In that dark laboratory, the air was heavy and damp.
Before Orochimaru, Kushina casually tossed something onto the experiment table—a pale white corpse.
With his narrow golden eyes, Orochimaru immediately recognized the familiar sight.
"…Isn't this a Zetsu body?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, his voice laced with curiosity and surprise. "Specifically, one of the Akatsuki members…"
Kushina simply smiled mysteriously, arms crossed over her chest.
"More precisely, it's a Zetsu clone," she explained nonchalantly. "You might've seen Zetsu with one half black, one half white—like a standing aloe vera… But this is different. This is a clone of White Zetsu. They're actually two separate entities."
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, a thoughtful expression settling on his face.
"…Fascinating." He whispered, stepping closer to examine the body in detail. "I never imagined you could bring… something like this. Even I, who joined Akatsuki, could never detect Zetsu's presence. I'm not even sure if we're being watched right now…"
Kushina waved a hand dismissively, as if brushing aside a trivial concern.
"Relax, Orochimaru-senpai," said Kushina lightly. "Unless the Sage of Six Paths himself intervenes, no one can hear our conversation."
Orochimaru stared at her, gauging whether she was bluffing. But his seasoned instincts told him one thing—Kushina wasn't joking.
Silently, Orochimaru felt a chill creep down his spine.
'If it's true… then her presence is far more dangerous than anyone suspects.'
Recalling Akatsuki, Orochimaru couldn't help but think about their mysterious leader—Pain.
The legendary Rinnegan eyes, a power Orochimaru had never dared to touch directly.
When he first met Pain, Orochimaru felt an invisible pressure, like a small frog beneath the foot of a massive dragon.
That was why he never acted recklessly within Akatsuki.
But now…
'This woman… just how far will she rise?' Orochimaru mused coldly.
While he was deep in thought, Kushina spoke again.
"Oh, and this Zetsu body—" she said, pointing at the corpse, "—contains properties similar to Hashirama's cells, and its biological structure is unique. It can grow, merge with living beings, and even enhance regeneration."
Orochimaru's eyes sparkled with scientific excitement.
"Hashirama cells… So this is…" Orochimaru stepped closer, his long, thin fingers gently touching the white skin as if it were buried treasure.
"Use it however you like, Senpai~," Kushina added with a meaningful smile. "Consider it payment for the Cursed Seal formula you gave me."
Orochimaru offered a cold, knowing smile.
"I accept your offer, Kushina-chan… May we 'do business' again in the future."
"Who knows?" Kushina replied with a playful wink.
Without wasting another second, she activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Swish!
In the blink of an eye, her body vanished like the wind.
Orochimaru remained still, staring at the empty space where Kushina had stood moments ago.
He gave a small smile, then let out a long sigh.
"She even left markers all over this village… Truly terrifying."
Shaking his head slightly, Orochimaru turned back, his eyes gleaming with anticipation toward his new "treasure."
"White Zetsu… Hashirama cells… Hehe, this experiment is going to be quite… entertaining."
The laboratory returned to silence, broken only by the soft gurgling of experiment tools and Orochimaru's faint laughter echoing among the shadows.
-----------------------------
After leaving Orochimaru's base in Otogakure, Kushina didn't head straight back to Konoha.
No—this time, she was on a far more important task: a "Secret Mission."
How secret?
So secret that even Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage himself, could only sigh heavily when Kushina reported in before departure.
In the Hokage's office that day…
"Kushina… at least tell me where you're going?" Hiruzen asked, gazing at the red-haired woman with concern.
Kushina merely offered a sweet smile. "Don't worry, Oji-chan. I'm just going to travel the world… maybe find some inspiration," she said, winking.
Seeing that mysterious smile, Hiruzen knew he wouldn't get a straight answer. But… what could he do?
"Very well," Hiruzen relented. He officially announced that Kushina was on a Top-Class Secret S-Rank Mission.
Not only to maintain internal order, but also to keep the Konoha Elders from poking their noses into things.
'Sometimes I wonder… who's really the Hokage in this village?' Hiruzen thought half-jokingly as he watched Kushina leave.
Meanwhile, Kushina floated leisurely through the trees, her mind sharp and focused.
Behind that cheerful face, her thoughts were running full speed.
'I have to master this cursed seal formula completely… but it'll take years in the real world.'
Her gaze sharpened.
'Naruto's entering the Academy in less than two years… I can't disappear for that long.'
Then, she remembered a place.
A location that, in her past life, was nothing more than a backdrop in one of the Naruto spin-off films—but now, it could become her greatest salvation:
Rōran — The City in the Desert.
More importantly, it housed the Ryūmyaku, an ancient chakra vein capable of traversing time itself!
Her plan was simple:
Go to Rōran.
Absorb the Ryūmyaku's power.
Leap into the past.
Train there for years—without being absent in the present for long.
'Like using a "time chamber" but in ninja-world style,' Kushina thought, chuckling to herself.
A few days later—
A vast desert stretched as far as the eye could see.
Dry winds kicked up grains of sand, forming faint mirages on the horizon.
In the middle of that wasteland stood a striking figure: Kushina, wearing a light white cloak and a red scarf fluttering behind her.
"Whew, it's hot," Kushina muttered, waving her hand in front of her face. "If I'd known it'd be this hot, I would've brought ice from home."
In the distance, the ruins of Rōran began to appear, faint but visible.
Meanwhile, far away—
Mount Myōboku, sacred land of the toads.
At its peak, the Great Toad Sage, Gamamaru, slowly opened one massive eye.
His eyelid lifted gradually, as if waking from a deep slumber.
With a voice as heavy as thunder, he murmured:
"A woman with red hair… A light that should have faded now burns again…"
He turned his gaze southwest—toward the desert, toward Kushina.
"Has the wheel of fate… finally begun to spin along a different path?"
Behind Gamamaru, the other sacred toads looked at one another in silence.