Hearing Ye Zi's question, Jūgo lowered his head and said softly, "I don't know either. Sometimes... I just turn into that."
Ye Zi and Orochimaru exchanged glances, each catching a fleeting glint in the other's eyes.
"Big brother, you can control me." Jūgo suddenly looked up, his face full of hope as he pleaded, "Can I go with you?"
He didn't want to kill anymore. Even when he stayed away from populated areas, after losing control, he would actively seek out humans to kill, unable to follow his own will.
This unfamiliar big brother in front of him could easily control his rampages. As long as he followed him, he wouldn't have to kill anyone due to losing control ever again.
Ye Zi didn't understand why Jūgo would voluntarily make such a request. Since he had already planned to bring him back to the base, he agreed without hesitation: "Alright."
Seeing Ye Zi's decisive response, Jūgo breathed a sigh of relief, a happy smile appearing on his youthful face.
At this moment, nothing was more important than being able to follow Ye Zi, and there was no need to worry about anything else.
Since Jūgo had brought it up himself, Orochimaru abandoned the idea of knocking him unconscious.
Whether Jūgo was willing or not, Orochimaru was determined to bring him back to the base.
With the unexpected addition of Jūgo, the three began their journey back to the base located in the Land of Earth.
Ye Zi had already informed Orochimaru about relocating the base. When Orochimaru asked why, Ye Zi answered truthfully, and Orochimaru didn't say much after that.
As long as the equipment in the base remained intact and the location's intelligence was not easily leaked, it was acceptable. If the base were attacked, it would be impossible to transfer large amounts of research data and results in a short time.
On the way back to the base in the Land of Earth, the group's progress was significantly slowed due to the additional burden of Jūgo.
From the Land of Hot Springs to the Land of Earth, they had to cross five or six other countries. Considering the long journey, Ye Zi simply carried Jūgo to maintain their pace.
During their journey, Jūgo transformed twice more, each time detected and directly subdued by Ye Zi.
After recovering, Jūgo saw how effortlessly Ye Zi could control him and became even more convinced that following Ye Zi meant he wouldn't have to worry about hurting anyone again during his transformations.
Jūgo's two transformations during the trip significantly increased Orochimaru's assessment of his research value.
Jūgo's transformations raised many questions. Orochimaru needed to study Jūgo's body at the base to answer them.
Truthfully, he could hardly wait. His long tongue flicked out habitually, licking his lips as his eyes glimmered while glancing at Jūgo, who was being carried by Ye Zi. The latter shivered, puzzled by the sudden chill.
Taking the most remote and difficult paths, the group finally returned to the base in the Land of Earth after half a month.
The long journey left Ye Zi and Orochimaru somewhat tired, while Jūgo was utterly drained, looking haggard and worn.
"I'll go check the laboratory first. He's your responsibility," Orochimaru said.
Since the base had been relocated, the laboratory would have undergone changes. Most importantly, Ye Zi hadn't prepared a separate lab for him in the new base. Thus, Orochimaru needed to repurpose some equipment from the existing labs and set up his dedicated lab.
This was the top priority, only after setting up the lab could he start extracting and studying Jūgo's body tissues.
After Orochimaru left, Ye Zi led Jūgo to the training grounds. He planned to hand Jūgo over to Kotoe or Shin to arrange a room for him.
At the wooden training grounds, over a hundred boys and girls were sparring in pairs under the supervision of Kotoe and Shin, who occasionally provided them with correct advice.
Ye Zi's arrival immediately interrupted the training.
Having been away for several months, the children on the training grounds erupted with excitement upon seeing him. They stopped their sparring and rushed toward him in a group.
When Kotoe saw Ye Zi, she almost couldn't resist running to him herself. However, the children reacted faster. After taking a few steps, she had no choice but to stop and watch them rush to Ye Zi.
Shin, arms crossed, leaned against a wall, watching with a sideways glance. Only in situations like this would he refrain from scolding them and allow the children to act out for once.
Seeing the familiar children rushing toward him, Ye Zi was momentarily stunned before raising his hand and saying, "Stop."
Jūgo, standing beside him, was dumbfounded by the scene.
How could there be so many children? Most of them seemed to be three or four years older than him, though upon closer inspection, a small portion were around his age. Among them was a boy... the one leading the charge.
With shoulder-length white hair, two crimson dots on his forehead, and a delicate face—Kimimaro.
When Ye Zi's appearance triggered this chain reaction, Kimimaro was the fastest, leading the pack.
Ye Zi noticed this as well.
Judging by speed alone, Kimimaro had grown rapidly in the past six months. However, Ye Zi wondered how far his Kekkei Genkai had developed.
Out of the hundred or so children, only Kimimaro possessed a Kekkei Genkai, highlighting how rare it was to find talented individuals with such abilities.
After Ye Zi commanded them to stop, the children obediently halted. Their deceleration was simple and effective, and despite stopping in a cluster, no one tripped or fell.
These children trained diligently, with a strong desire to grow stronger. However, among them, the oldest was thirteen, and the youngest was eight. They were still far from realizing their full potential.
"Lord Ye Zi!"
Stopping about ten meters away from Ye Zi, the children excitedly called out his name but obediently refrained from advancing further.
The overlapping voices made the training ground noisy for a moment.
They eagerly hoped that Ye Zi would personally train them.
Unfortunately, Ye Zi couldn't fulfill their expectations.
"Go back and continue your training." Ye Zi ignored the hopeful gazes of the children and instead looked at Kimimaro, saying, "Kimimaro, come here."
Kimimaro felt a pang of disappointment at Ye Zi's first sentence but immediately became excited upon hearing the second. Without hesitation, he stepped past his companions and ran toward Ye Zi.
Hearing Ye Zi's instructions, the other children reluctantly watched Kimimaro's back as he ran off, but they still obediently returned to their positions to resume their sparring practice.
Once training resumed, Kotoe and Shin walked over.
Ye Zi nodded at them in greeting and then turned to Kimimaro, asking, "How is your mastery of your Kekkei Genkai coming along?"
Without a word, Kimimaro loosened his robe, exposing his bare torso, and began demonstrating the results of his intense training over the past few months.
Hissss!
Small lumps began to form all over Kimimaro's slender body: On his chest, abdomen, back, shoulders, and arms.
Within about a second, bone spikes as thick as a thumb, faintly tinged with blood, emerged from the lumps. These pale spikes turned the once delicate and adorable Kimimaro into something far more sinister.
The bone spikes, as thick as thumbs and curved like tusks, had sharp, pointed tips. Each spike was stained with varying amounts of blood, giving him a monstrous appearance.
Despite his terrifying transformation, Kimimaro's face lit up with excitement. He understood that only by having power could he realize his value and act on his desires.
Jūgo stood frozen, staring in shock at Kimimaro.
"Lord Ye Zi, there's more!"
Kimimaro's enthusiasm from showcasing his ability didn't stop there.
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Currently on Chapter 428 - Fighting Against the Mangekyo Sharingan