Drip...
Drip...
Drip...
The sound of water droplets echoed through the dark passage, making Hyuga Kagami instinctively tighten the robe around him.
He hated this place. The pitch-black corridor ahead seemed like a direct path to hell, constantly giving him ominous associations. Yet, the one-eyed viper resting on his shoulder discouraged him from turning back.
He had no choice but to move forward.
Reaching the end of the passage, Hyuga Kagami pushed open a heavy door, revealing a fully equipped laboratory. A shadowy figure stood inside.
The figure turned around. "Oh, it's you, Kagami."
Hearing this raspy voice, Hyuga Kagami's heart trembled, and he quickly lowered his head. "Lord Orochimaru!"
Orochimaru observed Hyuga Kagami with a thoughtful gaze for a long moment before finally speaking. "From now on, this laboratory is yours."
Feeling Orochimaru's intense gaze upon him, Hyuga Kagami dared not entertain unnecessary thoughts. He immediately bowed and responded, "Rest assured, my lord, I will work even harder!"
Orochimaru shifted his gaze, briefly scanning the laboratory. A rare trace of melancholy flickered in his eyes.
"I may have to leave the village soon. You'll have to find your own test subjects from now on."
"Understood!"
Hyuga Kagami remained obedient, nodding firmly without hesitation, while the one-eyed viper on his shoulder lazily flicked its crimson tongue.
Giving Hyuga Kagami one last glance, Orochimaru said nothing more. With a swift movement, he disappeared using the Body Flicker Technique.
As Orochimaru departed, the oppressive, sinister chakra that had filled the laboratory gradually faded away.
"Hah..."
Hyuga Kagami let out a small breath of relief.
Lately, Orochimaru's presence had become increasingly cold and menacing, as if tinged with bloodlust. Even when merely reporting his experimental progress from afar, Hyuga Kagami found it incredibly unsettling.
Fortunately, these difficult days seemed to be coming to an end.
However, upon further reflection, Hyuga Kagami felt puzzled.
According to the vague memories from his past life, Orochimaru had been caught red-handed by the Third Hokage and his team during a raid on a secret laboratory, which forced him to defect.
But based on Orochimaru's demeanor just now, he seemed to have already made up his mind to defect, as if he was ready to act at any moment.
"Where exactly did things deviate? What caused Orochimaru to choose to defect on his own? Was it because of me?"
After meticulously reviewing everything that had happened, Hyuga Kagami still couldn't pinpoint the reason. However, whether Orochimaru's defection was forced or voluntary, it was ultimately beneficial to him. Delving deeper into the reason held little significance.
Hyuga Kagami had complex feelings toward Orochimaru.
If not for Orochimaru's protection, Hyuga Kagami knew he wouldn't have survived the war so easily. After all, among his peers, nearly seventy to eighty percent had already perished on the battlefield.
Even a genius like Kakashi had nearly lost his life in battle. Back in their academy days, during team combat drills, Hyuga Kagami couldn't even withstand a single move from Kakashi.
In this world, weakness was the greatest sin!
It had been more than ten years since he was reincarnated into this world, yet even now, Hyuga Kagami struggled to fully adapt to the constant killing of the ninja world. This was one of the reasons he had chosen to follow Orochimaru. When it came to combat talent, he was far behind his peers—especially in life-or-death situations, where his reactions were always slower than others.
Sometimes, he truly admired the ninjas of this world. Many of them had the ability to kill at just six or seven years old, went to war by ten, and exceptional ones like Kakashi had already slain countless enemies by twelve.
Hyuga Kagami lacked such talent. Fortunately, he was born into the Hyuga clan, naturally possessing the Byakugan. With its help, he had barely managed to survive several close calls on the battlefield.
But luck wouldn't always be on his side. Seeing his peers die one after another, Hyuga Kagami resolutely chose to seek refuge with Orochimaru.
Survival came first. Staying alive was the most important thing!
Hyuga Kagami wasn't without his strengths. Thanks to the solid education from his past life, his comprehension abilities far surpassed those of his peers. Combined with the natural advantage of his Byakugan, he quickly distinguished himself in Orochimaru's laboratory, becoming one of his more valuable assistants and learning a great deal about genetic technology from him.
Perhaps due to witnessing too much death, Orochimaru had become obsessed with unraveling the mysteries of life in the later stages of the war.
This obsession manifested in him no longer fearing the Third Hokage, completely abandoning his already fragile moral boundaries, and initiating countless cruel and bloody human experiments.
Along with this, Orochimaru developed a keen interest in Wood Release, Byakugan, and Sharingan—these bloodline limits.
Hyuga Kagami's willingness to serve Orochimaru made it easier for him to study the secrets of the Byakugan, so Orochimaru had been quite thorough in mentoring him.
The two had formed a mutually beneficial relationship, leading to the scene that had just played out.
Of course, Hyuga Kagami dared to join Orochimaru's side because he knew that before long, Orochimaru's attention would be drawn to forbidden techniques like Reanimation Jutsu and the Eight-Headed Serpent Technique. Moreover, he had the 'Caged Bird' seal as a safeguard, preventing Orochimaru from using him as a mere test subject.
Indeed, at this stage, the 'Caged Bird' seal was a form of protection for Hyuga Kagami.
Or to be more precise, for all the weaker branch members of the Hyuga clan, the 'Caged Bird' wasn't just a restriction—it was a shield that kept them safe from external threats, both within and outside the village.
Another reason he sought out Orochimaru was the Tenseigan!
With his mediocre talent, Hyuga Kagami could think of no other way to defy fate and take control of his own destiny besides obtaining the Tenseigan.
As for Sage Mode? Even Orochimaru struggled to master it, so there was no point in him even considering it.
In reality, even the so-called genius of the Hyuga clan, Neji Hyuga—whom he recalled from his past-life memories—was ultimately nothing more than a supporting character, doomed to a meaningless death.
The Byakugan provided an unparalleled advantage at the Genin, Chunin, and even Jonin levels.
But when it came to Kage-tier and beyond, the Byakugan's edge became far less pronounced. For Hyuga clan members specializing in Gentle Fist, simply relying on it to face enemies with abilities like Susanoo, Jinchuriki transformations, and Sage bodies was utterly unrealistic. Thus, the Tenseigan was likely the Hyuga clan's only hope of participating in battles at the highest level.
This was why, from the moment he was reincarnated, the Tenseigan had been on his mind.
Yet evolving the Byakugan into the Tenseigan was no simple task. Hyuga Kagami had virtually no prior knowledge of bloodline limits. If he wanted to accomplish this goal, there was only one person in the entire village who could help—a mad scientist named Orochimaru...