Land of Rice Fields, Orochimaru's Base, Spacious Training Ground

  Tiger → Rabbit → Dog → Ram → Dragon—

  [Wind Release: Wind Cutter Teique]

  "Swish!"

  A bandaged boy flexed his fingers as he watched a dummy in the distance sliced into pieces, his expression focused, as if p deeply.

  "Lord Orochimaru, how are you adapting to your new body?" Kabuto Yakushi emerged from the shadows.

  The bandaged boy—Orochimaru—gnced up and said, "My chakra trol has permaly deteriorated. The chakra from my previous body tairaces of untrolble natural energy. Repeated attempts at f seals caused the seal's effects to spread into my mental state..."

  His tone was uedly calm, his face thoughtful. After a pause, he added, "Kabuto, your hypothesis was correct."

  "That is a peculiar type of natural energy—or rather, five types," he murmured, seemingly absorbed in his thoughts.

  When it came to his researto immortality and deeper forms of power, Orochimaru was methodical aiculous.

  After a long pause, he asked, "How is that body doing?"

  "Extremely unstable," Kabuto replied, choosing his words carefully. "When chakra is ied to perform seals, the seal's effects are still triggered. With the infusion of natural energy, even being near it disrupt normal chakra operations."

  The two left the training ground aered the depths of the base, arriving at a boratory.

  The body Orochimaru previously inhabited floated in a tank filled with pale blue liquid. Its skin shimmered with an eerie, multicolored sheen, its hollow, iridest eye sockets seemingly "staring" outward.

  "Uhe influence of excessive natural energy, its regeive capabilities are terrifying," Kabuto expined. "We’ve had to use specialized inhibitors to suppress its activity. If removed, the natural energy would tio grow, reag trations that could make it iructible."

  "This body has been pletely hollowed out, leaving only ay shell. Yet, the seal maintains a delicate bance, even uhe inhibitors. The natural energy is still increasing, albeit slowly."

  "Lord Orochimaru, if not handled carefully, this thing might just destroy the world," Kabuto warhough his gleaming eyes betrayed intrigue. To him, it was less a threat and more a priceless treasure.

  Breathing heavily, Orochimaru replied with restraiement, "In other words, it's already immortal..."

  "Is that correct?"

  "If you abandohing else a as an inanimate form, like a subterranean mineral vein," Kabuto adjusted his gsses, "then yes."

  …

  Konohagakure, Medical Corps Building, New Office

  "…Though you haven’t learned any mediinjutsu yet, your chakra trol is excellent," the senior medic, Mokusa, said with a pat on Link’s shoulder.

  "Wele to the Medical Corps, our you member!"

  "This is a gift for you," Mokusa added, pulling a scroll from his white uniform pocket and handing it to Link. "We’re not particurly busy here. If you have questions, feel free to ask ahere’s always someone on duty in the building. For project funding, e to me or Hōpō to apply."

  "Thank you, senpai," Link replied as he accepted the scroll with a polite bow.

  The Medical Corps wasn’t directly tied to the vilge hospital. Instead, it funed as a special operations unit, deploying to battlefields h-stakes missions when necessary. Duriime, its members focused on medical research, innovation, and treating plex cases.

  After Mokusa gave Link a quick tour of the facility—showing him the cafeteria, bs, the ander’s office, the library, and the spe room—he left to attend to his own work.

  "This is much easier than I expected…"

  Sitting in his sparsely furnished office, Li at a loss. He had anticipated a busy first day, akin to his previous life’s entry-level corporate chaos. Instead, the process had been surprisingly smooth.

  Perhaps Shikaku had lent a hand behind the ses.

  His office was basic: a desk, ay bookshelf, and a flower pot filled with soil—no pnt in sight. It was and bright but bare.

  A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.

  "e in," he called.

  A curious young man peeked in before stepping inside. "A newbie?" he asked cheerfully.

  "I’m Kunshi from the First Medical Unit," he introduced himself with a casual wave.

  "I’m Link, a new member of the same unit," Link replied politely.

  "Ah, well, I’m door. Feel free to ask me anything if you need help," Kunshi said before leaving as quickly as he’d arrived.

  "They seem like good people…"

  Link closed the door, sat at his desk, and began flipping through the books and scrolls he’d been given—all reted to medical theory. Even Mokusa’s gift tained advanced knowledge, but no actual mediinjutsu teiques.

  To learn those, he’d o visit the library, where books couldn’t be checked out.

  "Well, time to focus and study."

  Link steadied his restless thoughts and itted himself to this neter of learning.