Naruto: I Have a Gravity Training Room-Chapter 469 - 467

The meeting continued, but everyone's expressions turned grim.

What came next was obvious: preparing to assault that other dimension, and digging up more intelligence on Kara.

Kara had likely existed for a long time. In theory, there should be plenty of traces to unearth. But no one expected too much. If that organization had stayed hidden for so many years without drawing attention, then the old records probably held little more than a name, if even that.

On top of that, the dimension they'd located might not even be Kara's true headquarters.

That Ōtsutsuki had been lurking for so long, which meant they were extremely cautious. That dimension might only be a temporary hideout. Still, regardless of speculation, the work had to be done, and done properly.

You couldn't decide something was "probably pointless" just because you had a hunch. That was how you got killed.

"Perfect," Tobirama said. "We'll act like we don't know that dimension exists."

He spoke evenly, already thinking several moves ahead. "Victor was being pursued too closely, so they had to yank him into the dimension as an emergency measure. They're probably on guard now, maybe even fully prepared. So we need to look anxious, like we've completely lost Victor's trail. If we do that, they might relax. Then, on the day we finish our preparations, we strike without warning and catch them off guard."

That was tactics.

It sounded simple, but it wasn't something the enemy would necessarily anticipate.

And as the saying went, you can spend a thousand days stealing, but you can't spend a thousand days guarding. If the alliance made no moves for a while, the enemy would inevitably loosen up, assuming the alliance couldn't find the dimension at all.

That would give the alliance a huge advantage.

"Everyone, I think we should make a bold assumption," Shikamaru said suddenly. "I believe that Ōtsutsuki still has two more Divine Trees."

The room went dead silent.

Then everyone reacted at once, faces shifting with shock.

It wasn't that the idea was impossible. It was that nobody had even been thinking in that direction.

Natsuki's earlier intelligence had been that the Ōtsutsuki was Kaguya's partner, that the two of them had come to this world together. Kaguya had already planted a Divine Tree, the Ten-Tails. By that logic, there shouldn't have been a second Divine Tree at all.

A Divine Tree wasn't some cheap, common thing. It was extremely rare.

If that Ōtsutsuki had a Divine Tree, why hadn't they planted it all this time?

No matter how you looked at it, it didn't add up.

So when Shikamaru said it out loud, it hit like a punch.

Tsunade leaned forward. "Shikamaru, why do you think that?"

Shikamaru didn't hesitate. "Victor was clearly cultivating a new Divine Tree in secret using fragments. Kara's upper ranks should've known. But they didn't stop him. They let him mess around. They didn't even send strong guards to protect him. It's like they didn't care at all."

He lifted his gaze, calm and clinical.

"Why wouldn't they care? Because they already have something better. Compared to Divine Tree fragments, Kara must have a complete Divine Tree."

That made sense.

Everyone's eyes widened in realization.

It was straightforward: if you have the best, you don't value scraps.

If Kara looked down on Divine Tree fragments, it was because they had a complete Divine Tree. And the one who possessed it could only be Kaguya's Ōtsutsuki partner.

Kakashi spoke quickly. "Shikamaru's theory is extremely plausible. The Divine Tree, meaning the Ten-Tails, is bound to be terrifyingly strong. We need countermeasures. We also captured Victor's Divine Tree fragments. I suggest we have Orochimaru research them and find weaknesses, so we can deal with a Divine Tree if it comes to that."

A flicker of hesitation passed through the room.

Then, in the end, everyone nodded anyway.

A Divine Tree was dangerous. And handing anything dangerous to Orochimaru was also dangerous. But you couldn't refuse to act just because something was risky.

If that Ōtsutsuki planted another tree and cast Infinite Tsukuyomi again, whether the shinobi world could be saved a second time was anyone's guess.

So the research had to be done.

Natsuki immediately added, "Orochimaru previously applied to use Ōtsutsuki Toneri for Fushi Tensei (Immortality Transference). I think we should approve it. He's a villain, sure, but he's tied to us now. If his strength increases, that's effectively increasing our combat power. When we assault the dimension, we should bring him along. For him, an Ōtsutsuki is the perfect specimen."

The moment he said "specimen," several people visibly twitched.

Because the alliance had Orochimaru's lab under supervision, the monitors went in for inspections from time to time. They'd seen what Toneri looked like after being treated as "research material."

And Toneri was only an Ōtsutsuki descendant.

If Orochimaru got his hands on a full-blooded Ōtsutsuki, nobody wanted to imagine how excited he'd be.

After more discussion, everyone agreed: Orochimaru would use Fushi Tensei (Immortality Transference) to take Toneri's body. In the future, the alliance would gain another Six Paths-level fighter.

As for whether Orochimaru would pull something, at the very least, he wouldn't until the Ōtsutsuki threat was completely eliminated.

Orochimaru was chasing power and immortality, and everything pointed toward the Ōtsutsuki. He wanted the alliance's cooperation more than anyone, because it secured his lab environment and his research materials. With reality staring him in the face, he wasn't going to waste time causing trouble. He would cooperate.

"Then we'll adjourn for now," Tsunade concluded. "Everyone return to your posts and start searching for information on Kara. Keep it confidential. Don't alert them. As for the operation, we'll move in one month, after we're fully prepared. Then we'll strike that dimension together and wipe out this hidden Ōtsutsuki in one decisive blow."

Afterward, Tobirama and Minato escorted the three Kage and Mifune back.

Natsuki, meanwhile, went with Kakashi to Orochimaru's laboratory.

Orochimaru was in the middle of checking Toneri's physical condition.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up at once, tongue flicking over his lips as if washing his face. "Natsuki-kun. Kakashi. You two coming here at this hour means something big happened."

"Typical snake. Too sharp," Natsuki muttered.

He didn't waste time. He explained the situation at speed. "So, you're cleared to use Fushi Tensei (Immortality Transference). And the Divine Tree fragment research is yours too. But you're not cultivating anything. You're finding weaknesses. Don't do anything stupid."

Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Relax. I'll be very well-behaved. In that case… I won't hold back."

As he spoke, he suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a large snake.

The snake shot forward, burrowed into Toneri's body, and in an instant erased Toneri's soul, seizing the body for Orochimaru.

Then Orochimaru took out two nutrient containers, removed two Byakugan, and installed them directly into his new body.

Iryō Ninjutsu (medical ninjutsu) activated. The eyes recovered immediately.

From that moment on, Orochimaru had become an Ōtsutsuki Orochimaru.

(End of Chapter)

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