*Chapter 179: Replacing Lingling's Arm with White Zetsu's?*

Orochimaru did not hesitate at all. Since he had already decided to join forces with Raijin, there was no reason to back out halfway. Besides, Orochimaru didn’t think he would be easily restrained.

He was currently researching the Impure World Reincarnation technique, and his body could be discarded at any moment. It seemed like his soul could only reincarnate. Even if Uchiha Raijin wanted to control him, there wouldn't be a way.

However, the moment Orochimaru signed the contract with Uchiha Raijin, it was as if he saw a river of the underworld appear before him. Countless chakra spirits hovered in the air there, seemingly prepared for resurrection at any moment.

"What is this...?"

Orochimaru was stunned. What kind of ninjutsu was this? Could it be that his end was near and he was about to go to the underworld? But his Impure World Reincarnation technique wasn’t even complete yet.

"Orochimaru, I know what you're thinking. You’re not someone who can be controlled so easily!"

"The contract you signed with me involves my Sharingan. Your soul is already locked on by these eyes of mine. At the moment you try to reincarnate or die, you’ll return to me and become part of my chakra."

Raijin said mockingly as he looked at Orochimaru. Even if Orochimaru spoke sweet words, Uchiha Raijin could never completely trust this guy. Orochimaru was infamous for being cunning and unpredictable in the ninja world.

Without some method to control this guy, Raijin feared he might suffer a major setback dealing with him. After all, Orochimaru wasn’t just strong; if brought to the ocean, he might escape if one wasn't careful. With his bizarre ninjutsu, he could change his appearance effortlessly, and even change bodies just as easily.

Who knows whether Orochimaru would show up as a man or a woman the next time they meet?

"Hehehehe, I didn’t expect to be held in such high regard. In that case, I won’t pursue this matter further. As long as you can meet my conditions, I’m willing to do anything for you!"

Orochimaru's expression darkened slightly, but then he quickly changed demeanor, smiling at Uchiha Raijin. For him, since he had already signed the contract, it would not be easy to break it. He figured he should first get what he wanted from Raijin.

"Rest assured, I can give you everything you want!"

Raijin reassured Orochimaru and gestured for White Zetsu, who was hidden in the shadows, to come out. White Zetsu slowly emerged from the ground, much to Orochimaru’s surprise. Orochimaru had set up numerous barriers in the area, and the fact that this guy could get through them showed he was quite powerful.

But what was this white creature? It looked similar to that half-and-half person from the Akatsuki organization...

No! This is the white half!

Unexpectedly, these two were independent entities. Also, how long had Uchiha Raijin been embedded within their organization? He even managed to buy off Zetsu, which could spell trouble for the organization under this man’s control.

"Orochimaru, list all the things and people you need to take with you. After we leave, we won’t be returning to the ninja world for some time."

"Gather your subordinates; I will take them all away," Raijin said to Orochimaru.

"No! We can't move now. I am still under surveillance! That masked man doesn't trust me," Orochimaru replied, glancing at White Zetsu with diminished interest. After all, in the Akatsuki organization, White Zetsu was relatively weak. Orochimaru didn’t believe this guy had anything he wanted.

"Alright! Here is a Den Den Mushi with a number. If anything comes up, contact Nara Shikaku!"

"White Zetsu, help devour the White Zetsu monitoring Orochimaru so they can't relay the information!" Raijin nodded and instructed White Zetsu.

"Got it!"

White Zetsu grinned and approached Orochimaru. Orochimaru watched White Zetsu with interest. Was he really under surveillance? He had never felt monitored before. However, when White Zetsu placed a hand on Orochimaru's shoulder, a surge of chakra flowed into Orochimaru's body.

The next moment, clumps of white stuff oozed out from Orochimaru's body. Orochimaru's eyes widened in shock; he hadn’t realized he was being watched, nor did he know where this substance came from or when it had merged into his body.

"White Zetsu, you bastard!"

"Why didn't Black Zetsu realize you were such an anomaly that deviated from the plan?"

Several White Zetsus appeared and immediately started cursing White Zetsu. They hadn’t expected to be exposed by one of their own. They thought they had disappeared without a trace, or died somewhere unknown, but now they realized they were here to backstab them.

"Hehe! Working for Tobi is so boring!"

White Zetsu laughed, grabbed the newly formed White Zetsus, and threw them to the ground.

"Wait! I’m interested in them," Orochimaru interjected, reaching out to stop White Zetsu. A few small snakes shot out from his ankle, binding them together. Orochimaru intended to study the composition of these White Zetsus; they seemed like fascinating specimens.

"Don’t forget about tomorrow’s meeting with Sasori," Raijin reminded Orochimaru, ignoring the fate of the White Zetsus. He glanced at Orochimaru, grabbed White Zetsu, and vanished in a swirling vortex.

"Lord Raijin, it seems that Smoothie has summoned us. She wants us to treat Charlotte Linlin," White Zetsu quickly spoke to Raijin upon arriving in the Kamui dimension.

Charlotte Linlin had lost an arm, significantly reducing her combat ability, and Smoothie was asking Raijin for a way to reattach a new arm. Losing a limb had greatly impacted Charlotte Linlin's strength.

"A new arm?"

Raijin instinctively looked at White Zetsu's arm. After all, White Zetsu's arm was quite handy and could be easily attached. Even Zephyr was using one now.

"Heh! Lord Raijin, even if you put ten of my arms together, they wouldn’t be enough to match Charlotte Linlin’s big, sturdy arm."

"How about we think of another plan? Now that Orochimaru has joined us, there must be other ways, right?"

