[The second method of removing the cursed seal is to find Orochimaru, learn his Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu from him, and transfer into a new body. This would also have a high probability of breaking the Caged Bird.]
Many branch family members of the Hyuga clan had a gleam in their eyes… This one was much more reliable than the previous suggestion.
Committing suicide or something like that just sounded far too extreme.
As members of the Hyuga clan, their lives weren't really that miserable.
[However, the drawbacks of the Living Corpse Reincarnation are also quite obvious. The transfer requires finding a suitable vessel. And after the transfer, one must suppress the vessel's soul. Even if the transfer is successful, the average usable lifespan of each body is only about three years, requiring continuous transfers in the future. And if there is a risk of bodily rejection, a minimum interval of over three years is needed before another transfer can be performed.]
Three years is three years, and continuous reincarnation is continuous reincarnation.
If it meant escaping the Caged Bird, this price was more than worth it! The only trouble was that Orochimaru, being a rogue-nin from Konoha, wouldn't be easy to find.
Moreover, as members of the Hyuga clan, without a mission assignment, they simply couldn't leave the village easily.
[Finding suitable transfer vessels is extremely difficult, and it's very easy for things to go wrong. For example, even though Orochimaru had performed multiple successful transfers and was already quite experienced, he still failed when trying to take over Uchiha Sasuke's body.]
[Of course, this was partly due to Sasuke's rapid growth and partly due to Itachi's scheming. But what Orochimaru didn't know was that even if Sasuke's body just stood there and let him possess it, he still couldn't do it.]
[Do you not understand the weight of being Indra?!]
Orochimaru licked his lips, his pupils gleaming with excitement.
The Sky Screen was truly interesting. The fact that he had been plotting to take over Sasuke's body was something very few people currently knew.
Internally, Orochimaru's confidence in the authenticity of the Sky Screen's information increased once again.
But Itachi's scheming? It was probably aimed at obtaining the Eternal Mangekyō.
However… wasn't Indra the eldest son of the Sage of the Six Paths? What exactly was his relationship with Uchiha Sasuke? And… Uchiha Madara was also an Indra. What secrets were hidden in all of this?
Orochimaru felt that once he could uncover the mysteries behind this, he would absolutely take a big step forward on the path to immortality.
---
[Konoha, Year 60 · Training Ground]
Sasuke's expression was extremely grim.
This Orochimaru—he had never heard of him before. He only learned of this guy's existence through the Sky Screen—a disciple of the Third Hokage and a fellow student of the current Hokage, Tsunade.
And yet, this guy had been plotting to take over his body!!
Dammit!
Naruto scratched his head beside him: "Sasuke, this Orochimaru wants to take over your body? What does that mean?"
Sakura said from the side: "It literally means that. That guy wants to take over Sasuke's body."
Naruto's eyes widened: "What? That's just like a monster!"
He clenched his fists, full of righteous indignation: "Damned guy! Sasuke, don't worry, I will definitely protect you."
Sasuke ignored Naruto's words, found a tree to lean on comfortably, hands in his pockets, expressionless.
As for Itachi's scheming, Sasuke didn't take it to heart.
Now that he knew the evolution path of the Sharingan, he simply assumed that Itachi was also plotting to take his eyes. One more schemer didn't make much difference.
Still, Sasuke frowned.
"The Sky Screen keeps calling me this generation's Indra. What exactly does that mean?"
Kakashi dropped down from the tree and stood nearby, looking thoughtful.
"Indra was the eldest son of the Sage of the Six Paths and the ancestor of the Uchiha clan. The Sky Screen calling you this generation's Indra… might mean that you've inherited some of his traits?"
Sasuke felt somewhat convinced by this explanation: "So that's why Orochimaru couldn't take over my body?"
Kakashi nodded: "It's possible."
---
[Akatsuki Hideout]
Itachi's mood was somewhat heavy.
'Trouble, Orochimaru has his eyes on Sasuke!'
Although Orochimaru was defeated by him, that didn't mean one of the legendary Sannin was a simple opponent. If he truly had his eyes on Sasuke, that would indeed be a problem.
However, the content that followed on the Sky Screen soon dispelled Itachi's concerns.
'Even if he stood there and let him possess him, he still couldn't do it…'
The corner of Itachi's mouth curled up slightly.
But soon, his thoughts turned to the same question.
'Indra…'
'Aside from being the name of our ancestor, what other meaning does it hold?'
[Of course, if after learning Living Corpse Reincarnation, one could find a White Zetsu clone, the drawbacks of Living Corpse Reincarnation would disappear entirely. As a product of Hashirama's cells, the White Zetsu clone possesses extremely strong adaptability and does not produce rejection reactions to Living Corpse Reincarnation, making it an excellent vessel choice.]
[White Zetsu clones deserve much of the credit for Orochimaru being able to stay young.]
---
[Konoha, Year One]
Madara's pupils suddenly contracted.
'Hashirama's cells… Is that what I think it is?'
He turned his head to look at Hashirama. In the future, some bastard had actually used Hashirama's body for experiments?
'Damn bastards!'
With his intelligence, Madara quickly deduced that after Hashirama's death, Konoha had likely tried to replicate the miracle of the God of Shinobi, which led to researching his body.
Who could have done this?
He shifted his gaze toward Tobirama, who was about ten meters away, his eyes cold enough to kill.
Feeling Madara's gaze, Tobirama quietly lowered his head.
Clearly, he also thought his future self had done it.
"Heh…"
Madara let out a sneer. "Tobirama… you truly are something."
He didn't finish his sentence, as Hashirama tried to mediate: "Madara, don't be like that… Tobirama should also be doing it Konoha…"
"For Konoha? Using your body for experiments is all for Konoha?"
Hashirama gave an awkward smile. "Didn't the Sky Screen say? After I die, Konoha's situation would be very difficult. Tobirama most likely had no choice."
"Being weak is no excuse! Does 'having no choice' give them the right to tamper with your body?!" Madara was growing somewhat frantic.
Hashirama had no choice but to continue calming Madara down, like soothing a cat whose fur had bristled.
---
[Konoha, Year 60]
Akatsuki Hideout.
Pain looked toward a certain organization member who almost never spoke.
'White Zetsu is Zetsu's clone, right? I never expected it to have this kind of function.'
'Heh. Uchiha Madara… just how many secrets are you hiding?'
After all, Zetsu was Madara's person.
---
Some Underground Base in the Shinobi World.
Orochimaru's eyes lit up.
As a former member of the Akatsuki, he was well aware of Zetsu's existence, and he had also seen those white clones.
But it had never occurred to him that those things could be used as reincarnation vessels.
"Excellent!" Orochimaru licked his lips. "The Sky Screen truly is a guiding light."
He stood up and paced back and forth in the laboratory: "All that searching and it was right under my nose."
Now, neither Uchiha Sasuke nor Hyuga Hinata mattered much to him. The so-called White Zetsu clones were the key.
Kabuto asked with a smile on the side: "Orochimaru-sama, shall we next…"
"Contact the Akatsuki."
"I want to have a good talk with Zetsu."
Orochimaru paused, then smiled: "No, not just a talk—a collaboration."
Immediately afterwards, Orochimaru's excited laugh echoed through the empty base.
*****
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