Orochimaru snapped his fingers.
The Wind Release chakra gathered at his fingertips shot outward in a thin, invisible blade. With a soft click, the lights in the room went out, plunging everything into darkness.
"Do you need a night light?" he asked calmly.
Beside him, Uchiha Hikari stiffened. Her fingers tightened around Orochimaru's arm, gripping it as though it were the only thing anchoring her to reality.
"Sleeping next to you makes me feel safe," she whispered. "I… I can get through this."
She repeated those words silently to herself.
She was no longer trapped in that underground place. No longer buried in suffocating darkness. No longer alone.
If the lights were on, she thought, wouldn't it disturb Orochimaru's rest? She didn't want to inconvenience him. More than anything, she feared becoming a burden—afraid that one day he might find her troublesome and leave her behind.
That fear was far stronger than the darkness itself.
"You just left that place," Orochimaru said thoughtfully. "How did you manage to calm down so quickly?"
He suddenly remembered something.
Without another word, he stood up, turned the lights back on, and walked out of the room.
Hikari immediately pulled the blanket closer, clutching it with both hands. Her large black eyes stayed fixed on the doorway, unblinking, as though afraid he might disappear if she looked away.
Moments later, Orochimaru returned.
In his hand was a small, cat-shaped night light.
He placed it gently on the bedside table and switched it on.
A warm, soft glow filled the room. The tiny cat shimmered faintly, its rounded shape radiating a comforting warmth that chased away the shadows.
It was unexpectedly adorable.
"How do you feel now?" Orochimaru asked.
He found the night light surprisingly pleasing. It was a product developed by White Snake Pharmaceutical Technology Company, designed for children. The portable rice cooker he had once used—capable of producing fragrant rice even in the wilderness—was also one of their flagship products.
A company could never grow by clinging to a single field.
Research, development, expansion—everything required funding.
Stockpiling Sage Art explosives required vast sums of money.
Wars between small nations continued endlessly, producing refugees and war orphans. Many fled to neutral territories. The Land of Waves had become one such destination.
If another great war erupted…
There would only be more displaced people. More children with nowhere to go.
Before Orochimaru could sink further into thought, a sudden weight pressed against his chest.
Hikari had thrown herself into his arms.
She buried her face against him, her small body trembling.
"Hikari?" Orochimaru froze, completely caught off guard.
Children were truly difficult to understand.
At that moment, he realized something with startling clarity.
Compared to Hikari, Tsunade was incredibly easy to read.
This girl—who had been sealed underground for a hundred years—was fragile, sensitive, and painfully cautious. Every word she spoke carried layers of fear and hesitation.
"I caused you trouble…" she murmured.
"No," Orochimaru said immediately. "Absolutely not."
He felt dampness spreading across his clothes and sighed inwardly. She was even more sensitive than he had anticipated.
"I told you," he said gently, "this is your home now. Relax. Something like this won't cause any problems."
He could only patiently comfort her.
The greatest "treasure" he had found during that expedition wasn't some ancient relic or forbidden technique—but this living, breathing girl.
He wondered, briefly, if Uzumaki Mito had scolded Tsunade over this. Even if he had known beforehand that the sealed location contained a girl, he would still have broken the seal.
Curiosity was in his nature.
Why was she sealed? What power did she possess?
Curiosity really did kill the snake.
Late into the night, Hikari suddenly woke up.
She looked at Orochimaru sleeping beside her, then turned her gaze to the softly glowing cat-shaped night light.
The fear in her heart melted away like snow under the sun.
She pressed her cheek against Orochimaru's arm and fell back asleep—this time, deeper than she ever had before.
Was she having nightmares?
Orochimaru watched her through half-lidded eyes.
---
The Next Morning
Orochimaru slowly woke and pulled the blanket aside.
Hikari was curled up tightly, clutching his arm with surprising strength.
Like a kitten.
He tried to gently pull his arm free.
