radicalducati Page 128
Page 128
The scythe was still on your shoulders. You looked down at Orochimaru with a dangerous yet alluring smile. "Welcome to Akatsuki, Orochimaru."
“However—” your voice suddenly turned icy, “if you dare to betray me, I will definitely kill you.”
"Tanuki." Scorpion's voice suddenly came from behind, and Hiruko's tail snapped open. "Should we put a curse mark on him?"
Without turning your head, you waved your hand, "No need~" You used the handle of your scythe to lift Orochimaru's chin, "This scientist should know a lot about 'contractual spirit,' right?"
"Enough." Yahiko suddenly stepped between you, water chakra flowing in his palm. He calmly separated you from Orochimaru, his tone gentle yet unquestionable, "The newcomer should return to the organization."
Sasori's puppet strings silently wrapped around Orochimaru's wrist. "I'll take him back."
You reach out and grab both Yahiko's headband and Sasori's clothes at the same time. "What's the rush?" You tilt your head and look at Nohara Rin, who is treating the wounded. "Rin, come check if our new member's brain has been damaged!"
As Rin jogged over, medical chakra already swirled around her fingertips, but just as she approached Orochimaru, Yahiko blocked her way. "Be careful, he might..."
"Don't be so nervous." You suddenly wrapped your arms around Lin's shoulders from behind, resting your chin affectionately on the top of her head. "Lin is a medical genius who can even cure scorpion venom!"
The sudden hug made Lin blush instantly to the roots of her ears. She stammered, "I...I'll be careful..."
Sasori's puppet fingers tightened suddenly, and a poisonous needle grazed Orochimaru's cheek and embedded itself in the ground. "You can examine me, but don't get too close."
Orochimaru observed the strange atmosphere before him with great interest: the orange-haired boy's suppressed possessiveness beneath his gentle exterior, the puppeteer's surging jealousy within his mechanical shell, and the medical ninja's longing hidden in his shy eyes.
At the heart of it all is the black-haired girl humming a song and playing with a scythe.
“Interesting…” he chuckled hoarsely. “The Akatsuki organization is much more interesting than the rumors suggest.”
You crouch down to look him in the eye, close enough to count his snake-like vertical pupils. "Orochimaru-san~ could you give me half of the Hashirama cells from your lab?"
“Fine.” Orochimaru’s tongue brushed against his lips. “You’ll have to give me your blood.”
"No!" ×3
Yahiko's Water Prison Technique was instantly formed, Sasori's puppet strings tightened around Orochimaru's neck, and Rin's medical chakra sealed his mouth. The three moved in perfect unison, as if they had rehearsed it a thousand times.
You paused for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing, turned around and walked towards the higher ground of the ruins, "Time to go back and get overtime pay from Jiao!"
The twilight in Amegakure is always damp and cool. Orochimaru stood at the entrance to the Akatsuki base, his golden vertical pupils slightly narrowed.
Behind him, the Sound Five pushed a cart full of sophisticated instruments, their faces filled with reluctance.
"This is... Akatsuki's lair?" Kimimaro asked in a low voice, bone spikes unconsciously emerging from his palm.
“Now, it’s yours too,” you replied to his question.
A burst of exaggerated laughter suddenly echoed through the base corridor.
"Hahaha! Isn't that Bones Kid?!"
Hidan charged forward like a whirlwind, his three-month scythe jingling behind him. He grabbed Kimimaro by the neck, completely ignoring the latter's instantly stiffened body and bulging veins.
"Come, come, let me show you around! The evil god's room has a super interesting altar!"
Tayuya's flute was already pressed to her lips, "Kill him..."
Kidomaru simultaneously formed hand seals with all six of his arms, declaring, "Kill him now..."
Sakon and Ukon's bone blades snapped open with a clang. "We absolutely must kill him..."
Jirobo's fists clenched so tightly they cracked. "Immediately, right now..."
Hidan's smile widened, and he suddenly pulled out a bunch of colorful ribbons from behind his back. "Don't rush into fighting! Look! This is a welcome gift I prepared for you!"
The Sound Five: "..."
—Three minutes later, a chase broke out in the base corridor.
Hidan ran in the lead, followed by the menacing Sound Ninja. Wherever he went, the walls peeled and the floors cracked.
Xiao Nan's pieces of paper spelled out the words "heart tired" in the air.
At the observation deck at the highest point of the base, Nagato gazed at this absurd yet heartwarming scene, a gentle light flashing in his Rinnegan.
