Orochimaru's eyes scanned the area, fingers twitching, ready to form seals.
His hands had long since released Saeko's and Shiho's. Mutated snakes slithered from his sleeves, coiling around his arms, poised to strike at the first sign of danger.
There was no chakra signature.
No scent.
No sound.
Yet a bead of sweat slid down his temple.
He didn't trust silence. Not in this world.
Beside him, Saeko shifted her stance, muscles tense. The sterile calm of the modern room had vanished, replaced by the dry, dusty interior of a decaying wooden hut. Empty. Isolated. The air reeked of earth and rotting timber.
Shiho, still in a child's body, moved with surprising caution. Her violet eyes darted from shadow to shadow, absorbing every detail. She hadn't expected comfort here, but a part of her had still hoped for a softer landing.
She just didn't want to die immediately.
Seconds passed.
Then minutes.
Still, nothing.
No Sage.
No Ōtsutsuki.
No monstrous chakra.
No ambush.
Nothing.
Orochimaru didn't relax. He simply stopped expecting death.
The snakes retracted under his sleeves. His shoulders lowered a fraction. The storm of tension faded.
Then, in his usual calm tone, he turned to the two girls and said,
"Welcome to my world."
Saeko scanned the surroundings. "What just happened?" she asked, voice low but sharp. "There's no danger?"
Shiho, standing close, glanced up, also waiting for an answer.
Orochimaru's reply came slowly, thoughtfully.
"I expected an attack. Some powerful entity noticing our arrival, something watching from this realm or beyond. But... nothing came."
He tilted his head, his gaze distant.
"Either they didn't notice, or they did and chose not to care. Maybe they consider us too insignificant to matter. Or maybe," a slight smirk tugged at his lips, "this is all just entertainment to them."
Shiho stiffened.
"You mean... our lives are just part of a game?"
"Exactly," Orochimaru said without hesitation.
"They could be watching. Waiting. Betting on who survives the longest. Maybe even rewriting the board when they grow bored."
He didn't doubt it.
The memories.
The Gacha system.
Even his resurrection and change of perspective...
All of it could be the work of unseen, higher forces. He might be no more than a piece in someone else's game. A story. An experiment. An episode.
And maybe, just maybe, they could erase him with a whim.
Or maybe not.
Maybe he was more than that.
It didn't matter.
Because he couldn't control that.
And Orochimaru had long since learned to only focus on what he could control.
But Saeko and Shiho hadn't.
The realization weighed heavily on them.
Were they really just characters in someone's story? Entertainment for forces beyond comprehension?
Their expressions turned distant, unsettled.
Noticing the shift, Orochimaru waved a hand dismissively.
"Don't worry about them," he said matter-of-factly.
"If they wanted to interfere, you wouldn't be able to stop them. So don't waste energy on what you can't change."
His gaze sharpened.
"Focus on what you can control. Grow stronger. Maybe one day... strong enough to stand on equal ground. Or higher."
The silence grew heavier.
Saeko looked down.
Shiho's brow furrowed.
Can we even reach that level? Saeko wondered, the thought curling in her chest like smoke.
But Orochimaru didn't indulge their doubts.
He formed a rapid string of hand seals. With a flicker of chakra, a shadow clone appeared beside him.
"You need to get registered," he said flatly, already turning away.
"And learn the village layout."
Without waiting for a reply, the clone opened the door.
The two girls exchanged a glance.
They understood. This wasn't a suggestion. It was the next step in their new life.
In silence, they followed the clone out.
---
Outside, the world that greeted them was unlike anything they had ever known.
The clone walked briskly, speaking without turning.
"Don't assume you can blend in. The Uchiha patrol the streets daily. ANBU operate in the shadows. Even regular shinobi, clanborn or not, are trained to detect the unusual."
He gave them a sharp glance.
"Being a ninja begins with one rule: information and reaction. If you don't belong, you'll be noticed."
His tone was firm. Not cruel. Just cold.
"Don't act clever. Don't pick fights. And don't assume what worked in your world will work here."
It wasn't a threat. Just a warning.
If they slipped up, Orochimaru might intervene, but only if absolutely necessary. He wouldn't coddle them.
If they drew attention, made mistakes, or got themselves killed, the fault and consequences would be theirs.
This was part of his plan.
A test.
How well could they adapt? Could they survive in a world like this?
Would their bodies change? Their minds?
Would they integrate or collapse?
From here on, everything was part of the experiment.
---
Meanwhile, the real Orochimaru had already returned to his lab.
There, the true work began.
He unsealed a scroll. With a subtle puff of smoke, a corpse appeared on the table.
Vermouth.
Did he kill her? Of course. She was far too valuable to waste. Some experiments simply couldn't be done on living subjects. Too many complications. Too many variables.
He didn't have the time or the tools to keep someone like her alive.
So he slit her throat and sealed her body away.
One of many.
Without delay, he opened another scroll. Another corpse. This time a boy, Takashi, the so-called protagonist of Highschool of the Dead.
Yes, Orochimaru had found him too. And others like him, characters from romantic or action-driven anime worlds.
Unlike Saeko and Shiho, they were worthless alive. He didn't bother negotiating or observing.
They were cut down, sealed, and stacked like notes in a research journal.
Dead specimens.
Why?
Because chakra was foreign to their world.
And he needed to know what it did to them.
Could their nervous systems withstand it? Would it mutate their organs? Fracture their minds? Twist their very souls?
He wouldn't allow anyone, especially not Saeko or Shiho, to freely use chakra without understanding the risks.
That meant dissecting answers.
His scalpel hovered over the exposed chest of the corpse when a thought struck him.
"Ah… right. I still need to prepare that for Kushina."
He paused, lips curling into a serpent's grin.
He'd begun reshaping the world the moment he regained his memories. With the Genus template, he'd already created potions—ones whose effects would unfold months from now.
This was only the beginning.
"I need a proper base."
The idea landed cold and certain in his mind.
The experiments ahead would be more ambitious. More dangerous. He had just retrieved equipment, high-grade tools and tech from another world.
Konoha was no longer safe.
Not for this kind of work.
Too many risks: exposure. Discovery. War. If Konoha fell, or even if someone broke in, his research, his progress, his investments… all could be lost.
He wouldn't allow it.
He needed a new lab.
Isolated. Hidden. Secure.
He tapped his finger on the table thoughtfully.
"Hmm… That will do."
*************
Good donghua/manhua for cultivation