The anesthetic was gradually wearing off. Obito only felt as though he had slept incredibly well, and when he awoke, he was still lying on Orochimaru's operating table.
The difference was that he could once again feel the presence of his right arm.
Orochimaru was mixing some sort of reagent nearby. Obito tried to sit up and carefully examined his right arm. Unlike the arm he had received from Madara, this one felt brimming with strength.
"Don't move around." Orochimaru spoke, then turned and handed him a test tube filled with green liquid.
"Drink it."
"..." Obito stared at the green liquid in the tube. It looked extremely strange, but he gritted his teeth and tipped it into his mouth.
It was not bitter and had no particular taste, though it was a little thick.
Obito let out a long breath and asked, "Lord Hokage, how am I?"
Orochimaru replied, "What, can't you feel it yourself?"
Obito looked at his arm again and clenched his fist tightly.
"My arm..."
"Don't worry. It'll be even better than your original arm."
Only then did Obito's anxious heart settle, replaced by a surge of joy. He swung his fist hard, the motion cutting through the air with force.
He asked again, "Does this mean I can keep training like before and continue being a shinobi?"
Orochimaru asked in return, "Who stopped you from being a shinobi?"
Obito chuckled foolishly and scratched his head. He climbed down from the operating table and gave Orochimaru a deep bow.
"Thank you, Lord Hokage!"
Orochimaru smiled faintly and handed him a roll of bandages and a scroll.
"Obito, you are special. Make good use of that arm. Don't waste all the effort I put into you."
Obito opened the scroll and found that it recorded several secret