Night, an isoted isnd surrounded by the sea.

  Orochimaru’s southern base loomed in the shadows.

  “Ahhhhh!”

  On the monitor, a test subject who had just undergoranspnt surgery writhed in agony. His skin corroded away, exposing raw, bloody muscles, which also soon disied. The screaming stopped as his body colpsed, leaving only glimmering, multicolored bones. Eventually, they too turned into bck sand, scattering across the floor.

  “Another failure.”

  Orochimaru stood with his hands at his sides, his face calm aionless.

  “As expected, Link’s secret isn’t in his bloodline eic material. Even after transpnting his DNA, it’s impossible to harness or utilize that natural energy.”

  “What a pity.”

  Kabuto, standing nearby, asked, “Should we destroy all the cultivated geic samples, then?”

  “Preserve a portion and seal it for future research. Destroy the rest,” Orochimaru instructed. “This includes the experimental subjects who have undergohe transpnts—elimihem as well.”

  Kabuto nodded. “Doesn’t this rehe transa with Danzo meaningless?”

  “I know Danzo well. With his ambitions…” Orochimaru chuckled. “Kabuto, don’t yourself with him.”

  “How is Kimimaro?”

  Kabuto hesitated for a moment before replying, “After receiving the transpnt from the inal body, he survived. However, the Curse Mark has shown abnormal reas. He o longer el chakra or use his kekkei genkai. He requires regur iions of inhibitors, or the rampant natural energy will destroy his cells entirely.”

  Kimimaro’s once-powerful Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse) was now suppressed by the Curse Mark and inhibitors. Though the transpnt had given his body extraordinary regeive abilities, it had rendered his strength unusable. Any chakra, bloodline powers, or Curse Mark transformations were obliterated by the overwhelming natural energy. Even his physical structure had begun to ge.

  “Then we’ll proceed to the phase of research,” Orochimaru said without hesitation, showing no for the loss of his once-favored vessel.

  “Kabuto, pack up. Take the inal body. We’re heading to the northern base.”

  The southern base, filled with experimental prisoners, was no longer suitable for his esg research. The northern base, a former ter for Curse Mark experiments, housed subjects like Jūgo and a slew of failed experiments.

  “Uood,” Kabuto replied, bowing. “What about Kimimaro?”

  Orochimaru thought for a moment, then smiled coldly. “Let’s offer him to Danzo as a gift for our ransa.”

  Kimimaro, now a liability requiring stant doses of rare inhibitors, was no longer worth keeping. With many simir failed experiments, Kimimaro was no longer unique. Orochimaru decided to trade him as a token for Danzo.

  “Abandoned, huh, Kimimaro…”

  Kabuto wasn’t surprised. Orochimaru’s cruelty and pragmatism knew no bounds. Even Kabuto himself had to prepare for the day he might be discarded.

  “How could I ever abandon you?” Orochimaru’s pyful voiterrupted Kabuto’s thoughts.

  Looking down at his subordinate’s expressionless face, Orochimaru smiled, effortlessly seeing through Kabuto’s thoughts. “You’re my right hand, Kabuto. I’ll always need you.”

  “I uand.”

  Kabuto’s face briefly flickered with gratitude, but his eyes remained vat. Being needed was his only purpose.

  Leaving the surveiln, Kabuto walked through the dim corridors. His mind wao Uchiha Sasuke, remembering the day they had fought.

  That darkness in Sasuke’s heart… it was gone. His eyes looked familiar, like someone else’s I’ve seen before.

  Kabuto stopped at the entrao a room.

  “Kabuto-sensei.”

  A young boy with shoulder-length white hair and green eyes opehe door, his face calm. “Did Lord Orochimaru have instrus for me?”

  “There are no instrus,” Kabuto replied, adjusting his gsses.

  “Then…?” Kimimaro’s calm eyes looked at him.

  “You’ve been abandoned,” Kabuto stated bluntly. “In the ransa with Danzo, you’ll be a ‘gift.’”

  He pulled two murky inhibitor vials from his pocket. “These are the st ones. Each will keep your body stable for a month.”

  The truth was, there was ra inhibitor. Kabuto hahem over as a final gesture of farewell.

  “I see,” Kimimaro said quietly, his lips curving into a serene smile. Even without his powers or value, he could still make o tribution to Orochimaru.

  “How wonderful!” Tears of joy streamed down his fabsp;

  “It’s 9 p.m. Time for bed,” Kabuto said, wiping his gsses as he turo leave.

  “Those who dwell in darkness and loneliness ’t refuse aended hand.”

  L his gaze, he thought, “Aher I. What about you, Sasuke?”

  …

  In the mountains, a graveyard.

  “That Konoha kid has a dangerous teique.”

  A member of the Akatsuki, his body surrounded by sharp, serrated leaves, smiled. The bck half of his face said, “A jutsu that allows him to unicate with the dead in the Pure Land and summoo the living world without any cost.”

  “His name is Link, right? It’s unfortuachi and Kisame’s mission to capture him failed,” the white half responded.

  “That ability… it might even be useful for our pns. If he tio grow—” the bck half began.

  “I saw Itachi fight his father. It almost made me—” the white half interrupted.

  “Shut up!” the bck half snapped.

  From a distance, a masked man with a swirling pattern on his face sat on a chair. His voice was tinged with intrigue.

  “So Itachi failed as well?”

  His body distorted as he disappeared from sight, leaving only his voice behind.

  “A jutsu to summon the dead…

  “How very iing.”

  Bleam