"Is that really all there is to it?"
Hidan eyed the lab equipment that had been quickly assembled around him, his tone edged with suspicion.
He wasn't unfamiliar with scenes like this. Back when he was with the Cult of the Evil God, he'd been used as a lab rat more than once.
"Of course," Orochimaru replied with a faint smile. "What more could I possibly do? After all, you have the power of Lord Cthulhu now. Technically, you're holding my life in your hands."
"That's…" Hidan frowned. Technically, it was true. He couldn't refute it.
Still, the fact that the ability he once used to terrify and kill others was now being used to convince him to cooperate… felt strange.
Before Hidan could think further, Orochimaru pulled over the operating table, sat with his legs on the floor, and reclined halfway onto the bed.
His smile deepened.
"Just a heads-up—the pain you're about to feel isn't something most people can handle. You still have time to back out."
"You underestimating me?"
Orochimaru waved it off. "Not provoking you. Just stating facts. Even battle-hardened shinobi have screamed from what's about to happen."
"Just get on with it."
Orochimaru nodded. "As you wish."
He was confident in Hidan's pain tolerance. He didn't even bother sterilizing the boy's body first.
What really concerned him was whether Death Controlling Blood would deactivate during the procedure.
---
After a moment's thought, Orochimaru entered Sage Mode, set up more than a dozen IV tubes, and began injecting nutrient solutions—both into himself and Hidan.
Once the fluids began circulating, Orochimaru injected the first-generation cell fusion serum directly into Hidan's heart.
Instantly, Hidan's body jerked.
His eyes widened, jaw clenched, and face twisted into a grotesque mask of pain. His legs kicked reflexively, trying to escape the bed.
Orochimaru reacted swiftly—his hands formed a seal, summoning fine iron sand that gathered like heavy chains, pinning Hidan's legs in place.
But then, he felt it.
The very same pain—deep, burning, corrosive—gnawed through his own body. Even in Sage Mode, it hit hard.
He collapsed to one knee, gasping for breath, but his eyes gleamed with exhilaration.
It's working.
This was more than just a killer technique. Hidan's jutsu allowed chakra resonance so deep, so invasive, that Orochimaru could feel the cellular erosion happening to someone else.
The Lamp Spirit hovered overhead, watching the scene with fascination.
"Interesting… it's like I'm using your body to force-cast a skill."
"Yes... it really does feel that way," Orochimaru grunted, pressing himself to the floor to keep from convulsing and tearing out the IVs.
Though no actual cells were fusing inside him, the pain was real—pain transmitted purely through synchronized chakra. The body still needed nutrients to recover from that stress.
"Question," the Lamp Spirit asked, floating lower. "If the transplant on Hidan succeeds, will you still feel it the next time you try this?"
"That's… a good question."
With effort, Orochimaru stood up, still trembling.
Hidan might well be the reincarnation of some minor Ōtsutsuki soul fragment, while Orochimaru had Sage Mode. Their resistance to the pain was about equal, but Orochimaru had one advantage: no actual foreign cells were rampaging inside his body.
When he concentrated sage chakra to stabilize himself, the pain eased dramatically.
With a gesture, he dispelled the iron-sand shackles. Hidan's legs immediately sprang up.
The agony passed as quickly as it came. Orochimaru exhaled and wiped away the blood-drawn magic circle on the floor, just in case.
Then, with a glint in his eye, he grabbed a scalpel and plunged it into Hidan's chest, digging out the small patch of granulated flesh that had started to regenerate.
"Hey—what the hell are you doing?!"
Hidan's face was relaxed again, but he barked at Orochimaru like someone pulled out of a pleasant dream.
"Tsk. Just doing you a favor," Orochimaru said as he injected a double dose of first-gen cell inhibitor.
"I didn't ask for your help!"
Hidan sat up abruptly, yanking off several IVs. He clutched his chest and glared at Orochimaru.
"I wasn't done enjoying that pain!"
Orochimaru gave him a smirk and glanced pointedly down at Hidan's lower half.
"Willing to risk losing bladder control for it?"
Hidan followed his gaze, his expression darkening.
"So what?! Not like it'd be the first time! Big deal!"
Even Orochimaru and the Lamp Spirit looked briefly stunned.
They hadn't expected that level of experience.
Still, Orochimaru calmly replied, "Your body isn't stable enough yet. Keep going and you'll end up malnourished, possibly deformed."
He gestured to the half-used bottle of serum.
"We didn't prep enough this time. Next session—I'll give you more."
Hidan scoffed. "Fine. You'd better."
Orochimaru licked his lips, satisfied. "Come on. Let's get dinner."
---
Later…
After sharing a surprisingly hearty barbecue meal, Orochimaru brought Hidan to the Uchiha compound and handed him off to Uchiha Shinsuke.
"He's your problem for now. Don't let him cause trouble."
Hidan, of course, ignored him completely. The moment he saw Shinsuke, his eyes narrowed.
"You!" he shouted, pulling out a kunai and lunging.
Uchiha Shinsuke didn't flinch. His Sharingan spun to life, aiming to stop Hidan in his tracks.
But Hidan was ready. With practiced precision, he stabbed the kunai into himself, using pain to force a chakra spike—breaking the genjutsu mid-cast.
Still, Shinsuke wasn't shaken. His tomoe spun faster, locking Hidan in place through sheer visual might.
Behind them, Orochimaru chuckled. "Good luck. Try to discipline him a bit."
"Understood, Orochimaru-sama."
Shinsuke bowed slightly, but lingered, clearly hesitating.
Orochimaru noticed. His eyes narrowed with amusement.
"You're worried about Kabuto, aren't you?"
Shinsuke gave a small nod.
Orochimaru waved it off, grinning. "Relax. I've lost interest in chasing Kabuto down. Unless he starts getting too bold again…"
_____________________
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