Drip…
Drip…
Drip…
The sound of dripping water echoed through the dark corridor, causing Hyuga Kyo to pull his cloak tighter around himself.
He despised this place. The pitch-black tunnel ahead seemed to lead straight to hell, constantly stirring unsettling thoughts in his mind. Yet, the one-eyed viper perched on his shoulder deterred him from turning back.
There was no choice but to continue.
At the end of the corridor, Hyuga Kyo pushed open a door, revealing a fully equipped laboratory. Inside stood a figure.
The figure turned around. “Ah, it’s you, Kyo.”
The raspy voice made Hyuga Kyo’s heart tremble. He quickly bowed his head, “Lord Orochimaru!”
Orochimaru regarded Hyuga Kyo thoughtfully before speaking, “This laboratory is yours from now on.”
Feeling Orochimaru’s intense gaze, Hyuga Kyo didn’t dare to think recklessly. He quickly bowed deeper, “Rest assured, I will work even harder!”
Orochimaru glanced around the laboratory, a hint of melancholy in his eyes.
“I may have to leave the village soon. From now on, you’ll have to procure your own materials.”
“Understood!”
Hyuga Kyo nodded obediently without a hint of hesitation. The one-eyed viper on his shoulder lazily flicked its tongue.
With a final glance at Hyuga Kyo, Orochimaru vanished with a Body Flicker Jutsu.
As Orochimaru departed, the oppressive and dark chakra that had filled the laboratory gradually faded away.
“Hu…”
Hyuga Kyo exhaled a sigh of relief.
Lately, Orochimaru’s presence had grown increasingly cold and bloodthirsty. Even from a distance, just reporting experimental progress made Hyuga Kyo extremely uneasy.
Fortunately, those problematic days were coming to an end.
But then, Hyuga Kyo became puzzled.
According to his vague memories from his previous life, Orochimaru was supposed to have been caught red-handed in his secret laboratory by the Third Hokage’s team, forcing him to defect.
However, Orochimaru’s recent behavior suggested he had been planning his defection for some time, ready to act at any moment.
“What went wrong, causing Orochimaru to defect voluntarily? Is it because of me?”
Hyuga Kyo pondered over past events but couldn’t figure out the reason. Nevertheless, Orochimaru’s defection was ultimately a good thing for him. Whether it was voluntary or forced was of no consequence to him.
Hyuga Kyo had mixed feelings towards Orochimaru.
Without Orochimaru’s protection, he knew he wouldn’t have survived the war so quickly. Most of his peers had already died on the battlefield.
Even a genius like Kakashi nearly lost his life in combat. Back in their academy days, Hyuga Kyo couldn’t even withstand a single move from Kakashi.
In this world, weakness is a sin!
Even after more than a decade, Hyuga Kyo still found it hard to adapt to this ninja world filled with killing. This was one reason he chose to ally with Orochimaru. His combat talent was far inferior to his peers, especially in life-and-death situations, where his reactions were always slower.
Sometimes, he truly admired the ninjas of this world, who often had the skills to kill by the age of six or seven and went to the battlefield by ten. Kakashi, for example, had already killed countless enemies by the age of twelve.
Hyuga Kyo needed to have such talent. Fortunately, he was born into the Hyuga clan, possessing the Byakugan, which had saved him several times on the battlefield.
But luck would only sometimes favour him. Watching his peers die one by one, Hyuga Kyo resolutely decided to align with Orochimaru.
Surviving was the most important thing!
Hyuga Kyo had his advantages. Thanks to his education in his previous life, his comprehension skills far surpassed those of his peers. Coupled with the natural advantage of the Byakugan, he quickly stood out in Orochimaru’s laboratory, becoming an essential assistant and learning many genetic techniques from Orochimaru.
Perhaps due to witnessing too much death, Orochimaru had become obsessed with the mysteries of life by the end of the war.
Orochimaru no longer cared about the Third Hokage or moral boundaries, engaging in numerous cruel and bloody human experiments.
He also developed a keen interest in Kekkei Genkai, such as Wood Release, Byakugan, and Sharingan.
Hyuga Kyo’s willingness to serve allowed Orochimaru to research the secrets of the Byakugan more quickly, so Orochimaru diligently guided him.
Thus, the scene just now occurred.
Of course, Hyuga Kyo dared to align with Orochimaru because he knew that Orochimaru’s attention would soon be diverted by forbidden techniques like Edo Tensei and the Eight Branches Technique. Moreover, the Caged Bird seal provided him with protection, making him less worried about becoming a test subject.
Yes, for Hyuga Kyo at this time, the Caged Bird seal was indeed a form of protection.
Or, more accurately, for all weaker, struggling members of the Hyuga branch family, the Caged Bird seal was not a shackle but a shield, helping them avoid much covetous attention within and outside the village.
Another reason Hyuga Kyo sought out Orochimaru was the Tenseigan!
Given his mediocre talent, Hyuga Kyo couldn’t think of any other way besides the Tenseigan to turn his fate around and gain control over his own destiny.
As for Senjutsu, even Orochimaru struggled with it, so it was out of the question for him.
In fact, not only someone as untalented as Hyuga Kyo but even the genius of the Hyuga clan from his past life, Neji Hyuga, ended up as a tragic figure who met a pointless death.
The Byakugan did give the Hyuga clan unmatched advantages at the Genin, Chunin, and even Jonin levels.
However, at the Kage level and beyond, Byakugan’s advantages became less significant. For the Hyuga clan, who specialised in Gentle Fist, facing enemies at the level of Susano’o, Jinchuriki, or Sage Mode with only Gentle Fist was overwhelmingly complex. Thus, the Tenseigan seemed like the only hope for the Hyuga clan to engage in super-Kage-level battles.
This was something Hyuga Kyo had been fixated on since his transmigration.
However, evolving the Byakugan into the Tenseigan was a challenging feat. Hyuga Kyo had very little knowledge of Kekkei Genkai. To achieve this, the only person in the village who could help him was the mad scientist Orochimaru…
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