pertwk Chapter 130 Once I find him, I'll bring people to his door for a proper "invitation!"
Chapter 130 Once I find him, I'll bring people to his door for a proper "invitation!"
Chapter 130 Once I find him, I'll bring people to his door for a proper "invitation!"
Behind every bloodline limit lies the mystery of the body and chakra, the key to a higher level of power.
More importantly, the corpses of bloodline ninjas are never easy to obtain.
To prevent the leakage of their bloodline or secret techniques, each family would have a designated person to collect corpses, or even destroy them on the spot, leaving no opportunity for outsiders to discover them.
Now that Kirigakure is cleaning up the bodies themselves, they can easily obtain the corpses of those bloodline ninjas.
"What a rare opportunity!"
A glint of excitement flashed in Orochimaru's snake-like eyes, and he stuck out his long tongue to lick his lips.
A sinister smile curled at the corner of his mouth as he began to plot how to use this opportunity to obtain more valuable experimental subjects.
He picked up the scroll again and read the information on it once more.
In his intelligence report, Izumi mentioned that the situation in the Land of Water is rapidly deteriorating, and the purge by Kirigakure has affected several bloodline clans.
A large number of bloodline ninjas were killed, and their bodies were carelessly dumped in mass graves.
If Orochimaru is interested, he can take this opportunity to collect it.
"It seems this collaborator knows my preferences quite well." Orochimaru chuckled softly, then tucked the scroll into his sleeve.
He turned around, walked to the culture tank, and looked at the experimental subjects immersed in the nutrient solution with a deep and unfathomable gaze.
Let's put Danzo's matter aside for now. Anyway, no matter how much that old guy suspects, he won't rashly turn against him.
The entanglement of interests between them is so deep that no one can easily extricate themselves.
As for the Land of Water, it's worth a trip there for him.
Orochimaru raised his hand, and a small snake emerged from his sleeve and coiled around his finger.
He looked down at the small snake and said softly, "Go tell our collaborators that I'm very interested."
The little snake flicked its tongue, silently slipped from his hand, and disappeared into the shadows of the laboratory.
Orochimaru returned to the operating table, picked up the surgical forceps, and continued his unfinished experiment.
In an underground part of the ninja world, in a dim space, only a few flames flickered in a brazier, casting shadows that stretched and shortened on the rock wall.
Obito sat on the stone platform, one leg dangling casually over the edge, the other leg resting on the surface of the platform, his posture nonchalant.
But the aura emanating from him was incredibly gloomy, especially his right eye, which was exposed outside the mask and was colder than ever before.
After experiencing the tearing apart of the Divine Might Space, the backlash from his right eye, and the forced removal of half of his space, he underwent another transformation.
That gloom was not anger, nor anxiety, but a deeper, colder silence, like a stagnant pool.
Having Hashirama cells, his recovery ability far exceeds that of ordinary people. After a period of rest, his right eye has recovered more than half.
The Divine Might Space gradually stabilized under the nourishment of his pupil power, and the spatial cracks that remained after the tearing were now basically healed.
The spatial barriers have become solid again, no longer as shaky as before.
After multiple tests, the blurring time remained unchanged, which was the thing he was most relieved about.
His ability to become ethereal is his trump card for survival and his greatest asset in navigating a world surrounded by formidable enemies.
As long as he still has this trump card, he still has a chance to turn the tables.
However, half of the size of the Divine Might Space has been lost forever.
Obito closed his eyes, sensing the boundary of that alternate dimension.
The once vast space is now reduced to half, with the stone pillars standing at the edge of the crack bearing clear signs of tearing.
"Black Zetsu".
Obito's slightly hoarse voice echoed in the underground space.
On the rock wall next to him, a pitcher plant quickly sprouted.
The leaves unfurled, the vines stretched out, and through the cracks, the iconic yin-yang face was revealed. Black Zetsu calmly looked at Obito, waiting for him to continue.
"How's the investigation going?" Obito raised his head slightly, the three tomoe in his right eye slowly rotating.
"Regarding this," Black Zetsu's voice was low and hoarse, his tone calm and steady, "we tracked Kakashi's spore clone and uncovered some information."
It recounted in detail all the information it had witnessed through its spore clones.
As the strongest intelligence agent in the ninja world, Black Zetsu's eyes are everywhere, and he has seen everything with his own eyes without any exaggeration.
After hearing the information, Obito remained silent for a long time. The flickering flames in the brazier were reflected in his right eye.
His gaze was as deep as an abyss. After a long period of contemplation, he finally spoke slowly, his voice carrying a hint of coldness.
"The Land of Rivers, Kakashi, Tsunade, and the Root ninja—that base, is it the stronghold of that Kirigakure traitor, Taketori Izumi?"
"Yes!" Black Zetsu replied.
"Heh, I didn't expect it to be him." Obito sneered, his laughter carrying a hint of relief, yet also a chilling killing intent.
If it was that guy, he wouldn't be surprised.
He remembered Izumi Taketori, the man who had defected from Kirigakure, the spy who appeared in Konoha on the night of the Nine-Tails.
That guy once stole the Byakugan and even spied on Itachi Uchiha's eyes in Konoha, claiming he was looking forward to Itachi opening his own.
