“Those eyes are indeed the same as the Sage of Six Paths’…”
Seigen decided it was time to give Orochimaru a lesson on the true history of the ninja world.
“As expected, Seigen-kun.
You know quite a lot.”
Orochimaru smiled.
Had he not seen those eyes with his own eyes, he would never have believed the Sage of Six Paths had truly existed.
But the appearance of Nagato’s Rinnegan was telling the world that perhaps the ancient legends were real after all.
“Most of the powerful bloodline limits in today’s ninja world originate from the bloodline of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.”
Seigen explained everything to him—from the arrival of the Ōtsutsuki Clan on this planet to Kaguya planting the Divine Tree.
“So, by gathering the bloodlines of Kaguya…
the Hyūga, the Senju, the Uchiha…
one could obtain power comparable to the Ōtsutsuki Clan?”
Based on Seigen’s story alone, Orochimaru immediately deduced the possibility.
“You could say that.
And the Sharingan’s ultimate evolution is the Rinnegan.”
The moment he heard that, excitement coursed through Orochimaru’s mind.
The mighty Ōtsutsuki Clan…
Their overwhelming power…
Their incredibly long lifespans…
Wasn’t that exactly what he had been pursuing all this time?
“So, the test subject you mentioned…
is one of the beings left behind by Kaguya Ōtsutsuki to defend against the return of the Ōtsutsuki Clan?”
Seeing Seigen remain silent, Orochimaru chuckled.
He had already gotten the answer he wanted.
“Then here’s to a successful partnership.”
“Likewise.”
With that, the two reached their first genuine agreement.
Previously, Orochimaru had coveted Seigen’s body.
To be honest, he still coveted it immensely.
But after learning about the Ōtsutsuki Clan, his horizons had broadened.
A powerful body was certainly tempting.
Yet compared to the seemingly eternal lifespan of the Ōtsutsuki, it paled in comparison.
I’ve finally waited long enough for this opportunity…
After settling Orochimaru into his new laboratory, Seigen headed for the Hidden Flame Village’s administrative office.
Earlier, Itachi had informed him that Fugaku and the clan elders had important matters to discuss.
“Seigen, how did your talks with Orochimaru go?”
“Pretty well.
We’ve reached a preliminary agreement.”
To put it simply, Orochimaru was just a scientist who happened to become a ninja.
Negotiating with someone like him wasn’t difficult.
You only had to offer him what he wanted.
When Seigen entered the meeting room, Fugaku and the three clan elders had already been waiting for some time.
“Uncle Fugaku, Elders.”
Seigen and Itachi greeted the four of them before taking their seats.
“Seigen, judging by our current construction progress, I’m afraid we won’t be able to complete the development plan you proposed.”
Fugaku voiced the concern that had been weighing on his mind.
At present, he was in charge of the village’s construction.
Housing, roads, farmland—everything fell under his management.
He had been running around construction sites every day lately.
His once-fair complexion had become noticeably darker, to the point that he was starting to resemble someone from the Hidden Cloud Village.
What troubled Fugaku most was their severe labor shortage.
The Uchiha Clan members were already working around the clock in three shifts.
Even so, there simply weren’t enough people.
And since most Uchiha weren’t skilled in Earth Release, construction progressed much more slowly than expected.
Half of the funding provided by the Daimyō had already been spent.
The village was now operating at a deficit.
On top of that, they had recently taken in over four hundred refugees.
Their food consumption had doubled overnight.
Soon, they would also have to shift their focus toward agriculture.
Relying on imported food forever simply wasn’t sustainable.
“If only we had some Earth Release users…”
One of the elders let out a helpless sigh.
Resting his chin on one hand, Seigen began thinking.
Earth Release users…
Looks like it’s time for a trip to the Hidden Stone Village.
The only question was whether Ōnoki would agree to let some of his village’s shinobi work in the Hidden Flame Village.
After all, the roads and houses they were building weren’t just for appearances.
The entire purpose of the infrastructure was to attract merchants.
Once merchants came, the village could collect taxes.
Only then would the Hidden Flame Village develop a healthy economy.
Of course…
That all depended on completing the infrastructure first.
“I’ll make a trip to the Hidden Stone Village and negotiate with them about hiring some Earth Release shinobi.”
“As for those refugees…” Seigen continued.
“It looks like we’ll need to build a school first.”
“The Hidden Stone Village…
Hmm, that’s a reasonable idea.”
Fugaku nodded.
However, the moment Seigen mentioned building a school, his brow furrowed again.
Where were they supposed to find the manpower for that?
Everyone was already pouring their hearts into the village’s construction.
Asking them to work even longer hours simply wasn’t realistic.
“As things stand, we can’t spare anyone to build a school.
It’ll have to be postponed for at least a month.”
Seigen understood his concerns.
“Then let’s do this.
Itachi, assign some people to teach the refugees who have just joined the village.
Once they’ve learned the basics, send them to Uncle Fugaku’s construction sites to train on the job.
That should ease our labor shortage fairly quickly.”
“Understood.
Give me one week.”
Itachi accepted the task without hesitation.
“Oh, and you’ll also be responsible for arranging manpower for Orochimaru’s laboratory later.”
“All right.”
After discussing a few more minor matters, the five of them wrapped up the meeting.
It couldn’t be helped.
Every one of them was busy from dawn until dusk.
Still…
Compared to life in Konoha, things couldn’t have been better.
There was no discrimination.
No suspicion.
Everyone worked enthusiastically toward the same goal.
The entire Hidden Flame Village was filled with an atmosphere of hope and prosperity.