socalfunplaces Chapter 136: Their whereabouts exposed, a conspiracy looms!
Chapter 136: Their whereabouts exposed, a conspiracy looms!
Chapter 136: Their whereabouts exposed, a conspiracy looms!
Qing's figure was quickly swallowed by the thick fog, and only the sound of her footsteps gradually faded away on the pier, like the heartbeat of a farewell, one beat after another, until it finally dissipated in the sea breeze.
Izumi stood there, gazing in the direction Qing had left, and remained silent for a moment.
The mist dampened his hair and collar, and the coolness seeped into his skin through the fabric, but he was completely unaware.
He was just thinking that he had believed what Qing had just said to some extent.
The man who once taught him how to survive on the battlefield, the teacher whose eye he had personally taken away.
Do you really believe such a simple reason as "just to roll your eyes"?
Maybe they believed it, maybe they didn't.
But it is not important.
Only Qing herself knows the true effect of this well-intentioned lie.
Izumikawa didn't need to know the answer; he just needed to convince himself that his initial choice was the only way out.
He turned around and walked towards the skeletal dragon.
Izumi was very clear at the time that he had no other choice.
Betraying Ao and stealing the Byakugan was the starting point for him leaving Kirigakure and embarking on this path.
That road was filled with blood and mud, every step was like stepping on a knife's edge, but he had no regrets.
Because he knew that if he stayed in Kirigakure, there were only two possible outcomes for him.
They are either eliminated as "unstable factors" during bloodline cleansing, or discarded like a used chess piece during a mission.
He cannot guarantee that he will not develop a bloodline disease in the future, nor can he gamble that his "optimization" can solve this continuous genetic mutation.
After all, his research on interstitial cells had already demonstrated that some things cannot be truly resolved at their root.
Those defects hidden deep within the DNA helix cannot be erased by mental power. One can optimize the process, but cannot rewrite the origin.
So he chose betrayal—betraying his teacher, betraying the village—all just to survive.
The skeletal dragon lay beside the ruins, its bone wings folded, and the eerie light in its eye sockets flickered in the mist. Izumi stepped into its belly.
The skeletal dragon soared into the sky, its wings flapping to disperse the mist, and flew towards the sea.
Below, the abandoned port grew smaller and smaller. The pier, the reefs, the collapsed stone houses, and the complicated past of the master and apprentice were all swallowed up by the thick fog and eventually disappeared.
The fog closed up again, shrouding everything in a gray curtain.
Izumi sat inside the dragon's belly, leaning against the bone wall, his Sharingan in his left eye staring at what was in front of him, and he lightly drew a line with his finger in front of him.
Space was torn apart, revealing the twilight-shrouded Kamui Space within, where Yekura and the others were located.
Shiro and Kimimaro were curled up in the corner. The two children were already asleep, their breathing steady and even.
She was wrapped in a cloak, only her small face was visible, and her brows were slightly furrowed, as if she was having a bad dream.
Kimimaro, on the other hand, was much quieter, with her hands folded over her abdomen, sleeping in a posture as neat as a carefully arranged piece of porcelain.
Izumikawa moved them out along with Yekura and shut down the Kamui Dimension.
Yekura sensed the change in space and her gaze fell on Izumi Kawa in front of her.
"Are you done talking?" she asked softly.
"We've finished talking." Izumi slowly closed his eyes and sat there to rest.
"Where to next?"
"Go find Orochimaru." Izumi took out a small scroll from his pocket.
Unfolding it reveals only one line of text and one coordinate: an island in the southeastern part of the Water Kingdom.
"It's almost time."
The skeletal dragon changed direction in the mist and flew southeast.
The bone wings sliced through the mist, leaving a faint trail in the gray sky, which was quickly smoothed out by the mist.
"These two children—" Yekura glanced at Shiro and Kimimaro, a hint of emotion in his voice, "What are your plans for them in the future?"
"Take them back first and let them train with Momona." Izumi leaned against the bone wall, his eyes closed. "Shiro's foundation is too weak; we need to start teaching him from scratch."
"Kimimaro's body needs to be examined. If the bloodline disease problem isn't resolved, he won't live much longer."
"Can you solve this?" Yecang asked.
"I'm not sure." Izumi opened his eyes, his gaze falling on Kimimaro's peaceful sleeping face. "But we have to try."
The dragon's belly quieted down, with only the crackling of the stove and the even breathing of the two children.
The fog outside grew thicker and thicker, shrouding the entire sea area in a grayish-white hue, making even the surface of the sea indistinct.
The skeletal dragon moved through the mist like a silent ghost, carrying its master and passengers towards the southeast of the Water Kingdom.
The appointed time is almost here.
On the other side, along the fog-shrouded coastline, Orochimaru and Kabuto were making their way along the rugged rocky terrain.
Orochimaru walked ahead with a slow, deliberate pace, as if this land shrouded in mist and murderous intent was merely an ordinary corner of his backyard.
His serpentine eyes swept across the surroundings, taking in every fluctuation of chakra and every movement of mist.
Kabuto followed behind him, carrying the sealing scroll and collection tools on his shoulder, his silver hair standing out conspicuously in the mist.
"Lord Orochimaru." Kabuto adjusted his glasses and spoke calmly, his tone devoid of any tension. "Those Mist Ninja seem to have found some traces of us and are tracking us."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly through the mist.