At the time, he thought that the other party's interest in the Uchiha clan was just a pretense, especially since they later kidnapped Hyuga Neji.
Unexpectedly, that guy used a diversionary tactic and ultimately stole his left eye, which was being stored with Kakashi.
What a brilliant plan, what a brilliant idea!
Obito narrowed his right eye slightly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"Where is he now?" The sneer stopped abruptly, and his tone became urgent and cold.
"The other party has mastered the ability to fly, which makes it impossible for me to follow him." Black Zetsu's tone carried a rare hint of helplessness. "He uses a skeletal dragon created by the Corpse Bone Pulse, and it flies around aimlessly all day long."
"If I didn't have clones all over the ninja world, I wouldn't even know where he flew to."
"What we can confirm now is that he eventually flew overseas, but I can't pinpoint his exact location."
Black Zetsu stated that it is not omnipotent. Although its spore clones are spread throughout the ninja world, they can only exist in trees and underground. The sky is not within its range of abilities.
Taketori Izumikawa has been flying high in the sky on a giant skeletal dragon for many years. Moreover, it is a creation of the Corpse Bone Vein, so it is impossible for it to parasitize.
It was already at its limit that it could determine that the other party was flying overseas.
"Can't be sure?"
Obito's voice suddenly turned cold, and his expression beneath the mask became extremely gloomy.
Somewhat irritated, he tapped the edge of the stone platform lightly with his fingers, producing a dull sound, one tap after another, like some kind of countdown.
"Then what method can we use to pinpoint his location?" He looked up, the three tomoe in his right eye spinning faster and faster. "I need to go with Nagato and properly 'invite' him."
He wanted to reclaim his left eye, so naturally he couldn't reveal his true intentions to Nagato and the others.
However, Taketori Izumi was already on Akatsuki's shortlist of potential invitees, so there was no need for him to do anything.
Once the location is determined, it's enough to approach Nagato under the pretext of his strength and bring Pain along to "invite" him.
As for whether the other party would agree or refuse, Obito's lips curled up slightly, revealing a cold smile.
Whether he agreed or not, he was certain that the eye was with him.
If the other party refuses, he can even use the pretext of "eliminating the threat" to get Pain to take back his left eye.
"Black Zetsu." Obito stood up and jumped off the stone platform, his footsteps landing silently. "Continue the surveillance. Use all your clones and keep a close eye on the overseas direction."
"Especially the seas surrounding the Land of Water and the Land of Lightning. If that guy goes overseas, those are the most likely places he'll target."
"You mean—" Black Zetsu's yellow eyes flickered slightly.
"The Hidden Mist Village is purging bloodline clans. That guy is a traitor to the Hidden Mist Village and also possesses the Shikotsumyaku (Corpse Bone Pulse). He won't be indifferent to this."
Obito turned around, his back to the brazier, the swirls on his mask appearing particularly deep in the shadows.
"If he really goes to the Land of Water, that would be even better. After all, I have other plans for Kirigakure as well."
Black Zetsu was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded: "Understood, I will continue to monitor."
"Also!" Obito raised his hand, stopping Black Zetsu from sinking into the rock wall, "Contact Nagato for me and tell him—I have a plan to control Kirigakure, and it's worth his personal involvement."
"You want to mobilize the Six Paths of Pain?" Black Zetsu's tone carried a hint of surprise.
"It's just to ensure success!" Obito's voice was calm as still water, yet it concealed a deadly intent. "If we can successfully control the Fourth Mizukage, our chances of success will be even greater!"
He didn't continue speaking, but simply raised his hand and gently clenched his fist.
Black Zetsu understood his meaning. The pitcher plant slowly closed, its form gradually merging into the rock wall, like ink dripping into water, quickly disappearing.
The underground space returned to silence. Only the brazier on the wall was still burning, its flickering flames casting Obito's shadow on the wall behind him, like a lurking beast.
Obito sat back down on the stone platform, his leg dangling casually down again.
He raised his hand and gently covered his right eye, feeling the edge of the divine space constantly healing.
"Taketori Izumikawa—" he murmured the name, his voice soft yet cold, "Your eyes will return to my hands sooner or later."
C
The flickering firelight swallowed his figure into shadow.
The land of snow.
Deep within the base, Izumi sat by the window of the laboratory, holding a scroll that had just been spat out from the mouth of a skeletal bird.
He unrolled the scroll, and Orochimaru's signature thin handwriting came into view. The content was concise, without any unnecessary pleasantries, only a cold confirmation.
They accepted the invitation, each proceeding independently within the Land of Water, and finally meeting to complete the transaction.
"As always, cautious." Izumikawa's lips curled up slightly as he placed the scroll on the table beside him.
Orochimaru didn't want to act with him simply because he didn't want to expose his whereabouts and prevent him from doing anything.
That wise serpent kept a proper distance from everyone.
Even partners will only meet briefly at the intersection of their interests before quickly parting ways, like two snakes that brush past each other.
However, Izumikawa didn't mind.
His purpose in returning to the Land of Water this time was completely different from Orochimaru's.
-
Orochimaru was after the corpses of the bloodline ninjas who had been wiped out by Kirigakure.
And he did it for two people, two children who were still alive and possessed precious bloodline limits.