"Lord Kawaki."
Rin no Suke approached Lord Kawaki. He was clearly nervous.
He had no idea why Kawaki wanted to see him. Though he raised his head, he couldn't bring himself to meet Kawaki's gaze directly.
"Do you want to live?"
It was just a simple sentence from Kawaki, but it exploded in Rin no Suke's ears like thunder.
He hadn't expected an opportunity to come so suddenly. His body couldn't help trembling with excitement.
"I do."
Without hesitation, the answer flew from Rin no Suke's mouth.
"Then come with me."
Kawaki said nothing else—nor did he make any promises.
"Alright."
Rin no Suke nodded and followed behind Kawaki, his steps firm.
Throughout the journey, Kawaki remained silent, and Rin no Suke didn't ask where they were headed.
He fully understood that the Deity of the Ninja World wouldn't waste time playing childish games with someone like him.
Besides, he didn't believe he possessed anything particularly worthy of Kawaki's attention.
Even though he was considered a fairly outstanding prodigy, to Kawaki, he probably wasn't worth more than an ant.
Two figures—one large, one small—left the Ninja Academy and soon arrived at Konoha General Hospital.
Many staff members greeted Kawaki along the way, but now calm again, Rin no Suke's expression remained unchanged.
It was as if everything happening around them held no relevance to him anymore.
Only when Kawaki led him into the lab and he saw Orochimaru did a flicker of excitement cross his face.
Orochimaru's most distinctive feature was his snake-like eyes.
"Stop whatever you're doing for a moment."
"I brought you an interesting little guy."
With a casual push, Kawaki positioned Rin no Suke right before him.
"Busy right now. Don't bother me."
Orochimaru didn't give Kawaki the slightest courtesy, not even turning his head.
"Brother-in-law, wait a second. I'll be done soon."
Misaki offered an apologetic explanation, her voice carrying a hint of regret.
"This kid is from the Kaguya Clan in Kiri."
"His Kekkei Genkai—[Bone Pulsation]—is exceptionally rare."
"I'm doing you a favor, bringing him here for your research."
"If you're not interested, I'll just take him and leave."
Though he was the one seeking assistance, Kawaki made it sound like he was bestowing a favor upon Orochimaru.
"Leave the kid. You can go now."
Orochimaru impatiently waved a hand, fully aware of Kawaki's little tricks.
"You bring me here and then kick me out?"
"That doesn't seem quite fair, does it?"
How shamelessly persistent Kawaki was—he simply refused to leave so easily.
He playfully sidled up next to Orochimaru, trying to peek at what he was working on, but after failing to understand anything, he sheepishly retracted his curious head.
"Pfft~"
Kawaki's ridiculous actions amused Orochimaru, making him laugh and ruining his attempt to remain stern-faced.
"I don't have time for you right now."
"Go entertain yourself for a bit."
Orochimaru pushed Kawaki aside and gave Rin no Suke a brief glance before shifting his focus elsewhere.
"No problem."
Kawaki strutted over to the rest area and casually plopped down, leaving Rin no Suke standing alone, eyes wide with fascination.
Everything inside the laboratory captivated him completely.
Seeing how Kawaki interacted with Orochimaru gave him a glimpse of the humanity even great figures possessed.
His previously tense mood gradually eased.
About twenty minutes later, Orochimaru and Misaki finished their task at last.
Leaving Misaki to tidy up, Orochimaru took off his gloves and approached Rin no Suke.
"Don't scare the kid."
Noticing Rin no Suke take a step back, Kawaki couldn't resist teasing him.
"His bones are unusually strong. His physical vitality is solid, and his regeneration is impressive."
"So why does he look so frail? He might not have many years left."
Ignoring Kawaki's teasing words, Orochimaru removed his hand from Rin no Suke's shoulder. He had already basically understood the situation.
He didn't bother hiding anything and directly gave his diagnosis.
Upon hearing this, Rin no Suke's eyes dimmed slightly. So it was true—he really didn't have much time left.