“It seems…” he murmured to himself, “that the newcomers this time are surprisingly compatible.”
"Come play with me!" Hidan brandished his trident, chasing Kimimaro around the base.
The tip of the scythe hooked onto the spider web that Kidomaru had just woven, leaving a sticky trail in the corridor.
"You madman...!" Jirobo's roar came from the kitchen, followed by the sound of pots and pans smashing on the floor. Hidan had obviously "accidentally" knocked over his snack stash again.
Xiao Nan's paper clone floated in mid-air, watching this scene with a headache, "This is the third time this month..."
The source of all this chaos is currently curled up in a corner of Orochimaru's laboratory, fast asleep.
You are surrounded by a pile of experimental data scrolls, holding Orochimaru's most precious microscope in your arms, your cheek pressed against the cold metal tube, your breathing even and long.
Orochimaru stood in front of the experimental table, the scalpel in his hand gleaming coldly under the light.
His golden vertical pupils were fixed on the girl's unsuspecting nape, and his tongue unconsciously licked his lips.
"Just one cut..."
The blade tip slowly moved downwards, until it was only an inch away from the skin—
"Lord Orochimaru!" Tayuya suddenly burst through the door. "That bastard Hidan has..."
The scalpel clattered to the ground.
Your eyelashes fluttered, but you didn't wake up. You just unconsciously shrank further into the pile of scrolls, muttering incoherently in your sleep, "The puppet strings... are too tight..."
Orochimaru's expression instantly became incredibly varied. He stiffly turned to Tayuya and said, "Get out."
Once the lab was quiet again, he bent down to pick up the scalpel, only to find his hands trembling slightly. It wasn't fear, but a long-lost, strange...hesitation?
"Tsk." He irritably threw the knife into the tray and turned to adjust the equipment.
This situation has been going on for two whole weeks.
At first, Orochimaru would quietly approach you while you were asleep in the dead of night, the sharp weapon in his hand gleaming coldly;
Later, he switched to tampering with the experimental reagents;
Later... he found himself subconsciously turning down the noise of the experimental equipment.
“This is absurd,” he muttered to himself, looking at the interstitial cells in the test tube.
A commotion suddenly broke out outside the door.
"Is the raccoon dog here with you again?" Scorpion's voice came through Fei Liu Hu, carrying obvious displeasure.
Orochimaru didn't even look up. "Find it yourself."
The puppet strings unfurled with a "whoosh," precisely entangling the black-haired girl in the corner.
You groggily open your eyes, and upon seeing Scorpion's mask, you instinctively reach out and wrap your arms around his neck. "Good morning!"
"..." Scorpion's puppet fingers froze.
Orochimaru's test tube shattered with a "crack".
"Excuse me." Yahiko appeared at the door without anyone noticing, with a perfect smile on his face. He gently but firmly "removed" you from Sasori's arms.
You clung to Yahiko's back like a koala, waving at Orochimaru, "Remember to keep the microscope warm for me~ I'll come back to sleep this afternoon!"
Orochimaru's lips twitched.
After you left, he stared at the laboratory door for a long time.
Suddenly, he realized he was tidying up the scrolls you had messed up, and had even turned up the room temperature by two degrees.
His golden vertical pupils narrowed slightly as he looked at the extra cushion and small blanket in the corner, which Nohara Rin had 'accidentally' left there one day.
In the corridor, Hidan's chase with the Sound Five continued. Kimimaro's bone sword was stuck in the ceiling. Sakon and Ukon were arm wrestling with Hidan. Kidomaru took the opportunity to use a spider web to stick Hidan to the wall.
"You bunch of bastards—!" Hidan's roar made the pipes vibrate.
"Haku! Zabuza!" Yahiko's voice came from the hall. The orange-haired boy walked over quickly, his face full of undisguised joy. He reached out and patted Zabuza's shoulder. "I didn't expect you guys to come."
Bai bowed gently, "Thank you for taking me in."
Zabuza merely snorted, but his taut shoulder lines visibly relaxed a bit.
Xiao Nan's paper butterfly landed in Bai's palm and transformed into a white plum blossom. "Your ice technique is beautiful."
Haku smiled shyly, conjuring an ice crystal butterfly from his fingertips in return. The two butterflies danced gracefully in the air, prompting Hidan, who was passing by, to exclaim, "Hey! Haku! Can this be used as a sacrifice to an evil god?"
