Let's Draw Some Blood

Chapter 39: Let's Draw Some Blood [Please Vote]

Becoming Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's grandstudent made Toneri very happy. After all, it meant he was now a bona fide member of the Hokage's faction.

Given how the Hokage Position was passed down, maybe he'd even get a chance to touch the Hokage seat.

Of course, that was all it would be—a chance to touch it.

Especially now, when the Konoha Sannin had just risen to fame. Toneri was probably among the earliest students they'd ever taken on.

In terms of seniority, Minato, who was a little older than Toneri, might one day have to call him senior brother.

Tsk, tsk...

Toneri would have been thrilled if either Jiraiya or Tsunade had taken him on, but Orochimaru...

Putting everything else aside, Orochimaru was probably the strongest of the three right now. He was also Hiruzen Sarutobi's favorite, and a strong contender for the Hokage Position.

"Orochimaru... sensei?" Toneri knew he had no choice but to accept.

Of course, following Orochimaru wasn't all bad.

In fact, if he was being honest, Toneri might gain more from Orochimaru than he could from Jiraiya and Tsunade combined.

But gains often came with risks.

As long as he kept his attitude in check and satisfied Orochimaru's curiosity—making him think Toneri was special, but not that special—his safety shouldn't be a problem.

Orochimaru spared no effort in teaching his students. Though Nawaki's death had hit him hard, he later taught his students, whether Mitaraishi Anko or Uchiha Sasuke, with great care, passing on some of his own signature techniques.

It was just that by then, Orochimaru's thinking had become completely extreme, and he'd lost all feeling in the way he acted. But things had only just begun to reach that point.

Once Toneri understood this, he wasn't so nervous anymore.

This is a powerful backer!

At this point, aside from Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō, the leader of Root, Konoha's most prominent figures were the Three Sannin and Hatake Sakumo, known as the Konoha White Fang.

With the title of the Hokage's grandstudent, Toneri's movements around Konoha would be a lot easier.

At Toneri's form of address, Orochimaru composed himself and nodded coolly.

To be honest, Nawaki's death had left him feeling guilty, and it had also made him look down on the weak.

If they were weak, they should stay in the rear instead of dreaming of becoming heroes.

He'd agreed to Hiruzen Sarutobi's request only because Hiruzen had told him Toneri was a Two-Tails Jinchuriki. He had yet to study Jinchūriki in depth.

"Come with me. I'll give you a physical examination," Orochimaru said indifferently, his voice carrying a magnetic quality that made his mood hard to read.

Toneri: "..."

Just my luck. The one thing I was afraid of is happening.

Orochimaru had taken a few steps before he noticed Toneri still standing where he was. He turned his head slightly, the corner of his mouth curling into a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

Toneri shuddered, dropped his head, and silently followed behind Orochimaru.

Orochimaru was still wearing Konoha's standard shinobi uniform, which meant he'd only recently returned from the battlefield.

They walked in silence. Toneri tried to figure out how to get along with Orochimaru, how he could seem at least a little useful to him, and even how he might learn something useful from him.

Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi was known as the Shinobi World Professor and was said to have mastered tens of thousands of jutsu. Orochimaru, his most talented student, was no less impressive. He'd mastered thousands of different jutsu, including quite a few he'd developed himself.

For example, the ever-changing Snake Taijutsu.

They left the secluded woods and stepped onto Konoha's bustling streets.

Orochimaru was quite famous in Konoha. Almost everyone who saw him greeted him with a smile and respectfully called him "Lord Orochimaru."

Orochimaru didn't respond to each person, but he occasionally nodded.

Seeing this, Toneri felt even more certain that Orochimaru hadn't gone off the deep end yet, and hadn't even started working with Danzo. For now, he probably didn't need to worry too much about becoming his student.

The weight in Toneri's heart lifted a little more.

Orochimaru seemed to notice something. He glanced back at the well-behaved Toneri, his look meaningful.

The two went from quiet streets to bustling ones, then from bustling streets back to quiet ones.

Orochimaru's home wasn't in Konoha's busy district.

It was a large house, but aside from Orochimaru, there wasn't a soul in sight. The spacious courtyard was untended and looked a little desolate.

There wasn't much furniture inside, but everything was fairly neat, with no dust to be seen. Somehow, that only made the place feel even more deserted.

Toneri began to understand Orochimaru's solitary nature.

Deep inside the house, Orochimaru lightly tapped the wall twice, and a tunnel appeared before them.

One by one, the lamps along the tunnel walls lit up, illuminating the dim passageway that led into the unknown depths.

Clack—clack—

Orochimaru walked straight into the tunnel. After a brief hesitation, Toneri obediently followed.

Perhaps Orochimaru himself was a little like a snake, because many of his secret bases were built underground.

After walking down the long tunnel, Orochimaru and Toneri arrived at a huge laboratory. It was much brighter than the tunnel outside.

All kinds of workbenches filled the laboratory, covered in more bottles and jars than Toneri could count.

A pungent, complex smell hit them as they entered.

Yet the smell suddenly felt familiar to Toneri.

He looked around the laboratory. When he found no signs of human experimentation, he felt a little relieved.

The laboratory was also much larger and more spacious than he'd imagined.

"Toneri-kun, I need to collect some of your blood. Let's draw a tube."

Orochimaru's voice came from behind Toneri again.

He was licking his lips with his long tongue.

Without Toneri noticing, Orochimaru had already changed his clothes. Toneri hadn't seen when he'd done it at all.

Don't ask. It was Orochimaru's wardrobe change. Have you ever seen it?

But Toneri clearly couldn't pay attention to that right now.

A blood sample!

This was the Naruto world, after all. Don't underestimate what blood could be used for. In the future, Hidan of the Akatsuki Organization would be able to kill people with their blood.

Orochimaru wasn't anything like Hidan, but Toneri didn't want to end up with a Toneri Number One, a Toneri Number Two...

"Sensei Orochimaru, I'm perfectly healthy. There's no need to... examine me, is there?" Toneri said.

At that, Orochimaru put the syringe in his hand back on the table.

Toneri froze at the sight.

He really isn't going to draw blood?

Was Orochimaru always this easy to talk to?

But in the next instant, Toneri's body went rigid. The only parts he could move were his eyes and mouth.

He felt something cold and very thick, almost like a rope, slowly coil around him from his ankles and climb up his body.

It was a snake!

A nameless boa, as thick as Toneri's arm and flicking its tongue, had wound itself tightly around him.

Two cold fangs hovered just a few millimeters from his skin.

"L-Lord Orochimaru, do you like bondage?"

Orochimaru: "..."

He didn't respond. A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and the boa's fangs lunged straight for the artery in Toneri's arm.

BOOM!!!

You might not believe this, but starting today, Jin Mu is going to try fasting for the next three to seven days. How wild is that? There's nothing to eat...

Send me some votes to cheer me up. I'm good at whining.

Thanks to Dreams Come True? for the generous tip of 10,000.

Thanks to Banxia Senmi, Nanba, Chenfeng Jiadao, Shark Yeah, and all the other generous readers for your tips.