Orochimaru went legit, became the Shinobi World's chief scientist, and kept asking me for cells

"Who the hell do you think you are?!"

"How dare you haggle with the great leader of Cybertron!"

A roar like tearing metal came from the other end.

The piercing electrical screech made my brain ache.

I cut off my chakra feeler on the spot.

Then I cursed him out for being a lunatic.

These machine freaks had worse tempers than the Otsutsuki.

And here I'd been hoping to trade them for some anti-aircraft missiles.

I climbed out of bed.

Then stretched.

My bones let out a series of sharp cracks.

Chatting across worlds was exhausting.

The air of the Shinobi World still felt more reassuring.

I climbed the wooden steps.

I'd barely cracked open the basement door.

A powerful reek of formalin shot straight into my nose.

Mixed with a pungent whiff of alcohol.

It made me sneeze twice in a row.

"Who's spraying disinfectant in my yard this early in the morning?"

I kicked the door open.

Then emerged from underground.

The dazzling sunlight made me squint.

The sight before me made the corner of my eye twitch.

My half-destroyed backyard had now changed completely.

Where I'd originally planted mutant roses.

There was now a white sterile tent.

Several people in white lab coats were going in and out.

Carrying glass culture dishes.

Outside the tent.

Sat two enormous centrifuges as tall as a person.

They were spinning with a constant hum.

As noisy as tractors.

A pale figure stood beside the centrifuges.

Holding a clipboard.

Long black hair draped over his shoulders.

His snake-like golden slit pupils were fixed on the test tubes inside the centrifuge.

"Orochimaru?"

I rubbed my eyes.

For a moment, I thought I wasn't fully awake.

"Did you fucking move your lab into my backyard?"

Orochimaru turned his head.

He forced a smile