn't a necessary condition, but a single soul couldn't provide the quality needed to forge an "Asauchi."

Although "Indra's power" was strong, it was still just a mass of energy with only instinctual "consciousness."

Naruto and Orochimaru attempted to extract "Indra" from Sasuke's body, but to avoid harming Sasuke, they could only extract small portions for study, as its essence was rooted in Sasuke's soul and could not be fully separated.

So, they had to explore other methods, attempting to integrate other chakra into Sasuke's body.

While they were conducting their research...

In a remote village in the Land of Hot Water...

"Bad news, Itachi is dead," Zetsu emerged from the ground and spoke to the Uchiha with the spiral mask. "But it wasn't Naruto Uzumaki who killed him."

"He died at the hands of Sasuke Uchiha."

The masked Uchiha's tone was heavy. "I see. He made a grave mistake."

In the only eye he had exposed, anxiety and anger swirled.

There were only three of them left in the organization. Now, they had lost a major asset.

Zetsu... Zetsu was only capable of gathering information, which meant that in terms of combat strength, he was the only one left.

A lone tree in the wind?

"Any news on the Rinnegan?" the masked Uchiha looked up at Zetsu.

Zetsu's tone was calm. "Don't hold onto any false hopes. There's no way Naruto would leave those eyes with Konan."

The masked Uchiha tilted his head back. "What should we do now? Without those eyes, we can't revive Uchiha Madara."

Zetsu remained emotionless. "We should lay low for a while. With Naruto Uzumaki around, it's difficult to make any moves."

The masked Uchiha's expression was pained.

"In the meantime, we should recruit new members," Zetsu suggested after some thought. "There will always be those we can use."

The masked Uchiha fell silent.

"Also, you should find an opportunity to retrieve your other eye," Zetsu continued. "With only one Mangekyō... you'll never be a match for Naruto Uzumaki."

The masked Uchiha nodded heavily.

**Land of Rice Fields, Sound Village.**

After another three months of research, a standard katana lay on the lab table.

"It actually worked," Orochimaru said, his tone filled with disbelief.

His eyes were glazed.

The door to a "new world" was opening before him.

During this time, the knowledge independent of "chakra," and even beyond the "living," had cleansed his understanding.

Naruto ignored him and picked up the sword.

It was an "Asauchi."

As he had expected, a chakra with "consciousness" was indeed excellent material for forging a "Zanpakutō."

However...

The amount needed was immense. To forge this sword, in addition to the "Indra's power" that Sasuke already possessed, they also used chakra from Kakuzu, Hidan, and a large amount provided by Orochimaru, barely managing to forge this sword.

The key issue was that because they used "Indra's power," this sword couldn't be used by Karin. It was almost bound to Sasuke. Unless they were to use Sasuke himself as material for the forging.

Nine-Tails was in favor of this. But this was a line Naruto wouldn't cross, and Karin also found the idea unsettling.

The "Asauchi" was successfully forged.

But... it was still somewhat different from what Naruto had anticipated.

He had expected a "mature" Zanpakutō, like Nine-Tails. But perhaps due to the mix of various powers or the fact that "Indra's power" only had "consciousness" and not a vibrant, lively soul like Nine-Tails, this sword was merely an "Asauchi."

After carefully examining it, Naruto handed it to Sasuke.

"How does it feel?" Naruto asked as Sasuke tried a few swings.

"It feels better than the Kusanagi Sword," Sasuke answered honestly. "It feels like a part of my own body."

Naruto asked again, "Do you hear anything?"

Sasuke was puzzled.

"Do you feel something within calling out a name to you?" Naruto described.

Sasuke shook his head. "No."

"I see." Naruto didn't seem disappointed and continued, "You can practice a form of meditation called 'Blade Zen.' With your talent, it shouldn't take long before you hear a name."

Sasuke nodded and gripped the sword tightly.

"Since you've acquired this sword, there's something else I need to discuss with you." Naruto's expression turned serious.

Orochimaru tilted his head. "Do I need to leave?"

"You can listen too," Naruto glanced at him. "You've proven your worth with your excellent performance in research."

Orochimaru grinned, flicking his tongue. "Is Naruto-kun praising me?"

Naruto ignored him and spoke to Sasuke: "I originally intended to give this sword to Karin. But because Indra's power is so deeply bound to you, the sword made from it is inseparable from you. So..."

"Sasuke, I want you to join the organization I'm about to establish."

Orochimaru wasn't surprised; he had suspected something like this.

"What organization?" Sasuke asked. "What's its purpose?"

"It's called 'Seireitei.'" Naruto didn't bother coming up with a new name and used the old one. "An organization to maintain order in the afterlife."

This left both of them stunned.

What did he mean by maintaining "order in the afterlife"?

"I'm not very interested in matters of the living," Naruto continued, trying to clarify. "You both participated in the research, so you know the power I wield is related to souls. The current ninja world... Though there is the Pure Land, there is no order in the afterlife."

Sasuke frowned in thought.

Orochimaru turned away, speaking dismissively, "My goal is immortality. Death is not the answer I seek."

Naruto shook his head in rebuttal. "Death is merely the beginning of another journey in life."

Orochimaru wanted to retort.

Naruto extended his hand. "We've been together for a while now, Orochimaru. Haven't you noticed the changes in me?"

"Changes that are fundamentally different from what's typical of the 'living.'"

Orochimaru scrutinized him for a long moment before his pupils dilated.

~~~

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