Leaving Orochimaru's base, Hinata returned home.
She opened her palm, where an egg roughly the size of a goose egg lay quietly.
Hinata examined the snake egg in her palm; it felt cool to the touch, and she could vaguely sense a faint pulse of life within.
"Let's see what surprises you bring me," she whispered to herself, gently placing the snake egg on a soft cushion in the center of the room.
To study it more efficiently, Hinata focused her mind, and Spiritual Power began to flow within her body.
*Poof!* *Poof!* *Poof!*
Three clouds of white smoke flashed, and three Shadow Clones, identical to Hinata's main body and wearing the same white Cultivation Clothes, appeared in the Meditation Room.
"Yo, main body, why'd you call us out? Is there another blind fool who needs some Physical Salvation?" one of the Clones asked, arms crossed and looking eager for action, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
She seemed to have inherited the main body's more action-oriented side.
"Quiet down, you brute," another Clone said, adjusting non-existent glasses. Her expression was serious, her eyes filled with the focus of a researcher.
"The main body summoning us must mean there's an important research topic. Hmm? What's that on the floor?" Her gaze was instantly drawn to the snake egg on the cushion.
The third Clone yawned and lazily sat down on a nearby Meditation Mat, resting her chin in her hands.
"Ah... what a pain. Are we analyzing complex Runes again, or optimizing the Flying Thunder God? Hmm? An egg? Don't tell me you've finally found Cultivation too boring and want to switch careers to be a breeder, main body?"
The main body Hinata rubbed her temples helplessly, feeling as though these Clones were developing increasingly distinct personalities.
"Orochimaru gave me that. It's supposedly a snake egg that can be hatched using Spiritual Power."
"Oh?" the three Clones said in unison, their expressions varied.
Clone A immediately made a face of disgust.
"Is this egg reliable? What if it hatches into some slimy, three-headed freak snake that can talk? And then it crawls into bed at night and says in Orochimaru's voice, 'Young man, do you want to become stronger?'... Eugh, just thinking about it gives me goosebumps!" She exaggeratedly rubbed her arms.
Clone B was already squatting next to the snake egg, her eyes sparkling with the light of curiosity.
"Hard to say. What if it's Bai Suzhen or Xiao Qing? That would be a win, wouldn't it?"
"Hmm... a combination of biological modification and Spiritual Power adaptability? Interesting. Let me analyze it."
She pulled out a small notebook and a pen from nowhere, preparing to start recording.
Clone C remained lazy, but a hint of interest appeared in her eyes.
"What are you doing? You want to be a 'Grass-roots Hero' too? You don't have the equipment for that; you're missing a part."
Clone B interjected: "You could use an exoskeleton."
"...Fine, 'Grass-roots Heroine' it is. Anyway, if this thing actually hatches, does that mean we won't have to run errands to that gloomy base anymore? That'd be nice. But could Orochimaru be monitoring this thing in real-time? What if we're doing something private? Like bathing... or, you know, other things."
She winked mischievously.
Hinata rolled her eyes so far back they almost reached the sky.
"I've checked; it doesn't have that capability. Even if it did, I could just modify it with Spiritual Power or take complete control of it."
Clone C extended a finger, saying that talk was cheap compared to action. A wisp of pure, gentle Spiritual Power swirled around her fingertip as she slowly moved it toward the snake egg.
The moment that wisp of Spiritual Power touched the shell, a change occurred.
The snake egg vibrated slightly, and a shimmer of light flowed across its surface.
The shell seemed to become translucent, revealing the faint outline of a curled-up little life inside. It was greedily absorbing the Spiritual Power, and its life pulse strengthened perceptibly.
"Wow! It moved! It moved!" Clone A exclaimed like a child seeing a new toy, her eyes wide as she squatted nearby. "Look! The little thing inside seems to love Spiritual Power!"
Clone B recorded rapidly.
