After sealing Orochimaru's body into a scroll, the Wood Style youth finally opened his eyes.
"Where is this..."
Everything within his sight was a sea of crimson.
Simu Kamizuki pushed his glasses up. "You're awake?"
The boy looked up, propping himself up with his hands as he scrambled back a step. "Who are you?" he asked.
"My name is Simu Kamizuki."
Simu wore a kind smile and stated his name directly.
"Simu... Kamizuki?"
The boy frowned. He had never heard that name before.
"So, can you tell me your name?"
Simu's voice seemed to possess a magical power, making one feel an involuntary urge to follow his words.
The boy shook his head. "I don't have a name."
Simu's question forced him to remember his cruel past.
The bright shadowless lamps, the green nutrient solution, the sharp needles, the comrades who kept dying, and a world that never stopped shaking and spinning...
Just as the boy's headache grew more intense, a broad palm pressed down on his head.
He looked up and met those deep eyes. They seemed capable of seeing through everything.
"Alright, don't think about it anymore. It's all over."
The boy swallowed hard, asking in disbelief, "Is it... all over?"
Simu withdrew his palm and lightly adjusted his glasses. "To be precise, the experiments on you end here. Now, you have successfully obtained the Wood Style power left behind by the First Hokage."
The boy didn't feel any joy about obtaining the legendary Wood Style. Instead, he reached up to touch the top of his head.
He could still feel the lingering warmth from Simu's hand.
Never. No one had ever done that to him before.
Up until now, his entire life had been spent in endless experiments. He had never felt even a spark of warmth.
Seeing the confusion in the boy's eyes, Simu gave a faint smile. "You can choose your own path forward."
"You can choose to leave this place and live your own life."
"Or you can return to the Hidden Leaf Village. However, if you go back, you will most likely be reclaimed by Danzo Shimura for Root and become a weapon in his hands."
"Of course, if you haven't decided yet, you can stay here for now."
The boy didn't make a choice immediately. He fell into a deeper state of confusion.
Since he had been one of Danzo's experimental subjects from a young age and was later sent to Orochimaru, his understanding of the world was extremely scarce. Now that he was suddenly stripped of his status as a "sample" and given freedom and choice, he didn't know what to do.
Simu wasn't in a hurry. He stood by and waited silently for the boy to decide.
"Mr. Simu, I want to go back."
Though slightly surprised by this decision, Simu did not veto it.
"I understand."
Soon, Simu appeared once again at Orochimaru's hideout with his latest research results.
"Here. This is the body you wanted."
Simu tossed a scroll toward Orochimaru. The character for "Snake" (蛇) was written on it. It only required a burst of Orochimaru's chakra to open.
Looking at the scroll, Orochimaru's gaze instantly became fervent.
"Did it really succeed? Wood Style."
"Of course. Although it doesn't possess the world-shaking power of the legends, performing Wood Style is not an issue."
Simu pushed up his glasses.
Wood Style was the First Hokage's trademark, but it wasn't the entirety of his being.
That remaining 40% perhaps contained the more critical secrets of the God of Shinobi.
Nevertheless, it was enough to make Orochimaru ecstatic.
In the eyes of everyone from the Hidden Leaf Village, Wood Style held a special significance. It was a synonym for power. It was as if by mastering it, one could grasp the future itself.
Fortunately, Orochimaru remained relatively calm. After suppressing his internal excitement, he looked at the two youths behind Simu.
"And who are these two behind you?"
"Experimental subjects who were lucky enough to survive. They belong to Danzo," Simu replied indifferently.
In a sense, he was telling the truth.
It was just that the soul of one of them had been replaced by his own.
Orochimaru's cold gaze swept over the two.
He knew that given Simu's personality, if they agreed on one, he would never send two back to Danzo for free.
Therefore, one of these two definitely had a problem.
Or perhaps, both of them did!
However, that was Danzo's business. What did it have to do with Orochimaru?
"I see. I will contact Danzo and have him take these two back."
Simu nodded and extended a hand toward Orochimaru. "A pleasure doing business with you. Farewell."
Orochimaru reached out and shook Simu's hand.
Once he sent these two youths back to Danzo, their cooperation would be officially over.
Looking at the two boys, even Orochimaru couldn't help but sigh inwardly. What a terrifying ability.
The Wood Style experiment he had been unable to complete for so long had been finished by this guy in just four months. He had even created three Wood Style ninjas, including himself.
How terrifying!
After Simu had completely disappeared, Orochimaru spoke to the two youths. "You two stay here for the night. I have already sent someone to contact Danzo. He should arrive tomorrow to take you back to the Hidden Leaf Village."
After years of cooperation, Orochimaru was very familiar with Danzo's character.
Upon hearing the news that the Wood Style ninja research was successful, that man would likely send people to rush here overnight.
Actually, to prevent any accidents, he would probably lead the group himself.
The two inexperienced boys naturally had no objections. They were led to a room by one of Orochimaru's subordinates.
In the middle of the night, the Wood Style youth finally spoke. "Why do you want to go back to the Hidden Leaf Village?"
He didn't ask a stupid question like "What is your name?"
As experimental subjects from the same period, the Wood Style youth had an impression of the other boy. Although they hadn't interacted, it was certain that as orphans raised by Danzo from a young age, they had no names.
"If we don't go back to the Hidden Leaf, where else can we go?" the other boy asked back.
The conversation immediately fell into silence.
Indeed, if they didn't go back, where could they go?
For children like them whose sense of self and humanity had been erased since childhood, the only thing branded into their minds was that one figure.
Danzo Shimura.
This was how Danzo controlled Root. By erasing their sense of self, he ensured they could only find meaning and value in their existence through him, turning them completely into Root's weapons.