Her grip tightened instantly.
The same instinct.
Like someone clinging desperately to the last rope while drowning.
"Please go prepare breakfast," Orochimaru said quietly.
He formed hand seals, and a Shadow Clone appeared beside him.
"Leave it to me," the clone replied.
The clone glanced at him with pity before quietly leaving the room.
…How irritating.
Orochimaru clenched his fist.
One day, he really would beat his own Shadow Clone.
---
Laboratory
The laboratory was brightly lit.
Hikari held tightly onto Orochimaru's arm, her anxiety obvious.
Seeing this, Hyuga Mio spoke gently, "Don't worry. This is just a physical examination. We can't treat you properly without understanding your condition."
After a thorough examination, Hikari curiously watched Orochimaru analyze her blood sample.
Imu entered, holding a thick stack of documents.
"Orochimaru-sama, these are Miss Hikari's physical data."
"Hm."
Orochimaru flipped through the pages quickly.
"As expected," he said. "Your Eight Thousand Spears Dōjutsu has balanced the transplanted Dōjutsu's power. The deterioration of your body wasn't due to incompatibility—but due to their crude transplant technique."
He looked at her calmly.
"You didn't fail to withstand the power. Their technique failed you."
He handed the documents to Hyuga Mio.
"Mio, take a look."
Mio frowned as she read.
The situation was even worse than what she had observed with the Byakugan.
"My… body…" Hikari clasped her hands together nervously.
She was afraid she couldn't be saved.
But then she thought of Orochimaru—and suddenly, death didn't seem so terrifying.
Thump.
Orochimaru tapped her forehead lightly.
"What are you thinking? I told you I'd heal you."
He sighed.
"Your condition is actually better than I expected. The worst case scenario would've required replacing most of your internal organs or heavily modifying your body."
"Ah—?"
Hikari instinctively stepped back.
"I said that was the worst case," Orochimaru repeated.
"The Eye Sealing Curse I placed on you is beneficial for now. Once you recover, I'll consider removing it."
"When will treatment begin?" she asked softly.
She wanted to live.
And she wanted to recover quickly—so she wouldn't trouble him anymore.
"My recommendation is conservative treatment," Orochimaru said. "We'll heal you gradually as your body adapts. Don't expect instant recovery. Understood?"
He poked her forehead several times until it turned red.
"I understand…"
She nodded repeatedly, covering her forehead.
"Good. Now let's deal with the scars."
Orochimaru combined medical materials with vitality extracted from Zero-Tails Cells cultivated using the Reverse Curse Mark Bloodline, creating a transparent, reddish ointment.
"Will you apply it yourself," he asked, "or should I help?"
"…Could you help me?" Hikari whispered, blushing. "I might not be able to do it properly."
"Alright."
"Mio, Imu—please step outside for a moment."
They nodded and left.
Hikari trembled slightly as she removed her clothes.
The ointment was cool, making her gasp softly. As it spread, intense itching followed—an unbearable sensation that made her want to scratch desperately.
"It'll itch, but it'll pass quickly," Orochimaru said.
He accelerated the process using the Mystical Palm Technique.
"Don't give up," he warned. "If you can't endure it, I'll knock you out."
"I won't!" she gasped, biting her lip.
Gradually, the scars faded, replaced by fresh skin.
"You should take a shower."
She fled to the bathroom like a shadow.
Moments later, she peeked out shyly.
"Orochimaru… clothes…"
"For now, wear this."
He tossed her his white robe.
She caught it, feeling its cool texture—and his lingering warmth.
She emerged dressed in robes far too large.
Orochimaru adjusted it with chakra.
"This dress is made from the shed skin of a Snake Princess of Ryūchi Cave," he explained. "Even Amaterasu would struggle to burn it."
He combed her hair gently.
"No one has ever done this for me…" she whispered. "You're the first person who's ever been kind to me."
For the first time—
She felt loved.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)