Tonight in Konoha, the night was especially dark, as if it had been soaked in ink.
And within the thick darkness of the Forest of Death, outside a stone cave embedded in a broken slope, snake shadows slithered and flowed through the undergrowth.
Hiss... hiss...
As if sensing something, the snakes slightly lifted their heads and looked around, flicking blood-red tongues.
On a distant tree, several black figures wearing masks appeared soundlessly like night owls, without alerting the snake swarm.
"Here?"
At the front, Hiruzen Sarutobi, wearing light armor, had a gloomy expression as he stood on the tree and stared into the bottomless cave. His mutter was heavy and complicated.
"Spread," Hiruzen said in a low voice.
Swish! Swish!
The black shadows behind him instantly broke apart and scattered in all directions, spreading like black wings and covering the entire area under sharp beaks and claws.
This was a special assassination tactics unit, famous for efficiency, cruelty, and cold calm.
Recently, many genin, chunin, and even ANBU had been disappearing for no reason. You had to know that anyone who could enter ANBU was at least a chunin with a specialty. Even in Konoha, they counted as the backbone.
Even with Danzo Shimura covering things up in the shadows, it was impossible to erase every trace.
In the end, the matter still reached Hiruzen, who had been busy handling border conflicts in the Land of Fire. And he immediately thought of the recent reports that Orochimaru's movements were abnormal...
"Orochimaru..."
After a moment of silence, Hiruzen and two ANBU figures vanished, leaving only a sigh that sounded both disappointed and regretful.
At the same time, deep underground where the cave led, inside a tangled, cold, damp drainage system.
Drip... drip...
Only the sound of filthy water dropping into pooled water could be heard, rippling outward.
But within a spacious, dark chamber, the place had already been transformed into a secret experimental base.
"No matter how many times I see it, I still marvel at the delicacy and wonder of this body."
Staring at the complete corpse lying silent on the operating table, Orochimaru's desire and greed almost overflowed.
He had traveled all over the shinobi world before and seen many well-preserved ancient corpses, but either their skulls were warped and their eyes bulged, or their limbs were swollen until they tore through clothing.
But the corpse before him was completely different. Its appearance was exquisite, like something not of the mortal world. The skin was pale, the black hair smooth and glossy, and even the eyelashes had not fallen off. The eyes were closed, as if it had only fallen into a dream.
Only the dried torso showed signs of dehydration, and the muscles in the limbs had already withered.
Orochimaru was certain this youth was dead, yet this body still possessed a certain vitality.
To Orochimaru, it felt like the "soul" had broken free of its shackles, leaving behind only an empty shell...
"So this is the Otsutsuki clan." Orochimaru's chest rose and fell slightly as he licked his dry lips with his tongue.
After all, according to the Hyuga clan's ancient records, they were the powerful race that created chakra and ninjutsu. Possessing strong vitality and a powerful soul was normal.
However, even the Otsutsuki bled bright red.
Based on his guess, if he could transplant all of this body's organs, he might even be able to reshape his own physique and bloodline in reverse, gaining an incomparably powerful talent for ninjutsu and vitality.
Only he, someone skilled in organ and cell transplantation, could perform such a surgery. Even Tsunade could not.
It was as if it had been prepared specifically for him.
Thinking of this, Orochimaru turned to the figure on the other operating table, meeting a pair of white eyes that seemed to tremble with fear.
That one was a boy of only fifteen, close in age to the corpse. Long black hair like satin hung loose, and his youthful face was pale and tight. The "卍"-shaped curse mark on his forehead was especially glaring.
In all of Konoha, and even in the entire shinobi world, only the Hyuga clan possessed eyes so pure white as snow. And only branch family members would be branded with the ugly Caged Bird curse mark.
Ryuji Hyuga.
That was the boy's name.
This Otsutsuki corpse, and the ancient texts recording the Hyuga clan's primeval secrets, were both offered to him voluntarily by Ryuji Hyuga.
According to those secrets, the Hyuga clan were direct descendants of the Otsutsuki. The transplant effect should be best, and rejection reactions and complications would not appear easily.
"Ryuji, only the heart is left now. Are you ready?"
Orochimaru wore a soft, gentle smile. He deliberately omitted the surname and honorific and called him by name alone.
This kind of address was usually for close relationships or a vast difference in status. Obviously, the two of them were not close. It carried a kind of arrogance that said, "Everything about you belongs to me."
