socalfunplaces Chapter 137 The Deal!
Chapter 137 The Deal!
Chapter 137 The Deal!
Yagura squatted down, his brows furrowed slightly, and slowly scanned the corpses.
The wounds on the corpse were horrifying; they were not knife wounds or blunt force injuries, but marks left by some kind of living creature tearing at the body.
A faint chakra aura lingered at the edge of the wound, cold and slippery, with a chilling sensation unique to snakes.
Yagura's pupils contracted slightly.
He had seen this kind of death before.
No, it should be said that the entire ninja world has seen this kind of death.
In those years, Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, left behind corpses that looked almost all like this on the battlefield.
Snakes, venom, this iconic ninjutsu, and summoning techniques—only that person possesses them.
"Orochimaru—" Yagura murmured the name, his voice filled with suppressed anger and an undisguised solemnity.
He stood up, shifting his gaze from the corpse to the distant area shrouded in thick fog.
"Fourth Boss, it's confirmed." An ANBU member stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and reported with his head bowed, "The deceased were members of this morning's patrol team, a total of six. All of them were killed in action, with no survivors."
"Based on the analysis of the wounds and the chakra remaining at the scene, the perpetrator was indeed ————"
He paused, seemingly reluctant to say the name.
"Orochimaru," Yagura said for him, his tone eerily calm.
"Yes." The secret service member lowered his head, not daring to say anything more.
Yagura remained silent for a moment, a thoughtful expression on his face. This news was not good news.
"What is Orochimaru doing in the Land of Water?" Yagura asked, seemingly to his ANBU subordinate, but also to himself. "A Konoha ninja, appearing out of nowhere within Kirigakure's territory and killing my men—what does he want?"
"Are you trying to start another war?"
The secret agents dared not answer, and simply knelt on the ground, not daring to breathe.
"Any other discoveries?" Yagura lowered his hand, his gaze falling on the distant mist.
"Yes." The ANBU raised his head, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Near the body, we also found another type of skeletal remains."
"It's very faint, but it definitely exists. The analysis team says that the characteristic of that chakra—is the power of the Shikotsumyaku!"
This bone was left behind by Black Zetsu following Obito's orders, and it was also stolen from the Land of Rivers base.
Yagura was taken aback and murmured, "Does the Taketori clan still have survivors with the Shikotsumyaku bloodline?"
Wait, there is indeed another survivor with the Corpse Bone Bloodline.
"Taketori Izumi River—" Yagura murmured the name, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
He was familiar with the name: a survivor of the Kaguya clan, the owner of the Shikotsumyaku (Corpse Bone Pulse), a former ninja of Kirigakure (Hidden Mist Village) who later defected and disappeared.
Now, this name has reappeared in his field of vision, intertwined with Orochimaru and the deaths of the Hidden Mist Village ninjas.
"Orochimaru and Taketori Izumi—" Yagura's fingers tapped lightly on the short staff at his waist, producing a dull thud. "Are they working together, or did they just happen to be here at the same time?"
No one could answer him.
"Pass down the order." Yagura's voice suddenly turned cold and stern. "Strengthen patrols in the southern sea area, and put all ANBU on high alert."
"Report any sightings of Orochimaru or Izumi Taketori immediately. Do not act without authorization."
"Furthermore—I will go and investigate myself!"
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the corpses lying on the ground, a complex expression flashing in his eyes.
"Take their remains back and give them a proper burial."
"Yes." The officer in charge of the secret service responded and got up to relay the order.
Yagura stood alone on the reef, gazing at the gray-white mist on the sea, motionless for a long time.
Orochimaru and Izumi Taketori—the simultaneous appearance of these two in the Land of Water is definitely not a coincidence.
What are they trying to do? Or is it something related to Kirigakure?
Yagura gripped the short stick tightly, his eyes growing increasingly cold.
Whatever you want to do, this is my territory. Anyone who dares to act recklessly here will pay the price.
On the other side, in the southeastern part of the Land of Water, at the edge of an unnamed island.
Orochimaru and Kabuto made steady progress along the rocky terrain, less than half a mile from their agreed meeting place.
He pushed up his glasses on the bridge of his nose, a hint of confusion flickering in his eyes behind the lenses.
He glanced at Orochimaru's retreating figure and finally couldn't help but speak, his voice low: "Lord Orochimaru, we've left such obvious traces; the Kirigakure will probably react very strongly."
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He paused, a rare hint of doubt in his voice: "You never leave any loose ends in the past, so why didn't you let me clean up the mess before you left this time?"
Orochimaru did not answer immediately. He stopped and stood on a protruding rock, slowly turning around.
Those snake-like eyes gleamed with a cold light in the mist, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, revealing a playful and wicked smile.
"That's naturally to make the Mist Ninja our insurance." His voice was hoarse and deep, like a snake's tongue slithering in the air.
Dou's brow twitched slightly, awaiting what was to come.