The sea breeze carried his words far away, bringing with it the faint sound of footsteps and the fluctuations of chakra in the distance.
Orochimaru didn't stop or even turn around; a slight, sinister smile played on his lips.
"Just a few rats." His voice was low and hoarse, with a nonchalant ease. "Ignore them, keep going."
-
Kabuto didn't refute, but simply nodded slightly and followed Orochimaru's steps.
He knew Orochimaru's personality; the more indifferent he appeared, the more it meant he was prepared to deal with it.
If those Mist Ninja are sensible, they will retreat on their own after pursuing them for a while; if they are not—
Dou pushed up his glasses, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes behind the lenses.
The footsteps grew closer.
In the thick fog, several dark figures could be vaguely seen moving quickly among the rocks, flanking them.
They wore the uniforms of the Hidden Mist Village's Anbu, animal masks, and the kunai in their hands gleamed coldly in the mist.
"Halt!" a deep voice came from the mist. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
Orochimaru finally stopped. He slowly turned around, facing the direction from which the sound came, his snake-like eyes gleaming with a cold light in the mist.
"We are—" he drawled, with a hint of mockery, "passersby."
"Passing by?" The voice was full of doubt. "There are no villages for dozens of miles around here. What are you passing by?"
""
"Passing by your deaths." Orochimaru's lips curled into a cruel smile.
Before he finished speaking, several venomous snakes emerged from his sleeve and silently shot into the thick fog.
Immediately afterwards, several muffled groans came from the mist, followed by a heavy thud as a body fell to the ground.
Several dark figures fell from the reef, crashing onto the slippery rocks with dull thuds.
Kabuto stood still, motionless, as if all of this was within his expectations.
"Is it resolved?" he asked.
"It's resolved." Orochimaru retracted the snake from his sleeve, turned, and continued walking forward. "But this is just the outpost. There will be even more pursuers behind."
Dou followed, his steps still light.
"Do we need to change our route?"
"No need." Orochimaru's voice came from ahead. "This is Kirigakure territory. Once we're discovered, we won't be able to escape their pursuit. Just get to the agreed location as soon as possible."
Kabuto didn't ask any more questions. He simply followed Orochimaru silently, passing through the rocks and mist, towards the agreed-upon location.
Behind them, the thick fog closed in again, engulfing the bodies lying on the rocks.
The waves crashed against the rocks, quickly washing away the bloodstains as if nothing had happened.
Only the faint smell of blood lingering in the air testifies to the brief, silent battle that once took place here.
Shortly after they left, five figures quietly emerged from the thick fog, like ghosts rising from the sea.
Pain walked at the front, his Rinnegan reflecting the still-warm corpses on the ground, his gaze cold and calm.
The other three were also beside him, including Obito, who was wearing a vortex mask.
Black Zetsu slowly emerged from a crevice in the nearby reef, its pitcher plant-like leaves unfurling to reveal its iconic yin-yang face.
Its gaze swept over the corpse on the ground, its tone calm and certain: "It's Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha."
2
"He left here recently with an assistant. He's the one who took care of these people."
"Orochimaru?" Pain's brow twitched slightly, a hint of interest flashing in his Rinnegan. "What's he doing here?"
Black Zetsu shook his head: "His specific purpose is still unclear, but judging from the direction he is heading, he is moving deeper into this island."
"And—" It paused, glanced at Obito, and its tone became more meaningful.
"He went there with a purpose, it seems he made an appointment with someone, possibly that Izumi Taketori."
Obito narrowed his right eye slightly. The names Orochimaru and Izumi Taketori appeared in his mind at the same time, making him vaguely sense an unusual atmosphere.
One of them is one of the legendary Sannin of Konoha, obsessed with human research, and he is probably after the corpses of bloodline ninjas.
One is a traitor from the Mist Village, possessing the Shikotsumyaku, Byakugan, and Sharingan.
If these two people get together, whether it's cooperation or conflict, it's worth paying attention to.
"Orochimaru—Taketori Izumi—" Obito repeated the two names in a low voice, a cold smile playing on his lips. "Interesting. It seems we have more than one prey."
"What about the Mist Ninja?" Pain asked, shifting his gaze from the corpse to the depths of the mist.
"There's already a reaction." Black Zetsu's voice remained calm. "With the disappearances over the past few days, coupled with the appearance of these corpses, Kirigakure has realized that something is wrong on the island."
"The Fourth Mizukage has ordered increased patrols in the southern seas, and the Anbu are conducting a large-scale search of every island in the area."
"They've even started personally taking action to find the culprits."
Pain remained silent for a moment, his Rinnegan reflecting the surging waves in the mist.
"Accelerate the operation." His voice was deep and cold. "Find Izumi River before the fog clears."
"If we can't find him—" He paused, his gaze falling on Black Zetsu, "we'll create some commotion and have Orochimaru act as a substitute."
"One of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha should be able to help us deplete a significant amount of that Jinchūriki's power."
Obito nodded, agreeing with the plan.
"Black Zetsu, continue to monitor Orochimaru's movements, and report back immediately if there is any news."
"And we, just follow behind, waiting for our turn."
Five figures vanished silently into the thick fog, leaving only Black Jue behind.
Black stared in despair in the direction they had gone, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly sank into the reef.
The waves continued to crash against the rocks, washing away the bloodstains on the ground bit by bit.
The fog closed again, concealing all traces under a gray curtain.
The undercurrents in the Land of Water are growing ever deeper.