Root Base.
A cold wind swept through, carrying a chill.
The oil lamp flickered, casting dim light.
In the deepest laboratory, Orochimaru stood quietly before a long metal table.
A faint smile played on his lips, his golden pupils gleaming dangerously in the lamplight.
On the table, over a dozen faintly glowing Ninja Beast Eggs were neatly arranged.
"What is this?"
A low, authoritative voice broke the silence.
Shimura Danzo slowly entered.
When his gaze fell upon the row of Ninja Beast Eggs, Danzo's expression shifted slightly.
"This is…"
He frowned, locking eyes with Orochimaru.
"Has there been progress in the Artificial Tailed Beast experiment?"
Hearing this, Orochimaru lazily shifted his posture.
"There has been some decent progress. We can now create small-scale Tailed Beasts, though their Chakra density is still far from that of a real Tailed Beast."
His tone was calm, yet carried a hint of pride. "It can barely be considered a preliminary success."
"Artificial Tailed Beasts…"
Danzo repeated softly, his voice tinged with complex emotions.
He took a step forward, standing before the row of Ninja Beast Eggs, his eyes slowly scanning them.
"How… do these things hatch?"
Orochimaru extended a slender finger and gently tapped the surface of one of the eggs.
"Ninja Beast Eggs require resonance to hatch."
As Orochimaru explained,
Danzo approached and touched one of the eggs. In that instant, the First Generation Cells and Danzo's Chakra reacted with the Ninja Beast Egg before him.
Patterns suddenly lit up on the eggshell's surface.
Faintly, it seemed as though some consciousness was responding to his presence.
Danzo stiffened slightly, narrowing his eyes.
Orochimaru chuckled, his golden vertical pupils gleaming. "Heh, it seems Lord Danzo has quite a high compatibility with this Ninja Beast."
Danzo withdrew his hand, his expression returning to sternness.
"I've heard," he began coolly, "that you've also been distributing Ninja Beast Eggs as prizes at the Ninja School?"
At this, the corners of Orochimaru's eyes lifted slightly, revealing a meaningful smile.
"Ah… that matter."
He replied unhurriedly, "After all, my teacher has acknowledged some of my research results, but he still hopes they can be used appropriately. In his eyes, these are also assets of Konoha."
Danzo couldn't help but retort, "He's quite skilled at dividing the spoils—letting things run wild before anything goes wrong, then washing his hands of it completely once trouble arises."
Ignoring the comment, Orochimaru continued explaining, "So I reached an agreement with him. The Ninja School would receive a batch of eggs to use as educational and training aids. This allows me to continue my research while keeping him at ease."
"An agreement?"
Danzo snorted coldly. "Trading with both sides and reaping plenty of benefits—truly fitting for one of the Three Ninja currently in the spotlight."
Orochimaru's smile didn't fade. "Heh, you're mistaken. I simply let both sides see what they wanted to see."
His tone was gentle, yet every word was carefully calculated.
Danzo's eyes darkened uncertainly.
Orochimaru's maneuver of leveraging influence for gain had created a delicate balance within Konoha.
The Third Hokage believed he was conducting controlled research, while Danzo thought he held the core secrets.
Between the two, Orochimaru stood securely.
This was also why Shiroishi was willing to entrust the distribution of Ninja Beast Eggs to Orochimaru.
Jiraiya was incapable of such dealings.
Shiroishi had personally handed these Ninja Beast Eggs to him, as a commercial channel acting on behalf of Konoha.
It was because he valued Orochimaru's flexibility and ruthlessness.
Danzo suddenly turned around and said coldly, "What is the production rate of these Ninja Beast Eggs?"
Hearing this, Orochimaru smiled and began to deceive Danzo.
At that moment, a special secret letter fell into the hands of Root.
It was from Hanzo of the Land of Rain.
Danzo opened it and read: "Hmph, Hanzo actually wants to trade for another batch of Ninja Beast Eggs? And he agreed to purchase them at ten times the price."
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes upon hearing this: "Oh? It seems he's under great pressure."
Ten times the price?
Could it be that Shiroishi raised the price on him?
But the money ended up here?
Mentioning this, Danzo laughed cruelly: "Sunagakure is about to launch a large-scale operation against the Rain Ninja."
Chiyo suffered a major defeat in the last battle, so naturally she wants to reclaim her honor.
"As for the Ninja Beast Eggs, it depends on how much benefit Hanzo can offer. Ten times the price isn't enough—it should be at least twenty times."
Orochimaru's ears twitched upon hearing this. Twenty times the money would come to him and Danzo, and then they could use the original ten times price Hanzo offered to purchase from Shiroishi?
