Leaving the basement door, Amane's face, which already showed hints of her future beauty, was etched with exhaustion.
This task was more difficult than expected.
But it was finally finished.
After stretching, Amane planned to head back and check on Karin. But after only a few steps, a white figure was already waiting for her not far away.
"Lord Orochimaru is looking for us."
Still as taciturn as ever; in all the years they had known each other, Amane had never spoken with Kimimaro for more than five minutes at a time.
It wasn't that he was cold or aloof, but rather that he was steady and serious, disliking idle chatter and preferring to focus on action.
Since he was that type, Amane wasn't the stubborn sort either. Whenever the two were together, they maintained absolute silence unless it concerned official business.
As the two passed the Sound Village training grounds, all the Otogakure Ninjas there fell silent along with them.
Some newcomers who seemed to have joined recently wanted to show some friendliness toward the pair, but they were immediately stopped by a group of quick-reacting veterans.
Only after the two had walked far away did they say earnestly, "Do you want to die? Do you know who those two are?"
"Uzumaki Tian Yin and Kimimaro, right? My master said I should try my best to build a good relationship with Lord Orochimaru's two most valued subordinates; it would benefit me for a lifetime."
As soon as the young boy finished speaking, everyone around him gasped. Then, they patted his shoulder with sympathetic eyes and explained.
"Have you been to the training grounds at ten in the morning, three in the afternoon, or after eight at night?"
The young boy shook his head, his eyes full of clear curiosity.
"Have you been near the major restricted areas designated by Lord Otokage? Just nearby, you don't need to go in."
The young boy shook his head again.
His shoulder was patted once more, the person speaking to him looking with envy at his ignorance. However, he stopped talking and had no intention of enlightening him further.
Just as the young boy was about to ask further, someone in the crowd helpfully provided some information.
"At those three times, the training grounds are a hellish landscape painted with blood and organs. And those restricted areas..."
The words came to a sudden halt, leaving the boy hanging. He hurriedly searched through the crowd, wanting the person to finish the story.
Then he saw a slightly older boy with two heads, hugging himself and trembling.
"That brat! I'll kill her one of these days!"
"Hahaha, you want to kill her? You didn't even notice how you lost. You idiot!"
At this moment, a red-haired girl with a flute tucked into her waist appeared, mocking the two-headed boy.
She then looked at the newcomer who had asked the question: "Stupid brat. Those restricted areas are Lord Orochimaru's testing grounds. If you're lucky enough to see Uzumaki Tian Yin there, whatever you do, don't go in. Otherwise..."
As she spoke, Tayuya's body performed a vanishing act on the spot, followed by Sakon's piercing scream.
It turned out his clothes had been lifted, revealing he was covered in blood that was still dripping down.
"It's been three days and it still hasn't healed."
The people around once again gasped in shock.
Those who had been here a long time knew that as long as you didn't cross a certain line, Amane was very tolerant. But once you dared to test her and cross that line, you would experience a fate worse than death.
Sealing Jutsus that caused the loss of one of the five senses for a period, or lower body paralysis—these were all tested right before their eyes on those who dared to cross the red line.
There was a wide variety of them, and they rarely repeated.
A wound that wouldn't heal for three days was clearly Amane's handiwork.
"Tayuya! You jerk!" Sakon was resentful, but unfortunately, he really couldn't beat her right now.
His injuries were truly too severe.
"Trespassing into Lord Orochimaru's restricted experimental zone... this punishment is too light. Is there something special about this person?"
On the other side, Kimimaro spoke expressionlessly.
He didn't think Amane was being soft-hearted. Although it was true she disliked killing and would actively avoid it, that didn't mean she couldn't do it, especially on matters like this.
Otherwise, how could she have gained the trust of Orochimaru, Yakushi Kabuto, and himself?
"Tayuya, Kidōmaru, Sakon and Ukon, Jirobo. It would be a waste for these four to die just like that. I gave him a five-day Sealing Treatment Cursed Seal as a warning. If there's a next time, he'll be asking for death."
The Sound Four from the original work were already beginning to stand out. In terms of talent and strength, they were indeed among the best of the talents being cultivated in the Sound Village.
Kimimaro frowned. He was very serious about everything concerning Orochimaru, and to be honest, he didn't quite approve of this punishment.
However, this was within Amane's jurisdiction. In the past, there had been others who lacked foresight and tried to glimpse forbidden secrets. Although killing was rare, it wasn't unheard of.
These people had no idea how strong Amane's sensory abilities were. In the entire Sound Village, aside from Orochimaru, likely no one had the ability to sneak in.
Thinking that Amane's reasoning made some sense, Kimimaro fell silent. After all, it was all for Lord Orochimaru.
"You're here. First, Amane, tell me how your progress is coming along."
This time Orochimaru wasn't doing experiments; he was sitting quite comfortably, with his legs crossed and resting on the table in front of him.
[He's in such a good mood?]
Orochimaru was actually surprisingly expressive; while he did wear masks, it wasn't often.
"Complete."
Orochimaru's eyes widened at her words, and the smile on his face showed no sign of fading as he spoke.
"As expected of you. And during these two years, you haven't neglected your training in Sealing Jutsu, Cursed Seal Technique, and Barrier Ninjutsu, and your Ninjutsu training has been progressing steadily.
Besides that, you haven't slacked on my experiments. Sometimes you even went to Kabuto for advice on Medical Ninjutsu and guided those children in their Ninjutsu training, acting as a teacher a few times."
The more Orochimaru spoke, the more mixed emotions Amane felt.
It really was so fulfilling!
It was a level of effort she could never have imagined in her previous life, yet she relished it.
This Ninja world had no cell phones or computers, but it had a high-pressure environment of death, and most importantly, the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu and her own powerful life force.
Every night, she could experience the thrill of fatigue plunging her into a near-death abyss one moment, and in the next, invincible life force surging from her body, tossing her toward the sky.
It had become an addiction.
"But... even after peering into the memories of fifty people, you seem to still maintain a conscience."
Orochimaru continued to smile at Amane, whose expression remained as usual, but his tone of voice was quite disappointed.
These fifty people Amane used for practice were all individuals who had committed crimes so numerous they were beyond counting in the eyes of the world.
But even after seeing them all, Orochimaru didn't sense that anyone had been intentionally killed by Amane.
And the incident with Sakon proved that Amane was completely unaffected by those people's memories.
She was still the same—never hesitating when she needed to strike, but giving a slim chance of survival when she could, and generally maintaining a kind attitude toward ordinary people.
This indeed made Orochimaru both disappointed and, at the same time, inevitably curious.
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