Everything in Konoha had been arranged, and Anya finally returned to his former "prison cell." He planned to seal it permanently and left a Wood Release Clone here to deal with the possible Night of Annihilation in the future.
The main body walked out and opened the familiar barrier. Anya lingered for a moment, casting a few last glances before preparing to leave.
"Are you leaving? Can I go with you?" A cool voice spoke from behind him.
"Yugao, how did you get here?" Anya was somewhat startled.
Yugao didn't answer, instead continuing on her own. "I heard you've been chasing after Orochimaru. I want to go with you."
I almost forgot—I passed the blame onto Serpent Master earlier. I didn't expect Yugao to still remember, but now I'm counting on the Serpent Master to save me. How could I possibly take you along?
Anya shook his head and refused.
Yugao grew anxious. "I can definitely help you."
"It's not about that. I'm not leaving this time to chase Orochimaru. I'm leaving Konoha—perhaps I won't be coming back at all."
"Why?"
"My body has a serious problem. I need treatment, and I don't know when I'll recover, so..."
But Yugao cut in, "Then I must follow you. If anything happens, someone will still be there to help you."
Anya gave her a gentle smile. "Thank you, Yugao. I've survived countless crises during the Third Battle. This time will be no different."
Realizing Anya had already made up his mind, Yugao stepped forward. "Can I have a hug? Just like we did at Mount Hakuto?"
"Alright." Anya agreed gladly, stepping forward and giving her a light embrace.
In the sunlight, their shadows merged into one. As Andy was about to loosen his arms, he froze—he was holding her in a tight embrace.
This girl... could she possibly...
Anya pretended to be at ease as he spoke, "What's wrong? Scared I'll leave you alone in Anbu to get bullied? As long as you master the sword art I taught you, no one in Anbu can stand a chance against you."
Yugao just held him, saying nothing.
The atmosphere immediately became awkward.
This couldn't go on. Just as Anya tried to break free, Yugao suddenly let go, staring directly at him. "You really won't come back?"
Though Anya couldn't see her eyes, he could feel the weight of her gaze. He quickly replied, "I was just teasing. Once I recover someday, I'll definitely return. After all, I'm really looking forward to your sword art in the future."
"Alright, I'll wait for you."
Another person who promised to wait for him. Anya felt a heavy weight on his heart. He waved goodbye to Yugao and turned to leave.
A few days later, Anya returned to the Serpent Master's lab.
Orochimaru teased, "Earlier than expected. It seems you've already handled all your affairs outside."
"Just some trivial matters. Nothing's more important than life itself." Anya asked, "Uncle, how do you plan to save me?"
"During the days you were away, I studied many materials and ultimately reached a conclusion."
Anya listened attentively as Orochimaru suddenly stopped.
"What's the conclusion? Why did you stop speaking?"
"Give me a bit more blood. I need to confirm something."
A vial was placed in Anya's hand.
She felt like she'd come here to be used as a blood source with no say in the matter. With no other choice, she went along.
After filling the vial, Orochimaru took it and tasted a sip, as per usual.
"Come with me."
They entered a laboratory where a test subject lay on a bed, fully wrapped in bandages. A Cursed Seal covered his head and chest, and needles were inserted into his wrists.
Orochimaru injected some of Anya's blood through the needle.
As Anya's blood flowed into the test subject, the previously motionless figure suddenly began struggling violently. A massive surge of chakra erupted from within him, his body turning red.
A painful roar echoed through the room. The Cursed Seal covering his head shattered forcefully, his eyes turning blood-red and clearly revealing three tomoe—this test subject was actually a member of the Uchiha clan.
Orochimaru wasn't satisfied yet. He increased the amount of Anya's blood and added some of his own specially developed medicine.
The effect was like a mountain flood unleashed. The test subject's aura surged powerfully, surrounded by a thick layer of crimson chakra. The entire lab trembled under immense pressure. The powerful presence blew the clothes of the two standing nearby like a violent wind. Meanwhile, the three tomoe within his eyes slowly began to rotate, as if on the verge of awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Just as the Mangekyo Sharingan seemed poised to awaken, blood-tears burst from his eyes, and both eyeballs exploded violently. His once mighty body rapidly withered away, the crimson energy spreading across his skin being consumed by dark mist. He was dead—utterly lifeless.
Anya spoke calmly, "Master, it seems your experiment failed."
"No," Orochimaru replied, pointing at the test subject. "This is exactly what I wanted you to see. The black mist inside his body is the restraint within your blood. Even with my specially formulated medicine suppressing it, the moment any force tries to bypass its blockage, it will suffer immediate backlash."
"I've thoroughly studied the source of this backlash," he continued. "My conclusion—it's due to an incomplete bloodline heritage."
"Incomplete bloodline?" Anya mused over the words before speaking again. "You mean my bloodline, though originally descended from the Sage of Six Paths, has been diluted over generations."
"Precisely, but not entirely," Orochimaru explained. "There may also have been mutations—mutations that caused each Sharingan to differ. As your chakra grows, the bloodline within gradually activates, eventually forming the Mangekyo Sharingan—a peak mutation. However, there's a limit to this. I suspect the more powerful a Sharingan becomes, the stronger the backlash it suffers. As for the Myriad Phenomena power mentioned on the stone tablet, it's essentially a means to complete the bloodline of the Sage of Six Paths."
Anya nodded understandingly. "I get it now. Both the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan are descendants of the Sage of Six Paths. When their powers fuse, they can recreate the power of the Sage—what the stone tablet called the Myriad Phenomena."
"Orochimaru brought some bad news: 'I've already tried it. The vial of your blood you left with me previously—when I infused it with Hashirama's Essence, there was no special reaction. In fact, your death aura suppressed Hashirama's Essence completely, rendering them entirely inactive. What this means... I believe you understand clearly enough.'"
Anya's heart sank like a stone in her chest. If even Hashirama's Essence, known for their powerful vitality, could be suppressed, what hope did she have left to save herself?
Orochimaru could see the despair in Anya's eyes and quickly offered a solution: "If we want to remove this restraint, there's only one method I can think of. That is, to raise the vitality of your own cells to the same level as Hashirama's."
Anya gave a bitter smile: "That's beyond my reach."
A slight grin appeared on Orochimaru's face: "There might be one place that could help."
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