Kimimaro

"Who... are... you?"

He slowly forced a few syllables from his mouth. Unless you listened carefully, you might not even realize he was speaking.

His language skills were on par with those of a child just over a year old who was learning to talk. Maybe even worse.

It was as if he had never spoken to anyone before.

His mouth could only form a few simple sounds.

Two years old...

He had been raised like a beast.

Those Kaguya Clan members really were animals.

Ao looked at Kimimaro's frail body. Though he was used to seeing life and death in the lab, a trace of pity still showed in his eyes.

People could give their lives for scientific research and technological progress.

But this kind of outright abuse made him feel ashamed.

"Would you like to leave here with me?"

Ao asked softly. The child had been kept like a dog, chained around the neck. The wooden bars of his cage were still covered with animal fur.

It was obvious that the Kaguya Clan had once used it to imprison beasts.

Now they were using it on their own clansmen.

Something like this would never happen among the Uchiha. They were all lunatics, but most of them still had some humanity and treated their clansmen fairly well. Even when they oppressed one another, they would never go this far.

When all was said and done, the naturally evil Uchiha Clan just wasn't evil enough!

When it came to cruelty toward their own people, they couldn't hold a candle to the Kaguya Clan.

A hint of confusion appeared on Kimimaro's face. He pushed himself up and reached one hand out through the cage. His frail palm was so thin that the white bones showed clearly.

His skin was pale, without a trace of color, and had a sickly cast.

Curiosity filled his light green eyes.

"Leave?"

He softly repeated the word.

"What?"

He looked up again. Ao gently took his outstretched hand in his own. Kimimaro's palm was icy cold, without the slightest warmth.

In this damp island nation,

all Kimimaro had to keep warm inside the cage was a bundle of straw.

He had stacked it neatly in the corner.

Marks where he had lain were still visible on top.

He had yet to be turned into a weapon of war. For now, he still had an innocent nature, and his eyes held a sense of wonder about the world.

With proper care,

perhaps he could grow up with a good temperament.

The warmth of Ao's hand made Kimimaro stiffen. He instinctively gripped it tight, trying to draw that small measure of warmth into his heart.

It was the first time anyone had ever touched him so intimately.

There was no disgust or scolding in their eyes.

Only a soothing calm.

It felt good.

Without thinking, Kimimaro tried to move closer to Ao. He pressed himself against the edge of the cage, his little face squashed against the wooden bars.

He seemed not to feel any pain, straining to hold on to that small bit of warmth.

"Are you willing?"

Ao asked again.

At that moment, Kimimaro seemed to understand. Sensing the kindness Ao offered, he did his best to nod.

Ao smiled.

His hand pressed gently against the cage.

Wood Release Chakra surged out.

In an instant, the wooden bars twisted open by themselves, forming a gap. One bar slid beneath Kimimaro's neck and lifted his metal collar, then gently pushed him out of the cage.

"From today on, your name will be Kimimaro."

Ao patted his head, then scooped him up from the ground, giving him the name Orochimaru had chosen once again.

For a child just over two years old, he weighed no more than fifteen pounds. To have survived in those conditions was a miracle.

Having achieved his goal,

Ao had no intention of lingering in the Kaguya Clan's territory, nor did he plan to attack them.

He would leave them as a source of experimental material in the future.

After the Mizukage's death, Obito Uchiha had little influence in Kirigakure. The Kaguya Clan would probably survive, and might even have a chance of competing for the next Mizukage's position.

When Kimimaro was grown, Ao would let him take revenge himself.

"Reverse Summoning Technique!"

Ao bit his finger, crouched, gathered Chakra, and pressed one hand against the ground.

Chakra burst out, forming a special black array across the ground.

Whoosh!

A cloud of white smoke burst open,

swallowing the two of them.

When the smoke cleared, Ao had vanished.

When the Kaguya Clan members sensed the Chakra and rushed over again,

they found only an open cage.

The chains hung empty.

"Quick! That monster's gone!"

