Side Effects

Chapter 50: Side Effects

The atmosphere in the hospital room was somewhat oppressive.

Hyuga Satoru leaned against the white pillow, his brows tightly furrowed as he pondered the startling news Orochimaru had brought.

He had discovered long ago that every upgrade of Electromagnetic Force tempered his body, but he had only now learned that this tempering would cause his bloodline to regress.

But on careful reflection, the purity of his Byakugan had indeed increased considerably. It seemed Orochimaru had not lied.

He was not looking forward to this process.

The Hyuga Clan possessed only a tiny portion of Otsutsuki bloodline. If this regression continued, whether he could become an Otsutsuki remained uncertain.

Besides, there were far too many uncontrollable factors in this process.

After thinking for a while, Hyuga Satoru suddenly noticed a crucial point, and his tightly furrowed brows immediately relaxed.

He had nearly forgotten. Once Electromagnetic Force evolved to a certain extent, he could manipulate atomic arrangements on a microscopic level. By then, he could be as big as he wanted, or as thick as he wanted.

An Otsutsuki was merely a milestone in his body's evolution. What was there to worry about?

Thinking of this, Hyuga Satoru let out a breath, and his mood gradually eased.

"It seems Wu-kun has already processed this information."

Seeing the change in Hyuga Satoru's expression, Orochimaru suddenly chuckled and spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Even if my bloodline is regressing, any noticeable changes will only come much later. What matters is focusing on the present, isn't it?" Hyuga Satoru looked at him calmly.

"As expected of Wu-kun."

Orochimaru was briefly left speechless and could only offer a sigh of admiration.

"How is Anko?"

"She is doing well. That child is a rare genius and highly compatible with my abilities. When you see her again, she might even give you quite a shock."

"That's good."

Hyuga Satoru relaxed slightly. Anko had been Orochimaru's disciple in the original story, after all, so presumably Orochimaru would not harm her.

"Then I shall not disturb Wu-kun any longer. I hope you recover soon."

Orochimaru chuckled, then silently left the hospital room.

Hyuga Satoru sighed and resumed training Cell Activation. His physical condition steadily improved.

After recuperating for several days, Hyuga Satoru clenched his fist. The abundant power within him sparked an involuntary rush of pleasure, while his Life Magnetic Field had likewise grown much stronger, like a fiercely burning flame.

Compared to before his injury, his strength had instead improved considerably after training Cell Activation, and his Chakra reserves had also increased by quite a bit.

Because he had previously used Tyrant Mode and forcibly wielded many Electromagnetic Force abilities unavailable at his level, his Electromagnetic Force experience had received a small surge.

Moreover, whenever there was downtime after returning from missions, he would exploit a bug once with the Multi Shadow Clone Technique.

It was like AFK training. Although he would be exhausted afterward, it could provide anywhere from 1,000 experience points each time.

Electromagnetic Force Level LV3

Experience until next upgrade: 8945/20000

With just over ten thousand experience points remaining, he would reach LV4.

LV1's electromagnetic manipulation, LV2's Life Magnetic Field, LV3's Electromagnetic Furnace...

What new ability would appear at LV4?

Having tasted the exhilarating surge of electromagnetic authority from Tyrant Mode, Hyuga Satoru already felt an impatient yearning for higher-level Electromagnetic Force abilities.

That afternoon, with Aburame Shibi's help, Hyuga Satoru completed the discharge procedures.

The moment he stepped out of Konoha Hospital, the glaring sunlight shone down on him, making him instinctively raise a hand to shield his eyes.

"Wu, it seems that after resting for so long, you have become somewhat unable to adapt to such harsh sunlight."

Seeing this from beside him, Aburame Shibi could not help feeling a little heartache.

"Teacher Shibi, don't say that. Rest is for the sake of better progress. I can hardly wait to complete missions again."

"The Hokage is still waiting for us. We should hurry over."

"Mm."

Aburame Shibi nodded.

Hokage's Office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Hyuga Satoru, who had just left the hospital. His face was filled with appreciation, and he could not help nodding in praise.

"Very good! You look full of spirit!"

Starting with a comment about how spirited he looked. Such an old cadre.

Hyuga Satoru could not help grumbling inwardly.

Naturally, Hiruzen Sarutobi had no idea what Hyuga Satoru was thinking. His eyes remained full of appreciation.

"Wu, Shibi should have told you already. With your abilities, you are no longer suited to remain a Genin, so I have specially promoted you to chunin."

"From now on, you may independently accept A-rank missions and any missions below them. If you have any requests, you may also bring them to me."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff from his pipe and spoke at an unhurried pace.

In truth, he had originally intended to place Hyuga Satoru in the Anbu. After all, his Archery Ninjutsu and unique Magnet Release were exceptionally suited to Anbu missions.

But after considering his status as a member of the Hyuga Clan's Branch Family, Hiruzen had hesitated for a long time before ultimately abandoning the idea.

Promoting Hyuga Satoru to chunin and granting him privileges ordinary chunin did not possess would not only maximize his rapid growth, but also prevent him from drawing too much attention.

After all, the Ninja World was far from peaceful now!

Suddenly, he seemed to think of something. A trace of concern appeared on his face as he cautiously asked Hyuga Satoru.

"Wu, I heard you used a forbidden technique with a great cost. Has your body been affected in any way?"

A forbidden technique with a great cost—was he referring to Tyrant Mode?

Hyuga Satoru considered it for a moment before answering, "I developed that forbidden technique by accident. It can greatly increase my strength for a short time. It was also thanks to that move that I survived after encountering those two Mist Village ninja."

"As for the cost..."

"Because this technique temporarily overdrafts my life potential and squeezes out my body's strength, it damages the foundation of my cells and shortens my lifespan to a certain extent."

He raised his head and calmly met Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze without so much as a blush or a racing heartbeat.

"Is that so... Then this is rather troublesome."

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a slight headache coming on. Shortening one's lifespan—the price of this forbidden technique was simply too great.

He did not doubt him, either. The intelligence reported by Konoha Hospital had indeed mentioned damage to Hyuga Satoru's cells, and something like a shortened lifespan was difficult to see with the naked eye.

Hyuga Satoru's expression did not change, as though the nonsense he had just spouted were true.

Damage his lifespan?

It really had damaged his lifespan. He could maintain Tyrant Mode for a full three minutes!

Was three minutes of lifespan not still lifespan?

And after it ended, his body hurt so badly he could not earn money for several days. Didn't that also count as indirectly shortening his lifespan?

The information Anko provided only said that he had survived the attacks of those two Jonin.

Hyuga Satoru did not know whether the Hokage had sent Anbu to investigate the site of his battle, nor did he know whether Hiruzen understood Tyrant Mode's true power. In any case, when it came to side effects, exaggerating was never wrong.

As for Aburame Shibi beside him, Hyuga Satoru's string of nonsense only deepened his guilt.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed and looked at Hyuga Satoru with a complicated expression. "Wu, you are a true inheritor of the Will of Fire. How about this? The reward for the mission you take this time will be doubled as compensation for you."

Hyuga Satoru's eyes immediately lit up. From the mission book the Hokage subsequently brought out, he selected three missions with the highest rewards in a row.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's face immediately turned green, but since the words had already left his mouth, he could not take them back.