Becoming Orochimaru's Disciple

The air in the laboratory always carried a cold scent, mixed with chemical reagents and some indescribable life energy. Kyohaku Uchiha was focused on adjusting the energy output frequency of a precise rune array, one of the key steps used to stabilize soul fragments during Impure World Reincarnation. His movements were meticulous, his gaze intent, as though the entire world had condensed into those minute currents of energy.

Suddenly, the shadows deep within the laboratory twisted, and a staggering figure emerged, shattering the established silence. The newcomer wore a Root uniform, half his body wrapped in blood-soaked bandages. Most horrifying of all, fresh bandages covered his right eye, while the sleeve on his left arm hung empty—Shimura Danzō. His expression was terrifyingly grim, and pain he could barely suppress mingled with towering fury in his remaining left eye.

"Orochimaru!" Danzo's voice was hoarse and urgent, stripped of its usual gloom and leaving only naked desperation and command. "Immediately! Attach a new arm to me!"

Orochimaru slowly turned from behind another workbench. His golden snake eyes swept over Danzo's miserable state. Rather than surprise, his face revealed a hint of amusement, as if he had discovered interesting experimental material. "Oh my... isn't this Elder Danzo? How pitiful. It seems the mission in the Land of Rain was more troublesome than expected."

"Enough nonsense!" Danzo growled, trembling slightly from agony and humiliation. "I want a usable arm! Immediately! Use your best technique!"

"My best technique?" Orochimaru approached at an unhurried pace, examining the stump of Danzo's arm. "How about an arm made from First Hokage Cells? It would possess nearly limitless vitality and the power of Wood Release..."

"Not now!" Danzo refused decisively. Though he craved power, he understood even better how terrifying the backlash of First Hokage Cells could be. "Attach an ordinary arm first, one that is strong enough! Quickly!"

Orochimaru shrugged, seeming somewhat regretful. "As you wish." He turned to Kyohaku, his tone as casual as if assigning an ordinary task. "Kyohaku, go to Cold Storage No. 3. Retrieve a Type-A No. 3 Clone, along with the corresponding neural connection gel and vascular sutures."

"Yes." Kyohaku set down his work without the slightest hesitation or fear. Leaning on his cane, he made his way steadily and swiftly toward the cold storage room. He had long since become thoroughly familiar with everything here.

Over the next few hours, the laboratory became a temporary operating room. Orochimaru personally wielded the scalpel, performing a precise and bizarre limb-attachment surgery. Kyohaku served as his most capable assistant, passing instruments, preparing nutrient solution to maintain the clone's vitality, and using precise chakra control to stabilize the chaotic chakra flow within Danzo's body, thrown into disarray by intense pain and rejection.

His movements were calm, precise, and efficient, as though he had already experienced countless similar scenes. In particular, when it came to the microscopic connection of nerve bundles and blood vessels, his anatomical knowledge from his past life as a forensic doctor, combined with the Medical Ninjutsu he had cultivated in this life, proved immensely useful. Several times, he offered crucial suggestions at subtle points, making the procedure proceed more smoothly.

During the process, Danzo's consciousness blurred under the combined effects of pain and anesthetics. Yet even through his remaining awareness, he could sense the unimaginable role that silent Uchiha brat with the cane was playing in the operation.

The surgery was initially complete. A new, pallid arm had been attached to Danzo's stump. Though it was still far from functional, it had been successfully connected. Danzo was quietly taken away by his Root subordinates, and the laboratory returned to silence, leaving only medical waste strewn across the floor and the faint smell of blood in the air.

As Orochimaru watched Kyohaku skillfully begin cleaning the area, sterilizing the instruments, and recording the surgical data, he suddenly spoke. His voice carried a rare, undisguised appreciation. "You seem to possess an extraordinary understanding of biological structure and energy connection... Your suggestion regarding the auxiliary anastomosis point between vagus nerve branches and chakra pathways was very interesting. That was not something found in Medical Ninjutsu textbooks."

Kyohaku paused his work and answered calmly, "It was merely a deduction based on the general structure of the human body and the patterns of chakra flow. I have made you laugh, Lord Orochimaru."

"A deduction?" Orochimaru chuckled softly. "A splendid deduction. And your previous suggestions about Hashirama Cells energy inertialization and soul-fragment frequency simulation... Your way of thinking always reaches blind spots overlooked by conventional thought."

He slowly walked up to Kyohaku. His golden vertical pupils carefully examined this boy, only ten years old yet possessed of maturity and wisdom far beyond his age. The laboratory's cold light cast deep shadows across his pale face.

"Kyohaku Uchiha," Orochimaru said, his voice turning formal and seductive, "your talent would be wasted treating injuries from cats and dogs fighting at a hospital, or merely serving as an observation sample. This world is filled with foolish rules and shortsighted prejudice. Only by grasping the power of truth can one rise above them."

He bent slightly and stared directly into Kyohaku's tranquil black eyes. "I admire you. Not Uchiha blood, but this mind of yours... a mind that pursues the essence of knowledge and power. What do you say? Are you willing to truly become my disciple and learn the deepest mysteries of this world?"

Kyohaku's heart accelerated for an instant, but his expression remained unchanged. He had waited far too long for this moment. Every effort, every performance, every act of restraint had been for this goal.

Without the slightest hesitation, he slowly put down the instrument in his hand. Leaning on his cane, he bowed solemnly toward Orochimaru in a standard disciple's salute, difficult though the gesture was.

"Teacher." He spoke the single word clearly. His voice was calm, yet it carried immense weight.

There was no grand ceremony, no tedious etiquette, not even any further words. In this laboratory filled with forbidden knowledge and cold instruments, a master-disciple relationship that would profoundly influence their future fates was established.

A genuinely pleased smile appeared on Orochimaru's face, cold and full of ambition. "Very good. From this day onward, you will come into contact with the true core of power. Do not disappoint your teacher, Kyohaku."

"Yes, Teacher." Kyohaku straightened and calmly met those snake eyes.

His initial goal had finally been achieved. He had successfully placed himself within Orochimaru's inner circle and gained a ticket to access the highest-level forbidden techniques and knowledge. The path beneath his feet had become more dangerous, yet broader as well. Kyohaku Uchiha's game had entered a new stage.