Inside the Laboratory.
Yūyuri tilted her head slightly. "..."
Haku stared at Orochimaru in horror. "..."
Kimimaro widened his eyes as though he had made up his mind. "..."
"..."
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Shinji rose to his feet in amazement and gave Orochimaru a thunderous round of applause. "Congratulations, Orochimaru!"
Orochimaru smiled modestly. "The congratulations belong to both of us, Shinji."
Shinji turned with a smile and looked at Yūyuri. "So, is she strong now?"
"Oh, yes!"
Orochimaru nodded with a chuckle. "Storm Release, Wood Release, powerful sensory abilities, tremendous vitality, and her already masterful Lightning Release and Swordsmanship... Heh, heh!"
"I'm afraid she's stronger than you can imagine, Shinji!"
Yūyuri suddenly stuck out her tongue and licked her lips. "Hey, want to fight? If you win, I'm yours!"
"And if you lose, I'll marry you!"
"..."
Shinji turned away and pretended he hadn't heard her.
At that, Yūyuri's face fell. She fixed Shinji with a pitiful, resentful look.
Haku glanced from one to the other.
Then he let out a quiet snicker.
"Hey, brat! What are you laughing at? Don't tell me you're trying to steal my man!" Yūyuri gave Haku a hard thump on the head.
The blow left Haku dazed.
He looked up blankly. "Um... Lady Yūyuri, I... I'm a boy."
"Huh?"
Yūyuri tilted her head and stared at Haku with a look of brazen disbelief. "A boy?!"
Haku: "..."
Shinji sighed. "Let's talk somewhere else."
Orochimaru tucked his hands into his sleeves and nodded with a smile. "Of course, Shinji."
Inside the Secret Chamber.
Orochimaru offered Shinji a cup of tea. "Shinji, I've run the calculations. What I did with Yūyuri can be replicated in any ordinary shinobi."
"Yūyuri's case was a 'conservative experiment.' I kept the risk as low as possible and limited the