White Zetsu felt Raijin's gaze and glanced at his own arm, instantly feeling a chill run down his spine.

How did he end up dragging himself into this? His arm was measured according to a human's dimensions.

But someone like Charlotte Linlin—well, she's not even within human measurements. Even with a group, it would take more than a dozen White Zetsu.

White Zetsu felt like he was nothing more than a repository for body parts here with Raijin, always waiting for customers to come and claim them.

This feeling was really awful.

"Alright then, tell Smoothie to figure something out or just hang in there!" Raijin said regretfully, wondering if he could mass-produce giants if it actually worked.

White Zetsu could devour and regenerate parts of his own body, making him a pretty good material.

Since there was no use for him now, Raijin didn't plan to pay much attention to Charlotte Linlin.

Just let that woman fend for herself in this world. If she could survive until he returned, he might consider reaching out to her.

"Yes!" White Zetsu nodded quickly to avoid giving Raijin any more ideas about his body.

Clang!

A metallic, venomous tail suddenly pierced through a tree trunk, stopping just two centimeters in front of Orochimaru.

"Stupid snake, I told you I don't like waiting! If you make me wait again, I'll kill you."

Sasori's cold gaze was directed toward the direction Orochimaru appeared from. This guy had kept him waiting here for two hours, and Sasori was already losing his patience.

"Hehehe, I found something interesting last night and got a bit carried away with my research," Orochimaru said, licking his lips while looking at Sasori.

He wasn't concerned at all about Sasori's threat. After all, they would probably never be on the same team again.

By then, Sasori would most likely end up as one of Uchiha Raijin's subordinates.

As for him, Orochimaru was more focused on scientific research; fighting didn't suit him. Once he achieved true immortality, Orochimaru might consider spending some time on such things.

"Hmph! There won't be a next time."

Sasori withdrew his scorpion tail and slowly walked in a certain direction. Orochimaru followed closely behind, with a strange smile on his face.

The two quickly left the Land of Rain's borders, heading to a small ninja village to carry out a mission. The items Sasori needed to collect could be found there.

They didn't speak to each other along the way; after all, someone into mechanics like Sasori had no regard for Orochimaru. Moreover, Sasori had already achieved his own version of immortality, while Orochimaru was still on his path of experimentation.

After some distance, Orochimaru used a sensory jutsu to confirm that no one was following them, then slowly came to a stop.

The moment Orochimaru stopped, Sasori sensed something was off. This guy seemed strange since they met.

"Sasori, last night someone came to me. They helped me cut down most of the path to immortality," Orochimaru suddenly said mysteriously. "I joined them; they gave me an offer I couldn't refuse!"

"Hmm? Are you saying you've betrayed us?" Sasori's cold eyes turned to look behind him at Orochimaru.

He suddenly understood why this guy seemed off—it looked like he wanted to break away from the Akatsuki.

"That's right! They traded immortality with me, so why should I refuse?"

"And they seem quite interested in you as well. So, are you interested in joining us? If you do, I'd be happy to work with you," Orochimaru said with a sly smile, though he secretly hoped Sasori would decline.

After all, their abilities were quite similar; if Sasori joined, it might cut his own resources in half.

"I've always wanted to get rid of you, you filthy snake. Now's my chance."

A flash of coldness appeared in Sasori's eyes as the scorpion tail behind him shot toward Orochimaru like a swift wind.

Boom!

The ground erupted into a crater. What Sasori had pierced was merely Orochimaru's shed skin.

Orochimaru had already used his shedding technique to escape without anyone knowing.

"Hehehe, won't you use your Third Kazekage? If it's just a regular puppet, it won't be enough to defeat me," Orochimaru said as he emerged from behind a large tree, quickly forming hand seals. A giant coffin appeared in front of him.

"Hmm?" Sasori frowned slightly, not knowing what trick Orochimaru was up to.

But when the giant coffin was opened, the Third Kazekage walked out from within. Sasori paused for a moment, and a surge of anger erupted in his heart.

"The Third Kazekage!"

Sasori gritted his teeth as he stared at the figure of the Third Kazekage.

"That's right, this is the Edo Tensei technique. It summons their souls from the afterlife, allowing them to regain their power in this world."

"Your puppet version of the Third Kazekage? I want to see whether the puppet or the Edo Tensei version is stronger," Orochimaru said, licking his lips as he placed a talisman in the Third Kazekage's brain to control him.

Sasori wasted no time, immediately pulling out a scroll to summon his most powerful puppet.

Tensions escalated instantly, and a battle could break out at any moment.

"Lord Raijin, it looks like they're fighting!" A White Zetsu head popped out of a tree and shouted up like he was reporting on a schoolyard fight.

Both sets of eyes turned toward the unique Sharingan on the tree.

Those eyes made both Orochimaru and Sasori freeze. Their greatest concern was their souls, and Uchiha Raijin posed the biggest threat in that regard.

"Orochimaru, I told you to recruit Sasori, didn't I? But it seems you didn't welcome him," Uchiha Raijin's figure blurred and instantly appeared between the two.

His ominous eyes glanced at Orochimaru, who felt like he'd gotten himself into big trouble.

"Forget it!" Raijin glanced at Orochimaru, uninterested in what was going on in his mind.

This guy's thoughts were mostly full of schemes and plots, not as straightforward as those of the Uchiha clan.

The Uchiha clan rarely relied on schemes!

"The Uchiha clan? I didn't expect it was you recruiting that filthy snake, Orochimaru," Sasori said, looking at Uchiha Raijin with some curiosity. "But we have nothing to do with each other. What do you want with me?"

(End of Chapter)