Tonight, Konoha's night was especially dark, as if soaked in ink.
Deep within the Death Forest's thick shadows, outside a rock cave nestled against a sloped fault line, snake silhouettes slithered silently through the underbrush.
Hiss... hiss...
Sensing something, the serpents raised their heads slightly, flicking blood-red tongues as they scanned their surroundings.
High in a distant tree, several masked figures in black appeared silently like owls, not disturbing the snake swarm below.
"Is it here?"
At the lead, Hiruzen Sarutobi, clad in light armor, stood on a tree branch, gazing into the bottomless darkness of a cave ahead. His muttered words were heavy and conflicted.
"Disperse," he ordered in a low voice.
Swish! Swish!
The figures behind him scattered instantly, spreading out like great black wings, enveloping the area under beak and claw.
This was the Special Assassination Tactical Unit—known for their efficiency, ruthlessness, and cold precision.
Recently, many Genin, Chūnin, and even ANBU had gone missing in Konoha. Even with Danzo's efforts to obscure the truth, the disappearances of skilled mid-tier ninjas couldn't go unnoticed.
Today, a Hyuga clan elder had died, and the director of Konoha Hospital had vanished under everyone's noses.
Was Orochimaru truly mad?
The matter had finally reached Hiruzen Sarutobi, despite his focus on border conflicts in the Land of Fire. And he instantly thought of recent suspicious reports involving Orochimaru…
"Orochimaru..."
After a brief silence, Sarutobi and two ANBU agents vanished, leaving only a sigh—part regret, part disappointment.
Meanwhile, beneath the mountain cave, in the cold, damp maze of an old sewer system…
Drip... drip...
The sound of water echoed through the darkness.
Within an open, shadowy chamber repurposed into a secret lab:
"No matter how many times I see it, I'm always awed by the precision and wonder of this body."
Staring at the still, intact corpse on the surgical table, Orochimaru's desire and greed surged.
He had seen well-preserved ancient bodies before, but they were often distorted or grotesque. This corpse, however, looked too perfect to be human—delicate features, soft skin, flowing black hair. Even the eyelashes were intact. Eyes shut peacefully, as if merely sleeping.
Though the body showed signs of dehydration and muscle atrophy, Orochimaru confirmed the boy was dead. Yet the corpse retained faint signs of vitality.
To him, it felt as though the "soul" had broken free, leaving only an empty shell…
"So this is an Ōtsutsuki." Orochimaru's chest heaved slightly, tongue licking his cracked lips.
According to Hyuga clan texts, the Ōtsutsuki were the origin of chakra and jutsu—beings of immense vitality and soul.
But even they bled red, not divine ichor.
If he could transplant all the organs, he might transform his own body, gain unmatched jutsu potential, and a powerful life force.
Only he—master of cellular and organ transplant techniques—could perform such a surgery. Even Tsunade couldn't.
It felt... tailor-made for him.
Orochimaru's gaze shifted to the figure on the adjacent table—a pair of trembling white eyes locked with his.
One was a boy, around fifteen or sixteen. His features were youthful but pale and taut. Black hair spilled like silk, and the "卍" curse mark on his forehead gleamed ominously.
Only the Hyuga clan possessed such snowy-white eyes. Only branch members bore the cursed Caged Bird Seal.
Hyuga Shigure.
That was the boy's name.
He had willingly presented the Ōtsutsuki corpse and the ancient Hyuga texts to Orochimaru.
According to those texts, the Hyuga were direct descendants of the Ōtsutsuki, making Shigure the ideal transplant recipient—unlikely to reject the organs.
"Shigure, only the heart remains. Are you ready?"
Orochimaru asked with a soft, eerie smile, omitting formalities and speaking with possession in his tone.
Such familiarity implied dominance: "You belong to me."
And indeed, once the transplant was complete, Orochimaru would brand him with a curse mark, perfect his soul-rebirth technique, and eventually take the body for himself.
A mere teenager. A so-called "failure" of the Hyuga.
"Lord Orochimaru, please proceed."
Shigure's face was fearful, but his voice was steady. His eyes were filled with devotion and gratitude.
"You avenged my parents. This unworthy body is yours to command."
Orochimaru smiled. Killing that Hyuga elder had taken effort, and his old teacher likely suspected him by now.
