Still shaken, Hoshiyomi lay on the ground, not wanting to move a muscle. He gasped for air on the grass as if he were oxygen-deprived.
The relief of surviving and the frustration of messing up at a crucial moment intertwined, leaving him unsure what expression to make.
Tsunade and Orochimaru walked up together to check on Hoshiyomi. Tsunade was visibly startled by his blood-soaked state and, for a moment, didn't know where to begin her examination.
She gently shook Hoshiyomi's arm. "Hoshiyomi? Are you okay? Where does it hurt?"
Hoshiyomi snapped out of his daze when he heard their calls. He looked at Tsunade and "weakly" said, "I'm afraid I'm done for. My whole body hurts right now. I probably broke half my bones, and I might not have long to live."
This was Tsunade's first time witnessing such a scene. Hearing Hoshiyomi's voice sound so feeble, she was startled. She forgot about the blood covering him and anxiously grabbed his hand.
"Don't worry, you won't die! I learned some medical ninjutsu from Grandma Mito. I'm really good, I can heal you! Even if I can't, there's still Torifu-sensei. He can definitely get you to the Konoha Hospital."
As she spoke, she leaned down, trying to listen to Hoshiyomi's heartbeat, and then... she heard his strong and vigorous heartbeat.
Uh... that was awkward.
Hoshiyomi coughed to cover his embarrassment and continued his act. "Um, do you believe me if I say this is a final burst of energy before death?"
"Go die!"
Tsunade kicked Hoshiyomi's calf and stomped off angrily. No one noticed that her pretty face was flushed with red as she walked away.
Hoshiyomi yelped from Tsunade's kick and sprang up from the ground. He chuckled at Orochimaru. "Thanks to you just now. If you hadn't pulled me, I think I really would have been a goner."
Orochimaru smiled gently. "True friends are rare. I'd even save an idiot like Jiraiya, let alone you, Hoshiyomi-kun. By the way, Hoshiyomi-kun, do you think Hidden Shadow Snake Hands still has potential for further development? The more proficient I become with it, the more limitations I feel the jutsu has."
"While the threads are discreet, their use has many restrictions. For example, they're hard to control, their length is fixed, and they're easily cut during use. Therefore, I think you should try to find some substitutes for the threads. Something more flexible and easier to control."
"Hoshiyomi-kun truly has keen insight. After the Chunin Exams, I'll try to conduct some related research."
In nearly a year, Hoshiyomi had successfully maxed out Orochimaru's favor, replacing Jiraiya as Orochimaru's confidant.
In fact, Orochimaru was very approachable during this period. Before his mind was twisted by those forbidden experiments, Orochimaru, while possessing an innate disregard for life, was essentially just a pure science enthusiast.
The science-loving Orochimaru was full of brilliant ideas but struggled to find a kindred spirit to share them with. It was then that Hoshiyomi, having received a modern scientific education, appeared.
Standing on the shoulders of giants, Hoshiyomi could often provide Orochimaru with many new ideas and perspectives, giving Orochimaru sudden clarity. Before long, Orochimaru came to regard him as a lifelong confidant.
However, Hoshiyomi also knew that when everyone was together, others didn't enjoy these topics. Therefore, he wouldn't endlessly talk about science with Orochimaru, only discussing related topics when they were alone. Hoshiyomi would also use these opportunities to subtly instill ideas in Orochimaru, such as how he found human experimentation utterly wicked and terrifying if anyone were to do it.
Under Hoshiyomi's long-term "brainwashing," Orochimaru subconsciously developed some resistance to things like live experimentation. If Hoshiyomi kept a close watch in the future, Orochimaru likely wouldn't walk down the same path as in the original story.
While the two of them were discussing Hidden Shadow Snake Hands, Jiraiya's muffled laughter came from behind the bear's corpse. "You two shouldn't just stand there chatting! Come help Sakumo!"
Hearing the commotion, Hoshiyomi and Orochimaru exchanged glances, shook their heads, and hurried over to see what was happening. When they reached the brown bear's corpse, Hoshiyomi and Orochimaru saw a truly perplexing sight.
Sakumo was covering his face with one hand, looking like he couldn't bear to be seen, while his other arm was completely submerged in... the brown bear's rear.
Jiraiya and Shinku were pressing on his shoulder, trying to help him pull his arm out, their faces red from trying to suppress their laughter.
Orochimaru and Hoshiyomi's expressions instantly mirrored an old man on a subway with a phone, their expressions also tightening in a rather specific area.
Hoshiyomi stifled a laugh and teased, "I didn't realize you had such hobbies, Sakumo."
Sakumo retorted angrily, "I wouldn't be like this if it weren't for saving you, you idiot!"
Shinku explained from the side, "Sakumo originally only intended to attack the bear's other hind leg to completely immobilize it, but who would've thought you'd slice off half its head over there? We all thought we wouldn't be needed, but then we saw you almost get eaten by that bear. In the nick of time, Sakumo unleashed his still-unrefined Void Severance on that spot on the bear. Otherwise, how do you think the bear stopped biting halfway? It's all thanks to Sakumo's 'rear assault' tactic!"
"But Void Severance was both his success and his downfall. Because he wasn't proficient with it, Sakumo used too much force, so he just... ended up like this."
Hoshiyomi was genuinely touched by this. He patted Sakumo's shoulder. "Good brother, no need for words. If you ever need anything in the future, just say the word."
Saying that, he no longer felt like laughing at Sakumo. He called over Orochimaru to help pull Sakumo's arm out. The group worked for a while and finally managed to extract Sakumo's arm, along with a blood-stained White Fang.
Ew!
Sakumo was extremely embarrassed. He quickly ran off to wash his arm and his White Fang. Hoshiyomi also needed to wash off the blood, so the five of them headed to a nearby river.
Tsunade had just finished washing her face when she ran into Hoshiyomi and Sakumo. She glanced at Hoshiyomi, and her face instinctively flushed.
Then, she coldly snorted, threw out a remark, and ran off. "No one's eaten yet. I'm going back to roast that wild boar."
Hoshiyomi and the others paid no mind. They plunged into the river and began to scrub themselves clean. Of course, they were upstream, and Sakumo was downstream.
As he was washing off the blood, Hoshiyomi suddenly had a thought. He felt this move seemed familiar.
He turned back and said, "Sakumo, I think that move is actually quite strong in a certain sense. I, Gekkō Hoshiyomi, would call it the Leaf Village's Taijutsu Secret Technique. Do you want to give it a name?"
Sakumo, having cleaned his White Fang, was continuously scrubbing his hand, looking like he wouldn't stop until he scrubbed off a layer of his own skin.
Hearing Hoshiyomi's words, his face darkened, and he casually replied, "If I had to give it a name, I guess it'd be One Thousand Years of Death."
No way, it really is that name! No wonder they say it's a family jutsu!
Author's Note: The idea that "One Thousand Years of Death" was invented by Sakumo comes from the Rock Lee's Springtime of Youth spin-off.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin