A gentle breeze brushed past, stirring ripples across the water, and who knew whose heartstrings it had plucked.
Naoki Senju gave the "slow to react" Guren a puzzled look and could not help worrying. Had he poisoned her stupid last time? Nothing could happen to his precious "money printer."
"Guren, Guren!"
The anxious calls brought Guren back to reality, but at the handsome face suddenly drawing close and the masculine scent washing over her, her heart nearly leaped into her throat. She instinctively stepped back and cried out:
"Don't come any closer!"
"Uh..." Naoki Senju stopped and glanced down discreetly, then grew puzzled. His little brother was clearly still where it belonged. What was with Guren's reaction?
Guren also realized she had overreacted a little. After taking a deep breath, she said solemnly:
"Lord Orochimaru has something important to discuss with you. We shouldn't delay."
Something important? I already got the Wood Release Ninjutsu scrolls yesterday. What else important could there be? Could there have been new results in the cell research?
At that possibility, Naoki Senju could not help growing excited as well. Orochimaru and Tsunade had already done considerable research into cells and had ample theoretical knowledge. All they lacked was a crucial flash of inspiration. Besides, Tsunade had even given up her beauty sleep last night. That would never have happened without an important breakthrough.
No time to lose!
"All right, I'll go change. I'll be right back."
Naoki Senju headed straight for the second-floor bedroom, grabbed a set of clothes, and changed in no time before returning to the courtyard at a speed that left Guren dumbfounded.
"Let's go." Naoki Senju adjusted his collar and led the way out of the courtyard.
"Oh, right." Slow to catch up, Guren could hardly believe it. He had been making every excuse to refuse just a moment ago, so why was he so eager now?
Forget it. As long as I can complete Lord Orochimaru's assignment.
After a few glances at Naoki Senju's back, the scene from earlier surfaced uncontrollably in her mind again. Guren gritted her teeth and ran ahead of Naoki Senju to lead the way, which would also keep her thoughts from wandering.
I only need to be loyal to Lord Orochimaru. Nothing else matters. Nothing else matters...
When they reached the secret research base, Guren's tense heart finally relaxed, and her inward muttering gradually faded.
After forming several hand seals, Guren pressed her palm against the rock wall before her and called out quietly:
"Release!"
A passage leading downward slowly appeared in the granite wall, which had looked entirely real. Gusts of cold air blew out of the passage as well, suggesting that the secret research base probably had fairly good ventilation.
Guren walked ahead through the darkness, remaining silent the entire way. Only the tapping of their footsteps echoed through the passage, whose end was nowhere in sight.
Just as Naoki Senju began to feel creeped out and wanted to chat with Guren, she stopped.
"We're here."
With that, she lightly pressed a spot on the wall. A snake-shaped candleholder extended from the side. Guren turned it backward twice, and a doorway appeared in the previously seamless wall, slowly opening.
"Please come in. Lord Orochimaru is waiting for you inside."
Perhaps because she was closer to Orochimaru, Guren's movements and tone became involuntarily respectful. Naoki Senju found it hard to believe. Was that freak Orochimaru's brainwashing really this powerful?
Somewhat unwilling to accept this, Naoki Senju said, "Come in with me."
Guren kept her head lowered and replied with utmost respect, "Lord Orochimaru only invited you, Lord Naoki."
"So what? Orochimaru said you had to stay with me for now. I'm ordering you to come in with me."
Guren was a little dumbfounded. Was that even allowed?
At that moment, Guren was like a robot that had received two conflicting commands, caught in a dilemma.
Naoki Senju paid no attention to any of that. He grabbed Guren's wrist and forcibly pulled her into Orochimaru's secret research base.
In fact, Naoki Senju had a deeper concern. What if his "money printer" continued to obey only Orochimaru's orders and got lured away by that freak in the future? An error in the underlying code like this had to be corrected promptly.
Only after entering did Naoki Senju discover that the research base was much larger than he had imagined. An enormous light well opening directly to the outside brought sunlight in to illuminate it.
Even without counting the basement, the research base was at least a hundred meters tall. It had been built by hollowing out a mountain and was divided into more than a dozen floors of rooms. This floor held a large number of prison cells. Naoki Senju could clearly sense the presence of many living people. These people were probably Orochimaru's experimental material...
Naoki Senju could not say he particularly loathed this practice of Orochimaru's, but he certainly did not like it either. Although research into cell division was bound to require live experimentation, Orochimaru's disregard for life still exceeded anything he had imagined.
Just then, a figure emerged from the darkness. The figure frowned upon seeing Guren, but after noticing Naoki Senju holding her wrist, he looked away, revealing a faint, inexplicable sneer.
"Lord Orochimaru!"
Guren greeted him with mixed feelings. Although she was as respectful as ever, an unfamiliar feeling arose in her heart. This was the first time she had broken the rules without Lord Orochimaru's orders.
Without Orochimaru's orders, no one was permitted to enter this secret research base without authorization. Even Guren had only been allowed inside a handful of times.
Orochimaru did not look at Guren. Instead, he looked at Naoki Senju, whose gaze was cold, and said as though showing off:
"What do you think of my research base, Naoki?"
Naoki Senju did not answer. He merely pulled Guren upright after she had gone so long without receiving a response.
Orochimaru glanced around, listened to the faint sounds of crying, then looked at Naoki Senju's expression and immediately understood everything.
"It seems you understand more than I expected, Naoki. But although they're imprisoned here, they're treated far better than they were outside."
As though afraid Naoki Senju would not believe him, Orochimaru added:
"They were all originally citizens of the Land of Birds, but who knows what rumors its daimyo believed. He actually sought to sacrifice some of his citizens alive to heaven to cure his own grave illness. They were already dead years ago."
Naoki Senju remained silent. The daimyo sought to cure his illness by sacrificing his citizens alive, while Orochimaru experimented on living people. Even he himself would inevitably conduct live experiments in the future. At their core, they were all the same kind of person...
"Let's go. Didn't you call me here for something important? Surely you didn't bring me here just to explain all this?"
Holding Guren's wrist, Naoki Senju walked toward the stairs leading to the second floor, trying not to think about matters so far beyond him. Before he had enough ability, he should not take on too much responsibility. Otherwise, he would simply be overestimating himself and only end up harming both others and himself!
Behind him, Orochimaru revealed a satisfied smile. Naoki Senju was a junior he rather admired, but if he were bound by this false morality like that old man the Third, then... that would truly be a pity.