Orochimaru

Konoha Hospital

In the top-tier ward, faint sounds of urgency could be heard.

"The patient has lost too much blood. Initiate a blood transfusion immediately!"

"Most of his muscles are torn, with six penetrating wounds. My goodness, he held on for so long."

"Medical team, prepare the Mystic Palm Technique!"

...

In the corridor outside the ward, several individuals anxiously waited, their spirits heavy with a palpable sense of tension.

"It's all my fault! If it weren't for me, Satoru wouldn't have been in danger."

Anko held her knees, huddled on the ground beside the ward, tears streaming down her face.

"I'm truly useless, utterly worthless..."

Shibi squatted down, his large hand gently patting her shoulder as he consoled, "No, Anko. If it weren't for you risking danger to carry Satoru back, the situation might be even worse."

"If we have to blame someone, it should be me. As your teacher, I should have been there for you the moment danger struck."

Shibi sighed and fell silent.

He couldn't put into words the impact he felt when he saw Anko, trembling and covered in blood, carrying Satoru back through the pouring rain. In all his years as a shinobi, there had never been a moment that struck him like that.

Satoru's injuries were severe. To be honest, he couldn't believe that Satoru had survived under such circumstances.

Without wasting any time, after performing basic first aid measures, they hurriedly brought Satoru back to Konoha Village.

And thus, the scene that unfolds now

Rin leaned against the cold wall beside the ward door, gazing up at the ceiling. She didn't know what was going through her mind; she only felt a chilling sensation coursing through her body.

Satoru, what if you didn't make it... What would I do?

Such thoughts continued to circle her mind.

She felt a deep sense of self-blame. Why wasn't she there? Why wasn't she the one who teamed up with Satoru? Why were two members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmens here?

Just then, the door opened.

"How is Satoru doing?"

Three voices sounded almost simultaneously, all filled with anxiety, directed at the medical shinobi who entered the room.

"How should I put it... Though his injuries are extremely severe, his body is unique. It's actively repairing the wounds."

The medical shinobi paused, pondering for a moment before continuing, "Honestly, in all my years as a medical shinobi, I've never seen a shinobi with such a distinctive body."

"Is that so? Does that mean Satoru is out of danger?" Anko asked eagerly.

"I advise you not to be too optimistic." The medical shinobi glanced at her and shook his head. "It seems he used some sort of extremely taxing forbidden technique, and considering his injuries, we can't rule out the possibility of lasting effects."

Anko's heart sank once again.

Rin, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief. Aftereffects? That wasn't so bad. She could take care of him if it came to that.

At this moment, the medical shinobi let out another sigh. "Ah, if Lady Tsunade were here, it would be different. With her expertise in medical jutsu, she could easily resolve this situation."

"Lady Tsunade?" Shibi's eyes beneath his mask flickered. "I can request her presence. If it's me, she might owe me a favor."

"It's useless." The medical shinobi looked at him and shook his head. "Lady Tsunade is suffering from severe hemophobia. She's long stopped treating patients. Only a select few medical shinobi know about this. It's understandable that you wouldn't be aware."

"I see..." Shibi's heart grew heavy.

The three remained silent, neither speaking nor questioning, as the atmosphere settled into a profound stillness.

The medical shinobi suddenly pulled someone aside and spoke in a hushed tone.

"Is that so? The Hokage has ordered to spare no expense in treating Satoru-kun. Understood, understood..."

"I get it..."

Hearing their hushed conversation, the expressions on Shibi and the others eased.

Just then, a commotion arose from the ward.

"He's awake!"

Their spirits lifted, and they immediately rushed into the room.

On the hospital bed, Satoru opened his eyes, his pure white pupils scanning the surroundings with confusion.

"Satoru." Anko rushed over, grabbing his hand, her voice quivering with a hint of tears.

"It's all my fault. I slowed you down. If it weren't for me..."

Satoru weakly raised his head, his smile revealing a trace of warmth as he caressed her hair.

"I told you before, you just haven't found your strengths yet. Once you do, you'll become an outstanding shinobi."

Beside them, Rin Uchiha inexplicably felt a pang in her heart, turning her face away.

"Oh right, I brought this back for you."

As if remembering something, Anko retrieved a fist-sized silver metal sphere from her pocket and handed it to Satoru.

"Because I saw you holding onto this even when you were seriously injured, I guessed it must be important to you. So I brought it back as well."

"Perfect."

Satoru's weak face broke into a smile as he accepted the sphere, still radiating the warmth from Anko's touch.

"By the way, Satoru, what is this thing? And why is it so heavy?"

After some thought, Satoru replied, "Well, if I had to explain, I'd say it's a pretty powerful weapon."

"A weapon?"

"Yes."

Rin was also intrigued by the silver sphere in Satoru's hand, which seemed to be a special chakra-infused metal. But why did Satoru call it a weapon?

Used for smashing people???

With her extensive knowledge of shinobi tools, having run a weapons shop that covered half the village, she was one of the most knowledgeable about them among those present. However, she still couldn't fathom how this little sphere could be classified as a weapon.

Satoru attempted to communicate with the silver sphere using electromagnetic force. As he received a response, a deeper smile spread across his face.

Sure enough, under the influence of the heightened electromagnetic force from his Tyrant Mode, this metal had developed the ability to be manipulated in his current state.

In other words, even without entering Tyrant Mode, he could freely switch its form, just like when he faced Madara.

Need a sword? It becomes a sword. Need a shield? It becomes a shield. He could even transform it into an arrow, pairing it with a magnetic storm sniper rifle for long-range attacks, though retrieval might be a bit more bothersome.

In simple terms, it had become an extension of himself.

This wasn't ordinary chakra-infused metal. Among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, the Executioner's Blade was considered the most potent weapon, with its ability to absorb blood for regeneration being its only special feature.

However, under Satoru's mastery, this ability took on a whole new brilliance.

The Executioner's Blade transformed into a magnetic fluid, retaining this characteristic. The more it killed, the more blood it absorbed, and the stronger it would become!

A weapon that evolved by absorbing blood. How terrifying was that?

Just then, a hoarse voice sounded outside the ward.

"I heard that Satoru-kun suffered severe injuries. I wonder if there's anything I can do to help."

Satoru turned his gaze, his eyes narrowing instantly.

The person who had arrived had pale skin and purple eye shadow at the corners of their eyes. They wore a faint smile as they looked at him.

Orochimaru