"Just you wait!" I was furious. I ran off, trying to retrace my steps from memory, but as I went, more and more memories gradually came back to me—
The first thing I remembered was that person emerging from the water, his body covered in wounds.
The second was him hunched over on the ground, coughing and vomiting blood.
I stopped. My heart pounded, and a thread of worry welled up inside me.
It was strange.
Why had that person been in the pool, covered in wounds and looking so weak, even...
Even constantly vomiting blood, looking like he was about to die?
That hadn't looked fake...
"Who exactly is he?"
Thinking of those precise pressure-point strikes, I searched through everything I knew and could only recall that the Hyuga Clan of Konoha seemed to be the only ones skilled in them.
"But people from the Hyuga Clan don't have those blue-green eyes..."
"Oh, there it is!"
At that moment, I reached a familiar corner. My eyes lit up!
I tapped along the wall. It made a hollow thudding sound, confirming this was the spot! I cautiously reached out and gave it a gentle push. The wall rotated inward, revealing a narrow, dark entrance!
"So there really is a mechanism!"
I glanced around and found nothing handy, so I simply drew Murasame and wedged its blade into the entrance. Then I turned sideways and squeezed inside!
Murasame was wedged in the doorway at an exaggerated angle, showing off its toughness! It made my heart ache just to see it!
My precious Murasame, hang in there. Don't you dare snap!
I clenched my fists and headed down. My heart beat faster and faster until I reached the iron door.
This time, the passage wasn't completely dark. In the light filtering in from outside, I could just make out a few words on the door, though they were blurry. They seemed to say—
"Ob...ser...va...tion Room...?"
What the heck? Was the person inside a lab rat or something? Why call it an observation room?
Listening to the sound of water inside, I placed my hand on the door, intending to push it open.
The instant I touched the iron door, a chill suddenly ran through me.
It was as if something enormous lurked behind it, silently blending into the darkness and watching me, waiting for the moment I stepped inside.
What was going on? Why did I feel this way?
My back was slick with sweat, but I steadied myself as I listened to the water inside, then shoved the door open!
The moment it swung open, a foul stench hit me!
It smelled like a huge pile of rotting corpses that had been left for days, the stench rising in waves!
I was driven right back out. I gagged several times and spent a while recovering before nervously peering inside again.
Once I saw what was in there, I was so shocked I couldn't speak.
"How could this happen?"
The pool that had once been a clear blue was now bright red! It looked like a pool of blood, and it reeked of blood and decay!
"What is this?"
I covered my nose and slowly approached the water.
Some strange things seemed to be floating on the surface. They looked like human skin, or perhaps the scales of some animal, and gleamed with an unusual sheen.
I swallowed and looked around. I couldn't see the boy anywhere, and my unease grew stronger.
H-he couldn't be dead, could he?!
I crouched down to examine the pool. Just then, one of the scales floated toward me. Fighting back my revulsion, I stared at it and reached out to touch it.
Just as my fingers were about to reach it, footsteps suddenly sounded behind me!
Then someone grabbed me by the collar and yanked me upright!
Who was it?!
I jumped in fright and tried to draw my sword, but my hand found nothing. Then I remembered that I'd wedged Murasame into the wall! My face went pale!
"Why are you here?"
The voice behind me was unfamiliar. It definitely wasn't Lord Orochimaru's!
I turned around. A man was glaring at me with a frown. He wore an eyepatch over his left eye, leaving only one eye visible. It gleamed with menace, and his expression was terrifying.
"How did you get in here?"
The man fired off one question after another as he dragged me along. Once we were through the wall, he dropped me, but didn't let me go.
Looking closely, his face seemed familiar. He appeared to be one of Orochimaru's men, though I'd never dealt with him before.
"Tell me, why are you here, and how did you get in?" he asked again, already sounding impatient.
"You are?" He'd thrown me against the wall. My back and elbow hurt badly, but I still managed to speak up. "Where's Teacher Orochimaru?"
"Hmph. Still calling him your teacher? If Lord Orochimaru were standing here, you might not even get the chance to speak."
At his words, my heart sank, and I immediately grew wary.
There was no one else around. I sensed trouble, considered my answer, and explained quietly, "I... I got lost. When I touched the wall, it opened. I thought this was an exit, so I wedged Murasame into the wall and went inside."
The man stared at me, apparently weighing whether I was telling the truth. Then he asked, "What did you see?"
I blinked and answered honestly, "A pool of blood."
"Only a pool of blood?"
I was getting sick of his questions.
Damn it, what did he mean, "only a pool of blood"?! Wasn't a pool of blood enough?! That was already terrifying!
The man fell silent. I swallowed and asked, "Senior, what is this place?"
He looked me up and down, apparently realizing something, then sneered. "This place used to be for treating the wounded. The water has some healing properties. Soaking in it relieves pain and heals injuries."
