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With this thought in mind, Orochimaru coldly stared at Midorima, making the latter uneasy.
What's wrong with this guy? Is he sick?
"That's right. Do you have a problem with that?"
Midorima quickly shook his head.
Right now, he had no capital to act cocky.
"I have no connection with Konoha, and I've never killed any of their shinobi. The only interaction I've had was a brief conversation with Lady Tsunade. Other than that, I know nothing," Midorima said.
"This has nothing to do with Konoha." Orochimaru sat cross-legged. "Don't even think about running… You wouldn't want Kakuzu to rip your heart out, would you? If that happens, you're definitely dead."
"You're not here to save me, are you?" Midorima mocked.
"Of course not." Orochimaru's lips curled slightly. "As long as you obey me, I'll do my best to fulfill your requests."
Midorima's mouth twitched. Why did that sound like a farewell speech before execution?
Orochimaru wasn't as violently direct as Kakuzu, but he was no saint either. The only difference was that Orochimaru liked to "marinate" his prey before making a move.
"Can you let me go?" Midorima asked.
"Make another request," Orochimaru replied.
Midorima shrugged. Yeah, figured it wouldn't be that easy.
"Why are you after me? We don't even know each other," Midorima changed the subject.
"For experiments."
Midorima didn't believe for a second that Orochimaru wanted him as an assistant. More likely, he was destined to be a lab rat.
"Can I refuse?" Midorima had zero interest in getting involved with Orochimaru.
"No." Orochimaru noticed Midorima's ankle subtly shifting backward and gave Kimimaro a glance. In an instant, Kimimaro slammed his palm against the boat's hull, shattering it into pieces.
Midorima leaped into the air, trying to gauge the distance to the riverbank, but the thick fog obscured his vision. Below him, a massive dark shadow surged from the water.
A giant snake!?
The serpent lunged at him, jaws wide open. Midorima hurled several kunai, but they barely scratched its scales.
Just as he prepared to use a Water Release technique, another colossal snake—dozens of meters long—burst from beneath him, slamming him into the river before coiling around him and dragging him into the depths.
He struggled desperately, mustering all his strength to strike the snake's body. Even when he managed to break its skin, the serpent refused to loosen its grip, instead diving deeper into the river.
After nearly twenty minutes of fighting, exhaustion overtook Midorima, and his consciousness began to fade.
Standing atop another giant snake's head, Orochimaru watched as the serpent holding Midorima resurfaced. Rubbing his chin, he mused, "Eighteen minutes of fighting against one of my snakes… Not bad. His stamina is impressive, and he knows multiple jutsu. Quite the rare specimen."
"Lord Orochimaru, are you satisfied with him?" Kimimaro asked, his expression serious.
"He's just one of many candidates. Until the experiment succeeds, there's no such thing as being too careful when gathering 'materials.'" Orochimaru's voice was soft. "You are unique. If possible, I'd like you to stay by my side forever."
"If I become your vessel, I can remain with you eternally." For the first time, a faint smile appeared on Kimimaro's face.
...
Midorima had no idea how much time had passed when he finally woke up. His mind was foggy, and a strange, indescribable pain throbbed in his neck.
He touched the spot and immediately sat up, scanning his surroundings. He was in a small room with a table full of food.
Ignoring the meal, he rushed to the bathroom and twisted his neck to examine it in the mirror. There, etched into his skin, was a three-tomoe cursed seal.
The Heaven Cursed Seal!
At that moment, Midorima really wanted to flip Orochimaru off.
This thing filled him with an inexplicable disgust.
The cursed seal granted its bearer terrifying power, but it also allowed Orochimaru to hide within it upon death, using it as a means of resurrection.
For Midorima, the seal had its benefits—but only if he could first neutralize its harmful effects. Besides, the second stage of the Heaven Cursed Seal was downright ugly.
Recalling the Naruto storyline, Sasuke's cursed seal had disappeared after Orochimaru was sealed by Itachi's Totsuka Blade. That meant there was a way to remove it—he just hadn't found it yet.
For now, that problem was unsolvable, so he set it aside. The more pressing issue was figuring out his next move.
Orochimaru hadn't harmed him while he was unconscious, which meant his life wasn't in immediate danger. But sitting around waiting wasn't an option—he needed to find a way to escape.
Wait…
Just as the thought crossed his mind, something else occurred to him. Shimura Danzo had deep ties with Orochimaru. Could this be a way to get close to Danzo?
In Naruto, the Sharingan was always a game-breaking ability—especially the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Since Tsunade had already returned to Konoha, even if the Uchiha massacre's fate remained unchanged, it would be significantly delayed. That meant Danzo's stockpile of eleven Sharingan eyes was out of reach for the time being.
But Danzo did currently possess one of Shisui's eyes—a Mangekyo Sharingan. And that was worth going after.
In the series, "Kotoamatsukami" was used only once—when Kabuto used the Reanimation Jutsu on Itachi, stripping him of his free will. During Itachi's encounter with Naruto, a crow that Itachi had implanted with Shisui's eye activated the jutsu, freeing Itachi from Kabuto's control.
Even Kage-level shinobi, when reanimated by the Reanimation Jutsu, couldn't resist the caster's will—but Kotoamatsukami could. That meant its priority overrode the Reanimation Jutsu itself, earning its title as the "strongest genjutsu."
The only downside was its absurdly long cooldown—over a decade.
If he could get his hands on Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan, it would be an absolute win.
Of course, the risks were high. Being around Orochimaru was dangerous—he could end up as a "vessel" at any moment. But right now, he had nowhere else to go. Might as well see how things played out.
Midorima finished the food on the table and tried to leave, only to find the door seemingly fused into the wall—completely immovable.
Locked in?
He froze. He had assumed his treatment would be similar to Sasuke's—confined to Orochimaru's hideout but not treated like a prisoner. Apparently, Orochimaru had other plans.
Just then, a small hand reached through a tiny slot at the bottom of the door, waving impatiently.
"What?"
"Hand over the dishes." The voice sounded young, not yet deepened by puberty.
"When can I leave?" Midorima passed the plates through.
"Do you want anything else to eat?" The person ignored his question. "My job is just to deliver food."
"..." Midorima blinked. So Orochimaru's treating me like a pet now?
"Tell Orochimaru I want to see him."
It was time for a proper conversation.
*****
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