Kisame, You Truly Are a Perfect Creation!

"What are these things? Did they just stitch people and fish together?"

Zabuza could not help but complain as he looked at the enemies before them.

Indeed, the monsters that had just appeared looked exactly like humans whose arms and legs had been replaced with fish fins and scales. They looked bizarre and utterly lacking in beauty, far inferior even to the strange Fishmen from Pirate King.

"Looks like it really is still too early. Results like these are not even as good as the incomplete secret art, [Falsehood from Nature], that Mizuki obtained."

Araki silently assessed the progress of Orochimaru's experiments.

"A laboratory that can barely be called anything but trash... Even if something happened here, Orochimaru probably would not care, right?"

Roar!

Ah!

Hiss!

Although they looked unimpressive and seemed to possess little intelligence, those monsters were always eager to steal the spotlight.

Sure enough, an uncountable mass of half-human, half-fish creatures roared and lunged at them.

To be honest, Araki truly could not bear to use the Wind Sword he had just bought to cut down such disgusting-looking things.

After all, cherishing one's sword was also the instinct of a swordsman.

Fortunately, Kisame stepped forward. After a dazzling series of hand seals, he opened his mouth and unleashed a massive spiraling torrent of water.

"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"

Faced with the crushing surge of water, those monsters were swept away without even the slightest chance to resist.

"Let's go. That technique might not kill them, but those monsters will not be coming after us again anytime soon. We need to find the one behind this while we have the chance!"

Kisame took the lead, racing through the cave.

"Orochimaru-sama, the research base has been invaded by Kirigakure shinobi. We are no match for them!"

Elsewhere, Amachi was delivering a message to Orochimaru.

As the person in charge of an experimental base, Amachi was one of Orochimaru's trusted subordinates. Thus, he could use a summoning technique to contact Orochimaru directly.

When the small snake before him turned into white smoke and disappeared, Amachi breathed a sigh of relief. He was about to ask about the experimental subjects' progress in stopping the intruders when, the instant he stepped outside, a long blade pierced his shoulder and nailed him to the wall.

"What?!"

Startled, Amachi followed the blade forward with his gaze. The moment he saw the appearance of the enemy before him, his dead-fish eyes suddenly widened.

"Th-this is... a perfect Fishman experimental subject!"

At that moment, Amachi even forgot his fear. He desperately stretched out a hand, seemingly wanting to touch Kisame's body, but his short arm did not support such an ambition.

"Y-you, what is your name? No, that is not important. Can you tell me who created you? How could they make you so perfect?"

Amachi seemed possessed as he continued to mutter deliriously.

Meanwhile, Kisame stared back at him with his round little eyes, his face full of question marks.

To be honest, because of his appearance, Kisame had been mocked and bullied before when he was young. But this was the first time he had ever seen an expression like Amachi's.

For some reason, Kisame felt a chill run down his back. From Amachi's fanatical gaze, he seemed to see an endless desire to explore and dissect—and the target was himself.

Kisame quickly shook his head to dispel the strange thoughts and asked in a cold voice,

"You are the one running this base? You made those half-human, half-fish monsters?"

"That's right, but those are all failed products. If I could study your body, I could definitely create perfect amphibious Fishman soldiers!" Amachi's tone was filled with fervor.

"You want to study my body?"

A cold gleam flashed across Kisame's sharp teeth as he jostled Amachi with the longsword in his hand.

"That's quite a bold idea! But your strength does not seem sufficient to support your ambition!"

His shoulder had been pierced, and then he was yanked around several times. The intense pain finally brought Amachi back to his senses, and he glared furiously at Kisame.

"Don't get cocky too soon. Once my lord arrives, all of you will become my experimental subjects!"

"My lord? With strength like yours, how capable can the person behind you be?"

Zabuza sneered.

That strange, eyebrowless face, the crooked forehead protector, and that disdainful expression—Zabuza Momochi instantly looked completely ridiculous.

Amachi gave up staring at Kisame's round little eyes with his lifeless large ones and instead met Zabuza's eyebrowless gaze.

"Kid, just you wait! You will definitely pay for what you just said!"

Amachi's face twisted viciously.

As Orochimaru's devoted fanboy, how could Amachi, who had not yet been abandoned by Orochimaru, tolerate anyone speaking disrespectfully of Orochimaru?

But nailed to the wall like a fly, his threats carried very little weight.

Zabuza could not even be bothered to respond.

That dismissal not only sent Amachi's blood pressure soaring again, but also drew Araki's admiration.

I never noticed it before, Zabuza. You really do have the potential to become an MT!

However, unlike the careless Kisame and Zabuza, Araki knew exactly who the man behind Amachi was. He did not waste any more time on Amachi and instead turned to enter Amachi's laboratory.

Because

Even early Orochimaru was one of the finest scientists in the Shinobi World. Moreover, according to Araki's memories, the research at this base in the Land of the Sea was related to Cursed Seals.

Or rather, the Heaven Curse Mark that Mitaraishi Anko would receive in the future had been developed here!

As one of Orochimaru's greatest early research achievements, the Heaven Curse Mark could also be called False Sage Mode, or an inferior version of Sage Mode.

Unlike the Sage Mode passed down by the Three Great Sage Regions, which absorbed natural energy, the Cursed Seal was fundamentally very similar to obtaining Wood Release by implanting Senju Hashirama's cells.

The only difference was that what the Cursed Seal implanted was a special substance Orochimaru had developed from Jugo's cells, mixed with Orochimaru's own spiritual imprint.

And who exactly was Jugo?

Just as Jiraiya would encounter Nagato, who possessed the Rinnegan, the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, who had carried "protagonist destinies" over the past decade, had each experienced their own encounters.

Jugo, whose body was naturally extremely compatible with natural energy, was Orochimaru's greatest discovery thus far.

After encountering Jugo, Orochimaru, who could not learn Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode, embarked upon a path of "scientific cultivation."

After thoroughly studying Jugo's Sage Body, he successfully found a method that allowed even ordinary people without the talent to absorb natural energy. That method was—the Heaven Curse Mark.

Of course, defying nature came at a price. Thus, in the Heaven Curse Mark implantation experiments, the first person to successfully survive would be Mitaraishi Anko.

But that would happen after the Third Shinobi World War. At this point in time, Orochimaru's Heaven Curse Mark should still be under development.

But none of that mattered. Araki was not coveting that False Sage Mode. He simply remembered that Amachi himself had once developed some rather remarkable things.

For example, the summoned beast whose entire body was made of water and which could continuously regenerate itself—the Umi-bozu.

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