"Neji! Look carefully!" Guy urged.
"Right! Byakugan!" Neji activated his Byakugan, ready to scan the entire small base.
Meanwhile, Tenten had already rushed to the pile of documents, her eyes scanning quickly—only to spot a set of scrolls that looked different from the rest.
Looking closer, she read, "Second Tsuchikage… Mū? Second Mizukage, Hōzuki Gengetsu? Third Raikage, A? Fourth Kazekage, Rasa? These people are all dead… Could it be that Yakushi Kabuto has been investigating them in order to dig them up for Edo Tensei (Reanimation Jutsu)? If he really did that, it would be quite a powerful force!"
Just thinking about it sent a chill down her spine.
But she didn't have time to dwell on it—she continued rummaging, and before long she found exactly what she was looking for.
Her hands trembled as she opened the scroll with "Kinkaku" and "Ginkaku" written on it, quickly reading the contents. She finally relaxed—the scroll showed that Kabuto had only managed to find where Kinkaku and Ginkaku might have died, but hadn't had time to investigate. That meant the Six Paths Ninja Tools hadn't yet fallen into his hands—or into Orochimaru's hands.
Which meant… this was her chance!
"Natsuki was right— the Six Paths Ninja Tools really are within reach!"
"Information on dead shinobi? And all of these?"
Guy flipped through it and frowned. "Why is Kabuto gathering all this? Is he… really into grave robbing?"
Neji, however, realized something. "Guy-sensei—Orochimaru knows the Edo Tensei!"
Lee's eyes went wide. "So that means… he's planning to dig up their corpses and reanimate them as his fighting force? That's far too dangerous—and it desecrates the dead!"
Guy immediately understood and, after a moment's thought, said, "Since we haven't found Kabuto, let's just burn this base down. All these documents and experimental materials—destroy them."
The other three had no objections. They left the base and set it ablaze.
Afterward, they moved on to other nearby outposts—there were still quite a few around the main base, and they needed to wipe them out quickly to prevent reinforcements.
Just after they left, Kabuto quietly appeared.
Looking at the laboratory engulfed in flames, he sighed. "Didn't expect Konoha's shinobi to suddenly show up here—and with the Hyūga Byakugan, no less. Good thing I hid quickly, or I'd be done for. I'm sure things are even worse at Orochimaru-sama's side… Konoha must have sent Natsuki. Orochimaru-sama… might not make it."
Orochimaru-sama… it's not that I won't help you, it's that I can't.
But don't worry—I'll inherit your legacy, and spread your work far and wide!
—
At the same time, the main base's gates were smashed open as Team 7 and Team 9 rushed inside.
Natsuki took the lead, darting forward at high speed. He didn't know exactly where Orochimaru would be, so he headed for the laboratories first.
Before long, he reached a small lab—but it was empty.
Not surprising—Orochimaru usually worked alone. If he needed help, he'd use a shadow clone or call Kabuto. With Orochimaru likely bedridden from illness, it made sense there was no one here.
Natsuki quickly glanced over the experimental data—no intel on Kinkaku or Ginkaku. He immediately moved on to the next location.
Just then, a note appeared—it was from Tenten.
Natsuki, my dear husband—
I've found intel on Kinkaku and Ginkaku here. You don't need to search anymore.
Natsuki grinned. "Tenten really does have good luck. Some people find Six Paths Ninja Tools just lying on the roadside. She goes looking for them and the intel just falls into her lap. As expected, the Six Paths Ninja Tools were meant to belong to my wife!"
With the search over, Natsuki picked up speed, now focused solely on finding Orochimaru.
Meanwhile, Kakashi's squad and Aoba's squad had split into two groups.
Aoba's squad raced down a dim corridor, kicking doors open with Rankyaku and checking each room before moving on. Soon, they reached a prison-like area where tattered prisoners were locked behind iron bars—Orochimaru's experimental subjects.
Naturally, the prison was guarded.
Otherwise, just feeding these subjects daily would drive Orochimaru and Kabuto insane.
A group of shinobi wearing Sound headbands rushed forward aggressively. "Who are you?! You dare intrude here? Do you want to die—or become experiments yourselves?!"
But then one of them spotted the Konoha forehead protectors. "Damn! They're Konoha shinobi! Kill them!"
"San Sen U no Jutsu!" (Scattered Thousand Crows Technique)
Rinya acted first, sending a cloud of crows to disrupt the Sound shinobi.
Kurama Yakumo pulled out her drawing board and brush, sketching a storm cloud in a flash. As her brush touched down, lightning struck from above, frying several Sound shinobi to a crisp—likely killing them instantly.
Megumi gave a thumbs up. "Yakumo, you're amazing! You took out the enemy in one move!"
Yakumo blushed, but was clearly happy—the recognition from her teammates put her in high spirits.
Rinya leaned over. "Megumi, Megumi—my Scattered Thousand Crows Technique was pretty good too, right? Perfect timing to disrupt them before they could attack!"
Megumi patted his head like a dog. "Yes, yes, Rinya, you were great too."
…Why did that feel so half-hearted?
So, once you have a best friend, you don't need a boyfriend anymore?
Yakumo glanced at the prison, her face softening. "Aoba-sensei, what should we do about these people?"
Yamashiro Aoba adjusted his sunglasses. "Orochimaru should have records on them. After we take him down, we'll check who's innocent and let them go."
Hearing that, Yakumo, Megumi, and Rinya all breathed a sigh of relief—as long as they weren't ordered to kill them.
After all, shinobi life could be very dark. Sometimes even innocent people had to be killed.
Yakumo wasn't naïve—she knew the cruel side of being a ninja—but she had a line she wouldn't cross. She didn't want to kill without reason.
And if she could help victims like these, it would make her genuinely happy.
(End of Chapter)
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