Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
The slow, rhythmic sound of water droplets echoed through the dimly lit corridor, amplifying the silence and unease that filled the narrow space.
Wrapped in a dark robe, Hyuga Kyo instinctively pulled it tighter around himself. The cold moisture in the air clung to his skin, sending an involuntary shiver down his spine.
He hated this place.
The passage ahead stretched into complete darkness, like the open maw of some ancient beast. Every step forward felt like a descent into the underworld, and his mind couldn't help but conjure unpleasant thoughts. Only the presence of the single-eyed viper coiled lazily around his shoulder stopped him from turning around and walking away.
Some things, after all, are beyond one's control.
At the corridor's end, he reached a heavy door. Taking a slow breath, he pushed it open. The room beyond was a fully equipped laboratory, its walls lined with strange instruments and storage tanks filled with indistinct fluids. The air reeked faintly of metal and antiseptic. And in the center of the room stood a figure cloaked in shadows.
The figure slowly turned. "Ah, it's Kyo-kun."
That raspy voice made Kyo's heart jolt. He quickly lowered his head and bowed with practiced respect. "Lord Orochimaru."
Orochimaru regarded him with a gaze that felt almost tangible, as though it were slithering into his very thoughts. After a long silence, he finally spoke. "This laboratory… will be yours from now on."
Kyo felt the weight of that gaze pressing down on him. He didn't dare let his thoughts drift. He bowed deeply and replied at once, "Thank you, my lord. I will devote myself even more diligently."
Orochimaru's eyes lingered on him a moment longer before shifting toward the room's interior. His gaze swept across the equipment and cabinets, and for a fleeting second, a strange look—perhaps even a trace of melancholy—crossed his face.
"I may be leaving the village soon. From now on, you'll need to source your own materials."
"Yes, my lord."
Kyo remained perfectly still, his voice steady and obedient. The single-eyed viper on his shoulder, however, flicked its crimson tongue lazily, seemingly unbothered by the tension in the room.
Without another word, Orochimaru turned and vanished using the Body Flicker Technique, leaving behind nothing but a faint whisper of movement.
Only after his departure did the oppressive chakra that had filled the room finally begin to dissipate.
Kyo let out a soft breath of relief.
Recently, Orochimaru's presence had become increasingly cold and intense, tinged with something akin to bloodlust. Even during distant progress reports, Kyo had felt himself growing increasingly uncomfortable in his presence.
It seemed those nerve-wracking days were finally coming to an end.
Yet, as the thought settled in, a flicker of confusion crept into his mind.
From the vague memories of his past life, Kyo recalled that Orochimaru had only defected after the Third Hokage led a surprise raid on one of his secret labs, catching him red-handed. That was the event that had forced him to flee the village.
But Orochimaru's demeanor today… it was as if he had already decided to leave. He seemed fully prepared, not like someone caught off guard.
"What changed? Where did things diverge? Did I do something to influence this?"
Kyo combed through every detail of his recent actions and interactions but could find nothing conclusive. Regardless, Orochimaru's defection—planned or forced—was ultimately a good thing for him. Whether he left by choice or by circumstance didn't matter. It wasn't worth digging into.
Kyo's feelings toward Orochimaru were complicated.
Without his protection, Kyo was certain he wouldn't have survived the last war so easily. Among his classmates, nearly seventy or eighty percent had already perished on the battlefield.
Even someone like Kakashi, a true prodigy, had almost lost his life in the chaos of war. Back in the academy, Kyo couldn't even withstand a single blow from Kakashi during sparring matches.
In this world, weakness was a crime.
Though he had lived in this world for more than a decade since his reincarnation, Kyo still found it difficult to fully adapt to the blood-soaked world of shinobi. That was one of the reasons he had chosen to follow Orochimaru.
When it came to combat talent, he was clearly lacking. His reactions during life-or-death situations were always slower than his peers.
There were times when he genuinely admired the children of this world. Many could kill by the age of six or seven. Going to war at ten was considered normal. Some, like Kakashi, had already become elite jonin by twelve, with the blood of countless enemies on their hands.
Kyo lacked that natural talent. But thankfully, he was born into the Hyuga clan and possessed the Byakugan. With its power, he had narrowly escaped death on the battlefield several times.
But good fortune didn't last forever.
Watching his peers fall one by one, Kyo had finally made the firm decision to align himself with Orochimaru.
He had to survive. That was the first priority. Nothing else mattered if he died.
That didn't mean he had no strengths of his own. Thanks to the structured education from his past life, Kyo's ability to comprehend and analyze far exceeded his peers. Coupled with the innate advantages granted by the Byakugan, he had quickly carved out a place for himself under Orochimaru's tutelage.