Uchiha Kai moved silently through the stone corridors of Orochimaru's underground laboratory. On the surface, he looked composed—shoulders relaxed, breathing steady—but his Mangekyō Sharingan, hidden behind the cloak's shadow, shimmered with unease. His fingers twitched slightly beneath the fabric, ready for combat.
Who could ever feel at ease in Orochimaru's lair?
The walls were dark and damp, but the air was strangely dry—clearly maintained by an efficient ventilation system. Flickering candlelight cast distorted shadows on the walls, adding to the unease that settled over Kei like a weighted fog. Somewhere deeper inside, machines emitted rhythmic beeping—"beep... beep..."—not unlike the sounds of a medical monitoring unit. But Kai knew better.
This wasn't a place where lives were saved—it was a place where they were stolen, dissected, repurposed.
"At least the environment is well-maintained. Typical of Orochimaru... disgusting as he is, his attention to scientific infrastructure is unparalleled."
Kai had once maintained a lab of his own—confiscated now, but still fondly remembered. It had since been renovated and expanded by others, but compared to Orochimaru's, it felt crude.
"Maybe I should try to get my hands on Orochimaru's architectural notes."
But Kai wasn't here to admire interior design. He was here on a mission—one that involved finding one of Orochimaru's classified experiments. He wasn't in a rush. Imai Kenta was buying him time by engaging Orochimaru directly.
Kai had set a ten-minute limit to assess Kenta's survivability. If he lasted that long, it meant Kenta hadn't even approached his true limits. Kai suspected that Kenta could hold out for fifteen to twenty minutes—maybe more.
If Kenta couldn't, and died?
Then he wasn't qualified to survive the battlefield.
"I hope you're not disappointing me," Kai thought coldly, walking deeper into the maze.
The beeping grew louder as he advanced. Eventually, he found the source: a sealed door, reinforced and slightly ajar. Pushing it open, a wave of stale air and mechanical noise greeted him.
The sight made his blood run cold.
It was a containment chamber—small, but filled with at least ten life-support capsules, each one housing a different subject: adults, children, male and female. All unconscious. All visibly in pain. Some even had wooden growths—like sprouting Mokuton, unmistakable evidence of Senju Hashirama's cells.
"This... this is the Hashirama cell experiment site. The one linked to Danzo and the Foundation..." Kai muttered under his breath, recognizing the grotesque implications.
Orochimaru's experiments on Hashirama's cells were well-documented—at least in ANBU intel—but to see it up close was another matter. Survival capsules were expensive and tightly regulated, yet Orochimaru had them in abundance. Whether stolen or built, the message was the same: power and resources beyond reason.
Grimacing, Kai began sifting through the nearby files—Orochimaru's logs, data sheets, and research notes. Any document could be useful. He skimmed quickly, filtering for intel relevant to his objective, until a specific folder caught his eye: "EXPERIMENT LOG 063: Compatibility Rates – Senju DNA, Sharingan Subjects."
"Bingo."
Just as he opened the folder, the ground beneath him trembled. Dust fell from the ceiling. The lab rumbled violently.
His eyes narrowed.
Meanwhile…
In the outer chamber, Orochimaru stood calmly, eyes half-lidded, as Imai Kenta faced him in a defensive stance, sword drawn. A strange smile curled on Orochimaru's lips.
"Ah... your teammates must be quite a burden," he mused, flicking his tongue. "You remind me of Uchiha Kai—calculating, cold. But he's too entrenched now. You, however... you still have potential. Come with me, and I can show you a world far beyond your station."
Kenta didn't reply. His usual cocky smirk was gone, replaced with solemn focus.
"I'm satisfied where I am," he replied flatly. "And I trust my captain's judgment."
Orochimaru chuckled.
"It's not about right or wrong. After all, I was once the Hokage's prized student." He raised his head slightly, eyes gleaming. "But the world changes. So do allegiances. If you ever want out... I'll leave a door open for you, Imai Kenta."
The weight behind the words made Kenta's grip tighten. Orochimaru wasn't bluffing. Somehow, he knew—knew Kenta's real background. The implications were terrifying. Did the Third Hokage know? Did Danzo?
No matter. Thinking too much now would be fatal.
Kenta's eyes sharpened. "Talking's over."
Orochimaru grinned wider. "Then let's continue... properly."
He tilted his head back and vomited forth the Kusanagi sword, slick with mucus. Without hesitation, he gripped the blade and lunged forward. His speed—inhuman. Kenta barely managed to parry, the clash of metal throwing up sparks.
A heavy impact forced Kenta back. Gritting his teeth, he bit down on his sword's hilt, freeing his hands.
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Spear!" he roared.
From the ground, stone spears erupted toward Orochimaru. The sudden obstruction stalled the Sannin's charge, giving Kenta just enough space to regroup.
Without missing a beat, Kenta launched a counterattack—his swordplay now fiercer, faster. Blade after blade swung in calculated arcs, his style relentless. Orochimaru dodged and weaved, impressed.
"He's better without Kai around. His form... his resolve... Excellent."
Despite being on the defensive, Orochimaru wasn't worried. In a battle of attrition, he had the advantage. But Kenta wasn't slowing down.
That piqued Orochimaru's interest.
"So that stamina of yours... it's real, isn't it? You really are one of them..."