Makoto had deliberately left an opening for Black Zetsu to act, but that didn't mean he was one hundred percent certain this attempt would actually succeed.
To be honest, whether it succeeded or failed, there were logical explanations for both outcomes.
Boruto was only half Otsutsuki sure, but back then, Isshiki was only half-eaten when he was fed to the Ten-Tails too.
The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path didn't contain the separated Tailed Beast Chakra, that was true.
However, it did have the Dragon Vein roots storing a massive amount of Chakra, roughly equivalent to the original version of the Ten-Tails.
If you argued that the conditions were met, then technically, they were met.
Actually, there was one incredibly stable method that Makoto hadn't mentioned before, though it had been discussed in various fan theories and literary works.
That method was simply to split open the fucking moon sealing Kaguya.
There would be no need for all these complicated requirements and conditions like they were dealing with now, just to summon Kaguya back to the world.
——
Meanwhile, Makoto continued discussing Sasuke's use of the Icha Icha series to mend his relationship with his daughter.
"He... he... he couldn't have actually succeeded with that trash, could he?" Kushina wore an expression of absolute disbelief.
"Hehehe." Jiraiya puffed out his chest with a mysterious, overwhelming sense of pride.
"Of course he failed miserably."
"Oh, thank god. That's a relief." Kushina patted her chest and sighed, genuinely glad that her future grandson didn't inherit that particular trait.
"In that case, since Sasuke cares so much about his daughter, I'll just make sure to give Sasuke-kun a daughter later myself."
After listening for a while, Orochimaru nodded slightly, formulating a plan.
"HUH?" Itachi widened his eyes and looked at Orochimaru in sheer horror!
'What the hell did that mean?' Itachi activated his Sharingan to scan Orochimaru's Adam's apple and waist, discovering that Orochimaru's current body was indeed biologically female, and was immediately shocked to his core!
'Could it be that Orochimaru had gone from coveting Sasuke's body to... coveting Sasuke's body in a totally different way?'
"Orochimaru, stop this thinking right now!" Jiraiya wore an expression of utter frustration, placing a heavy hand on Orochimaru's shoulder.
"I know you've been lonely since that body swap, and I know you want to see your future child soon, but you can't make a move on Sasuke! That's just wrong!"
"Jiraiya, shut up and let me explain. You got the wrong idea before—there was no transplant involved this time." Orochimaru calmly brushed off Jiraiya's hand.
Indeed, this wasn't a simple organ swap.
This was the legendary forbidden technique, Living Corpse Reincarnation—this was the entire person physically turning female!
Itachi silently watched their conversation, debating internally whether he should grab Sasuke and drag him far away from Orochimaru's side immediately.
Fortunately, Orochimaru clarified the situation at this exact moment.
Jiraiya retorted, "Wasn't that photo Makoto showed earlier your child? Are you trying to make Sasuke the father? Get a grip, Orochimaru!"
"You idiot! Whether it's that child or the one I want to give Sasuke, I plan to create them using advanced cell cultivation technology—not the primitive, sweaty method you're thinking of!" Orochimaru grew somewhat irritated after being repeatedly insulted by Jiraiya's dirty mind.
"Creating children through cell cultivation? What the hell is that?" Jiraiya was instantly bewildered.
Could there really be ways to create children besides... vigorous, passionate efforts day and night?
His entire worldview collapsed!
The world of Jiraiya, the pure-hearted warrior of love and sex, had shattered into pieces!
'Was... sensuality not an essential human desire required for procreation?'
Meanwhile, Itachi, hearing Orochimaru's explanation, immediately felt a massive weight lift off his shoulders.
"Orochimaru, you can't actually achieve this technology yet, can you?" Itachi inquired, seeking confirmation.
"Not yet, no. However, the information Makoto brought me can significantly shorten the time needed to develop it." Orochimaru shook his head slightly.
According to the original plot, Orochimaru had lost his hands at this point in the timeline and needed to find ways to treat them first.
