Chapter 81: Shikotsumyaku

Hearing that Naruto had not taken the matter to heart, Kabuto finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He then briefly explained what had happened.

"Kimimaro happened to pass by and watched Sasuke’s match with Tayuya. He made a few comments, and Sasuke challenged him. The result was..."

"The bone blade pierced about six centimeters into Sasuke’s right chest. He has already been treated and is currently resting."

Kabuto felt too embarrassed to mention that Sasuke had been completely overwhelmed in an instant.

Naruto, however, laughed.

"He got one-shotted by Kimimaro, didn’t he?"

Hearing that the blade had only pierced Sasuke’s right chest, Naruto’s slight concern disappeared.

Even if his right chest had been completely pierced, it was nothing serious in Orochimaru’s laboratory.

Besides, Sasuke had Izumi’s resurrection talisman on him. If his heart had been pierced, it would have activated automatically.

Naruto’s only concern had been that Sasuke might suffer some excessive injury—such as losing a limb or having his Sharingan damaged—which would force him to waste Izumi’s resurrection talisman.

That thing was meant to ensure that Sasuke would survive in case someone forcibly removed the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal.

Of course, that was merely a precaution.

Even if it was used, another one could simply be created through the Reincarnation Seal.

It was hardly a problem.

Naruto had originally brought Sasuke here so that he could experience firsthand how vast the world really was.

Getting injured was actually a good thing.

A major setback would be even better.

That way, Sasuke would put everything he had into training.

After all, that was simply the kind of person Sasuke was.

As long as someone gave him a good beating, he would become a ruthless training maniac and desperately work to become stronger.

Otherwise, why would Naruto have brought him here?

To boost his confidence?

Of course not.

Kabuto gave an awkward "Mm."

Naruto had brought Sasuke here to gain some practical experience, yet Kimimaro had instantly crushed him.

Kabuto couldn’t help feeling that he had failed to do his job properly.

Naruto asked:

"Where is Sasuke now?"

Kabuto answered:

"I arranged for him to rest in a room. His mood seems to be rather low."

Hearing that, Naruto shook his head with a laugh.

"I’ll go take a look. Orochimaru, I’ll come back in a while."

With that, he immediately activated the Flying Thunder God Technique and disappeared.

After Naruto left, Orochimaru said to Kabuto:

"Kabuto, you’re being too cautious. You’re overthinking things."

After giving him that brief reminder, Orochimaru stopped paying attention to the matter.

A ninja’s path to growth could never be smooth.

Only by suffering some injuries could one awaken their fighting spirit and truly grow.

Naruto was not Sasuke’s babysitter, after all.

Orochimaru turned his gaze toward the White Zetsu floating in formalin and then said:

"Prepare the reincarnation for me."

Kabuto pushed up his glasses.

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru."

Meanwhile.

Naruto looked at Sasuke, who was leaning against the bed with bandages wrapped around his chest.

His expression was somewhat dejected.

Naruto almost wanted to laugh.

He turned his head toward the other side.

There, Kimimaro stood expressionlessly at the doorway like a gatekeeper.

Naruto called out to him:

"Kimimaro, don’t worry about it. Go back for now."

Having Kimimaro standing at the door only made Sasuke feel even more irritated.

"Yes."

Kimimaro gave a slight bow before turning and leaving.

Naruto turned back toward Sasuke and teased:

"Don’t tell me you’re discouraged?"

Sasuke stared at the departing figure.

"His name is Kimimaro?"

Naruto nodded.

"Yeah. He possesses the Kaguya clan’s Shikotsumyaku."

Sasuke asked:

"He’s that strong?"

Naruto shrugged.

"He’s decent."

"Decent?"

Sasuke couldn’t help clenching his fists.

He had been instantly defeated.

His Sharingan had not even been able to follow Kimimaro’s speed.

Yet in Naruto’s evaluation, he was merely decent.

Naruto explained casually:

"He’s a little above the standard Jonin level. Kimimaro also has a bloodline disease, so he can’t fight at full strength."

Sasuke suddenly asked:

"Naruto, can you defeat him?"

Naruto gave him a faintly amused look, as though he were staring at an idiot.

Sasuke also realized how stupid his question had been.

Kabuto had told Kimimaro not to cause trouble for Orochimaru.

