Inject the Other One into Him Too

Chilling, bloodcurdling roars kept coming from the secret cell, so heartrending they made one's hair stand on end.

Even Kabuto, who had witnessed countless experiments and heard many screams over the years, could not help adjusting his glasses.

Kimimaro's tolerance for pain had long surpassed that of an ordinary person. Yet even he was howling so miserably; the agony involved was imaginable.

"I wonder whether it can succeed. If it does, then it truly will be..."

A white glint flashed across Kabuto's lenses. Even Lord Orochimaru had declared Kimimaro's Bloodline Disease incurable.

Perhaps only the legendary Princess Tsunade might be able to heal it. No—perhaps even she could not.

This illness originated from his bloodline. Healing it was far too difficult. Kabuto silently waited by the door.

The howls gradually turned hoarse, then low, until there was no sound at all.

In fact, the more severe and difficult an ailment was to cure, the greater the pain would become, because more of the body needed to transform.

After receiving no response for a long while, Kabuto finally moved. He came to the secret cell door and prepared to peer through the narrow gap.

Boom!

Enormous white Bones shattered the door, but Kabuto had already dodged aside, his brows lightly furrowed.

What was going on?

"Food..."

Food?

"I want food!"

Kimimaro appeared, little more than skin and Bones, his eyes filled with hunger. Their green glow made him look like a starving wolf.

Kabuto immediately understood. He had consumed an immense amount of energy. This was new data and would need to be noted down later.

"Kimimaro, calm down. I'll have food brought over immediately. Don't disappoint Lord Orochimaru."

Kimimaro, whose raised arm might have sent white Bones flying at any moment, stopped.

Upon hearing the words "Lord Orochimaru," he seemed to regain a little clarity and barely suppressed his instincts.

Seeing this, Kabuto immediately sprang into action. He rushed outside the Laboratory and ordered a large amount of food prepared.

He then took several nutritional supplements and quickly returned to the secret cell, tossing them to Kimimaro, who looked like a dried corpse.

"Drink these. They'll ease your hunger to some extent!"

Kimimaro, sitting cross-legged on the ground, caught them and drained them in one gulp. The faint green hunger in his eyes eased somewhat.

At some point, Orochimaru had silently arrived. His snake-like vertical pupils stared at Kimimaro with a hint of burning intensity.

It had succeeded!

It had actually succeeded!

Originally, he had thought that even with Kimimaro's resilient will increasing the chances of success—

The one-to-two-percent probability of Healing Hormone succeeding was simply too low.

The data from the first experiment had been tempting, but the substance itself was something he could not replicate.

He roughly understood its effects: it stimulated a person's vitality and triggered a transformation. It was a very interesting direction.

That was why his enthusiasm had greatly diminished, and he had merely had Kabuto record the data.

But he had never expected Kimimaro to endure it—and succeed.

Once there was a successful subject, its significance became entirely different.

Orochimaru made no further moves. He merely instructed Kabuto to continue replenishing Kimimaro's energy and food.

He was observing carefully, observing whether the transformed Kimimaro had truly recovered.

At that moment, Kimimaro only felt as though there were a ball of fire in his stomach, instinctively urging him to keep eating.

Even after consuming a great amount of food, his stomach did not swell. Instead, his body steadily began to fill out.

This phenomenon greatly interested both Orochimaru and Kabuto, and they continuously recorded his condition and data.

Orochimaru lightly extended his long tongue and said with interest, "Enhanced digestion, rapid self-recovery... truly astonishing. It violates the possibilities I have researched."

Kabuto adjusted his glasses. "Lord Orochimaru, perhaps this is the same reason you cannot replicate it. Some unknown factor may be taking effect."

A faint shadow passed through Orochimaru's eyes, but he acknowledged Kabuto's guess. That was likely the only possibility.

Data continued to accumulate as the two recorded and analyzed it. Soon, after a large amount of food had been consumed—

Kimimaro finally recovered. He stopped eating, his digestion returned to normal, and his rate of replenishment also gradually stabilized.

Kimimaro looked at Orochimaru before him and silently rose to his feet.

"Lord Orochimaru, I have not failed your mission!"

Orochimaru carefully examined him from head to toe, even reaching out to touch him a few times. He was very satisfied.

After all, Kimimaro had once been his ideal choice of body. It was only because Kimimaro had Bloodline Disease that Orochimaru had given up on him.

However, even now that he had recovered, he could only take a step back, because Orochimaru had a new target for his body.

That man's younger brother, and those Sharingan!

"Tell me how you feel and describe your current condition. Do you sense any differences from before?"

Kabuto brought over a syringe and drew some blood from Kimimaro as a sample.

Kimimaro then began describing his feelings, that painful experience, and his current condition.

"I can now completely feel how light my body is. Using my bloodline no longer places any burden on me. It feels as though I have been reborn."

"My body also seems stronger than before. Even my Bones have become harder!"

Once they had recorded nearly enough data, Orochimaru looked at Kimimaro and turned away.

"Come with me. I need to conduct further research!"

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru!"

The three returned to the Laboratory. Kimimaro lay back down on the bed, all sorts of testing equipment were attached to him again, and Orochimaru and Kabuto began a more detailed examination.

After a long time, Kimimaro's new physical data had been thoroughly analyzed. Orochimaru stood there, playing with the One-Eyed and the Female Hormone.

Kabuto respectfully said, "My lord, Kimimaro has retested the power of his bloodline. It has grown much stronger."

Kimimaro also stood quietly, awaiting Orochimaru's next order.

At that moment, Orochimaru pondered silently. He stared at the One-Eyed in his hand for a long time before finally shifting his gaze to the Female Hormone.

"Kimimaro, if I turned you into a woman, would you resist?" Orochimaru asked as he turned around.

Kimimaro was slightly stunned. Lowering his head, he said, "I will leave everything to Lord Orochimaru's decision, so long as Lord Orochimaru wishes it."

He had little sense of the difference between men and women. He knew almost nothing about it.

Ever since he had become aware of the world, his clan had treated him as a weapon of war. He did not need emotions, did not need to think; he only needed to kill.

After his clan was destroyed and Orochimaru rescued him, he had only strived to grow stronger. He never concerned himself much with anything else.

Hearing Kimimaro's answer, Orochimaru smiled faintly, though his expression carried a coldness.

"Kabuto, prepare to inject Kimimaro!"

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru."

Kabuto reached out and accepted the Female Hormone. He glanced at Kimimaro, leaving the latter somewhat confused.

Why was he looking at him with such a strange expression?

Kimimaro did not think deeply about it. He simply obeyed Orochimaru's orders and quietly accepted Kabuto's injection.

A dose of Female Hormone was injected into Kimimaro's body without any preparation.

The change took effect instantly!

There'll only be one chapter today. I'll see whether I can make up for it tomorrow.