But the price was acceptable—he needed Shigure's full cooperation for the surgery, and thus fulfilled his request for revenge.
It didn't matter. Orochimaru had long tired of Konoha. If this body unlocked Ōtsutsuki secrets, betrayal was worth it.
"What are you doing, Orochimaru?"
The voice came from a man in a white coat—the missing hospital director, codename "Owl," a medical agent trained by Danzo.
Fear and anger colored his eyes, but Orochimaru ignored him.
He focused on the procedure, initiating the complex sealing array beneath his feet.
Buzz!
Black seals crawled over Shigure's body, restraining him while supplying chakra and activating an external circulatory system.
His organs—liver, kidneys, pancreas—had already been replaced with Ōtsutsuki ones. Now, only the heart remained.
Slice.
A chakra scalpel gleamed. Orochimaru opened Shigure's chest, exposing crimson organs. With surgical precision, he cut out the heart, leaving only critical tissue.
He turned to extract the Ōtsutsuki heart—calm, red, still pulsing faintly. With almost reverent care, he inserted it into Shigure's body.
"A heart transplant?" Owl trembled. "You think just the two of us can pull this off?"
"You can." Orochimaru's voice was cold. "Because if not, things will get bloody. Don't you agree?"
Owl hesitated, then reluctantly moved into position.
The operation began—brutal, raw, precise. One mistake could mean death.
Chakra surged through Shigure's body, sustaining him like a miracle.
Time passed. Chakra drained.
But the vessels began to fuse. Even the cruciform chest incision started to heal under Orochimaru's mystic palm.
"Just one last step. I'll deactivate the life-support barrier."
Both men were pale and exhausted. Orochimaru's voice was barely a whisper:
"Shigure… don't disappoint me."
Now it all depended on whether Hyuga Shigure could withstand the power of the Ōtsutsuki.
Thud!
A heavy, thunderous heartbeat sounded. Veins bulged, bluish and branching like leaves.
Vital signs on the monitor spiked.
"Ahhh!!"
Even prepared, the pain overwhelmed Shigure. His blood boiled like molten iron.
"Control it with your chakra! Suppress the heart! Make it obey!" Orochimaru commanded.
Buzz!
Chakra burst. Orochimaru's pupils shrank.
But suddenly—Shigure's body seized. The monitor flatlined.
"Damn it!" Orochimaru's face twisted. "He's the ideal match—how can he fail?"
If Shigure died, he'd have to raid the Hyuga Main Family.
No choice. He turned to preserve the heart before it necrotized.
Thud...
A faint sound froze him.
Thud!
Shigure's eyes stayed shut, but his chest thumped louder.
Thud! Thud thud!
The heartbeat turned into war drums, pounding fiercely in his chest.
"…This is…"
Orochimaru stepped forward, stunned.
The vitals were stabilizing—surging past human levels.
He had succeeded.
"Indeed."
Someone answered softly, like a fairytale.
"At last… success."
Orochimaru turned—
And met a pair of eyes, once pure white, now radiant and glassy like molten crystal—icy blue-white.
Emotionless. Deep as still waters.
Shigure's blood boiled; red mist rose from his skin.
He exhaled power. Strength surged through every cell.
"You—"
Shhk!
Owl tried to speak.
But the slash was swift and silent—death, not pain.
A red line traced Orochimaru's cheek.
Owl's head fell. His body sprayed blood like rain.
"I've waited long enough."
Shigure stared at his bloodied hand.
A smile spread across his lips.
"Such a night… should be silent."
Three years. Three long years…
Now, his frail body was remade.
His true Ōtsutsuki blood awakened.
And—
[Ding!]
[Your lie "Ōtsutsuki Corpse & Descendant" has been judged as: 'Immersive Setup' + 'Honeyed Blades' + 'Truth in Falsehood'. Orochimaru's emotional fluctuation reached 'Utter Conviction'. You gained 10,000 Reality Points.]
[Evaluation: A mesmerizing ruse, like shadows dancing on a wall—casting even a small figure into a towering presence.]
[Remaining Points: 10,041]
Orochimaru looked at the boy's face—once timid, now serene.
Like a child toying with an ant…
Pure malice.