The door to the analysis room closed gently, temporarily sealing away Kabuto's near-fanatical dedication and Orochimaru's calm acceptance inside.
He needed to go prepare, to meet the challenge in his best state.
Inside the laboratory, only empty incubation tanks, flickering data screens, and the faint lingering scent of nutrient solution and disinfectant remained in the air.
Orochimaru walked to the main console, called up the final data stream of the resurrection process for Kato Dan, and quickly scanned the various parameter curves.
After confirming everything was correct, he subconsciously glanced at Hinata, who was sitting quietly at the table.
Then, his gaze fixed on Hinata's raised wrist.
There, the Little White Snake was coiled comfortably. Its fine, milky-white scales shimmered with a warm, jade-like luster under the laboratory's cold light. Its head rested gently on the back of Hinata's hand, and its pink tongue flicked out occasionally, moving at a leisurely, unhurried pace, even carrying a hint of laziness.
Sensing his gaze, it lifted its head slightly, its golden vertical pupils looking toward Orochimaru with clear eyes...
That gaze could even be called somewhat innocent, completely devoid of the cold vigilance typical of ordinary snakes, let alone any aggression.
Orochimaru frowned.
"Miss Hinata," he began, his voice carrying a hint of obvious confusion and inquiry.
"That thing on your wrist... has it shown any special changes recently?"
Hinata looked down at the Little White Snake, gently tapped its head with her finger, and it immediately rubbed against her fingertip affectionately.
"Changes? No, it's always been like this. It eats, sleeps, delivers messages—it's quite good."
"Always... like this?" Orochimaru walked over, got closer, and scrutinized the Little White Snake carefully. He even reached out a finger, attempting to approach the Little White Snake's head.
The Little White Snake just looked at the finger curiously, tilted its head slightly, and showed absolutely no intention of dodging or displaying a threatening posture.
"It... doesn't attack? And it's not nervous?" Orochimaru asked, his tone growing increasingly strange.
"Attack? Why would it attack?" Hinata found it somewhat amusing. "It's very well-behaved."
Orochimaru withdrew his finger and licked the corner of his mouth with the tip of his tongue. His eyes were filled with the frustration and bewilderment of a scientist facing an experimental product that had deviated severely from expectations.
"But when I first created it..." Orochimaru said slowly, as if recalling a failed work.
"I selected the genes of several of the most ferocious snakes with the most potent neurotoxins and fused them with high-perception reptilian Summoned Beast cells, and so on. Its original design prototype was meant to be an auxiliary combat and reconnaissance Summoned Beast that combined stealth, speed, lethal toxicity, and high-efficiency communication capabilities."
He pointed to the Little White Snake, which currently looked harmless to both humans and animals on Hinata's wrist, appearing even a bit cute and clumsy.
"Tsk, but now it... where is its aggression? Where is its toxicity? Looking at it like this, it's questionable whether it even has fangs."
Hinata blinked, picked up the Little White Snake, and brought it close to her eyes to look carefully.
The Little White Snake cooperated by opening its mouth, revealing the teeth inside; the fangs were still there.
"It seems... it really does look non-toxic, but it has never bitten anyone, so we'll know in the future."
Hinata was also stunned for a moment, then realized, "Oh, it might be because of my power."
"Oh, power?" Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.
"Yes." Hinata nodded, placed the Little White Snake back on her wrist, and it coiled itself up again automatically.
"Perhaps during the incubation process, my power permeated it and changed its essence."
She tried to explain; after all, it was her first time seeing such a transformation in life form.
"My power is very special. It's not primarily for intentional attack; this power is very gentle and full of vitality. Perhaps when it was hatching, it instinctively absorbed these traits and evolved in a more peaceful and harmless direction? After all, staying by my side all day, circling around me, it's normal for it to have some changes."
As Hinata spoke, she stroked the Little White Snake's cool, smooth scales again; she quite liked it.
"I think this is quite good. It looks charming and is perfect to keep as a pet. It hasn't lost its communication function, either. If something really happens, do I really expect it to go bite people?"
Orochimaru: "..."
He felt that his meticulously designed weapon had turned into an ornamental reptile pet.
The feeling was like spending a fortune to forge a sword capable of cutting iron like mud, only to find that when it was finished, the blade had turned into gummy candy and even smelled like strawberries.
"Charming... pet..." Orochimaru repeated these two words, his tone somewhat stiff.
When he separated the White Phosphorus Snake, created the Many-Snake Strangle, and studied various dangerous Summoned Beasts, he never imagined that the word "charming" could be associated with his creations.
"So, it has absolutely no combat power now?" Orochimaru was still unwilling to give up.
"Combat power?" Hinata thought for a moment.
"Maybe... does acting cute count? The people around me all quite like it; every time they meet it, they want to pet it. Or, its scales are quite sturdy?"
Orochimaru was completely speechless.
He glanced at the Little White Snake. The Little White Snake happened to be looking at him, its vertical pupils blinking, even giving one the illusion that it was "smiling."
"Your power... is actually capable of causing such a fundamental change in a life form. It's shocking."
Orochimaru muttered to himself, his scientist's instinct making him start to ponder the principles behind this.
"It's not an external change, but a reversal of internal gene expression and energy properties... Interesting, very interesting. This means that the priority of your power's influence on the essence of life might be far higher than conventional Chakra or even natural energy..."
His gaze became intense again, but this time it was aimed at Hinata herself and this power system.
"It's not even the Qixi Festival yet, and I think you're pining for trouble." Hinata saw through his thoughts and warned him.
"You had better hold some reverence. This is completely not on the same level as your current research. It's not something you can study through just because you want to, and it's certainly not something that can be used casually to modify life. The Little White Snake is an accident, and the result... well, at least it's not bad. I quite like it."
Orochimaru looked at Hinata, who had a "I am very satisfied" expression on her face, and then looked at that "charming" Little White Snake. In the end, he could only accept this fact.
He sighed and shook his head, not knowing whether he should feel regret for his "failure" or wonder at discovering a brand-new power capable of "neutralizing" and even "cute-ifying" dangerous creatures.
"Fine... a pet it is, then. As long as you're happy." Orochimaru finally compromised, though his tone remained somewhat awkward.
"At least the communication function is intact. Don't let that function get 'evolved' away either. Next time I need your help, I hope it can still deliver the message accurately."
"That shouldn't happen, right?" Hinata looked at it.
The Little White Snake seemed to understand and nodded its head gently.
Orochimaru turned around, preparing to continue handling the preparations for Kabuto's transplant experiment. After walking two steps, he couldn't help but turn back to look at the Little White Snake on Hinata's wrist.
"Tsk... how did it end up like this... Did I make a mistake in the steps somewhere?"
Orochimaru was still somewhat unwilling to give up.
However, this kind of unknown and unexpected outcome might not be too bad; it opened his mind to new possibilities.
He licked the corner of his mouth, temporarily filed away this little episode, and refocused his attention on the upcoming Sharingan transplant experiment.
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