A Kaguya Clan member cried out and hurried toward the clan leader's home.

At the same time, news of the Mizukage's death

spread quickly through Kirigakure. As spies circulated the news, it gradually reached the entire Ninja World.

The Fourth Mizukage had died while dealing with the Yuki Clan's rebellion.

The Ninja World, which had been quiet for a time, was once again stirring beneath the surface.

Ryūchi Cave.

In front of the White Snake Temple,

Yinqian curled up nervously, head bowed as she listened to the questions from her ancestor.

She recounted every single thing she had seen and heard while staying with Ao.

It took the whole morning.

At the end, she also relayed Ao's instructions from before he left.

After listening, the White Snake Sage tapped her tail against the wall, making a small sound.

Zuijinji quickly appeared inside the temple.

"Immortal, did you summon me?"

She bowed respectfully.

"Go bring the surviving human child on the surface here and hand him over to Yinqian."

The White Snake Sage ordered.

Zuijinji nodded and disappeared.

About half an hour later,

she returned with a boy of around two years old.

His orange hair was striking. He stared blankly at the dim, enclosed surroundings, too terrified to move.

"Yinqian... I'm leaving this child in your care."

The White Snake Sage pointed to the boy as she spoke to Yinqian.

"Yes, Immortal..."

Yinqian had just agreed.

Before she could take the child from Zuijinji, a wave of Chakra suddenly appeared before them.

Zuijinji instinctively looked toward it, her eyes wary.

"Back so soon?"

The White Snake Sage looked at the newcomer in surprise.

"I thought you'd spend more time in Kirigakure. Is your mission over?"

As soon as she finished speaking,

she noticed the child in his arms. The aura coming from him was somewhat peculiar.

He had bloodline ties similar to the Sage of Six Paths...

"Immortal, it's been a long time."

Ao greeted her with a smile, holding Kimimaro in his arms.

"Come on, Kimimaro. This is the White Snake Sage. Say hello!"

He prompted Kimimaro.

Kimimaro glanced at the White Snake Sage and jumped in fright. He clung even more tightly to Ao, hiding his head against Ao's neck and trying to get away from the frightening-looking White Snake Sage.

"Is this the child you brought back from Kirigakure? You didn't just bring back some random child to fob me off, did you?"

The White Snake Sage asked warily, worried that Ao might use Kimimaro as an excuse to reject the child she had arranged for him.

Her words were probing.

"What kind of excuse is that, Immortal? This is the child my teacher asked me to find—the one with the Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai. Don't get the wrong idea."

"Oh, is this the child you wanted me to bring?"

"He's quite cute."

Ao noticed the child beside Zuijinji and praised him.

He went over and gently picked up the boy with his free arm, then looked at Zuijinji.

"Does he have a name?"

Zuijinji shook her head.

"Then how about Jugo? What do you think, Immortal?"

Ao offered a name and looked at the White Snake Sage.

Jugo, who had been born with a Sage Body, would one day become an important reference for Orochimaru as he refined the Cursed Seal.

"Do as you please."

The Sage transformed into an old woman and turned to walk deeper into the hall.

Once Jugo had been settled, she left the matter alone.

"Two birds with one stone!"

Ao smiled as he looked down at the two little ones in his arms.

Jugo was well-developed physically and weighed nearly thirty pounds, about twice as much as Kimimaro.

In truth, they were about the same age, with only a slight difference in months. Kimimaro might even have been a little older.

His teacher's two important future subordinates had both ended up in his hands.

He had to admit, the name Snake Uncle was pretty apt.

At least, every child Orochimaru raised had been given a new life and escaped the miserable fate they would otherwise have faced.

Ao admired him for that.

Orochimaru was cold-blooded. He had no sense of good or evil, right or wrong—only an obsession with researching immortality.

But when it came to raising children, he was better than some parents.

Just as Ao was about to settle the two little ones in,

Orochimaru suddenly appeared beside him, beaming as he looked at Ao.

"Ao-kun... I've decided to perform my first transmigration tomorrow."