And that was indeed the case.
Orochimaru had already planted a curse mark on him. Once the organ transplant surgery was completely finished, once he developed the soul-transference technique, and once he found a way to crack the Caged Bird curse mark, he would seize this perfect body.
With the curse mark in place, Orochimaru was not worried things would slip from his control. He was just a "trash" in the Hyuga clan's eyes.
"Orochimaru-sama, please begin."
Ryuji Hyuga's expression was frightened, but his tone was extremely firm. In his eyes as he looked at Orochimaru, there was only admiration and gratitude. "You killed that old man and avenged my parents. I am willing to offer you this body I never had control over."
Hearing that, Orochimaru smiled. Sneaking into the Hyuga clan grounds to kill a main-branch elder had indeed taken effort. His good teacher should already have realized it was him.
There was no choice. He not only needed to complete the surgery perfectly, he also needed to use life-support sealing arrays. He had to focus with everything he had, leaving no spare attention to control genjutsu. The recipient had to remain conscious.
So he could only satisfy Ryuji Hyuga's request and kill the main-branch elder who had driven his parents to death, so the boy would cooperate willingly.
But it did not matter. He had long since grown sick of everything in Konoha. As long as he could obtain the mysteries of the Otsutsuki, even defecting would be worth it.
"Orochimaru-sama, what do you intend to do?"
The last person in the laboratory finally spoke. He was an old man in a white coat, the missing director of Konoha Hospital. In truth, he was medical talent cultivated by Danzo, code name "Owl."
At this moment, when Owl looked at Orochimaru, aside from shock and anger, there was even more fear.
But Orochimaru did not bother to respond. In any case, that old man would obediently listen soon enough.
With that thought, Orochimaru cast away his last stray thought. After confirming everything was ready, he activated the complex sealing formula under his feet.
Humm!
Black sealing patterns covered Ryuji Hyuga's body, binding him while supplying chakra. At the same time, the established extracorporeal blood circulation device started. Tubes were inserted into the aorta and into both the superior and inferior vena cava.
By now, Ryuji Hyuga's kidneys, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, and other organs had already been replaced with the Otsutsuki corpse's organs. Only the most important and most dangerous part remained.
The heart.
Pchi.
A chakra scalpel condensed in Orochimaru's hand. The tip moved along bone, flesh, and skin. The opened chest cavity revealed blood-red internal organs. Then, with full concentration, he cut out the living heart, keeping only part of the left atrial posterior wall and right atrial tissue.
He turned and removed the Otsutsuki heart from the corpse. Staring at that heart, still blood-red despite its stillness, Orochimaru's two-handed lifting motion was almost reverent, yet his hands did not tremble at all.
At this moment, the heart of the Otsutsuki clan was placed into Ryuji Hyuga's body.
"You actually want to perform a heart transplant?" Owl, who had been silent, suddenly spoke with a trembling voice. "You think the two of us can handle it?"
"I think you can." Orochimaru raised his eyes to the old man, his tone cold. "Because if you can't, what comes next might get a little bloody. What do you think?"
Owl's aged, slack skin twitched slightly, but he still obediently stepped up to the operating table.
Orochimaru began vascular suturing. His method was extremely primitive and insane. If even one blood vessel went wrong, it would push the recipient to the brink of death.
Yet under the precise operations of the two of them, huge amounts of chakra poured into Ryuji Hyuga, endlessly providing vigorous life force, keeping him alive like a miracle.
Time passed second by second. Orochimaru's stored chakra gradually dwindled.
Fortunately, the blood vessels began to heal. Even the cross-shaped wound cut into the chest cavity gradually closed under the power of the Mystical Palm Technique.
"Only the last step remains. I will lift the life-support barrier."
Because of excessive chakra expenditure, Owl could barely stand. Orochimaru's already pale face had turned deathly white as he stared at Ryuji Hyuga's body and spoke softly, "Ryuji, don't disappoint me."
Whether it succeeded now depended on whether Ryuji Hyuga could endure this power.
The power of the Otsutsuki clan.
Thump!
A heavy heartbeat like a war drum echoed out. Veins and blood vessels climbed over Ryuji Hyuga's body, like densely spread leaf veins, faintly bulging and tinged green.
On the instruments, the life signs that had lost external support immediately fluctuated violently.
