417. Let Me Be Your Cage

After Kimimaro and Haku set off, Danzo quickly made his way to a hidden chamber.

This room was filled with numerous cultivation tanks, each containing a corpse preserved in a special liquid.

These liquids effectively prevented the bodies from decaying or deteriorating.

Upon closer inspection, one would notice that almost all the corpses in this chamber came from the same clan—the Kaguya clan.

"How is Kimimaro's condition?" Danzo asked in a hoarse voice as he entered the chamber, leaning on his cane.

Hearing this, Tsunade, dressed in a white lab coat, dispersed the chakra in her hands, removed her mask, and replied:

"Based on my examination, there are no signs of the condition you mentioned in that boy's body."

The condition Danzo referred to was, of course, the hereditary illness that plagued Kimimaro in the original story, causing him to cough up blood and ultimately leading to his death.

Since Danzo didn't understand the underlying mechanisms of the illness, he had to rely on Tsunade, the strongest medical ninja in the ninja world, to conduct examinations and diagnoses to prepare for prevention and treatment.

Hearing Tsunade's diagnosis, Danzo first breathed a sigh of relief but then furrowed his brows again.

According to his previous investigations, the incidence of this disease in the Kaguya clan was almost 100%, with the only difference being whether it manifested early or late.

Some might develop symptoms as early as their teens, while others might hold out until their thirties or forties, but none could escape the fate of dying from the illness.

This was the tragedy of this battle-loving clan. Despite their immense strength, it came at the cost of their intelligence and health...

In other words, while Kimimaro's current physical condition was safe, his long-term health was still at risk.

Perhaps sensing Danzo's concern, Tsunade handed him an autopsy report.

"Based on my autopsies and research on numerous Kaguya clan members, their hereditary illness almost always manifests as organ failure," she explained. "I suspect this is related to their kekkei genkai, the Shikotsumyaku."

"The constant division of osteoblasts consumes a significant amount of their life force."

"Additionally, the Kaguya clan's aggressive nature and love for combat further contribute to their high mortality rate."

"The stronger and more talented they are, the more their osteoblasts divide, consuming even more life force and leading to an earlier death."

After listening to Tsunade's analysis, Danzo raised an eyebrow.

"Are you saying that if I find a way to continuously replenish Kimimaro's life force, it could solve the problem?"

For others, replenishing life force might be as difficult as climbing a mountain, but for Danzo, who possessed the abilities of the Hell Path, it was almost too easy.

The only downside was that it would consume his own life force.

But looking at his system panel, which listed his Uzumaki and Senju constitutions, Danzo felt that expending a bit of life force wasn't a big deal.

Seeing Danzo's expression, Tsunade immediately guessed what he was thinking and couldn't help but warn him:

"This is just my speculation. Whether this is the actual cause still requires more experiments."

After Tsunade left, Hiruko, wearing a mask, appeared before Danzo.

"You heard what Tsunade said, right?" Danzo asked, looking at the man who still maintained the appearance of a youth.

In terms of merit and ability, Hiruko was the most qualified to serve as the first head of the Konoha Science and Technology Department.

Unfortunately, he was still a wanted criminal and could only participate in various research projects as a member of the Earth Branch squad.

Fortunately, Hiruko himself didn't seem dissatisfied with this arrangement.

Over the years, with Danzo's help, he had successfully absorbed four kekkei genkai.

He was now just one step away from perfecting the Chimera Technique! In the face of that ultimate goal, things like anonymity were utterly insignificant.

"I heard. I'll focus my research on the direction Tsunade provided," Hiruko replied respectfully to Danzo's question.

This respect was entirely genuine!

The longer Hiruko interacted with Danzo, the more he felt the depth of the man's terrifying power, like an unfathomable ocean.

This led him to a realization—

Even if he truly absorbed five kekkei genkai and obtained immortality, he might still not be a match for this man!

This vast disparity in strength was the main reason Hiruko remained so humble and respectful.

In truth, Danzo wasn't overly concerned about Hiruko's pursuit of immortality.

To him, there was no such thing as true immortality in this world.

If it seemed to exist, it simply meant his own strength wasn't sufficient, or his blade wasn't sharp enough!

Before leaving, Danzo seemed to remember something and added:

"For the research on the Kaguya clan's hereditary illness, you might want to explore the use of natural energy. See if it can be used to solve the problem."

If he remembered correctly, the reason Kimimaro lived until nearly twenty in the original story, aside from Orochimaru's constant treatment, was largely due to the curse mark Orochimaru developed from studying Jugo.

And the curse mark was essentially a development and utilization of natural energy.

If the curse mark could effectively alleviate Kimimaro's condition, then natural energy should be able to do the same.

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Meanwhile, Kimimaro and Haku, following the location marked on the scroll, quickly arrived at the entrance of a dark cave.

"Be careful. I sense a wild and violent aura," Haku, who was usually quiet, spoke up to warn.

His intuition told him that some kind of terrifying beast was hidden within this cave.

Hearing this, Kimimaro nodded.

He formed a bone spike in his palm and cautiously stepped into the cave.

After taking just two steps, a roar echoed from deep within the cave.

"Don't come in! Get out!"

"If you don't want to die, stay away!"

Hearing such ferocious roars, Kimimaro's expression remained unchanged.

His footsteps were steady and rhythmic, and no matter how much the voice inside roared, he continued to walk deeper into the cave until he saw a cage.

"I told you... to get out!"

Inside the cage was a boy with orange hair.

The moment he saw Kimimaro, a terrifying power erupted from his body.

Flame-like curse marks spread across his skin, turning his normal complexion into a beastly gray.

His body swelled to twice its original size, and his orange-yellow eyes glared fiercely at the intruder, exuding an aura of destruction.

Seeing this, Kimimaro's expression remained calm.

He swung the bone spike in his hand, cutting through the cage bars with ease.

Then, without hesitation, he pulled out a spine from the back of his neck, the faint scent of blood lingering in the air as he lashed it toward the beast before him.

The grotesque and horrifying scene momentarily stunned the beast.

By the time it reacted, its body was already tightly bound by the pale spine.

From Kimimaro's calm gaze, it sensed a bone-chilling coldness and overwhelming killing intent.

Under this pressure, the beastly features on its body receded like a tide, and its form returned to normal.

Most importantly, its eyes became clear, completely devoid of the earlier madness.

"A dual personality?" Kimimaro immediately saw through the truth.

This discovery softened his gaze, as he saw a reflection of himself in the boy.

"If you're afraid of hurting others, then stay by my side."

"Let me be your cage."