I, Uchiha Hikaru, have joined the chat group.

Chapter 144 The Dragon King Who Loves Academic Research?

Kimimaro woke up the next morning.

Uchiha Hikaru and Erii were already preparing to eat breakfast.

"You're awake?"

"The surgery is very... The toothbrush and towel are over there, they're all freshly opened. Go wash up and then come back for dinner."

"..."

Kimimaro stood still, looking around hesitantly before fixing his gaze on Uchiha Hikaru: "Who... are you? Where is this place?"

"Don't worry, this place is far from the dungeon you were in before. As for your fellow clansmen who were imprisoned, you'll probably never encounter them again in your life, barring any unforeseen circumstances."

"The dungeon..."

Kimimaro looked up blankly, then carefully examined Uchiha Hikaru, as if recalling something: "Are you the god who saved me yesterday?"

I guess so.

Hikaru Uchiha picked up the bread beside him and casually gestured with his chin: "I know you might still have some questions, but none of them matter. And don't ask me again 'Why did I save you?' or 'What's the point of living?' Living itself has no inherent meaning, but only by living will you discover interesting things, just like you finding this bread, just like me finding you..."

"If you understand, hurry up and wash up, or the milk will get cold!"

"..."

Perhaps because he had not experienced the massacre of his clan in the original timeline, Kimimaro seemed a little confused and was not directly swayed by the talk-no-jutsu originally coming from Orochimaru.

Instead, she stood there stunned for a moment before turning around to wash up and then carefully approaching the table.

"sit."

Uchiha Hikaru gestured for the little boy to sit in the empty chair next to him, and then handed him a bread and milk.

"Eat up, we still have to get going later."

……

After breakfast, Uchiha Hikaru, along with Erii and Kimimaro, strolled around the small town in the Land of Water, buying some local snacks and souvenirs.

In the afternoon, she summoned her Somersault Cloud and flew towards the Sound Village.

Kimimaro was clearly also quite curious about the existence of the Flying Cloud, but due to his personality, he kept a blank expression on his face and did not ask the question as impatiently as Karin.

This continued until the morning of the following day.

The three of them successfully arrived at the Sound Village, which they had been away from for several days.

Back in the village, Uchiha Hikaru first distributed the sweets he had bought in the Land of Water to Karin, Jugo, and even Orochimaru and Guren. Then, he brought Kimimaro along and made an appearance before the Uzumaki mother and daughter, officially labeling him a "new resident of Otogakure".

When Orochimaru saw Kimimaro, his shadow clone looked completely bewildered.

"Lord Guang, this child is...?"

"Oh, I found him on the street a few days ago when I went out. His name is Kaguya Kimimaro, and he is a descendant of the Kaguya clan."

Uchiha Hikaru offered this explanation.

"..."

Orochimaru's eye twitched; he was a little unsure what to say.

Last time I went out, I "picked up" the naturally born sage Jugo. This time, I "picked up" Kimimaro from the Shikotsumyaku. In a few more days, I'm afraid I'll just pick up a Jinchuriki directly?

Furthermore, the Sound Village and the Land of Water are thousands of miles apart. How did they manage to complete the round trip within a week and even bring someone back along the way?

Next, Uchiha Hikaru asked a few simple questions about Karin and the others.

Orochimaru composed himself and replied in a slightly more serious tone, "Your judgment is correct. Karin does indeed have some research potential and a strong learning ability."

"yes……"

For a scientist of Orochimaru's caliber to give such an evaluation, it's clear that Karin's performance was indeed remarkable.

However, Jugo was not so good at it.

This big guy is a bit slow-witted; he struggles even with the most basic lessons and only manages to keep up thanks to Karin's help with his questions. However, considering that Orochimaru is currently only teaching the most basic things and only teaches for one hour a day, if the requirements are raised even slightly, Jugo will find it very difficult to keep up.

"It doesn't matter, I'll learn whatever I can."

Uchiha Hikaru patted Kimimaro next to him and said casually, "Let's bring him along starting tomorrow, so we can have a class together."

"……good."

Orochimaru glanced at Kimimaro, then hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

Uchiha Hikaru guessed his thoughts: "You can use him to study the abilities of 'Shikotsumyaku', but there's a condition... find a way to cure his bloodline disease."

Kaguya's Shikotsumyaku (Corpse Bone Pulse) is somewhat similar to the Uchiha's Mangekyou Sharingan.

They are all abilities that become more and more likely to be sealed away the more they are used.

Moreover, unlike the Kaleidoscope, which usually only causes blindness—Itachi being an exception—the Shikotsumyaku bloodline disease affects the entire body. In the original story, Kimimaro's body was already on the verge of collapse at the age of fourteen or fifteen due to overdeveloping his bloodline limit.

If this problem cannot be solved, then his lifespan in this life will probably not be very long.

"I understand, Lord Guang."

Orochimaru nodded slightly, indicating that he understood.

In fact, ever since Uchiha Hikaru arrived in Otogakure, Orochimaru's workload has increased dramatically at a visible rate.

Hybrid, Demon, Whirlpool Physique, Sage Transformation, Corpse Bone Pulse...

Without exception, they are all major topics that require a dedicated period of time to study.

In addition to his existing research projects—such as the Reanimation Jutsu, Impure World Reincarnation, and the cultivation and transplantation of Hashirama cells…

All things considered, I have about ten research projects under my control at the same time.

Even Orochimaru, who was always enthusiastic about these kinds of studies, was suddenly a little troubled. For the first time, he began to worry that he might not be killed in battle, but would be worked to death by all this good fortune...

"The capable should do more. I believe in you, Snake Uncle."

Uchiha Hikaru tiptoed and patted Orochimaru on the shoulder, comforting him, "I'll try to help you procure experimental equipment, but as for research assistants... you'll have to figure that out yourself. Try to cultivate Karin as soon as possible so she can help you with some of the work."

Incidentally, Uchiha Hikaru had already summoned Danzo once through the "Tsukuyomi Mark" and conveyed to him the order to "send Kabuto Yakushi and his mother to infiltrate Otogakure."

However, the timing and opportunity for their arrival need to be arranged carefully, following the proper procedures for a genuine undercover mission, to avoid arousing Orochimaru's suspicion.

—Uchiha Hikaru's manipulation of Danzo using the "Eight Thousand Spears" was a covert move. On the surface, she remained Danzo's most hated enemy. Therefore, it was absolutely crucial that no one discover that Danzo's actions were related to her. She herself should even be on Kabuto Yakushi's "surveillance" list.

After giving a general explanation of the situation in the Sound Village.

The next day, Uchiha Mitsuyoshi accompanied Erii home and handed her a pre-prepared shopping list in person.

"Please help me get these things ready, thanks."

"..."

Inside the wooden room of Genji Heavy Industries.

Yuan Zhisheng looked at the "Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Scanner" and "High-Throughput Sequencing Instrument" on the list and fell into deep thought again.

and so……

This mysterious "White King" not only enjoys erotic H comics, but is also a dragon king who likes to do academic research.

(End of this chapter)