Brilliant!
However, would Sunagakure's invasion affect Shiroishi's Breeding House Base?
"Finally, I will also participate in the Ninja School exams."
As the darkness of the Shinobi World, Danzo had little interest in the Ninja School exams, but he had developed some interest in the Ninja Beast Eggs.
Additionally, Root would need to equip itself with a batch of these new small Tailed Beasts in the future.
Thus, Danzo made his suggestion.
Orochimaru also nodded in agreement regarding the Ninja School matter.
At the same time, in the different dimension where Shiroishi was.
An endless void surrounded by cyan-green streams of light.
Shiroishi, floating mid-air, slowly extended his hand.
Beneath him, an enormous tree beyond description stretched its tangled roots through space, its leaves shimmering like stars, with threads of light connecting fragments of countless worlds.
Shiroishi slowly removed his glasses, his fingertips brushing the edges of the lenses.
The cyan-green light reflected on his face, making his expression appear both gentle and cold.
Uchiha Madara, Konoha, Hanzo...
Next, only the remaining tendrils of the Shinobi World remained.
He raised his head, gazing at the pulsating core at the center of the World Tree.
"The first stage is complete."
As he spoke, the World Tree's branches trembled slightly, as if in response.
The runes on the trunk flickered, echoing with a low rumble.
But within that light, there was a hint of a hungry fluctuation.
Shiroishi reached out and touched the trunk, his hand enveloped by a warm energy.
The World Tree was demanding from him.
It was craving!
Stronger Chakra, deeper emotions, more chaotic desires.
"Evolution requires stronger fuel."
His gaze was calm and rational, carrying the detachment of a deity overlooking the mortal world.
"The essence of Chakra is the product of emotions—joy, sorrow, bonds, hatred."
"For the World Tree to continue growing, the entire Shinobi World must... be thrown into turmoil!"
He sighed softly, his eyes falling on the twisted patterns of the tree trunk.
When hatred spreads, when war reignites, when beliefs and ideals tear at each other...
All this pain will eventually transform into a torrent of Chakra.
He raised his hand, gently clenching his five fingers.
The entire different dimension shook in response, the World Tree's branches stretching higher, its leaves blazing with intense radiance.
"Then, the World Tree will complete its evolution."
"To unlock all Pokémon lifeforms, one must absorb more hatred and power."
Light and shadow converged behind him as the core of the World Tree emitted a low hum, as if responding to his will.
Only then could stronger individual Ninja Beasts be split off.
In other words, those high-tier pseudo-legendary ones.
This was also preparation for the final battle against that strange monk who was searching the world for him.
(Chapter Two has modified related setting plots.)
After all, when he first crossed over, he had been attacked by a mysterious monk, severely injured, and only escaped by hiding in the Land of Rain.
If not for later awakening the God Tree and the different dimension containing it, he would have been captured by that person long ago.
That person was probably still searching the world for his whereabouts.
After handling all this, Shiroishi stepped out from the light gate of the different dimension.
Inside the room, Nagato sat quietly by the wooden table.
He held a portion of food in his hands, carefully feeding the Ivysaur beside him.
The green Ninja Beast chewed quietly, its bud gently swaying while emitting a soft life energy.
Shiroishi showed no surprise at all, not even avoiding Nagato's presence.
The tacit understanding between Nagato and Ivysaur was the most unique connection in the entire World Tree system, second only to his own.
Among the current trio, Nagato knew the most of Shiroishi's secrets.
When dealing with the trio, Yahiko needed to be won over with ideals, while Nagato only required honesty and sincerity.
Because he didn't mind at all what Shiroishi's 'ambitions' were.
Even Ivysaur participated in converting nutrients.
"Yahiko returned last night."
Nagato mentioned this with good spirits.
"It seems you helped him quite a bit, Shiroishi. Charmeleon successfully evolved into Charizard, and its temperament has stabilized considerably."
Saying this, Nagato lowered his head and continued gently stroking Ivysaur's leaves.
"Thank you, Nagato."
Hearing this, Nagato shook his head: "What is there to thank? For me, none of this matters... What I pursue is only sufficient power."
"Because sufficient power is meant to protect you all."
In Nagato's heart, Shiroishi, Yahiko, and Konan were his most important companions, people he must protect at all costs, willing to dedicate his power to accomplish anything.
Nagato, possessing the Rinnegan, along with Ivysaur who had participated in many of Shiroishi's affairs, had long known about the different dimension and mysterious World Tree hidden behind the Breeding House.
This had long since made Nagato board Shiroishi's ship.
"So, I wanted to ask, how does Ivysaur evolve?"