Simu and Orochimaru were not the type of people who enjoyed excessive pleasantries. Both were quite clear about the purpose of this meeting. After a simple greeting, Orochimaru directly stated his request.
"The reason I asked you here today, Simu, is because I have hit a bottleneck in my research on Hashirama cells."
"My goal is to create a Wood Style ninja capable of hosting Hashirama cells. However, every experimental subject transplanted with these cells is eroded in a short amount of time, resulting in death."
"I know you possess profound attainments in human research. I hope you can help me."
Orochimaru summarized his problems and needs quite concisely. For people like them, time was everything, and there was no need to waste it on irrelevant matters.
Simu lightly adjusted his glasses. "I can certainly give that a try."
Anything concerning the human body or genetic puzzles was Simu's forte. He could completely use the Blood Pool to analyze the God of Shinobi's genes, find the specific genetic segments related to the Kekkei Genkai, and then replicate them.
"Of course, whether it can actually succeed depends on the research and the data," Simu added.
Although he had successfully replicated Magnet Style and grasped the preliminary theory of Kekkei Genkai, he couldn't guarantee that the Wood Style of the God of Shinobi wouldn't be different. He was confident, but that confidence wasn't 100%.
"Understandable."
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes slightly. As a fellow scientist, he naturally knew that the success rate of any experiment was never 100%, let alone one of this magnitude. Simu's willingness to take this stance was already quite surprising to him.
With the cooperation settled, it was time to discuss the distribution of interests.
"So, what kind of reward do you want from me, Simu?" Orochimaru asked openly.
In his view, only a relationship built on mutual interest could allow a partnership to last. Rather than turning into enemies later due to a lack of agreement, it was better to settle the distribution of benefits before the plan began.
Hearing this, Simu immediately smiled. He liked speaking with direct people like Orochimaru.
"I want you to use an appropriate channel to send me into the Hidden Leaf Village."
This sentence immediately made Orochimaru alert. He narrowed his eyes, sizing up the man before him. If this guy went to the Hidden Leaf, it might result in another bloodbath.
Others might not know Simu's capabilities, but Orochimaru knew them all too well. After all, this guy had personally brought back the One-Tail Shukaku from the Hidden Sand Village. Furthermore, he had caused almost irreparable damage to the Hidden Sand, making them lose face on the international stage.
The most crucial part was that the Hidden Sand still had no idea that the culprit was this harmless-looking man in glasses.
"As your partner, I feel it necessary to remind you that the Jashin Religion is currently hated by everyone in the Hidden Leaf. If you are discovered..."
Though Orochimaru spoke words of warning, his tone was far from cautionary. In fact, he seemed to have a bit of anticipation regarding Simu's trip to the Hidden Leaf. He wanted to see what kind of change Simu would bring to that old windmill.
Would he be a fresh breeze that gently turned the sails? Or would he turn into a gale and uproot the entire windmill? Based on the incident in the Hidden Sand Village, Orochimaru leaned toward the latter.
Facing Orochimaru's well-intentioned 'warning', Simu remained calm, merely adjusting his glasses. "You don't need to worry about that. As long as I don't want to be exposed, I shouldn't be easily discovered by the Hidden Leaf."
"It seems you are very confident in your disguise."
Orochimaru looked at Simu and said seriously, "In that case, I can grant your request. However, you must create one Wood Style ninja among these experimental subjects for me. Additionally, you must create a clone for me that can use Wood Style and host my soul—just like that red-haired brat, Gaara."
This was Orochimaru's true objective. Creating a Wood Style ninja among the test subjects was to fulfill the task Danzo Shimura had assigned him. As for creating a Wood Style clone using his own body as a template, that was entirely for himself.
After years of various experiments, Orochimaru's body was already overburdened. This was why he had created the Living Corpse Reincarnation, seeking to delay his death.
For the past few years, while perfecting his Living Corpse Reincarnation, he had been constantly searching for a body compatible with his soul. Only with a compatible body could he exert his full strength and ensure the body lasted longer.
However, after seeing the body Simu created using Gaara's genes—which was identical to the original and successfully housed the soul—his thinking changed. If Simu succeeded in the Hashirama cell project and mastered the technology to create Wood Style ninjas, wouldn't it be better to have Simu clone a body for him that could use Wood Style directly?
Not only would it be perfectly compatible with his soul, but it would also grant him the terrifying power that only the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, could master: Wood Style!
Simu did not refuse this request. To him, if he could successfully analyze the Hashirama cells, producing one or two Wood Style ninjas was merely a matter of how much energy was consumed. Providing two Wood Style ninjas in exchange for the Hashirama cells and a path into the Hidden Leaf was a very reasonable trade.
"No problem. However, I need more Hashirama cells for analysis—preferably from the original body."
From Orochimaru's description, Simu could easily infer that the Hashirama cells possessed incredibly powerful regenerative and splitting abilities. Therefore, Simu preferred to have tissue from Hashirama Senju's actual body rather than products of cellular division. No one knew if genetic mutations would occur after multiple divisions. To explore the power of the God of Shinobi, he had to start with the original cells.
"I understand. However, the original cells are precious. I will try my best to communicate with Danzo."
For the sake of his Wood Style body, Orochimaru could only agree for the time being.
Simu nodded, but in his mind, he took note of the name Orochimaru mentioned. The Elder of the Hidden Leaf, the ninja known as the Darkness of the Shinobi—Danzo Shimura.