My Journey as Fourth Kazekage

At that moment, Rasa felt like he had uncovered many of the world's deepest secrets. At the same time, he also finally understood why, apart from the Sage of Six Paths taking action against him once after his sudden arrival in this world, the Sage from his original world had never moved against him.

For one, perhaps the Sage of Six Paths genuinely had no means to act against him. And two, maybe, just maybe, the Sage was even pleased to see him transforming chakra into senjutsu energy because that would lessen the chances of Kaguya's resurrection. But none of that mattered to Rasa. He would never put his own safety in someone else's hands.

"I understand. So, what do you think about our cooperation?"

Black Zetsu also returned to his senses and stated his own condition.

"Fine. But I have one request."

Rasa raised his brow.

"What is it?"

"I want that chakra fruit as well..."

Rasa glanced at Black Zetsu and refused without the slightest hesitation.

"Stop dreaming. You seem to have misunderstood something. Do you really think I couldn't obtain what I want without you? The reason I sought cooperation with you was simply for convenience."

Black Zetsu's expression turned somewhat sour.

"Then what do I get in return?"

"My not interfering with your plan is already the greatest help you'll receive. Aside from that, before Kaguya is resurrected, I can help you stop Isshiki."

Although Isshiki's appearance belongs to the later Boruto timeline, still years away, Black Zetsu had no way of knowing that.

And besides, given how Rasa had altered the flow of events, there was no guarantee that Isshiki wouldn't act sooner than expected.

Black Zetsu hesitated, but eventually asked:

"You're sure you won't intervene?"

Rasa posed far too great a threat to Black Zetsu now, just one step beneath Hagoromo himself.

"Don't worry. I'm very interested in Kaguya's resurrection. In fact, if your mother can be brought back without destroying the world, we might even become allies, united against the future Ōtsutsuki."

Black Zetsu fell into deep thought, but eventually agreed.

It wasn't that Black Zetsu trusted Rasa easily. Rather, as Kaguya's will, his fear of the Ōtsutsuki clan was deeply ingrained, especially after recently confirming signs of Isshiki's presence through his investigations.

"Since you've agreed, then let's not waste any more time and begin. But before we move, to make collecting the Tailed Beasts' chakra go more smoothly, I may need to borrow the identity of 'Akatsuki'..."

---

Land of the Sea.

A certain island shrouded in thick mist.

Blood-curdling screams frequently echoed from the island, causing nearby pirates and fishermen to steer far away from it.

Deep within the island, in a vast cavern, one could distinctly see human-made structures. Inside these prison-like buildings lived humanoid figures, monsters emanating terrifying auras. The mysterious markings on their faces and bodies made it clear what these creatures truly were. Yes, this was one of Orochimaru's secret research bases, specifically dedicated to the study of Cursed Seals. And these monsters were his test subjects.

Deep within the cavern, in a room dimly lit by oil lamps…

Orochimaru, having just completed his Living Corpse Reincarnation, slowly unwrapped his bandages. Staring at the unfamiliar face in the mirror, he let out a chilling laugh.

At his side, his assistant Kabuto knelt on the ground, his entire body trembling.

"Where's Sasuke?"

It turned out that, after his plan to have Tsunade heal his arms failed, Orochimaru had decided to proceed with his backup plan, luring Sasuke in to become his next vessel.

Originally, he had intended to directly possess Sasuke.

But his subordinates acted too slowly, and his body couldn't hold out until Sasuke arrived. So he had no choice but to pick a different vessel from within the base and perform the transfer.

However, right after the transfer was complete, Orochimaru was already dissatisfied with the new body. He could feel the compatibility between the body and his soul was far too low.

But once the Living Corpse Reincarnation was cast, there was no turning back. And now, he had to wait another three years before he could do it again.

This greatly displeased him. A freezing aura radiated from his entire body, causing Kabuto to tremble all the more.

Upon hearing Orochimaru's question, Kabuto quickly responded.

"Orochimaru-sama, those Konoha brats are more troublesome than expected. But Kimimaro has already been sent. There shouldn't be any problem."

"Hehehe…"

Orochimaru didn't press the issue further, instead switching topics.

"What about that Kazekage? What did your investigation find?"

Hearing this, Kabuto let out a small sigh of relief.

"There doesn't appear to be anything unusual. And it's not just us, even according to the intel from that person, the organization also sent someone to investigate. But they found nothing."

Hearing this, Orochimaru sneered.

"How interesting~. So even Akatsuki is paying attention to him…"

Kabuto then seemed to recall something, speaking with confusion:

"It really is strange, Orochimaru-sama. While that Kazekage was certainly powerful, it took you, me, and Kimimaro combined to defeat him, but from the reports of his later battle with Jiraiya-sama, it seems he's become much stronger than he was when he fought us. And even more bizarre, after being revived, he didn't come for revenge against you. What's going on here?"

Orochimaru raised a brow.

"Oh? And what do you think?"

Kabuto adjusted his glasses.

"I'm not sure either. That's what puzzles me. And there's one more piece of intel from Konoha, Danzo of Root… he's dead too."

"!!!"

This time, a flicker of shock finally appeared on Orochimaru's face.

"What happened?"

"I haven't gotten full details yet, but during the time when you were fighting the Third Hokage, Root was attacked by that same Fourth Kazekage. It was almost as if… he had everything planned out in advance. I even started to wonder if the man we killed was truly the real Fourth Kazekage. But with Edo Tensei, it's impossible to fake the identity…"

Orochimaru's gaze darkened. Everything that was happening was making him increasingly uneasy.

"It's definitely strange…"

Just as that thought crossed Orochimaru's mind, terrified screams suddenly echoed from outside the base.

"What's going on? Are we under attack?"

Both Orochimaru and Kabuto were startled. Especially Orochimaru, known as the slippery snake, his advantage lay in his summon: snakes. Their scouting and counter-scouting capabilities were second to none.

Yet now, not a single warning from his summoned snakes.

It was Kabuto who made the call.

"Looks like this place has been exposed. Orochimaru-sama, in your current condition, it's not wise to fight. Let's retreat for now."

Orochimaru wasn't someone who clung to pride unnecessarily. He nodded in agreement. But just as the two of them exited the base through a hidden passage and prepared to leave the island…

A voice rang out behind them.

"Orochimaru, where do you think you're going?"

Orochimaru turned around, and his pupils instantly contracted.