Had Him Completely in His Grip

"My lord!"

Kabuto looked at Orochimaru, awaiting his next instruction. In truth, he was also deeply interested in these things.

At the same time, he was slightly surprised. He had to admit, this person had Orochimaru's character completely in his grip.

The meaning of life—he knew best what Orochimaru desired.

That was Eternal Life!

"Interesting."

Orochimaru looked at the things on the table, his long tongue moistening his lips. They were very moist.

This person had piqued his interest!

"Let me see what the meaning of life truly is!"

Orochimaru spoke, and Kabuto reached out to touch the strange conch shell called a Sound Shell.

It was not particularly heavy in his hand. After inspecting it briefly, he noticed some marks at its top.

This should be where one pressed it, right?

"My lord, please stand farther away. I'm afraid there may be some danger!" Kabuto said as he prepared to press it.

"It's fine. Press it!"

"Yes!"

Having received permission, Kabuto directly pressed the button at the top of the Sound Shell. Zhao... ahem! A deep, heavy voice came from within it.

Both men looked slightly surprised. It seemed this thing could store sound. That was rather interesting.

However, as the deep voice continued speaking, their expressions gradually changed.

Orochimaru in particular listened with great interest, gaining an even deeper understanding of bloodline research.

The other party spoke profoundly. Without a certain level of research, one simply could not understand what was being said.

There were also some new terms that he could not quite comprehend, but by connecting them with the context, he soon understood some of them.

Crack!

Orochimaru, who had been listening with lingering interest, furrowed his brows. The Sound Shell had shattered, cutting off at the crucial point.

Even Orochimaru, usually so indifferent, smiled as a vein bulged on his forehead.

"Good! Very good, this person will do."

Kabuto looked at Orochimaru with slight concern. This was the first time he had seen one of the former Three Ninja so enraged.

The terrifying killing intent he gave off made Kabuto's back go cold, and his body instinctively tensed up, becoming extremely stiff.

However, Orochimaru quickly suppressed it, though his gaze remained dark and unsettling, making him seem exceptionally dangerous.

"My lord, there are things inside!" Kabuto said with a slight tremble.

When the shell shattered, Orochimaru's killing intent had intimidated him so badly that only now did he notice the additional items in his hand.

There were two syringes with labels on them, as well as a sheet of paper. Kabuto could not help reading it aloud.

"Female Hormone. It can completely turn a man into a woman?"

Kabuto shuddered slightly. He cautiously examined the syringe labeled Female Hormone before placing it on the table.

Whether it was real or not, he had no interest in becoming a woman. That was not his thing!

Orochimaru, however, held the syringe with great interest. If it could turn men into women, then there should also be Male Hormone that could turn women into men?

"What is the other one?"

Kabuto hurriedly checked it, then said,

"Healing Hormone can give those suffering from incurable diseases a chance at salvation. The price is ten years of lifespan, but the success rate is only one to two percent."

"That's it?"

The smile vanished from Orochimaru's face as he said coldly.

"That's it, my lord!"

Kabuto respectfully handed the items to Orochimaru, while thinking, The person who sent these things is truly wicked!

He had personally helped Orochimaru transfer bodies. In other words, the Orochimaru before him was in a female body.

But he did not dare say anything. If Orochimaru gave him an injection, he would have nowhere to cry.

Fortunately, he still had a legitimate identity in Konoha, so he would not be used as an experiment.

A faint cold laugh rang out, causing Kabuto to lower his head even further.

"My lord, these items remind me of someone. I don't know whether the other party is aware of his existence."

Orochimaru's gaze turned cold again. He had thought of the same person. These things seemed as though they had been sent specifically for him.

"Kaguya Kimimaro?"

Orochimaru played with the Healing Hormone, his narrow eyes flickering slightly.

He greatly disliked this feeling of being controlled, but the other party's intentions were obvious.

This also made Orochimaru and Kabuto instinctively rule out the possibility of Konoha ninja. Instead, they felt it could not possibly be them.

After all, based on the information they had, the brat from the Hyuga Clan and the two commoners could not possibly have come into contact with such things.

As for Might Guy, forget it!

Orochimaru had ruled him out first. What kind of person was he? How could Orochimaru not know?

If he could do something like this, perhaps it would only be possible if someone had taken over his body.

"Lord Orochimaru, could Kimimaro..."

Kabuto did not continue. He was merely making a suggestion, since Kimimaro was a high-quality vessel.

Unfortunately, the hereditary Bloodline Disease of his clan had left him with little time to live. He had essentially been abandoned.

"That is not impossible!"

Orochimaru's long tongue flicked across his lips. Naturally, something of unknown origin required a test subject.

He took out a portion of each to preserve, intending to study them first and see what they truly were.

"Have Kimimaro stand by. I'll analyze them first. Come help me later."

"Yes, my lord."

Kabuto answered respectfully, then turned and headed outside, faintly wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.

As for the final item, that one-eyed eye, he neither asked about it nor mentioned it.

That was because he was not meant to touch such a thing. The items revealed earlier were already beyond what he should be involved in.

Orochimaru looked at the two syringes in his hand, playing with them briefly before finally turning his gaze to that one-eyed eye.

"You have given me so many benefits. What exactly do you want to obtain from me?"

Orochimaru had never believed in free lunches. A windfall like this usually came at a steep price.

Many faces flashed through his mind, but he rejected them one by one. None fit.

He pondered slightly. "Hiding so thoroughly, yet using such petty means to contact me."

"Hmm... They likely possess a respectable identity in public, but inwardly, they are unwilling to remain ordinary."

"Would it be Konoha, or one of the other great nations? If it is Konoha, that would be interesting."

Light flickered in Orochimaru's eyes. Remembering everything from the past, he let out a faint cold laugh.

Old man, I will send you on your way!

Before long, two figures arrived.

"My lord!"

Kabuto arrived with Kimimaro, who had white hair, green eyes, red eyeshadow beneath his eyes, and two red dots between his brows.

"Mm. Follow me!"

Orochimaru glanced at the two of them before entering the depths of the Laboratory. The two quietly followed behind him.

Konoha.

Neji sensed the Sound Shell shatter one after another and smiled faintly. He had waited for a long time, but the third item had not been triggered, which disappointed him somewhat.

"Looks like I'll have to wait a while longer. But it shouldn't take too long."

Having a fairly good idea of the situation, he no longer paid it any mind and prepared to celebrate with Tenten and the others.