Orochimaru's voice carried a meaningful smile: "After all, the guy we're meeting is the one who personally captured Tsunade."
Kabuto's pupils contracted slightly. Tsunade! One of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, granddaughter of the First Hokage, and the pinnacle of medical ninjutsu.
That person was on par with Lord Orochimaru; one can only imagine the strength of the one who could kidnap her.
"I dared to go to the appointment alone back then because it was in the Land of Fire." Orochimaru withdrew his gaze and looked at Kabuto again, his tone tinged with self-mockery. "There, I had various ways to escape and seek support."
"But now this is the Land of Water, half of that guy's home turf."
He lowered his voice even further and continued, "Moreover, the other party obtained Hashirama cells and Eight-Tails fragments from me."
, 7
"So much time has passed, I can't even imagine what level of strength he has reached now."
"So, you deliberately left traces to let the Mist Ninja come after you," Kabuto said slowly, his tone tinged with realization. "If any problems arise and the Mist Ninja arrive, they will definitely prioritize dealing with this Mist Ninja traitor over us."
Orochimaru's smile widened, a hint of approval flashing in his snake-like eyes. He didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly.
"As expected of Lord Orochimaru, his considerations are very thorough." Kabuto praised sincerely, his tone filled with respect.
"Alright." Orochimaru withdrew his gaze, turned around, and continued walking towards the agreed location. "We'll be there soon. Be careful then; that guy is no pushover."
"Yes." Kabuto immediately stopped speaking and silently followed behind Orochimaru.
Deep within the agreed-upon mine.
In the dim light, a twisted crack silently opened, like an eye opening in the void. Izumi Kawa emerged from the crack, followed by Yekura.
He raised his right hand, brought his index and middle fingers together, and gently waved it to his side. The crack closed silently, as if it had never existed.
Too.
Within the Divine Might Space, the skeletal dragon had quietly crouched beside the streets of the ancient Loulan Kingdom, its bone wings folded, and the eerie light in its eye sockets shimmering faintly in the twilight.
He left Haku and Kimimaro in the Kamui dimension.
Quanchuan looked around the mine. The chisel marks left by the miners in the past remained on the rock walls, but they had long been blurred by the passage of time and fog.
The cave wasn't deep, but it was wide enough, with several natural cracks in the ceiling letting in a little bit of pale sunlight.
The ground was slippery and covered with a thin layer of moss, making a soft rustling sound when you stepped on it.
"The environment is well hidden," Ye Cang said in a low voice, his eyes scanning every corner of the mine, his senses spreading out to confirm that there was no ambush or that he was being followed.
"Orochimaru's choice of location is unlikely to be bad." Izumikawa walked to a protruding rock wall, leaned against the cold stone surface, crossed his arms, and calmly looked towards the cave entrance.
Sunglasses covered his eyes, but Yecang could sense that his attention was completely focused on the grayish-white mist.
Yekura stood slightly behind him, her hands hanging naturally at her sides. She appeared relaxed, but in reality, her chakra was already circulating, ready to strike at any moment.
The two waited in silence.
They didn't have to wait long before Izumikawa's lips curled up slightly as he sensed the two approaching chakra fluctuations.
"Here you are," he said softly, and Ye Cang nodded slightly.
A moment later, two figures emerged from the mist at the cave entrance.
Orochimaru walked ahead, his pale face bearing that signature half-smile.
Dou followed behind him, his silver hair standing out conspicuously in the dim cave.
His gaze behind the glasses was calm and alert, scanning every corner of the cave before finally lingering on Yecang for a moment before moving away.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Orochimaru's voice echoed through the mine, hoarse and deep, with a hint of a smile.
His serpentine eyes gleamed faintly in the dim light as he surveyed the two people inside the cave.
Izumikawa lowered his arms from his chest, took two steps forward, and kept a distance that was neither too close nor too far from Orochimaru.
"I just arrived too." Izumi's tone was flat, revealing no emotion.
Their gazes met in the dim light. Orochimaru's snake-like eyes narrowed slightly as he scrutinized Izumikawa.
The man who once traded Hashirama cells and Eight-Tails fragments for him now gives him a different feeling.
That feeling made Orochimaru both wary and excited.
This is because it means that the other party's strength has increased, which will inevitably be accompanied by research results.
Izumi was also sizing up Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin of Konoha, a former legend who still resembled a lurking snake.
"Did you bring the things?" Izumi asked directly, without beating around the bush or offering any unnecessary pleasantries.
Orochimaru took out a sealing scroll from his sleeve and weighed it in his hand.
A red seal was affixed to the surface of the scroll, covered with densely packed sealing incantations, clearly indicating that it was a highly protected confidential item.
"The research data on the Cursed Seal, and Jugo's cell samples, are all in there."
"Of course, this is just the beginning. If you want to go deeper, you'll need to pay a higher price."
His serpentine eyes were fixed on Izumi, as if waiting for the other's reaction.
Izumikawa did not respond, nor did he show any dissatisfaction.