Inside the tent.
"Heh heh, Tsunade, I was merely curious about the Uchiha's awakened second Kekkei Genkai power."
Beneath that hoarse laughter, Orochimaru's cold figure slowly entered. When he saw Uchiha Yoru, his eyes revealed an appreciative look.
"What a perfect specimen. A Dual Kekkei Genkai ninja from the Uchiha Clan—truly enviable."
"Tch!" Tsunade seemed to be mocking Orochimaru just as she did Jiraiya, but she was actually saying that Nawaki's matter was already over. That was a ninja's fate.
Yet beneath Orochimaru's casual, hoarse laughter, he showed his desire to investigate Yoru's other Bloodline Limit, also telling Tsunade that he had not taken Nawaki's matter to heart at all.
This awkward way of expressing emotions left Uchiha Yoru speechless. As expected, the Shinobi World was twisted.
But only in this diseased Shinobi World did he have room to show what he could do.
Inside the tent, Orochimaru wore a broad smile as he extended his scarlet tongue to lick his lips and said hoarsely,
"It seems Yoru created an entirely new ninjutsu—Ninjutsu without hand seals!?"
Orochimaru stared eagerly at the azure Chakra sphere slowly dissipating from Uchiha Yoru's palm, his face filled with morbid excitement.
"Heh heh, Yoru truly is an enviable genius. Not only does he possess Dual Kekkei Genkai, he also has the talent to create ninjutsu."
Good heavens, after all that praise from Orochimaru, Uchiha Yoru was even more speechless.
Could he say that he had simply copied this ninjutsu?
Since he had been born in this era, and into the Uchiha Clan at that, how could he let Minato Namikaze alone enjoy all the glory?
A Self-created Ninjutsu—whoever used it first owned it.
"Orochimaru!"
Ever since Nawaki's incident, Orochimaru had become increasingly mysterious, making Tsunade frown.
Although she had secretly saved Nawaki, she could only conceal the matter from the enemy in the shadows. She could not be certain even about Orochimaru.
After all, they were all disciples of the Third Hokage.
"Here is the information on this brat's Bloodline Limit. But Orochimaru, I am warning you—do not do anything reckless!"
After tossing all the research on Uchiha Yoru's Bloodline Limit to Orochimaru, Tsunade stared at him solemnly, her voice carrying a warning.
Yet seeing this, Orochimaru's eyes flashed with surprise. Tsunade was warning him?
Then he looked at the Uchiha brat beside her. Recalling the intelligence on him, Orochimaru seemed to realize something. His eyes flashed with understanding and deeply buried sorrow as he let out a hoarse laugh.
"Heh heh, Tsunade, it seems you have taken this brat as a substitute."
Clearly, Orochimaru had misunderstood. He thought Tsunade had taken Uchiha Yoru as a replacement for Nawaki.
That was Orochimaru.
Tsunade was already familiar with him. If it had been anyone else, they would have glared at him in fury.
"Shut up!"
At the word "substitute," Tsunade snorted angrily. For some reason, her eyes instinctively flicked toward Uchiha Yoru behind her, checking his reaction.
Uchiha Yoru merely watched the two with a respectful smile, seemingly showing no reaction at all. Tsunade secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
It was not that she was overthinking it. This brat already carried too much on his shoulders. She did not want him to misunderstand and bear even greater pressure, nor did she want Nawaki's matter to affect him too much.
However, Uchiha Yoru smiled. He had discovered another useful piece of intelligence. A substitute? Perhaps this misunderstanding could serve him again.
"Yoru, you truly are an enviable genius."
With a hoarse laugh, Orochimaru glanced over Tsunade's Bloodline Limit report and then took out his own report.
"Tsunade, do you know what kind of power Yoru's Bloodline Limit is? Based on my experiments over the past three months, this Bloodline Limit closely resembles the power of sages from Ryūchi Cave—or rather, the legends of the Three Great Sage Locations."
The current Orochimaru did not yet know of the First Hokage's sage power, but he had already come into contact with sage training at Ryūchi Cave.
