Orochimaru the Cold Lord

"It was Lord Orochimaru."

"What is Lord Orochimaru doing here?"

In the hospital room, Orochimaru—one of the Three Sannin alongside Tsunade—had shocked the medical ninja nearby the moment he appeared.

Orochimaru smiled faintly. "Though I am not as skilled as Tsunade when it comes to medical ninjutsu, I have some expertise of my own. I believe I can be of help."

Anko stared at Orochimaru curiously. So this was Orochimaru, one of the Three Sannin? For some reason, the instant she saw him, a strange feeling welled up inside her.

Why was Orochimaru here?

On the hospital bed, Hyuga Satoru frowned slightly.

He still held a certain degree of wariness toward Orochimaru the Cold Lord.

More importantly, he was in terrible condition right now. If Orochimaru wanted to tamper with anything...

"I came here for Satoru-kun, of course. I believe I can help him. If possible, I would like some time alone with him. Would that be alright?"

Orochimaru's voice was sincere, and Aburame Shibi and the others turned their gazes toward Hyuga Satoru.

Hyuga Satoru pondered for a moment. Orochimaru had not yet defected at this point. At worst, he was merely obsessed with pursuing immortality. With Aburame Shibi outside, there should not be any problems.

Most importantly, Orochimaru truly had something he needed...

"Alright."

Bang!

The hospital room door closed, leaving only Orochimaru and Hyuga Satoru in the empty room.

"Lord Orochimaru, what is it that you want from coming here this time?"

Hyuga Satoru went straight to the point.

He did not believe Orochimaru had come solely to treat him.

"As expected of Satoru-kun. You noticed my purpose after all."

"One of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and one Elite Jonin of the Kaguya Clan. Even I would likely choose to retreat from such a lineup, yet Satoru-kun actually survived. My, my."

"Perhaps I did more than merely survive."

Hyuga Satoru looked at him indifferently.

"Could it be?!"

A sharp gleam flashed through Orochimaru's eyes. He drew a deep breath, his previously playful expression turning solemn.

Hyuga Satoru mused silently. It seemed Anko had only told them about the enemies he had encountered; they did not yet know how the battle had gone. But thinking about it carefully, by the time Anko arrived, their corpses had already been swallowed by the metal forest.

Still, he needed to throw Orochimaru some heavy bait. After all, making a deal with a snake like him without displaying enough capital was dangerous.

Orochimaru reined in his shock and walked to Hyuga Satoru's bedside, examining his body with an appreciative click of his tongue.

The longer he observed, the deeper the smile in his eyes became, until he could not help voicing his admiration.

"As expected of the first ninja in Hyuga history to possess a Dual Bloodline, the foremost genius of the new generation. Such a peculiar body, such unparalleled vitality... There also seems to be some strange power repairing his injuries..."

"Lord Orochimaru has sharp eyes."

Hyuga Satoru spoke calmly. His body had long surpassed that of ordinary people after being tempered by three upgrades of Electromagnetic Force, while the Life Magnetic Field's automatic regulation was continuously repairing his injuries.

"But if that is all, some aftereffects will inevitably remain. After all, Satoru-kun seems to have used some forbidden technique with an enormous cost. Even his cells have sustained some damage."

Orochimaru clicked his tongue a few times. In just a few minutes, he had reached a conclusion more accurate than what those medical ninja had found after several hours.

Hyuga Satoru remained silent.

Tyrant Mode heavily drained both mental power and chakra. Once chakra was pushed to its limit, there was a risk of cellular damage.

That was also why he needed a long period of recuperation after using Tyrant Mode. Both his mind and body had already been pushed to the brink.

"It seems I came at just the right time. This is the cultivation manual for [Cell Activation], a secret technique I spent three years developing. Not only can it repair Satoru-kun's cellular damage, it can also make his special physique even stronger."

"Then... what is the price?"

Hyuga Satoru asked in a low voice.

Orochimaru smiled. "Cells. Fresh samples of your cells, along with samples of your hair and blood. The only Dual Bloodline in Hyuga history, along with such an exceptionally rare special physique—I can hardly wait to explore it."

"Fine."

"Haha, Satoru-kun truly is a straightforward person."

With that, Orochimaru took out a scroll and spread it open. In its center were test tubes, scalpels, forceps, and other tools.

"I will be very careful. I will not hurt Satoru-kun."

Hyuga Satoru's mouth twitched slightly. This Orochimaru still had to disgust him at a time like this.

Collecting the samples was not complicated, and Orochimaru's movements were subtle. At least, there were no obvious outward changes.

Hyuga Satoru watched carefully, confirming that Orochimaru had not done anything suspicious.

Once he was done, Orochimaru handed the scroll to Hyuga Satoru.

"The cultivation method for Cell Activation is not complicated. With Satoru-kun's memory, I am sure you will memorize it quickly. Then you can try cultivating it right here in bed. I believe Satoru-kun will like it."

Orochimaru turned to leave, but a calm voice suddenly sounded behind him.

"Wait, Orochimaru."

"What is it?"

"I hope there will be opportunities for us to cooperate in the future."

Hyuga Satoru looked at him calmly.

Orochimaru froze for a moment, then suddenly laughed.

"Hehe, Satoru-kun truly is an ambitious person, isn't he?"

What purpose did Hyuga Satoru have that required cooperation with a snake like him?

Or rather, what was restraining him and forcing him to cooperate?

The moment the words Hyuga Branch Family surfaced in his mind, Orochimaru understood.

The Caged Bird! He was Leaf Village's most renowned research ninja. For something like the Caged Bird, perhaps only by finding him would there be even a sliver of hope of breaking it.

For some reason, Orochimaru suddenly began looking forward to their cooperation. Just how terrifying would a completely unshackled Hyuga Satoru become?

Thinking of that, he smiled and pushed open the hospital room door.

"Satoru, how are you?"

"Are you alright?"

The people anxiously waiting outside immediately rushed into the room.

"I'm fine." Hyuga Satoru smiled and nodded at them.

"Since Satoru-kun no longer needs me, I shall take my leave."

Having obtained what he wanted, Orochimaru could no longer wait to return to his laboratory.

"Lord Orochimaru, thank you so much for the trouble."

"I never expected Lord Orochimaru to know medical ninjutsu too. Hyuga Satoru's complexion looks much better."

The medical ninja around them instinctively began flattering Orochimaru.

Orochimaru nodded and walked out of the hospital room.

Beside the hospital bed, Anko unconsciously clenched her hands. Her gaze struggled as though she were making some difficult decision.

Before long, she took a deep breath, ran into the corridor, and bowed deeply toward Orochimaru's retreating back before he had gone far. With her head lowered to her chest, she shouted loudly.

"Lord Orochimaru, please accept me as your disciple!"