"Confirmed: Spiritual Power acts as an efficient catalytic energy source. Energy conversion efficiency is extremely high, and vital signs are rising steadily. Suggesting input tests with different attributes of Spiritual Power to observe variations in reaction."
She looked up.
"main body, why don't we try inputting a bit of more violent Spiritual Power? Or maybe stimulate it with some lightning or fire? It might awaken its potential."
"Hey, hey! Big Dummy, what are you doing? Calm down," Clone C quickly intervened.
"I think you really want snake egg soup. Or do you want to hatch a little snake that comes with its own electric sparks or black flames? We're raising a Spiritual Pet, not creating a biological weapon!"
Hinata also shook her head.
"Step by step. For now, gentle Spiritual Power seems to be the most suitable nourishment. Excessive stimulation might lead to unpredictable mutations."
She didn't want to hatch anything truly bizarre, and she found the process quite interesting.
"Then let's give it a name!" Clone A proposed enthusiastically.
"How about Heaven-Swallowing Snake? It sounds domineering. Or maybe Little Orochimaru, to show respect to the supplier?"
She grinned mischievously.
Hinata curled her lip. Why don't you just call it the Nine-Colored Heaven-Swallowing Python, or just Medusa?
Clone B objected: "The naming should be more academic! Based on its biological characteristics and functions, I suggest naming it 'Spiritual Power-Sensing Biological Communication Unit — Unit-01'!"
Clone C shuddered. "Spare me... Let's just call it Eggy. Simple and easy to understand."
"What the hell is 'Eggy'? Why don't you call it 'Little Tuft'?"
The three Clones immediately began arguing over the naming rights.
"Enough. Let's wait until it hatches. What if it doesn't hatch at all?"
Hinata stopped their bickering.
Over the following period, Hinata's main body and the three Clones began their systematic research on it (or rather, their collective vigil over the egg).
They experimented with different intensities of Spiritual Power input and found that maintaining a gentle, steady output resulted in the highest absorption efficiency and the most stable growth in life pulse.
Clone B even placed it in the very center of a Spirit Gathering Array, which also seemed to work well.
Clone A was responsible for security. (Mainly to prevent Clone B from conducting excessive experiments.)
Every now and then, she would poke the shell with her finger, feeling the cool texture and the faint throb from within, muttering to herself.
"Grow up quickly, little guy. You can take your master for a ride later. Flying through the sky on your back would definitely be cool."
Clone C was the most idle, having somehow procured a pot of Spiritual Tea and several plates of snacks, enjoying them while she watched.
"It's a snake; how's it going to fly? It's more likely to ride you."
"Piss off. Ever heard of genetic mutation?" Clone A retorted.
"That's not freaking genetic mutation; that's genetic nuclear fission. What would it even turn into..."
Clone C curled her lip and stuffed snacks into her mouth, occasionally feeding some to the main body.
"You're just short-sighted. A snake can turn into a Jiao, and a Jiao can turn into a Dragon."
"Hey, what's it going to eat later? Is Spiritual Power enough? Do we need to catch some mice or bugs for it as snacks? Snakes eat mice, right? It'd be a bit pathetic if it's following us and still has to eat mice."
Her questions were always so whimsical, and for a while, the room was filled with a relaxed and humorous atmosphere.
Raising a Spiritual Pet really was a good idea; it's perfectly normal for a cultivator to have one.
Even Naruto has a fox.
[host, Naruto's 'Spiritual Pet' is a bit lethal. Do you want one too? I can Seal some Ancient Vicious Beast inside your body, guaranteeing you the same treatment as Naruto instantly. Seal included for free~]
[A delightful nurturing phase! No points, but Happiness +10086!]
Screw you. Seal a Vicious Beast? As if I have nothing better to do. Why don't you just give me a Spring Autumn Cicada, along with an Old Grandpa claiming to be the remnant will of some ancient powerhouse?
He could recite poetry occasionally, talk about 'Great Love' or wanting eternal life, and say he'll give me all his legacies—memories, Cultivation Techniques, and all.
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