"Ahhh!!"
Even though Ryuji Hyuga had prepared himself mentally, that pain, as if it would tear his whole body apart, still forced a hysterical scream out of him.
Blood pumped from the heart seemed to surge and burn inside his veins. On the surface of his exposed skin, countless capillaries burst and split. His temperature shot up in an instant to a scalding, blazing level, as if what flowed in his vessels was no longer blood, but molten iron!
"Use your chakra, use your chakra to suppress and control the heart. Make it calm down!" Orochimaru said in a deep voice.
Humm!
Bulging veins crawled around Ryuji Hyuga's eye sockets. The chakra erupting from his body made Orochimaru's pupils shrink.
But soon, Ryuji Hyuga's struggling body suddenly went stiff. The life signs that had been rapidly climbing on the instruments abruptly stalled, then began to collapse at an even more terrifying speed. A piercing alarm blared inside the laboratory.
"Damn it!" Orochimaru's expression turned ugly at once. "The Hyuga should be the best match. How could he fail to hold on this fast?"
If even Ryuji Hyuga could not endure it, he would have to go seize someone from the Hyuga main family.
There was no choice. Now he could only cut the heart out while it had not necrosed, and preserve it again.
Thinking that, Orochimaru was about to condense a scalpel with the last of his chakra.
Thump...
A faint sound entered his ears, making his motion freeze. He sharply lifted his head toward the boy on the table.
Thump!
Ryuji Hyuga's eyes were still tightly closed, but a dull sound came from his chest, clearer than the first time.
The laboratory fell into a terrifying silence, with only the heartbeat sounding most piercing.
Thump! Thump-thump!
Gradually, that heavy heartbeat changed from the patter of rain on banana leaves into a deafening drumbeat, pounding hard inside his chest.
"This is..."
A joy he could not suppress rose on Orochimaru's face. He walked closer with light steps, as if approaching all truth in the world. His golden slit pupils subconsciously glanced at the instruments.
Sure enough, the life signs were stabilizing. In fact, every value was almost inhuman, unbelievably active, terrifying to the extreme.
In other words, at last...
"Yes."
Someone answered Orochimaru. The voice was gentle, like someone telling a beautiful fairy tale.
"At last, it succeeded," he said.
Orochimaru, overwhelmed with surprise and joy, froze for a moment, then saw the figure on the operating table slowly open his eyes.
He met a pair of eyes both familiar and unfamiliar.
Those once pure white eyes now, under the surgical light, released layered iridescence, flowing like melted glass, somewhere between pale cyan and white.
But that was not what gave Orochimaru the strongest sense of wrongness.
It was that within those eyes, there was almost no emotional fluctuation at all, calm and deep like a bottomless pool of dead water.
Gushing blood was instantly evaporated by high heat. Blood-red mist rose from his body, shrouding that face in a hazy veil.
Blood surged through blood vessels like thawed spring water. Every cell breathed wildly like buds breaking stone. Unmatched strength rose within his limbs and bones.
"You..."
To the side, Owl's pupils suddenly widened when he saw this. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something.
But the next moment.
Pchi!
This strike was fast. As it passed, there was no pain, only cold death.
It was as if a wind even calmer than the night breeze blew through. The sound of flesh being pierced was very light, and was silently erased by the wind.
Orochimaru tilted his head almost by instinct. As a faint tearing sound rang out, he only felt a slight sting on his cheek.
A red line crawled across his face, spreading bit by bit, inch by inch, until it stopped at the cheekbone. Blood sprayed like reed blossoms scattered by wind, and dampness slid down his cheek.
And Owl, standing beside him in a daze, felt his vision flip and tumble.
Thud!
A headless body dropped to its knees. Blood sprayed from the severed neck, and the laboratory was drenched in red rain.
The head hit the ground with a crisp sound like a watermelon falling, rolling along and leaving a trail of blood. Confusion still lingered on its face. It died with eyes open, settling into the pool of blood.
And from the separated neck, blood bloomed like a fountain, making a burst of blood rain that splashed onto the two remaining figures.
"I have waited for this day far too long."
Ryuji Hyuga sat up, looking at the palm condensing a chakra surgical blade. He watched blood roll like spring water over green leaves, gathering at his fingertips. Then he raised his eyes to Orochimaru and smiled. "On a night like this, silence should reign."
Years and years have passed by...