"As for the red color... There were too many wounded, and it hadn't been cleaned yet."
"..."
"So that's... what happened..."
Thinking of the boy emerging from the water, I believed him, at least a little.
If the water had no healing properties, why would anyone covered in wounds soak in it?
But when the man saw my reaction, he grew suspicious again.
"Are you sure you didn't see anything?" He stepped closer, trying to read something in my eyes.
"No, Senior."
I shook my head honestly and met his gaze without flinching.
Because the last time I'd tried to get a good look, someone had knocked me out!
"Hmph. Better that you didn't." Seeing how calm I was, the man seemed to believe me. He pulled Murasame from the wall and handed it to me.
"Don't come here again."
"And you'd better not tell Lord Orochimaru you've been here." His eyes narrowed, his expression deadly serious. "One of the things he hates most is his subordinates trespassing in his private chambers. Don't say I didn't warn you."
It sounded like a threat because it was one!
I took Murasame with a frown and answered, "Understood, Senior."
But if this really was a place for treating the wounded, why wasn't I allowed in?
I took Murasame. Thankfully, after bending briefly, it had returned to its normal shape. Its quality was incredible! I stroked it, feeling a little sorry for it, and only after confirming it wasn't damaged at all did I carefully slide it back into its sheath.
As expected of a steel sword made by the Uchiha: it would bend, but never break!
"Wedging the blade into the wall? I never would've thought of that." The man seemed amused by what I'd done, and complimented me. It looked like he was letting me off.
"Anyway, I came here on business."
Then he stopped and addressed me as if issuing an order. "My name is Shiyan. I'm one of Lord Orochimaru's subordinates. I came to find you because Lord Orochimaru asked me to tell you that you have a new mission."
"A new mission?" I froze, my eyes widening.
"That's right." Shiyan's tone was flat and faintly condescending. "This time it's a long-distance mission, and we'll be traveling a long way. I've brought all your things. You have five minutes to change clothes and pack your supplies. Then we'll go up to the surface together."
!!!!
"A long-distance mission?"
Hearing those words, my first reaction wasn't fear. I was a little excited!
A long-distance mission! Did that mean I'd get to travel to a faraway country?
"Senior Shiyan, what exactly did you mean by a long-distance mission?"
In the dim corridor, I fastened my clothes and slipped Murasame into my sword belt, carefully following the man as I asked.
"Lord Orochimaru will tell you when we reach the surface," Shiyan said.
"Okay."
After my brief excitement faded, I started worrying again.
If I had to go with the people from Military Headquarters again, there was no telling whether I'd even make it to the destination!
If I got left behind halfway there, I'd be mortified!
Wait, couldn't I use Nintaijutsu? Remembering that, my eyes lit up!
I could test Nintaijutsu's endurance and see how long my chakra lasted!
"Are we all going together this time, Senior?"
"Don't ask. Lord Orochimaru will tell you." He repeated himself and didn't even look at me.
Hearing him call Orochimaru "Lord Orochimaru" over and over again, I suddenly found it strange.
Why did everyone here call Orochimaru "Lord"?
Wasn't that an overly respectful title?
In the organization, people usually just used each other's ranks.
I thought about it. In Konoha, only a handful of top leaders could be called "Lord"—the Lord Third, Danzo, and the like. Even Fugaku wasn't called "Lord" outside the village.
And Orochimaru's famous contemporaries—Jiraiya, Tsunade, Namikaze Minato, and the others—weren't addressed as "Lord" either.
But here, everyone called Orochimaru "Lord," no matter their rank. It was as if they didn't belong to Military Headquarters in Konoha, but were Orochimaru's personal subordinates. They respected him immensely!
This place was so strange!
I didn't know how long we'd been walking down the long corridor, but I still couldn't see any stairs leading up.
When we reached a spacious hall, I noticed a row of rooms lining the walls, each one locked. Unable to resist, I asked, "Senior, what are these rooms for?"
"This is where the wounded live," Shiyan replied, without slowing down.
"But... there's no one in here."
I rose onto my toes to look inside. Every room was empty, with no sign of anyone.
Shiyan stopped. When he answered, his voice was lower.
"Because they're all dead."
My heart lurched. I'd already considered that possibility, but hearing it from someone else felt completely different.
"They were already badly injured when they were brought here. Lord Orochimaru did everything he could to save them, but he still couldn't keep them alive." Shiyan shook his head, then added some comfortingly, "At least they were able to contribute to medical research before they died. They didn't die in vain."
I suddenly felt a wave of unease, but Shiyan continued, "They must have felt proud to help Lord Orochimaru and sacrifice themselves for science."
"That's why people keep coming to Military Headquarters, one after another, to become its fresh blood."
"They'd long since accepted that they might have to transcend life and death."