[Orochimaru's Laboratory]
When Rengoku walked in, Orochimaru was giving Kimimaro an IV drip.
"How is Kimimaro?"
When talking with Orochimaru, you could just ask directly like this.
After all, Orochimaru was very busy and had no time for pleasantries.
Orochimaru checked the data on the screen while answering:
"His body has developed, and his bloodline has evolved. It is a kekkei illness, but also a genius illness."
"Genius illness?"
'What does that mean?'
Rengoku only knew the time Kimimaro died of his illness, but he wasn't very clear on what exactly Kimimaro's condition was.
After all, he wasn't a doctor or a medical ninja.
Orochimaru explained, "Your Uchiha clan's Sharingan was inherited from Kaguya's eyes."
"What you call awakening eyes is a process of atavism in the bloodline."
"Your bodies can only handle up to three tomoe."
"So when it comes to the Mangekyo, your eyes gradually go blind with use."
"That is because your bodies can't keep up."
"The bloodline fusion you are working on now is to make your body able to keep up with the evolution of the Sharingan."
"Kimimaro's Shikotsumyaku is already an excellent atavistic bloodline within the Kaguya clan."
"Right now the blood cells in his body are rapidly evolving, and Kimimaro's body strength can't keep up."
"If you can't keep up, the worst that happens is you go blind."
"For Kimimaro, it is the various cells in his blood, so all his internal organs are taking damage."
After Orochimaru finished explaining, Rengoku was a bit surprised.
'Isn't this basically the same as cancer, something that in a certain sense could drag a person into immortality together with it?'
'But if your body can't keep up, you will only die.'
"What about the treatment plan?", Once Rengoku understood the principle, he immediately asked.
"Strengthening the body is the priority, but we can't use the Water of Life."
"Because the large amount of life energy in it would accelerate the evolution of the cells in his body, and Kimimaro would die even faster."
"Has he successfully received a curse mark?", Orochimaru suddenly asked Rengoku.
Since Rengoku could foresee things, he should know whether Kimimaro had successfully received a curse mark.
"Yes, he has. He received the Earth Curse Mark," Rengoku liked Kimimaro a lot and remembered his matters clearly.
"The Earth Curse Mark, hm?"
"Looks like without meeting you, I didn't understand Kimimaro's potential clearly enough," Orochimaru became thoughtful. If he hadn't met Rengoku, he definitely wouldn't have such a high understanding of Kimimaro's kekkei genkai.
"Engrave the modified curse mark on him and force Kimimaro into Sage Transformation."
"Right now is Kimimaro's first outbreak, and the degree of his bloodline evolution is high, so if he can endure this time,"
"His future evolution will go more smoothly."
"But Kimimaro's condition isn't good, so it's unclear whether he will succeed."
"If he fails, his bloodline might run wild and in the end he'll become a heap of bones."
Rengoku also understood Orochimaru's description. This was the same idea as injecting Hashirama cells and becoming a tree.
Right now the Kaguya clan only had this one lone survivor left.
Orochimaru was cautious too. If Kimimaro died, that meant losing a living test subject.
"Let's ask Kimimaro's opinion," Rengoku suggested.
Orochimaru thought for a moment and still agreed with Rengoku's idea.
For this kind of bloodline evolution, a person's own will had a large influence on their body.
"He's still unconscious right now, but his consciousness is very active. You do it."
Orochimaru pointed at Kimimaro's head.
Rengoku went to Kimimaro's side and placed his hand on Kimimaro's head.
His vision shifted, and Rengoku saw Kimimaro.
Kimimaro's spiritual world was pure white.
Empty, with nothing at all, except for a single white flower.
Kimimaro wasn't in his current grown form.
Instead he looked like he had three years ago, when he had just escaped the clan grounds.
"Lord Rengoku, why are you here?"
This Kimimaro still had a bit of a childish voice, showing he was still young.
"Do you know where this is?", Rengoku asked curiously.
"This is my inner world. I should be unconscious, but I can't wake up."
Kimimaro stared with wide eyes and asked, "Lord Rengoku, did my kekkei illness flare up?"
Rengoku wasn't surprised, since he had told him long ago, "Your kekkei illness flared up, but this is both a good thing and an opportunity…"
Then Rengoku explained the theory of Shikotsumyaku evolution to Kimimaro.
Kimimaro was also a bit shocked. No wonder the clan records noted that anyone with Shikotsumyaku didn't live long.
Turns out their bodies simply couldn't handle it.
"There are two treatment methods now. One is conservative treatment, using medication to suppress your bloodline evolution."
"The second is strengthening your body to speed up the bloodline evolution, but it depends on whether you can endure."
"Then the second one."
Kimimaro squatted in front of the small white flower, "Lord Rengoku, I used to keep searching for what it means to be alive, what the meaning of life is."
"I think, after meeting Haku, and being brought to Konoha by you, I've been happy every single day."
"I hope I can have enough strength to share your burdens, Lord Rengoku, and enough strength to protect Haku."
"I think that is the meaning of my life."
With his baby face, Kimimaro said these words, and his body rapidly grew until it became his current form.
Rengoku nodded with satisfaction, "That's good. Orochimaru will inscribe the newest curse mark on you later, force your body into Sage Transformation, and get you through this bloodline evolution."
"When he's engraving the curse mark, I'll forcefully wake you."
"If you can stay conscious until the engraving is complete, then it's a success."
"I understand. Thank you, Lord Rengoku."
Rengoku's vision shifted again, and he woke up.
"He will have the Sage Curse Mark engraved. Let's get ready."
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed, and he stuck out his tongue to wash his face, "Excellent. Now there is another one."
"For Kimimaro, bring over anyone or anything important to him."
"There is only one chance, he has to endure it."
Kimimaro's engraving this time wasn't the same as Anko's.
Anko's curse mark had been planted long ago, and only the layout was changed.
So there was no danger at all.
Kimimaro's this time was going straight on his body, and on top of that he was already in poor condition.
The danger rose sharply.
"Someone important to him, that would only be Haku," Rengoku thought about it, and he himself probably counted as half.
"All right, you get ready. I'll go find Haku."
"Heh!", After Rengoku left, Orochimaru gave a small laugh.
He had just told Haku, ("I'll call you if something comes up.")
Now he really was calling him.
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
[email protected]/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining P@treon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through P@treon.