At last, he had completed the talent of this frail body, obtained his true Otsutsuki bloodline, and...
[Your lie [Otsutsuki Remains and Descendants] has been judged as [Entering the Trap Personally] [Honeyed Words, Hidden Blades] [Making the Fake Real]. Orochimaru has produced intense emotional fluctuation, reaching the level of [Deeply Convinced]. Gained 10,000 Reality Points.]
[Evaluation: A bewitching trick, like a drifting shadow on a wall. Even a short person can cast a huge shadow.]
[Remaining Reality Points: 10041]
"..."
Orochimaru stared at that youthful face. In his memory, that face had always been filled with cowardice and shrinking fear.
But now, the curse mark at the neck was gradually fading, and a deep, eerie smile hung on his face.
Like a child pressing down on an ant's back, watching it struggle at the fingertip, then gently crushing it.
Pure evil.
Orochimaru had never been able to forget that day six years ago.
The memory stayed clear no matter how much time passed, returning whenever rain fell.
In year 48 of the Shinobi World Chronicle, the Third Shinobi World War came to an end.
Konoha, attacked from all sides, paid a brutal price and finally claimed victory. The war ended, but the cost did not vanish.
Orochimaru's thin lips moved soundlessly as he looked straight ahead with a calm gaze.
Dark clouds covered the entire sky, and the already cold graveyard felt even more empty under the rain.
People bowed their heads and sobbed, black umbrellas packed together like a mass of dark shapes.
He stood among the mourners and looked toward the old man at the front.
That was his teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Hiruzen wiped rain from the tombstone, and that simple motion stirred grief among the crowd.
Orochimaru turned his eyes to a child standing a little ahead to the side. He recognized the boy from seeing him often, running upside down around Konoha with his Genin father.
In his memory, the two of them were always loud and playful, ignoring the looks of annoyance and mockery around them.
Now was different.
This was the first time Orochimaru had seen the boy cry. He cried hard, with tears and mucus mixed across his face, streaked into a mess by the rain.
He had heard what happened during the mission.
The boy had encountered members of Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Swordsmen, and that so called useless Genin father rushed in to cover his child's escape. Alone, he killed four of them, while the remaining three fled with severe injuries.
The father died there, and there was another child.
Orochimaru shifted his gaze again, seeing a young face reflected in his eyes.
The boy stood without an umbrella, letting the rain soak him. His crying was quiet and hoarse, his head lowered as his shoulders trembled, making faint broken sounds.
Tears kept streaming down in several lines, mixing with the rain as they fell.
Ryuji Hyuga was timid by nature and physically weak.
While others his age had begun learning Gentle Fist, he had not even awakened Byakugan, earning him the reputation of a useless burden within the Hyuga Clan.
His father had not died on the battlefield, but succumbed to his injuries after returning, and rumors inside the clan said the elders had activated the Caged Bird Seal because he failed to protect main family members.
During the Second Shinobi World War, that same man had once served under Orochimaru with merit.
How old were these two children? Nine, or ten?
So young, already sent to war. So young, already stripped of their only family.
Orochimaru looked again at the old man in front. Lightning flashed through the clouds, turning the world gray and white in an instant.
The bent shadow on the ground looked long and twisted, and Hiruzen Sarutobi's sorrowful face was split between light and dark.
Having lived through two great wars, Orochimaru suddenly felt a deep disgust. It was strong enough to make him feel sick.
What meaning did the lives of those who died in war really have?
Nothing had changed. Nothing at all.
When the crowd finally dispersed, only silent tombstones remained.
Orochimaru stood before Nawaki's grave, holding a black umbrella dark as ink in the rain. He placed a white chrysanthemum down and looked at the familiar name, feeling no reaction at all.
No sadness, no anger, no pity.
Yet he was not calm.
He watched the rain drip from the edge of his umbrella and vanish into the carved lines of the stone. From deep inside, fear slowly rose.
"That, um…"
A timid voice came from behind, as if forced out of a tight throat.
Orochimaru turned and met a pair of Byakugan. His cold expression startled the boy, who flinched back before steadying himself.
"Y your face looks very bad, so…"
Under Orochimaru's gaze, the voice grew quieter. Looking down at Ryuji Hyuga, Orochimaru understood that he had stood at the grave too long. The boy must have been worried about him.
Kind, timid, and weak.
A useless person.