"It's so lively!"
You murmured to yourself, but your gaze drifted across the restaurant and toward a distant place outside the window.
His fingers unconsciously stroked the scroll in his sleeve, which recorded an upcoming date.
"So you are here."
A soft, feminine voice suddenly sounded from behind, and Orochimaru appeared in the shadows, his golden vertical pupils shrinking into thin lines in the sunlight.
Your kunai was instantly pressed against his throat. "Walking silently is terrifying."
Orochimaru calmly raised his hand, revealing a scarlet pill in his palm. Its eerie color seemed to pulsate slightly as if it were alive, and it emitted a strange halo under the refraction of light.
"Specially made soldier's ration pills." He licked his lips. "They can save lives in critical moments."
Your Sharingan twitched slightly, but you didn't reach out. "You didn't do anything shady, did you?"
Your standoff has attracted the attention of others.
"Orochimaru!" Sasori's puppet strings suddenly wrapped around his wrist. "What are you doing?"
Yahiko appeared at the other end of the corridor without anyone noticing, his kunai already drawn. "Need any help, Tanuki?"
Even Kimimaro, who was arm wrestling with Hidan, stopped and looked over warily.
Orochimaru chuckled softly, "Such a touching protective instinct..." He suddenly leaned close to your ear and whispered in a voice only the two of you could hear, "That power within you... it's almost uncontrollable, isn't it?"
Your pupils suddenly contracted.
Just then, Uchiha Shisui suddenly stepped between the two, separating Orochimaru. "Senpai, Lord Nagato is looking for you."
Chapter 112 Reunion
Orochimaru gave you a meaningful look, placed the pill on the windowsill, and turned to leave.
The pill gleamed alluringly in the sunlight. You stared at it for a long time before finally carefully wrapping it up in a scroll.
"Tanuki?" Yahiko approached with concern.
"It's nothing~" You suddenly smiled, turned around and hooked your arm around his neck, "Instead of this, let's go find Hidan to play! That guy is probably bullying the newbies again~"
Your laughter was crisp and bright, as if the gloom from before had never existed, but Scorpion noticed that you quietly slipped the scroll into your innermost pocket.
On the distant tower, Uchiha Shisui withdrew his gaze, and in his Mangekyou Sharingan, he saw your forced smile reflected.
Meanwhile, in the restaurant, Hidan was trying to paint Kimimaro's bone sword with fluorescent powder, Kisame Hoshigaki was helplessly trying to mediate, Rin was busy bandaging Sakon and Ukon who had been accidentally injured, and Konan's paper butterflies were weaving through the crowd to mediate.
The moonlight in Amegakure was shattered and fragmented by the dark clouds.
You suddenly sit up in bed, your black nightgown soaked with cold sweat. You press your hand tightly to your chest, where you hear Prajna's sinister laughter. Over the past five years, that voice has become clearer and clearer.
"That power within you... it's almost impossible to suppress, isn't it?"
Orochimaru's words lingered in your ears like venomous snakes. You stepped barefoot onto the cold floor and pulled out a stack of notes you had prepared beforehand from under your pillow.
You raised your hand and pressed it against your left eye, where a sharp pain came from, as if something wanted to burst out of your body. You had been searching for a way to control the power of Prajna, but you could never find the right method.
How did the other two 'selves' manage to do that? This question torments you like a persistent boil, day and night.
"I must go to Konoha again..." you murmured to yourself, your voice so soft it was almost inaudible.
"Returning in three days."
All the notes contained only these three words, yet they made it clear to everyone who received them that this time, you would have to face something alone again.
"I hope you won't worry too much..." You turned and disappeared into the night.
The streets of Konoha were more bustling than you had imagined. You were wearing an ordinary black cloak and wandering through the streets like a headless fly.
Five years ago, when I first came to Konoha, I got lost in the forest without even finding the village gate. This time, although I successfully entered the village, the location of the Forbidden Pavilion remains a mystery.
"Where exactly is it..." You bit your lower lip in frustration, the stinging sensation in your left eye growing stronger, forcing you to stop and lean against the wall of a small alley to catch your breath.
Just then, a deafening explosion came from afar, followed by screams.
You look up alertly and see thick smoke rising from the east side of the village, with orange-red chakra shooting into the sky like flames.
"Nine-Tailed Fox?" Your pupils contracted sharply, and your body acted before you could think, speeding towards the direction of the commotion.