Otogakure.
The tipsy morning sun woke the village from its night's sleep. Countless villagers stepped out of their homes and began their day.
After getting up, Shennong, who lived in the northeastern corner of the village, brought the Steel Release Ninja to Orochimaru's Research Base for breakfast, but...
"Orochimaru, where's your left hand?"
In the base's small dining hall, Shennong stared strangely at Orochimaru's empty left sleeve. Then he furrowed his brow as he noticed another suspicious detail. "And your height... You seem taller than you were yesterday. What happened?"
"What do you think?" Orochimaru smiled at Shennong, a faint trace of crimson showing in his dark golden, slit-pupiled eyes.
Shennong stared intently at Orochimaru. After a long moment, someone's face suddenly came to mind, and he blurted out, "Uchiha Shin... Where is Uchiha Shin?!"
"As for that, who knows?" Orochimaru's lips curled into an amused smile.
It couldn't be... Shennong's heart skipped two beats.
If his memory served him right, Uchiha Shin had been the same height as Orochimaru was now, and he'd also been missing his left hand...
Was it a coincidence?
Remembering how Uchiha Shin had trembled in terror yesterday, Shennong's expression grew increasingly grave and dark. A terrifying thought sprouted in his heart like a Demon God's seed, casting a deep shadow over him.
He stared fixedly at Orochimaru and asked in a low voice, "How... did you do it?"
"Don't worry. I'm not interested in old people's bodies." Orochimaru grabbed two hot eggs and gulped them down. They were delicious, and he couldn't help sticking out his tongue to lick his fingers.
After a single night, Orochimaru had completed the initial Soft Body Modification of this body.
Retracting his tongue, Orochimaru shifted his gaze from Shennong to the Steel Release Ninja.
The reason he hadn't