Orochimaru made that judgment and turned to leave without another word.
"Orochimaru-sama."
The voice stopped him. He paused without knowing why.
"Do you know what the meaning of life is?"
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and turned back. The boy still looked timid, but he lifted his head in confusion.
"My father often spoke of you. He said you were a hero of Konoha. I thought someone like you would know."
"There is no meaning," Orochimaru said quietly, cutting him off. "If there is any, it only exists while one is alive. A life that has ended has no meaning at all."
Death was the fairest thing in the world. No matter what one did or owned in life, death left nothing behind.
The cold wind slipped into his collar, and Orochimaru tightened his grip on the umbrella until his fingers paled.
To die was to lose everything. He did not want to lose everything. He wanted to possess everything.
"Orochimaru-sama," Ryuji suddenly asked, "do you believe there are gods?"
Orochimaru looked at the timid child and almost laughed.
To him, both saviors of prophecy and gods were inventions of the weak. An all knowing god did not exist, and even if one did, it would only be a stronger being.
"What if they had eternal life?" Ryuji hurriedly said. "Before he died, my father gave me a scroll and a body. He said the scroll recorded secrets of the Hyuga Clan, but I cannot open it. The body very much alive, only lost his soul."
The boy's voice grew smaller, but Orochimaru's eyes trembled. Of all people in the shinobi world, he knew the most about souls.
Most considered them vague nonsense, yet to him, separation from the body was possible, especially for an ancient clan like the Hyuga Clan.
He studied the sweating child and found himself believing him a little. Perhaps it would not hurt to take a look.
Ryuji suddenly noticed that rain no longer fell on him. A shadow covered his vision.
"Why are you telling me this?" Orochimaru asked.
Ryuji looked up into his narrow eyes. Orochimaru held the umbrella and bent slightly, meeting him at eye level. "These are clan secrets. Why not tell the elders?" he asked with a faint smile.
"My father said that if he died, I could trade them for better treatment," Ryuji said softly. "But I do not trust them. They forced my father to death."
His trembling fists surprised Orochimaru. "Do you want me to help you take revenge?" Orochimaru asked lightly. "Are you not afraid I will tell the Hyuga Clan?"
"I do not think you would," Ryuji replied. "And even if you did, I would not lose much. Only myself."
Orochimaru was silent for a moment. Then he laughed and placed a hand on the boy's head.
Life might not have meaning, but only by living could one meet interesting people and things.
Later, Ryuji gave the scroll and the body to Orochimaru. After breaking part of the seal, Orochimaru read the first pages and learned of the Otsutsuki, beings from beyond the world.
They possessed great power by birth and could revive through a method called Karma.
They traveled in pairs, planting God Trees to devour all life on a planet. Main family members returned home, leaving branch members behind to watch over the harvest.
The soulless body described in the scroll belonged to such a branch member, ancestor of the Hyuga Clan.
Though much remained sealed, it was enough to shake Orochimaru with excitement. Eternal life was real. Bodies died, but souls could endure.
Another years passed.
In that time, Orochimaru believed he fully controlled Ryuji. The boy looked at him with trust and obeyed every experiment, even approaching the Third or carrying messages to Danzo despite his fear.
Though lacking talent as a ninja, he showed sharp curiosity in research, often giving Orochimaru unexpected ideas.
It was rare enough to make Orochimaru hesitate. But greed for truth and immortality won in the end.
Until now.
Facing the boy who struck suddenly and the headless corpse beside him, Orochimaru felt disbelief. "What are you doing?" he asked.
Ryuji smiled. "Thank you, Orochimaru-sama. True ignorance is not lacking knowledge, but refusing to seek it. Weakness is not the problem. Arrogance is."
Because of arrogance, Orochimaru never saw the threat. He focused only on the body, ignoring all the signs before him.
Realizing this, Orochimaru laughed in anger. "Do you think you can escape me?"
He vanished in an instant. Killing intent burst forth, and a kunai broke the air at terrifying speed. Ryuji did not dodge, but stepped into its path.
Blood sprayed as the blade cut half his neck. Yet he smiled, silently mouthing, "You still could not strike my heart."
A crash echoed. Hiruzen appeared behind Orochimaru, roaring in fury.
Ryuji closed his eyes on the table, thinking his last thought. Bound by the Caged Bird, given the worst role, but still the best actor.