23 Laboratory

Zeus's eyes sprung open and he immediately tried to stand up, coming to the realization that he was unable to do so. Due to the blinding light, his eyes were momentarily deemed useless. Eventually, his vision stopped blurring and an unfamiliar white ceiling greeted him.

'So I am not dead.' Zeus thought, remembering his visits to Hade's adobe and comparing it to this place. Instead, it looked much more similar to a hospital, but Zeus wasn't naive enough to think that it was actually the case. Twisting his neck, Zeus tried to see anything else.

Eventually, Zeus tried to push some strength into his hands and legs, attempting to stand up again, which proved impossible to do. He barely felt the sensation of his own body. Furthermore, as Zeus glanced downward, he saw multiple chains restricting his movements.

With a grunt, Zeus closed his eyes, frowning even further. He had no chakra, not even a little bit. It was even more depleted than before. No, actually, rather than not being there, it was getting absorbed by something external. Upon examining his bare stomach more closely, Zeus saw some sort of seal placed there, which was probably the cause of his ineptitude.

"This is one sticky situation." Zeus frowned, deciding to simply rest until figuring out what was happening here. His mind went over the battle that he had lost, causing him to sigh. He had done and used everything he had, yet was still unable to come out victorious in the end, and now he was enslaved here, not even knowing what awaited him.

"What do they want from me though?" Zeus mumbled, thinking back on his actions in this world. Yes, he might have shown a lot of talent, but that was it. Initially, he thought that Danzo might simply consider him a threat and that he wanted to dispose of him, but that turned out to not be the case. So, what kind of trouble did he get himself into this time?

As if to answer his thoughts, the main entry into the room opened abruptly, revealing two figures walking inside. Both of them were unrecognizable to Zeus, but they struck quite an impression. One was a tall and slender man with long, straight black hair that fell up to his waist. His face was pale and angular, with snake-like eyes. The other one struck more prosaic, wearing glasses and a simple shinobi attire, which made his white hair look more distinguishing.

They approached Zeus as he scanned them with bloodshot eyes, waiting for another figure to come in. However, no one did. It seemed like Danzo decided not to come out. When Zeus felt their shadows looming over him, Zeus frowned.

"Bring that bastard over here. I don't want to talk to his slaves." Zeus grunted, keeping eye contact with those snake-like eyes. Orochimaru kept an indifferent face, then his tongue suddenly came out of his mouth, and a crazy expression took over him.

"It's nice to see you, Zeus. Welcome to my lab." Orochimaru spread his hands in different directions, excitement beaming in his eyes. "I presume that bastard is Danzo. Well, fortunately for you, I am not his slave and you will not be killed."

Zeus squinted his eyes further, finally taking a better look at Orochimaru, especially his distinctive features. He recognized his face. Hiruzen had a picture of the group that he had personally trained, and this man had definitely been one of them. "Orochimaru...the legendary Sannin?"

Orochimaru smiled mischievously. "It had been long since someone called me this way. Ironic, isn't it? I was trained by Hiruzen, yet in the end, I kidnapped his adopted kid. Hiruzen always surrounded himself with the wrong people."

"It's not his fault that you became an asshole," Zeus answered without missing a beat, turning his head back to the ceiling. "Hiruzen has told me a few stories about you, especially your atrocious experiments with your fellow civilians."

"What, should I have felt sadness for them?" Orochimaru asked, an amused expression on his face. "A few lives is barely a price to pay for a breakthrough in my experiments."

"Crazy bastard," Zues commented, producing a deep sigh with his mouth. "So, Danzo has basically given me to you? Didn't he say that this is for the sake of the village? I don't really see the connection between protection and delivering Hokage's adopted son to a mortal enemy of the entire village."

Orochimaru smiled even further. "That man has got some issues of his own. He thought that twenty Sharingans for your life was a suitable price, and I have just been fortunate to have such an amount."

Zeus frowned, a few veins popping on his forehead. "So that bastard has basically sold me for some eyes and yet he dares to talk about seeking peace within the village?"

A silence ensued after Zeus said so, with Orochimaru creepily staring straight into Zeus's eyes, while he kept fidgeting his teeth in anger. Eventually, however, he calmed down and opened his mouth again. "And what is going to happen now? Are you going to torture me? Experiment some of your disgusting jutsus on me?"

"It doesn't seem like you are too scared," Orochimaru noted.

"Pain is just but a gimmick."

"Hmm, that's an interesting take, which might actually be quite truthful," Orochimaru stated, then his eyes moved up and down Zeus's body. "However, that's not why you were brought here. I have chosen you as the body that I will take over. However, you are still too young, so I might need to foster you a bit."

Before Zeus even realized what Orochimaru was saying, Orochimaru's neck suddenly extended and his head speeded towards Zeus. Unable to do anything, Zeus felt a sharp pain in his neck, as an impure, chaotic energy entered his body.

However, Zeus managed to gather some of the residual chakra from this burst, as he immediately tore the chains holding his wrist. The pain from the earlier battle seeped through his mind, but he ignored it, grabbing Orochimaru's head and trying to tear it apart. However, it all proved futile when he felt the weakness overwhelming him.

"You are a fierce one. I had never seen someone break these chains before, much less a kid your age." Orochimaru commented, retracting his head. Zeus felt his vision blur, coupled with the exhilarating pain in his neck.

"Don't worry and fall asleep." Orochimaru took a step forward, putting his palm over Zeus's head. "You might feel some pain, but as you have already said, pain is nothing but a trick of the mind, right?

These were the last words that Zeus heard before falling unconscious.

***

Gif: Pain