After hearing this, Tsunade secretly sighed. Orochimaru truly deserved to be called a genius. He had uncovered so much in only three months. As for why she had progressed so quickly, it was because she stood on the shoulders of giants.
At the same time, Tsunade frowned inwardly. This power closely resembled her grandfather's Sage Body. How could the Uchiha possess it?
Was it because of his parents' genes? Or a hidden Bloodline Limit inherited from both sides of his ancestry?
Such cases were not unheard of in the Shinobi World.
"Orochimaru, you should know how dangerous this power is. Even this brat, as its host, has suffered backlash. We discovered it early, but if it triggers Bloodline Disease, no one in the Shinobi World will be able to save him."
In Tsunade's eyes, Uchiha Yoru's Bloodline Limit had only just awakened when she discovered it, before it caused any mutation. Otherwise, it would have been truly troublesome.
"Yoru!"
Orochimaru stared at him with a greedy, burning gaze, as though he were looking at some rare treasure.
Anyone else might have felt their scalp tingle under that gaze, but Uchiha Yoru had long grown accustomed to it over the past three months. He nodded respectfully.
"Lord Orochimaru."
"Yoru, your Bloodline Limit is absolutely a powerful force..."
Orochimaru directly ignored Tsunade's warning beside him. Instead, he familiarly picked up Tsunade's medical equipment in the tent and began examining Uchiha Yoru's body once more.
"Lord Orochimaru, my Bloodline Disease has always been under Captain Tsunade's care..."
Wasn't he merely curious to study this Curse Mark Sage Body? Uchiha Yoru did not hesitate in the slightest. In fact, he was more than happy to let Orochimaru study him.
After all, he was quite interested in the ability to place Cursed Seals on ninja himself!
He might possess the Curse Mark Sage Body, but how was he supposed to place Cursed Seals on others? That required Orochimaru—ptui! It required science.
"Orochimaru!"
Watching the two work together with such practiced ease, one willing to study and the other willing to be studied, Tsunade felt both dissatisfied and helpless.
In the end, Tsunade sat down in a chair to the side with an annoyed huff. She decided to ignore them and lowered her head to carefully read Orochimaru's research report.
She might be the finest Medical Ninja in Konoha, even in the Shinobi World, but when it came to research, Orochimaru was clearly exceptionally gifted.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Yoru enjoyed having his body studied from both sides by Tsunade and Orochimaru, two future Legendary Sannin.
Cursed Seals! They were good things.
Placing Cursed Seals on ninja could greatly enhance their power. Within the Uchiha Clan, that was practically perfect. As for the dangers of power?
Did the Uchiha care?
If he could master the power to place Cursed Seals on ninja, he could win the approval of most Uchiha in the clan who sought power.
"How fascinating. I didn't expect such an innate physique to exist."
The more Orochimaru researched, the more excited he became, endless greed filling his golden snake eyes.
The power of sages!
The sage power cultivated by the Three Great Sage Locations—so ninja could possess such an innate constitution as well.
"Yoru, I believe you will not regret your decision today."
After finishing the examination, Orochimaru looked at Uchiha Yoru with an excited smile.
"Then I hope Lord Orochimaru can uncover this power soon."
Uchiha Yoru also wore a broad smile. You research my Bloodline Limit, so it is only fair that I receive a share of the results, right?
Seeing this, Orochimaru smiled, licking his lips as he let out a hoarse laugh.
"Yoru, you truly are different from the others. I could tell from the My Struggle you wrote.
An idiot like Jiraiya sees things far too narrowly, but I saw your vision and broad-mindedness in it. You are a ninja who has never confined yourself to a single Konoha Village."
Good heavens!
Hearing Orochimaru's words, Uchiha Yoru's heart skipped a beat. Then a sincere smile appeared on his face.
"Lord Orochimaru, it was merely one of my childish thoughts."
Studying medicine to save the Shinobi World?
Listening to the exchange between the two, that phrase surfaced in Tsunade's mind.
Yet only Uchiha Yoru was secretly alarmed. As expected of Orochimaru, the master of manipulation in this world—he had actually noticed the ideas Uchiha Yoru had hidden in his book.
Before you continue