"Lady White Snake, it truly has been a long time."
Returning to the White Snake Residence after several months, Shiraishi found the Queen of Snakes as aloof and arrogant as ever.
It appeared that Orochimaru's previous attempt to consume her had left no lasting mark on her pride.
"Hmph..."
The White Snake Princess was fuming the moment she saw Shiraishi.
She had made peace with the fact that her attempt to manipulate Mount Myoboku into attacking the Sand had backfired, but lately, the "belly-black" tactics of the Kazekage's wife had pushed her to the limit.
Yesterday, Maki had visited Pakura and brought a "Snake Soup" feast; the day before, it was a dish prepared with realgar wine; and before that, a medicinal brew made of bitter wormwood.
Under the guise of visiting Pakura, Maki was constantly nauseating the Princess with things snakes loathed, yet the Princess couldn't lash out without losing face. Seeing Shiraishi now, she finally had a target for her pent-up frustration.
Sitting across from her, Shiraishi pushed a prepared gift toward the Empress of Snakes. "The White Snake Residence has always been reserved for you, senior. Even during your absence, I had staff clean it daily."
Shiraishi spoke with apparent sincerity, but the White Snake Princess was long immune to his silver tongue. To her, this man looked honest and reliable on the outside, but was the most cold-blooded human she had ever encountered. She rolled her eyes dismissively.
"Speak. What do you want this time?"
She knew he wouldn't come empty-handed without a request. Orochimaru had swallowed the old snake and likely couldn't extract all the useful information from those fragmented memories, so Shiraishi had come to the source.
Moreover, she suspected his visit had something to do with her mastery over the Yang-style applications of Inorganic Reincarnation.
"There is indeed a matter I wish to consult you on. Do you know of the Gedo Mazo?"
At the mention of the Demonic Statue, the Princess's expression turned uncharacteristically grave. "The husk of the Ten-Tails... it appeared once in the Land of Rain. Why do you bring up that demonic tree now?"
In the creation myths of the ninja world, the Divine Tree was hailed as a sacred relic. To the Three Great Sage Regions, that was a joke.
Whether it was the White Snake Princess, the Lady of Shikkotsu Forest, or the Great Toad Sage, they all called it the "Demonic Tree"—the original source of chaos that plagued this planet.
"Then, how do you view this?"
Shiraishi unsealed the Sacred Tree he had retrieved from the Hidden Waterfall. The moment the seal broke, a predatory glint flashed in the Princess's eyes. "I didn't expect the Ten-Tails to have a 'spare body' like this still in existence."
"A spare body?" Shiraishi noted the term carefully, catching the implication behind the Ten-Tails' survival strategy.
The Princess stretched and reclined elegantly. "You know the history of the Ten-Tails, the Divine Tree, the Tailed Beasts, and Chakra.
The Sage of the Six Paths 'saved' the world, sealed the chakra into himself as a Jinchuriki, and cast the husk into the moon with Chibaku Tensei. The Gedo Mazo is simply the Divine Tree in its withered state."
She paused, looking at the small tree. "But throughout the long river of history, this demonic tree left behind 'seeds' or spare bodies in corners of the world like the Hidden Waterfall.
If the main body met with an accident, these spares were meant to carry on the destiny of the Ten-Tails."
"So, they share the same origin as the Gedo Mazo, but are not the same entity," Shiraishi surmised.
"Your comprehension is decent," she remarked. "Though it is a demonic tree, it grants its user an absurdly powerful life force. Do you intend to use Inorganic Reincarnation to refine this tree into something else?"
It was obvious. Shiraishi had blackmailed the Sage's Sword of Nunoboko before; it was only natural he'd set his sights on the Divine Tree itself.
"Yes. Since the main Gedo Mazo is currently with the Akatsuki in the Land of Rain, I plan to refine this portion into my own specialized tool."
Ryuchi Cave, as one of the three heritage sites, didn't have the defensive systems of Mount Myoboku, but its Inorganic Reincarnation branched into many esoteric training methods—one of which was a unique technique for refining ninja tools.
Combined with Shiraishi's Punisher chakra, Azure Fire, Extreme Cold Flame, and Grand Sunny Day, he had the elemental repertoire to break the tree's will.
The White Snake Princess sipped her tea, her curiosity piqued. "If the Gedo Mazo is the primary material, you'll need top-tier secondary materials. What do you have in mind?"
Shiraishi was well-prepared. He pulled out seven more scrolls. With a puff of smoke, a collection of radiant materials appeared.
"For the auxiliary materials, I have prepared the Seven Treasures: Gold, Silver, Lapis Lazuli, Crystal, Giant Clam, Red Pearl, and Agate."
The Princess's eyes lit up as she walked toward the Red Pearl. "A Red Pearl... harvested from the Red Insect. Truly rare. Most pearls are grey or white; to find one of this pure crimson hue is nearly impossible."
Shiraishi sat down and took a sip of tea. "That is the merit of the Marine Department."
While Red Pearl, Agate, and Giant Clam were found at sea, Shiraishi required the absolute pinnacle of quality. The Navy had spent months scouring the depths for these treasures.
Walking to the Giant Clam (Tridacna), the Princess suddenly froze, recognizing its origin. "It's him... I didn't think that thousand-year-old coral-beast would finally succumb to time."
It was a creature from her era that had failed to become a Sage and instead lived by consuming natural energy; its remains had fossilized into the highest-grade shell—now in Shiraishi's hands.
Even for the "Silver," Shiraishi had sourced Deep-Sea Mithril. Every material was a peak-tier specimen, a testament to the sheer national power of the Land of Wind.
"The foundation of the Land of Wind has already surpassed the Land of Fire at its peak," she noted, slightly annoyed by his display of wealth. "Do you plan to use the Dragon Ball to assist in the refining?"
"I do."
"Then," she said, her voice dropping into a feline purr as she focused her gaze on Shiraishi, letting out a soft giggle, "what are you prepared to give me in exchange?"
Shiraishi, seemingly misinterpreting her suggestive tone, immediately shook his head with a look of mock-righteousness. "I am not that kind of man."
This shameless bastard! Ptooey! The Princess cursed internally.
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