Base

"Orochimaru-sama!"

At a remote, ungoverned area along the border of the Land of Fire, several ninja suddenly leaped out from underground, lowered their heads, and dropped to one knee before Orochimaru.

"Has anything happened that requires attention?" Orochimaru halted with Kagetsu and the other two, looking at the three ninja before him.

"Everything is normal," the lead ninja immediately replied.

"Go back to your duties. I'll be staying here for a while this time." Orochimaru waved a hand, signaling for the three to leave.

"Where is this, Orochimaru Sensei?" Anko's curiosity rose as she watched the three ninja quickly vanish.

"It's just a Private Base I established outside." Orochimaru continued onward with the three of them and stopped before a mountainside not far away. His fingers flew through a series of hand seals before his palms finally clasped together. Like the Summoning Technique, he pressed his hands against the mountain wall.

Centered on Orochimaru's palms, dense black runes spread across the mountainside like a spiderweb. Under Anko's intent gaze, the mountain wall suddenly trembled and began to shift, revealing a pitch-black cave behind it.

"Come in." Orochimaru was the first to step into the cave, with Anko close behind. Once all four had entered, the shifted stone door rumbled shut again.

As the mountain wall sealed itself, the cave interior suddenly brightened. Torches burst to life one after another, illuminating a road glittering with firelight and revealing every detail of the dark mountain hollow.

This was a base built within the mountain.

They followed the carved stairs as they wound downward, eventually arriving at a wide open area below.

Rooms lined the way, along with prison cells fitted with iron bars.

The first floor was filled with various Instruments.

The second floor contained rooms that appeared to be living quarters.

They only gave the third floor a cursory look and did not venture deeper, but the lingering chill in the darkness and the faintly visible bars still made it clear what sort of place it was.

"This is where you'll rest. You can choose any room you like. We'll be staying here for some time." After giving Kagetsu and the other two a brief tour to familiarize them with the base, Orochimaru spoke in the second-floor corridor.

"Also, Kagetsu, you'll be my assistant tomorrow. No problem?" Orochimaru turned his gaze toward Kagetsu beside him.

"Are we researching Natural Energy? I have no problem with that." Kagetsu nodded. He had become fairly proficient in quite a few Medical Ninjutsu and had gained a deeper understanding of the human body. Assisting Orochimaru would not be an issue.

Given Orochimaru's personality, he would not hoard his knowledge or guard against Kagetsu learning something from him. At least from their interactions so far, Orochimaru had genuinely been teaching both him and Anko with care.

The next day.

Jugo lay on the experimental table as material for an entire day.

Orochimaru's coldness and obsession when conducting research made Anko, who was seeing this ruthless side of her teacher for the first time, break out in goosebumps.

What shattered Anko's composure even more was that Kagetsu, who was younger than her, could remain calm during research that made her uncomfortable. He could even occasionally discuss things with Orochimaru Sensei.

For a moment, Anko dazedly began to think that Orochimaru and Kagetsu were the normal ones in the team.

Could it be that the team her teacher led was specifically for recruiting freaks?

Even Jugo, the Test Subject, seemed like the ultimate freak in Anko's eyes. Who could endure being researched with bloodletting, dissection, and the like for an entire day, only groan a few times, then get casually healed with Medical Ninjutsu afterward and sit up, get dressed, and move around as though nothing had happened?

"Weren't you in pain?" Anko approached the dressed Jugo and asked softly. She felt that Jugo was still rather simple and kind when he was calm, someone who could be treated as a friend. Watching him undergo research that she could barely stand to look at made her feel somewhat guilty.

"Pain? No!" Jugo looked at Anko's concerned face. Though touched, he shook his head. "The medicine Kagetsu prepared was very effective. My whole body was numbed, so I didn't feel any pain. It was just a little boring."

"Aren't you angry that Sensei treated you like that?" Anko was somewhat bewildered. She had thought Jugo would be furious about what Orochimaru Sensei and the others had done, but what was this response?

"I agreed to be their Test Subject, and before the research began, Kagetsu told me the procedure and got my consent. Kagetsu kept his promise to me. There would be no pain during the process, and no scars afterward. Why should I be angry?

I can be needed. I can stay here quietly and be researched instead of going outside to kill people. I think that's good. It gives me peace of mind." Jugo shook his head and spoke calmly.

"You really are a strange person!" Anko gave Jugo her assessment.

Elsewhere.

"Jugo's body truly is a treasure. Looking at this data, I can barely restrain myself." As Orochimaru looked over the day's experimental data, his usually calm face revealed a rare hint of delight.

This data would naturally be useless in the hands of ignorant brutes, but to a research-minded genius like him, it was worth far more than an S-Rank Forbidden Technique.

It had pointed him toward a new path!

Orochimaru's desire to research surged wildly. The last time he had encountered material and data that made him this excited had involved the cells of the First Hokage's Wood Release.

But back then, one reason was his curiosity about Wood Release, while the other was to scam research funding.

His current research into Jugo concerned his future path toward immortality and Sage Art. To put it bluntly, having Jugo as research material was equivalent to having a road he could walk ahead of him.

"Orochimaru Sensei, do you want to master Sage Art?" Kagetsu stood beside Orochimaru, holding a copy of the data on Jugo's body as well.

"Who wouldn't? Those who master Sage Art are called sages! Take the Three Great Sage Locations of the Summoning Beasts, for example. The sages there have lived for at least a thousand years! From that alone, if Summoning Beasts that master Sage Art energy can live for a thousand years, then what about humans?"

A fanatical light burned in Orochimaru's eyes. It was precisely because Ryūchi Cave and the other two sacred locations served as examples that he dared to truly yearn for and pursue immortality.

"But Ryūchi Cave's Sage Art..." An unpleasant expression appeared on Orochimaru's face. "Before you have enough strength to protect yourself, Kagetsu, you'd best not go see Ryūchi Cave's sage. It isn't something that can be reasoned with."