[Hyuga Clan Grounds]
After returning to the clan grounds, Neji's expression was somewhat dim.
Tenten's final, heart-wrenching cry kept echoing in his mind.
His heart was filled with extreme pain.
But there were things he could do.
Neji took a deep breath, not daring to keep thinking about Tenten. Instead, he adjusted his mindset and prepared to report back to Koshin.
Before long, Neji arrived at Koshin's office.
"Lord Koshin."
Koshin was currently reviewing intelligence on the changes in the ninja world over the past years. When he saw Neji arrive, his spirits lifted.
"Neji, you're back. How did it go?"
A trace of excitement appeared on Neji's face, "Lord Rengoku agreed."
"What? He agreed?"
Koshin shot up from his seat. His original intention had only been for Neji to ask what price Rengoku would require to revive Hizashi.
He hadn't expected Neji to handle the matter directly.
"What does Lord Rengoku want our Hyuga clan to do?"
Koshin asked with a serious expression. After all, there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
Neji's expression shifted slightly, then he said, "Lord Rengoku said he thinks very highly of me and wants me to pledge loyalty to him."
"I agreed. From now on, I'll be following Lord Rengoku long-term."
As soon as Koshin heard this, his brows furrowed tightly. The Hyuga clan itself was part of Konoha and already loyal to the Hokage.
But the fact that Rengoku singled this out and said it like that probably meant…
Before he could ask further, Neji added in a somewhat downcast tone, "From now on, I no longer belong to the Hyuga clan."
Koshin's brows twisted together. His lips moved, but in the end it turned into a sigh, "You… sigh… you should have come back and discussed something like this with me."
Neji lowered his head, hiding the emotions within, "Lord Koshin, we didn't have any room to bargain."
"I had to seize this opportunity."
"Alright," Now that things had reached this point, Koshin couldn't really say anything in opposition.
"Then what arrangements are there for you next?"
Neji replied, "I have to go over tomorrow. I'm not sure about the specific arrangements yet."
"I'll go pack up first. I'll take my leave."
Neji's mood was low, and he quickly said goodbye to Koshin.
Watching Neji's departing figure, Koshin showed a trace of concern. Neji's behavior made him feel uneasy.
———
[Orochimaru's Laboratory, Lower Level]
"Impure World Reincarnation!"
As Orochimaru performed the technique, the formation on the ground lit up, and talismans quickly wrapped around a Sarutobi clansman.
Hyuga Hizashi, bearing the Caged Bird seal on his forehead, appeared in front of Orochimaru.
Rengoku, standing to the side, asked, "Is this Caged Bird engraved onto the soul? Why does it still exist even after being revived through Impure World Reincarnation?"
Orochimaru stared at the mark and shook his head, "When you left, I specifically studied the Caged Bird."
"It's first carved onto the physical body, and from there it affects the soul."
"In essence, the Caged Bird is actually a type of curse."
"But a curse requires a physical body as its carrier. Their clones don't have the Byakugan, so the effectiveness of this curse has already weakened."
"Even if someone from the Hyuga main family uses the curse technique, their eyes won't be affected. It'll hurt, but they won't die."
Rengoku nodded thoughtfully.
"When will you start the research on the Hyuga side?"
As he spoke, he skillfully placed his hand on Hizashi's clone body.
He began using the Dragon Life Reincarnation Technique.
However, he hadn't brought Karin with him today. She had gone out to play with a few girls.
He still had enough life force to revive someone who had a clone body, so he wasn't in a hurry to replenish it. He could make it up later.
Orochimaru seized the moment to release the Impure World Reincarnation.
He replied, "That will have to wait until Tsunade and Nawaki wake up. Although the 'Hashirama No.1' reagent can't be used by the Hyuga clan..."
"....a lot of the data from it can support the fusion of the Hyuga's Byakugan."
"They're still not awake?", It had already been a week since the two were injected with the reagent.
Orochimaru smiled, "The longer they sleep, the better the results. This is bloodline evolution. The time they wake up isn't fixed. Even sleeping for several months is normal."
"I see."
Rengoku nodded to show he understood.
He had already input enough life force. Hizashi's whole body trembled, and he slowly opened his eyes in confusion.
"This is… where… am... I?"
When Hizashi died, Rengoku hadn't arrived in this world yet, so he naturally didn't recognize him.
But he did recognize Orochimaru, "Orochimaru?"
Hizashi's mind was in complete chaos, not understanding what had happened at all.
Orochimaru gestured to Kabuto Yakushi at the side, "Go explain it to him."
Kabuto pushed Hizashi's medical bed into the adjacent room.
"Do you have any kind of drug similar to Thornheart Lotus?"
After Hizashi was wheeled away, Rengoku asked Orochimaru.
Orochimaru still didn't know about Rengoku's scheme, so he looked at him with some confusion.
"What do you need it for?"
Rengoku shrugged helplessly, "To fulfill Uchiha Natsuki's request, I need to turn things between Neji and Tenten into a done deal."
"Hm? Why?"
Orochimaru was a bit curious. Based on Rengoku's description, someone like Uchiha Natsuki should already be standing at the peak of the world. Why would he care about something like this?
"It's a personal hobby of his. He told me that after reaching the Star God realm, to avoid losing one's humanity, you need a lot of emotionally driven experiences to maintain it."
"He likes shipping couples…"
Rengoku then explained Natsuki's hobbies, as well as the Seven Deadly Sins and related matters to Orochimaru.
After that, he looked Orochimaru up and down, "Compared to that, I'm more worried about you losing your humanity."
After shifting to behind-the-scenes work over the years, Orochimaru had basically become like a machine.
He wasn't picky about food or drink, didn't like social interaction, and only liked burying himself in research. At all times, he acted based on rational thinking.
The Seven Deadly Sins didn't really apply to Orochimaru at all.
If the Orochimaru from the original timeline could still feel jealousy, greed, or pride, this version of Orochimaru no longer placed much importance on the Mangekyo Sharingan.
After all, his perspective had already changed.
So the Orochimaru here was more like a cold machine.
Aside from getting excited while pursuing truth, he showed almost no emotional fluctuation at other times.
After hearing this, a thoughtful look flashed in Orochimaru's eyes. In the end, he stuck out his tongue and licked around once, his eyes filled with amusement, "If there's such a hidden danger, I'll just solve it."
For Orochimaru, something with the answer already laid out held no challenge at all.
He could adjust his own state at any time. It was simply a matter of whether he had the time to do it.
"I'll prepare Neji's medicine."
"Just bring him over tomorrow."
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
[email protected]/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining P@treon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through P@treon.