His body was also failing, requiring him to cultivate Sasuke in preparation for reincarnation.
During this period, his research had nearly ground to a halt.
Afterward, he died.
Following the Fourth Great Shinobi War, although he wasn't held accountable due to his contributions, he remained under strict surveillance and control.
In such a restrictive environment, experimental materials were severely lacking, making it difficult to accomplish anything, let alone achieve rapid research progress.
Yet, Orochimaru truly lived up to his reputation as the mad scientist of the Shinobi World—his scientific perspective remained unchanged.
What had Makoto brought him? Actually, he brought nothing physical.
Makoto couldn't obtain the confidential, top-secret technologies of the future Yakushi Kabuto or Orochimaru.
Makoto had simply given him a direction—a roadmap that he would research and achieve in the future.
For Orochimaru, this was enough.
Because in scientific research, the greatest challenge is often the unknown.
Just like developing nuclear weapons in a previous life—the biggest issue wasn't the technical specs; the issue was the decision to attempt it at all.
You never knew whether investing vast resources would ultimately succeed or end in total failure.
There was a high risk of it all going to waste.
The same logic applied to Orochimaru.
Makoto had confirmed that a certain research direction would inevitably succeed, allowing Orochimaru to proceed without hesitation, free from such concerns about wasted effort.
Besides, wasn't there now the Second Hokage here to help? Although Tobirama was currently only focused on helping Nagato hack into Madara's eyes.
"So that's how it is, Orochimaru. I have no objections to your scientific idea, but why not let Sasuke follow the normal process of marriage and childbirth?" Itachi raised his doubts again.
"Itachi, given Sasuke's personality, how likely do you think that actually is? Even if he did follow the normal process, there is a chance the child turns out to be a son. To honor the importance Sasuke just placed on me, only by personally overseeing the process and customizing it for the current Sasuke can I ensure absolute accuracy." Orochimaru's logic left Itachi momentarily speechless.
At the same time, the First and Second Hokage, who had been monitoring the situation with the Gedo Statue, approached.
"Why is it still like this? There's no change at all—it almost seems like it's about to go berserk or something." Tobirama frowned as he asked Makoto.
"Could it be rejection?"
Before Makoto could say anything, Orochimaru suddenly proposed a possibility.
Good grief.
Rejection? Seriously?
Didn't Yakushi Kabuto successfully inject other people's cells into his own body like he was pouring concrete? To say whether rejection exists in the Shinobi World—it definitely does.
However, all rejection can be suppressed using the universal solution of Chakra.
Even the most violently reactive "Hashirama Cells" are no exception to this rule.
With this much Chakra inside the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path now, couldn't it still be suppressed? Besides, the Demonic Statue consumed Isshiki without issues, so it couldn't be that it can't consume Momoshiki Boruto now, could it?
Unless...
"If the issue is dual rejection, then it makes sense," Makoto said, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
If it were just Momoshiki Boruto being incompatible, it shouldn't cause this kind of violent reaction.
Although the other half of the Chakra is pure, it indeed doesn't match the power of the Tailed Beasts.
"So what do we do now?" Hashirama looked completely confused.
"We should probably ask Ma... Wait! What the hell is that guy doing?!" Tobirama was about to throw the question right back to Makoto when he suddenly spotted Black Zetsu peeking out from behind the Demonic Statue's rear.
This dude had actually managed to evade both his and his elder brother's sensory abilities and was secretly doing something to the Demonic Statue?
Could he be the one causing the Demonic Statue's abnormality?
"Uh..." Makoto had considered that Black Zetsu would be exposed someday, but he never expected it to happen so casually.
Was it because he saw the Otsutsuki's appearance and completely trusted Makoto, letting his guard down?
The spot Black Zetsu chose to squat was just too random!
"He's a member of your organization, right? Who the hell ordered him to do this?" Tobirama turned to look sharply at Makoto and Nagato.