Chapter 905

That small white-clad boy and she stared at each other through the cage, and in the boy's eyes, there was nothing but emptiness — but after she said to him those excessive words, "Then become my tool," a glimmer of life gradually appeared in them.

"The suppressant agent you configured can no longer serve as a blockade, can it? No, that's not right — Kimimaro must have used his kekkei genkai again, hasn't he?" Orochimaru pondered briefly and immediately understood the reason for Kimimaro's visit this time.

It was solely because of her own words, "In order to become the most satisfactory tool," that Kimimaro, fully aware that the more he used the Shikotsumyaku, the more severe his kekkei genkai disease would become, still stubbornly challenged the strong. After defeating numerous opponents, this white-clad boy had clearly become an existence that, together with Yakushi Kabuto, could be called her "right and left arms."

"Always doing things that make people angry. Come on, let's go take a look!"

Orochimaru turned off the alcohol lamp. So-called instant coffee may seem quick and convenient, but it lacks the delicate texture and rich aroma of freshly ground coffee. Even when using equally excellent coffee beans, the flavor can vary drastically due to different processing methods.

"Mm, I'll go over there myself. As for you, head to the commercial street, to that newly opened Country of Earth coffeehouse next to the dessert shop, and buy me a cup of freshly ground coffee. Remember — no milk!"

Orochimaru frowned slightly. Her keen senses could clearly feel that her top was getting a bit tight again. The words that had once disgusted her because of Jiraiya resurfaced in her mind, and she thought again of Tsunade, who squeezed herself into a bottle every day.

It seemed that from now on, not just milk, but all dairy products would have to be added to the list of contraband.

"What is the cause? At this level, if one isn't a little careful, it could be fatal…" Orochimaru noticed that, from the outside, there was not the slightest trace of Kimimaro having used the Shikotsumyaku, but the values on those instruments kept jumping, indicating that his body was in an overloaded state. Nearly all his bone cells were running rampant, causing Kimimaro's original kekkei genkai disease to develop into the severe situation it was now in.

Yakushi Kabuto injected the suppressant into the treatment device, watched the median value gradually approach the normal level, heaved a sigh of relief, and only then answered Orochimaru's question.

"Before this, Kimimaro had always followed your orders and had not excessively used the Shikotsumyaku. He had also been taking his medication on time. Even when his illness suddenly flared up just now, he didn't use it — not even a single bone. At the time I couldn't figure out why he had suddenly erupted with such severe kekkei genkai aftereffects, until he quickly fell into a coma."

He handed a tray to Orochimaru, on which lay a piece of sharp bone. Yakushi Kabuto adjusted his round-lensed glasses, and his confident smile and excited tone clearly indicated that he had many new discoveries.

"After Kimimaro completely lost consciousness, the bones inside his body began to stir restlessly. I placed him in the emergency medical device and kept adjusting the dosage of the suppressant. What's interesting is that the activation conditions for this kekkei genkai are extremely stringent. Kimimaro also said that even though many clans in the past had no kekkei genkai, most of them only stopped at the level of making their bones harder and their nails longer."

As a rare kekkei genkai that, even when activated, was difficult to advance, the possibility of the Shikotsumyaku going out of control seemed not to exist.

Orochimaru carefully examined the sample Yakushi Kabuto had handed her. The hardness of the bone originally produced through the Shikotsumyaku should surpass that of steel, but the segment before her eyes, apart from its shape, showed nothing of the sort.

"This is…" She merely touched it lightly with her hand, and her thought was immediately confirmed. "These bones have collapsed at their most fundamental structure. Any external force can turn them to bone ash. It's this severe — yet Kimimaro is still alive."

"Yes, that's right. Somewhere inside Kimimaro's body, something has awakened…" Yakushi Kabuto did not stop; he continued speaking, laying out the inferences he had drawn from the series of observations just now.

"Originally, when the Shikotsumyaku is expressed at the genetic level, it simultaneously activates the human body's own aging genes, so Kimimaro's kekkei genkai disease should have been harmless."

He placed him in the emergency medical device and kept adjusting the dosage of the suppressant—what's interesting is that, because the activation conditions for this kekkei genkai are extremely stringent, Kimimaro also noted that although many clansmen in the past possessed this rare kekkei genkai, which was difficult to advance even when activated, the possibility of the Shikotsumyaku going out of control seemed nonexistent.

But now, regardless of what the trigger may be, a certain segment in his genes has been activated — another mode of expression that has diverted the process which would lead the human body to complete destruction, and directly expressed it on the bones that grew in violation through his kekkei genkai!

Orochimaru's attainments in medicine, combined with her keenness in scientific research, allowed her to quickly organize Yakushi Kabuto's report. Something interesting had happened to Kimimaro. If he could pull through this accident, the greatest possibility was that his kekkei genkai disease would be completely cured. Now Orochimaru was beginning to take an interest in this trigger.