"The Cursed Seal... every moment of change in it stirs a change in the body as well."
Toshi could feel the feedback the cursed seal brought to this borrowed body. His expression grew increasingly serious.
It was true — the cursed seal could enhance a person's physical abilities. In fact, his face had become even more solemn.
He had been researching the power of the cursed seal for days now.
The more he studied it, the deeper his obsession and curiosity grew. Just as he had suspected, the ninja world had barely scratched the surface when it came to developing cursed seals.
If these seals could be pushed to their limits and adapted to each individual, they could potentially multiply a ninja's strength several times over.
Cursed seals — they were another path to power.
The ironic thing was, Konoha had only ever used a cursed seal on the Caged Bird, and had even forbidden further development of such techniques.
Laughable.
That kind of stubborn thinking had held back the progress of the entire ninja world.
After a long silence,
Toshi finally let out a sigh and said, "Kimimaro, your cursed seal — it was implanted after you were born, wasn't it? Who could possibly have the power to brand someone with such a seal?"
He could tell just by looking. Kimimaro's seal was something that had been forcibly branded onto him, just like the Caged Bird. But unlike that one, Kimimaro's seal actually increased his power.
"Who gave me this mark?" Kimimaro met Toshi's serious gaze. He hesitated for a moment, but then spoke.
"Orochimaru. He extracted the cursed seal's power from Jūgo and branded it onto my body."
Kimimaro didn't hide anything. He laid it all out plainly.
Ever since he followed Genya back, he had made up his mind not to betray Genya's trust—especially after Genya had gifted Samehada to Jūgo.
That kind of kindness wasn't something he could ignore, so he spoke honestly.
"Orochimaru, huh... If I get the chance, I'd definitely like to discuss some things with—wait, Orochimaru?"
Toshi was still immersed in analyzing how the curse mark had affected Kimimaro's strength. He was muttering to himself, but suddenly snapped out of it.
He looked up at Kimimaro. "Did you just say Orochimaru? As in the rogue ninja from Konoha?"
"If I'm not mistaken, yes. The one you're thinking of," Kimimaro replied, his tone steady and face calm, which made his words feel all the more serious.
"Orochimaru... Orochimaru..." Toshi repeated the name under his breath, a conflicted expression creeping onto his face.
It was Orochimaru, after all—a missing-nin from Konoha.
If it were just anyone else, he might've looked forward to a deep conversation.
But Orochimaru?
That was a different story. The hesitation set in.
Back when Orochimaru was still in Konoha, he had been caught experimenting on live humans by the Third Hokage. That's what got him exiled from the village.
And now... now Toshi didn't know what to think.
He was a proper Konoha medical ninja. Was he really supposed to seek answers from a known traitor?
"Is there a problem?" Kimimaro had noticed the change in Toshi's expression. He furrowed his brow slightly, clearly picking up on Toshi's distraction.
"No... no problem," Toshi shook his head. But then he asked, "Did Genya really send you here?"
As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward the nearby Hayashi.
A few days ago, Hayashi had brought Hikari to see him. According to them, Uchiha Genya had found two people who could help him research the curse mark more deeply. That's why they'd come.
So... here he was.
He had been studying this for several days already.
So when he suddenly asked about Kimimaro and Jugo's origins, he couldn't help but grow suspicious.
Suspicious... that Orochimaru might be impersonating Genya, using his name as a cover to plant a spy in Konoha.
That was why he asked another question, just to be sure.
"Yes, Genya-sama did. Did you notice the large man carrying the Samehada?" Hayashi nodded, then added something more.
"You mean that weapon that can absorb chakra?"
Toshi nodded in return and continued questioning.
In truth, he had already figured it out during Jugo's first experiment.
Jugo couldn't control the curse mark power inside him—it constantly absorbed chakra.
If his internal chakra reached a certain critical point, it would surge into his brain.
But later, he discovered that the chakra was being slowly consumed by the weapon carried behind him. Because of that, Jugo's chakra always hovered just below the danger threshold.
He originally thought that weapon belonged to Jugo. But now, it seemed to have a deeper connection with Genya!
"That weapon—Genya-sama snatched it from someone else and then handed it over to Jugo... well, lent it to him!" Hayashi said seriously, putting special emphasis on the word "lent," because that weapon was one of Genya's personal assets.
"Genya... it really is connected to him..." Toshi muttered under his breath, though the gloom in his eyes said everything. He didn't understand why Genya would be involved with Orochimaru.
After all, Orochimaru was a missing-nin from Konoha.
While Toshi was wrapped in doubt, Hikari and Hayashi didn't seem to care at all.
In their eyes, anyone who followed the Uchiha was a friend.
Any ninja who opposed the Uchiha? They were the enemy—plain and simple.
"Toshi-san, what are you struggling with?" Just as Toshi hesitated, Genya—who had been watching quietly from outside—finally spoke up.
Uh?
In an instant—
Everyone inside the room turned their heads toward the door.
When they saw Genya, a complicated expression finally appeared on their faces.
"Genya…"
Toshi's eyes showed a hint of surprise. Genya had arrived just in time.
"Genya-sama!"
Hikari rushed over the moment she saw him, throwing herself into Genya's arms. Her big, bright eyes were full of longing.
But right after that, she noticed the girl standing next to him—Asahi.
Her instincts immediately told her something was wrong.
She stared at Asahi with growing wariness.
Why was there a little girl standing beside Genya?
In fact… she felt a bit hurt.
"Hikari, be good."
Genya gently patted her head.
But seeing how she kept staring at Asahi, he finally explained, "Her name is Asahi. I rescued her from the cultists of the Jashin Cult."
He briefly explained Asahi's background.
Truth be told, Hikari and Asahi shared a similar fate—both were meant to be used as test subjects, and both were destined to die tragically.
But Hikari had been luckier.
She never had to go through those inhuman experiments.
"Genya… you're back? Don't you think you owe me an explanation?"
Toshi stepped forward, his tone serious as he looked at Genya.
"What kind of explanation are you looking for?"
Genya met his gaze, calm and composed.
"You actually cooperated with Orochimaru? Do you even know what he did in Konoha?"
Toshi looked at Genya, asking each word carefully, almost as if he suspected Genya had been deceived.
That kid, who used to be so smart, could actually be misled!
"What did he do?"
Genya looked at Toshi and slowly asked again.
"He..."
Toshi paused, took a deep breath, and continued seriously, "He performed experiments on living people. The Third Hokage found out and expelled him from Konoha!"
Toshi spoke with conviction and a sense of justice — you could see his personality clearly: a hatred for evil.
"Oh?"
Genya raised his eyebrows at Toshi and asked, "Now that Orochimaru has left, doesn't Konoha still do those kinds of experiments?"
****
Support me on my patreon and read upto 15 early chapters.
https://www.patreon.com/AniScout