Chapter Text
For Orochimaru, Hashirama’s cells were the most divine gift nature could have ever given him. They were easy to cultivate, could help him do nearly anything that once seemed biologically impossible, and, especially, had a durable lifetime, almost as if they were immortalized. When he first got the cells, he studied them everyday to understand their behavior, how they interacted with other biological systems and how they lived when isolated in a simple cells culture. And the results were wonderful.
Now, even after the war, he was still fascinated by what he could do with those cells and what he could try to do with them. A year had passed, and he had already changed his goals, but he didn’t change his methods as much. And that was the reason why he was at his laboratory, watching an amount of cells moving through the lenses of one of his microscopes. Suigetsu went away on a short mission but hasn’t said when he would come back, so he was alone.
Alone until he heard some light footsteps right behind him. Smooth as a snake.
“May I know what are you doing in my laboratory?” He heard that well known voice saying and smirked.
“Bold of you to assume this is your lab.”
“Technically, you built it for me back in time.” He talked back teasingly, making Orochimaru laugh a little. How he missed those shameless replies. He, then, looked away from the small glass and focused on the round ones. He stared at the man in front of him, in silence, contemplating for the first time in a while another presence in the hideout other than Suigetsu, and, sometimes, Karin and Juugo. And he appreciated this visit in particular.
“How did you get in here without Yamato noticing you outside?” He had to ask, so he let his voice out in a curious tone.
“You are not the only one who can turn in to a snake and creep around without anyone noticing.”
“I see…” He said, the same way as he did before. “So, I believe you left a clone at the Orphanage.”
Kabuto didn’t answer, making Orochimaru presume he was right. He saw the gray-haired man look around the place, probably paying attention to the changes Orochimaru had made. He knew the equipment seemed more qualified from the last time Kabuto had been in the place. And seeing the younger look at the two big tubes in a part of the laboratory made him smirk, especially when he noticed Kabuto deciding not to ask.
“The lab looks better than before. Bigger.” The younger said, getting a chair to sit beside Orochimaru next to the microscope. And, with a serious tone this time, not the mischievous one he had before, he asked: “Why did you call me here?”
“You are the only one capable to help me with what I want.” Kabuto looked at him suspiciously. “I thought about calling Tsunade, but she wouldn’t understand, and, although Suigetsu actually helps me, I do not have patience nor time to teach him every biological detail about it. He is more like a technical help.”
“Can I see it?” The other man asked while placing the chair close to the equipment, and Orochimaru moved away so he could look at the cells.
Adjusting the focus so he could see clearly, Kabuto started to analyze what he was seeing. And when he realized what type of cells were in the slide, he looked at Orochimaru in disbelief.
“You have to be kidding me.” He really hoped it was some kind of joke.
“Is it so hard to believe I want to have a child, Kabuto?” Orochimaru said with a little annoying smile on his lips. It made Kabuto want to punch him in the face.
“It will not be a child, it will be a living clone and you know that.” Kabuto’s voice raised more than he wanted to. “This is if it does develop. You know you can’t fecund yourself without bigger risks. Science doesn’t work like that.”
“That is the reason why I am using Hashirama’s cells as the host.” The older man said seriously. “And that is why I need your help. The cells are not fecundating even when I induce them to.”
“I am sorry but I will not help you when the chances of this having positive results is almost zero.” He said. “If you have any gene, any molecule that could lead to a disease or a drastic mutation, the self-fertilization probably will result on a dead baby. And actually, from who you got egg cells to do this?”
“From no one. I modified Hashirama’s cells to be the host to my own fragmented DNA.” He said and started to look in to the microscope again. “And, as you could see, it worked. The cells are alive.”
Kabuto stayed silent, trying to figure out what he would do. Although he didn’t like how things were going, at least Orochimaru had modified Hashirama’s cells instead of experimenting on developing embryos to get a great number of stem-cells. It was an undeniable ethical progress.
“Why do you want to have a child?” He asked after some minutes.
“Before the war ended, I was following Sasuke to see how far his wind would blow. But, as you know, he has a bad temper, and it is hard to cohabit with him.” He started to say. “After the war, I thought about what I would do alone in this place. And, one day, Karin came here from a mission and talked about Sasuke and Sakura planning on having a baby in the future. That w-...”