The moment Kimimaro heard that Sasuke was Naruto’s person, his expression had immediately changed.

And just now, a single sentence from Naruto had been enough to make Kimimaro obediently leave.

Didn’t that explain everything?

Seeing Sasuke’s expression, Naruto said:

"Get some proper rest. When you go back, train hard. Before long, you’ll surpass him."

Sasuke nodded heavily.

Naruto did not say anything else and activated the Flying Thunder God Technique, returning to the laboratory.

By the time he arrived, Kabuto had already brought out a White Zetsu.

Kimimaro was there as well.

Seeing Naruto, Orochimaru smiled.

"Naruto, we’re starting."

Naruto nodded.

A White Snake carrying Orochimaru’s consciousness emerged from Orochimaru’s mouth.

If Naruto remembered correctly, the body Orochimaru was currently using belonged to a female ninja.

In other words, this was his current "snake aunt" body.

Orochimaru had already been using this body for four or five years.

The White Snake circled through the air once.

Kabuto opened the mouth of the White Zetsu.

The White Snake flowed into its mouth.

Once its entire body had disappeared inside, the White Zetsu’s body began to change.

Slowly, its appearance transformed into Orochimaru’s.

There was no need for complicated preparations.

There were no flashy rituals or elaborate formations.

The Living Corpse Reincarnation Technique was simply this plain.

But to Orochimaru, every reincarnation was a brand-new life.

"This feels incredible!"

Orochimaru felt the tremendous vitality surging through his body, and delight appeared on his face.

The White Zetsu’s body seemed almost perfectly designed for the Living Corpse Reincarnation Technique.

It did not damage his mind or soul.

More importantly, it could completely accommodate his strength, allowing him to unleash one hundred percent of his power—or perhaps even more.

Seeing this, Kabuto could not help smiling.

"Congratulations, Lord Orochimaru."

Kimimaro, however, showed a trace of disappointment in his eyes.

Ever since childhood, he had been imprisoned by his clan in an underground cell and treated as nothing more than a killing weapon.

It was Orochimaru who recognized him and gave him a reason to live.

Kimimaro had always wanted to become Orochimaru’s vessel.

He wanted to merge with the person he respected and admired the most.

Being able to become Orochimaru’s vessel would have been the greatest acknowledgment he could receive.

Unfortunately...

"Cough! Cough!"

Kimimaro suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Orochimaru frowned and immediately walked over to him, quickly examining his condition.

"Kimimaro, your illness has flared up again."

Kimimaro was Orochimaru’s most valued subordinate.

Seeing him suffer another attack immediately dampened much of the joy Orochimaru had felt after completing the reincarnation.

Kimimaro shook his head.

"I’m fine, Lord Orochimaru. I’m sorry for making you worry."

Naruto asked curiously:

"Kimimaro’s illness is caused by excessive use of his Shikotsumyaku, right?"

Orochimaru’s heart stirred.

He turned toward Naruto.

"Does Naruto-kun have a solution?"

Kimimaro’s illness was indeed caused by excessive use of his bloodline ability.

As long as he refrained from using it, the chances of an attack would decrease.

But after every major battle, he would inevitably suffer another flare-up.

The only difference was how severe it would be.

Naruto had identified the cause with a single glance.

Orochimaru naturally assumed that Naruto might have a solution.

Kimimaro also looked toward Naruto.

Naruto asked curiously:

"Have you tried Hashirama cells?"

Naruto did not know much about Shikotsumyaku either.

But on a microscopic level, bones were primarily composed of calcium carbonate, phosphoric compounds, and various trace elements.

Excessive use would inevitably cause excessive depletion of these substances, resulting in damage to the body.

Knowing that was one thing.

Knowing how to actually treat it was another.

And Naruto had absolutely no idea how to do that.

Orochimaru shook his head.

"I was worried that Kimimaro’s body wouldn’t be able to withstand them."

Naruto nodded.

There were very few people who could successfully undergo Hashirama cell transplantation.

If the transplantation failed, the chances of death were extremely high.

Even after researching Hashirama cells for so many years, Orochimaru still did not dare to recklessly transplant them into his own body.

Besides, even if the transplantation succeeded, there was no guarantee that it would help with Shikotsumyaku.

So Naruto first ruled out Hashirama cells.

He continued asking:

"What about Tsunade? Have you tried her methods?"

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