Are you still able to stand?"
Orochimaru extended his hand toward the girl. His posture was noticeably more relaxed than before. With most of his ocular power sealed away by the Eye Sealing Curse Mark, the sense of oppression he once carried had faded significantly.
The girl stared at his hand.
For a long moment, she hesitated.
Then, slowly, she lifted her own trembling hand and placed it into his palm.
She could feel it clearly—
the killing intent was gone.
"Very light…"
Orochimaru lifted her effortlessly, holding her in a princess carry. The weight in his arms made his brow knit slightly.
This was far too light.
A child of her apparent age should not weigh this little. Tsunade, at the same age, had weighed at least one and a half times as much.
"The primitive eye-transplant technique used on you severely shortened your lifespan," Orochimaru said calmly. "The seal barely kept your body stable for around a hundred years. Now that it has been removed, your condition will only continue to deteriorate."
"If nothing is done… you won't live much longer."
His golden eyes narrowed slightly.
"The Uchiha clan of the Warring States Era truly was monstrous. Even I find it difficult to believe they would treat a child like this."
Orochimaru was not someone who condemned an entire group lightly.
Yet the Uchiha were… different.
Prone to obsession. Madness. Extremes.
He had once dismissed Senju Tobirama's views as paranoia—but now, he understood them a little more.
His gaze drifted downward.
The girl's legs.
Even with the seal preserving her physical state, a century was more than enough time for muscles to atrophy completely.
No wonder she hadn't moved since the seal was lifted—only her head.
So that's why…
I didn't notice earlier because my attention was focused on her eyes.
"How did you know?" the girl asked softly, shock flickering across her face.
"I prefer to call myself a scientist rather than a ninja," Orochimaru replied. "Science can change the world. And I'm also a doctor."
He paused briefly, then added with a faint smirk, "The idiot you mocked earlier—Tsukuyomi—is actually an excellent medical ninja."
"…" The girl lowered her head, listening quietly.
"This is no longer the era of the Warring States," Orochimaru continued. "The people who inflicted those memories on you are long dead. Directing your hatred toward innocent people accomplishes nothing."
He carried her toward where Tsunade lay resting.
"I… I'm sorry…" the girl whispered.
"You don't need to apologize to me," Orochimaru said flatly. "The one you owe an apology to is Tsunade."
"It was because of her obsession with treasure hunting that we came here at all. That's why you were freed."
"She is your savior."
"What you did afterward could only be described as repaying kindness with hostility."
The girl bit her lip.
She had been searching for forbidden techniques—
Instead, she had found a relic from the Warring States Era.
"I understand," she said quietly. "I will apologize… properly."
"I'll find a way to solve your physical problems," Orochimaru added.
"…Why?" she asked suddenly.
The confusion in her voice was genuine.
"Why did you change so suddenly? You tried to kill me… and now…"
"I pity you," Orochimaru replied bluntly. "A poor little thing born in the wrong era."
He refused to admit that he had softened.
He was merely acting like a normal human being.
"Thank you…" the girl murmured. "This is the first time anyone has ever been kind to me… and yet I wanted to kill you…"
She leaned gently against him, basking in the warmth of his body and the sunlight on her skin.
Warmth.
Light.
Things she had forgotten existed.
"Was I really imprisoned underground for a hundred years…?" she asked quietly.
"I can't say for certain," Orochimaru replied. "But based on my judgment, at least a hundred years—possibly more."
He thought of Uchiha Madara.
If Madara was that old, then this girl…
Only Black Zetsu might know the exact truth.
And Black Zetsu had almost certainly been watching when she was sealed.
If she truly carried Indra's chakra, Black Zetsu would never have allowed her to rot underground.
In terms of eye techniques alone, she surpassed Madara.
She just didn't have time.
"…" The girl fell silent.
She didn't know whether she felt sadness or relief knowing that everyone she hated was already dead.
"I forgot to ask," Orochimaru said after a pause. "My name is Orochimaru. What is yours?"
"…Nameless."
"They said weapons don't need names."
"So my name is Nameless."
Orochimaru nearly choked.
He forcibly suppressed the urge to retort.
The name the Uchiha clan had given her a century ago was absurd beyond belief.
"I'm asking for your real name," he said firmly. "The one your parents gave you—not the name those worthless people gave you when they treated you like a tool."
"…" She didn't answer.
She had forgotten it long ago.
All she remembered was darkness.
Silence.
Chains.
"Can't remember?" Orochimaru said after a while. "Then forget it."
"But 'Nameless' is unacceptable."
"I don't need a weapon."
He looked at the sunlight filtering through the trees.
"You were sealed underground for a hundred years."
"How about… Uchiha Hikari?"
"Hikari—light."
"I hope you live your life under the sun from now on."
"Hikari…"
She turned her head shyly, then couldn't stop herself from looking back at him.
"Don't like it?" Orochimaru asked, already preparing another name.
"…I'll take it," she said quickly. "It's beautiful. Thank you…"
Uchiha Hikari's eyes gleamed faintly, making her look more alive than ever.
"As long as you like it."
Orochimaru carried her back toward Tsunade.
"She is Tsunade—descendant of the Senju clan," he explained. "The Senju no longer exist, and the Sarutobi who participated in sealing you are long dead."
Tsunade slept deeply, a white snake's tail gently coiled around her to keep her comfortable.
"…" She shifted slightly, hugging the tail.
"I did something terrible to her," Hikari whispered.
Orochimaru snorted.
"You went far beyond terrible. We freed you, broke your seal, and you repaid us by nearly burning us alive with Amaterasu."
"I… I'm sorry…"
"Apologize properly when she wakes up."
His voice softened slightly.
"Don't worry. She's stubborn and bad-tempered—but she's kind."
"…Mm."
Hikari nodded.
Orochimaru did not use the Flying Thunder God Technique to return to Konoha.
Tsunade was still asleep—and he needed time to think.
An Uchiha child who lived outside the village…
That excuse would suffice.
Not perfect—but workable.
"Is the ninja world… still the same?"
Hikari asked quietly, holding a juice box she had never tasted before.
"In what sense?" Orochimaru replied.
"Endless wars… mutual slaughter…"
"Yes," Orochimaru said honestly. "And soon, it will escalate—from clan wars to wars between nations."
"Then it would be better if the ninja world were destroyed," Hikari muttered.
Pat!
Orochimaru flicked her forehead.
"Stop spouting nonsense about destroying the ninja world. You can't even erase the curse mark on your forehead."
"You're a child."
She grabbed his clothes, eyes burning with pain and hatred.
"Then what should I do?! All my memories are suffering!"
"If you can defeat me after removing the Eye Sealing Curse," Orochimaru said coldly, "I'll let you do whatever you want."
"But you can't."
"So behave and stay by my side."
Hikari tried to activate her eye power.
Nothing.
Tsukuyomi.
Amaterasu.
All sealed.
Her Mangekyo remained dormant.
Orochimaru sighed.
If Madara knew he had an elder like this…
The thought amused him greatly.
---
That evening, the river reflected the fading sunlight.
Hikari walked unsteadily along the bank, stealing glances at Orochimaru as he checked on Tsunade.
Mental exhaustion, he concluded.
Seventy-two hours of torment compressed into moments—Tsukuyomi was truly terrifying.
Yet Hikari's Mangekyo showed no degradation.
Fascinating.
What a terrifying era the Warring States truly was…
Bringing Tsunade back like this…
Mito will never stop nagging me.