"Even you can't do anything about it?"
Kawaki could imagine how Rin no Suke felt. Nobody would feel happy after receiving such a diagnosis.
He stood up and walked beside Rin no Suke, gently patting his head.
Caught off guard by Kawaki's sudden action, Rin no Suke looked at him again, his expression now mixed with something indescribable in his eyes.
"The worst-case scenario is just death."
"I can give it a try."
Death sounded so simple coming from Orochimaru, but for Rin no Suke, it represented hope.
At least, Orochimaru didn't immediately sentence him to death like those Medical Ninjas in the village had done.
He still had a chance to live!
"Kid, did you hear that?"
"You might die during the process. Are you willing to undergo the treatment?"
Hearing Orochimaru speak like this, Kawaki knew he'd definitely give it his best effort.
As for the final outcome, that would depend entirely on Rin no Suke's fate.
"I'm willing."
Rin no Suke hadn't anticipated Kawaki would ask his opinion. After a moment's pause, he responded.
He had no other choice. No matter what kind of treatment he received here, he was determined to endure it.
Either live or die.
"I hope you won't regret this."
A slight smirk curled on Orochimaru's lips, making him appear even more sinister.
"Don't smile like that; it creeps me out."
Kawaki dramatically shuddered, making his discomfort clear.
"Follow me."
Orochimaru quickly wiped the smirk off his face. He cast a disdainful glance at Kawaki, then turned around and started walking.
Rin no Suke obediently followed behind Orochimaru, allowing himself to be led.
After collecting blood samples and conducting a full-body examination, they even generated several small bones for study.
This chapter isn't done yet!
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"That's enough for today. Take him back."
After finishing everything, Orochimaru once again issued an order of dismissal to Kawaki.
"Do you know the way back?"
Ignoring Orochimaru, Kawaki asked Rin no Suke directly.
"Then go back by yourself."
Seeing Rin no Suke nod, Kawaki allowed him to leave on his own.
*Bang!*
As the laboratory door shut, Kawaki practically dragged Orochimaru into the rest area and made him sit down.
"Say whatever you want to say now."
Shaking off Kawaki's hold, Orochimaru composed himself and sat upright as Misaki served tea to both of them.
"Could there have been a deviation in the development of this child's Bone Pulsation?"
Kawaki maneuvered Orochimaru down the path he had in mind under the guise of casual conversation.
"Evolution?"
"You're saying Bone Pulsation isn't the ultimate form of this Kekkei Genkai?"
"Like the Sharingan?"
Orochimaru caught on quickly, though he was highly skeptical about where Kawaki had drawn such an idea from.
It wasn't that he looked down on Kawaki—it was just that he didn't respect Kawaki's depth of knowledge.
In terms of combat, he admitted Kawaki was out of his league.
But when it came to academic knowledge? He was leagues ahead of Kawaki.
"Yeah, exactly."
"And then this kid's body couldn't handle it, so this situation happened."
Kawaki thought to himself how easy it was to talk to someone smart. What he didn't realize, however, was that Orochimaru didn't actually believe Kawaki had come up with this idea on his own.
"In theory, it's not completely impossible."
Orochimaru paused in thought before replying in a very formal tone.
"Then it is possible."
"You should seriously look into this direction."
"I believe Bone Pulsation has far more potential than this."
Kawaki spoke with great conviction, while Orochimaru couldn't for the life of him figure out where that confidence was coming from.
"I understand. I'll consider it."
Orochimaru had his own plans and wouldn't allow Kawaki to lead him around by the nose.
After listening to what he considered Kawaki's nonsense, he stood up and prepared to get back to work.
"What do you mean 'I'll consider'? You better remember, alright?"
Kawaki reached out a hand, but Orochimaru dodged it smoothly. Did he really think I'm that easy to manipulate?
"Feel free to leave. No need to say goodbye."
Orochimaru left behind nothing but a cool, departing figure as he waved goodbye.
...
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