Your God Is

Hui Youling jolted awake and looked around in alarm. She was in that same medical room again, but Qingsi was nowhere to be seen. It seemed she was safe.

Hui let out a long breath and touched her shoulder. It had been wrapped in bandages, and the wounds on her body had already healed. That was the Uzumaki Clan's recovery ability.

After looking around, Hui put on a coat. She still intended to find Orochimaru. As soon as she stepped out of the medical room, she ran into several people working there.

They looked at Hui Youling indifferently, neither flattering nor looking down on her. They nodded and passed her by.

Hui had never seen these people before. The previous base had been nearly deserted; she had seen only Orochimaru, the sole researcher. Had she been brought to a different base?

Hui hurriedly turned and called after them. "Excuse me... where is Teacher Orochimaru now?"

The people stopped and exchanged glances before turning to look at the petite Hui Youling. Surprise flickered in their eyes. This girl had actually called Orochimaru... teacher...

They froze for a moment. One of them came to his senses and said slowly, "Lord Orochimaru is in the laboratory. What do you need him for?"

Another man in a white lab coat seemed to remember something and asked in astonishment, "Could you be that Mitaraishi Anko?"

Hui furrowed her brows and looked at the speaker, then slowly shook her head. "No. My name is Hui Youling."

"Hui Youling... That's the first time I've heard your name. But if you're that lord's student, you must be very talented." The boy in the lab coat spoke with nothing but adoration for Orochimaru, as if Orochimaru were the highest ideal he could aspire to.

The first man to speak turned his attention away from his companion and looked at Hui Youling. "If you want to find Lord Orochimaru, go straight down this road, turn left at the second fork, then turn right after three more forks..."

"I'll take you there. I've got nothing else to do anyway." The boy in the lab coat cut his companion off and eagerly volunteered. His sunny smile made him seem approachable.

His companion frowned slightly at his words, but finally sighed. "Suit yourself."

Hui's eyes moved between the two men, full of confusion. Where was she? What was going on with these researchers? Wasn't Orochimaru supposed to conduct all kinds of experiments by himself?

The boy in the lab coat smiled and turned to his companion. "Sen, don't worry. I'll take her there." So this polite-looking man was called Sen.

As he spoke, the boy in the lab coat walked over to Hui Youling and introduced himself in a friendly manner. "I'm Kain. I'll take you to Lord Orochimaru."

Hui forced a smile, her expression stiff. She wasn't used to his forwardness. And after watching him for a while, she realized he was an ultimate Orochimaru fanboy. It made her feel deeply uncomfortable.

Kain waved to his companion and led Hui Youling down another path. Hui followed slowly, keeping half a step behind him.

They hadn't gone far when Kain suddenly spoke. "I never thought that lord would take on another student. He rarely teaches anyone. If I could receive his instruction, I'd surely become much stronger."

Hui Youling glanced at Kain, her brows drawing together. She couldn't shake the feeling that he sounded envious of her. Thinking of all of Orochimaru's experiments, Hui lowered her head in silence.

When Hui didn't answer, Kain looked back at her and noticed what seemed to be a trace of sadness in her expression. "Your name is... Hui Youling, right?"

Hui looked up at Kain, her brows still tightly knit. At his question, she nodded.

Kain smiled, his eyes seeming to burn with dawn and hope. He spoke slowly. "In my eyes, Lord Orochimaru is the greatest ninja of this age. His experiments will be groundbreaking, the first of their kind in the world. They could even bring change to the Shinobi World."

"And what's more—Lord Orochimaru is the only person in this world who can grant ordinary people extraordinary power!"

As he spoke, Kain turned back to look at Hui Youling. His adoring gaze seemed to look straight through her at something else, so feverish it even held a hint of jealousy. "Hui Youling, I'm honestly envious of you and Anko. You get to be taught personally by Lord Orochimaru. You must be much stronger than your peers. If only I could..."

Hui didn't need to hear the rest to guess what Kain wanted to say. Looking at the almost sickening adoration in his eyes, she felt revulsion spread through her. She suddenly couldn't stand listening to this chatterbox anymore. "If you want to learn from him, then go become his student!"

Yes, Orochimaru had taught her personally. The hellish beatings. The battles that had worn down her edges, time and time again. The orders that went against everything she believed in. She could only accept them, then fall into self-doubt and guilt.

She felt she was no longer the person she used to be. She had lost her convictions and her sense of self, even her own ambitions. She had become like those pathetic creatures who depended on Orochimaru. And yet, the next time, she still did what he wanted.

Something had gone wrong, but she couldn't break free.

Kain furrowed his brows as he looked at Hui Youling. He sensed the hostility and gloom radiating from her, making her seem dangerous and oppressive.

But to him, Hui Youling was like those people dragged into the operating room. Deep down, she was probably just afraid and lost.

And yet, after leaving the operating room, those people seemed to be reborn. They gained incomparable power, something they could never have attained in their entire lives.

They cheered and gave thanks because they were no longer weak. Lord Orochimaru was a true god who gave ordinary people the things they dreamed of. That ability was what Kain worshipped about him, and he wanted to spend his whole life pursuing it.

Kain's smile turned feverishly manic. Hearing Hui Youling's outburst, he looked at her with bewilderment and anger in his eyes. His voice was low and sullen. "But Lord Orochimaru gave you extraordinary power. If it weren't for him, you'd just be an ordinary person, wouldn't you?"

"And this time, Lord Orochimaru was the one who brought you back from the brink of death. You're not grateful—what are you holding a grudge about?!"

At Kain's words, Hui Youling's eyes widened. She opened her mouth to argue, but it was as if her mind had suddenly stopped working. Two voices seemed to rise inside her.

This isn't what I'm searching for. This isn't my goal!

He gave you power and taught you himself. You're not grateful—what are you holding a grudge about?!

When Hui Youling still didn't answer, Kain bent down and brought his face close to hers. His wide, staring eyes fixed on hers, like a soul-devouring specter.

Hui was already in turmoil, and his movement startled her. Her hand moved faster than her mind: she struck him and sent him flying.

Kain's frail body slammed hard into the wall. He spat out a mouthful of blood, then slid awkwardly to the floor, his arms limp at his sides and his body twisted. Yet his eyes grew ever more excited and feverish.

Hui Youling came to her senses and realized she had already struck him. She frowned at Kain, about to apologize, but then he started laughing. "Hahaha! You really are different from those trash test subjects. Lord Orochimaru's disciple truly does have greater power. Lord Orochimaru... Lord Orochimaru..."

As he spoke, Kain looked up at the ceiling with an adoring expression, as if praying to a deity. And his god was—Orochimaru.

Hui knitted her brows, her head splitting with pain as she looked at Kain. How strange. How strange. What was going on? It wasn't like this. It shouldn't be like this. She hadn't meant to hit him, and he shouldn't be acting like this.

Everything... had become so strange.

Hui suddenly felt afraid to look at Kain. Without even considering that she had injured him, she hurriedly ran away.

She fled in utter panic...

Kain watched Hui Youling run off, his eyes fixed on her retreating figure. The corners of his mouth slowly lifted, the excitement in his eyes still undiminished. "Hui Youling... Hui Youling..."

"Uzumaki—Hui Youling!" Kain spat out her full name through gritted teeth, a strange smile on his lips. He actually knew Hui Youling's surname.