“So you only want to have a kid because fucking Sasuke is having one?” He interrupted, extremely irritated at the words Orochimaru said.
“You used to listen to what I say before answering, Kabuto.” Orochimaru said harshly, deadly as the snake he was. “I started to consider the possibility of having a descendant after it. I want to have a child so I can see them grow up, so I can see them pave their own way and surpass me.”
“And you think that cloning yourself will help to achieve this?” Kabuto was mocking him and it really pissed him off.
“What do you suggest me to do, then, Kabuto?”
“I do not know, maybe using another person’s DNA to at least have a baby the ‘normal’ way?”
Orochimaru laughed ironically, his fangs slightly showing. Both of them knew that no one in sound consciousness would want to have a baby with Orochimaru. No one would freely give their genes to a person like him. Who knows what he could do with the material in the future…
“And whose DNA you suggest, boy?” He was running out of patience.
“Anyone.” He responded and sighed, trying to calm himself. “If you find someone who is willing to give you genetic material to do this, I will help you.”
After he said those words, the silence filled the room. He saw Orochimaru getting up from his chair and walking around the laboratory to prepare the cells for freezing in a liquid nitrogen container. Observing the way he carefully did all the procedure, Kabuto realized he probably didn’t have an abundance of stored cells as he did before. The most part of them maybe died during the war since there was no one to take care of them. Or maybe he just had a limited source of cells. That was the problem of working with biologic material. They demand a lot of time and assistance so they continue to grow and multiply.
He kept watching, and he saw the Sannin lean against the wall next to the recipient after he had finished, with arms crossed and caught in his own thoughts. And silence remained for a lot of time until the older man decided to talk.
“We know that no one is willing to help me besides you, Kabuto.”
The younger man started to think about those words when silence made presence again. And the result of his thoughts was not what he wanted to. Maybe he was being paranoid, but knowing Orochimaru, he probably was not.
“So, you are insinuating that I give you my genetic material to make this baby?” He said and Orochimaru looked at him.
“If having other person’s genes is your condition, then yes, because only you can do this. Suigetsu does not trust me enough to do it and I personally would not like to use his DNA in my child.” Kabuto involuntarily laughed a little, making Orochimaru look at him and chuckle only a bit. “It would be a lot easier if I used Tsunade’s genes, but she would certainly find a way to kill me if she discovered I am making a baby. Karin already said that if I used her DNA, she would call all of Konoha's Anbu to hunt me. So, there is only you.”
“And what makes you think I’ll agree with that?”
“Nothing. That is why I asked you, not forced you to do as I say.” Orochimaru kept looking at Kabuto’s eyes. “Besides, you already surpassed me, and I think the child’s abilities will be great enough if they have our genetics combined.”
Orochimaru never thought he would ask Kabuto to help him have a child. Not even when they still lived together and had some sort of ‘romantic relationship’ the thought would have crossed his mind. He was aware that the young man would probably not help him, especially after he got out of Itachi’s genjutsu during the war, but he had to ask. As he had said, Kabuto was the only one who could help him. And he would not miss the chance of at least asking him.
“I have to think about it.” Kabuto said quietly. “How can I guarantee you will treat this infant really as your child after the birth? And, if I can ask, how exactly you plan to make the gestation without a womb?”
“Suigetsu helped me to create two synthetic equipment that simulate the organ. But they were not tested yet.” He sighed a little frustrated at how many flaws his new goal had, and Kabuto did not let it pass unnoticed.
“Are you aware of the quantity of failures we will get as result if we go on?”
“I am. But I will not give up until I get what I want.” He sounded more like himself this time, his raspy voice a little venomous, but way less than usual. “You have two weeks to decide, Kabuto, and I let you know by now that I will continue this with or without your help.”
“You did not answer my first question.” He pointed and Orochimaru’s features changed a little into something Kabuto could not describe.
“You can’t be sure about it.” He looked at Kabuto again. “I don’t know what to expect if the results are positive.”
“You better start to think about it.” Kabuto turned around and started to walk away from the place but stopped. “I will let you know my response in those two weeks.”
And without looking back, Kabuto headed out to go back to the Orphanage.