Uzumaki Naruto stepped through the glowing gate and returned to the dark base.
A faint teal flame quietly burned, casting shadows in the room. When it saw Naruto come back, a figure with a faint smile said, "So many years without seeing each other, why not catch up a little?"
"No need," Naruto replied.
He sat on the bed, his eyes half-lidded. "But you… why do you have time to come find me here?"
In these past two years, Naruto's personality had changed drastically.
Perhaps years under Orochimaru's influence made him less talkative and much more mature and steady.
The person in the room slowly rose and walked to the teal lamp. It was Orochimaru. He looked like he was admiring a perfect tool he had forged himself, smiling with satisfaction.
"Not bad. You've improved quickly. Looks like you'll soon advance to Sequence 4."
Naruto said nothing, only nodded slightly.
No one knew how many hardships he had endured in these two years to reach this point.
He looked at Orochimaru and asked, "What exactly happened in Iwagakure? Is it really worth your personal attention to investigate?"
"A transformation in the shinobi world," Orochimaru said with meaning. "Also, to visit an old friend, see how things have changed in recent years."
"And the result?"
Naruto frowned. He felt Orochimaru was hiding something.
"The result? Naturally, it was an unhappy parting."
Orochimaru sighed with some regret, a trace of sadness in his eyes. "Those who once walked side by side will eventually go their separate ways. Fate can be quite laughable sometimes."
"Looks like the problem in Iwagakure is serious?" Naruto's curiosity grew. "You are a Sequence 3 Cognizer, after all. Besides the two 'Angels' of the Aurora Order, who else can stop you?"
Yes, two years later, Orochimaru had risen to Sequence 3 of the White Tower Pathway: the Cognizer.
At least in Naruto's eyes, a Sequence 3 Cognizer was powerful enough to dominate the shinobi world, except for the two 'Angels' of the Aurora Order.
"Of course, that one from Iwagakure is truly an angel."
At this, Orochimaru couldn't help but feel a faint discouragement. He prided himself on being a genius, but when it came to the Beyonder Pathway, his progress was far from fast.
Onoki seemed perfectly suited for the 'Black Emperor' pathway. In just two short years, he had leapt from a Sequence 5 Mentor of Disorder to the Sequence 2 Duke of Entropy.
Moreover, under Onoki's careful governance, Iwagakure had been completely renewed from the inside out over these years.
Even the Daimyo of the Land of Earth had been entirely overshadowed by that old fox.
Now, he was effectively an invisible emperor, controlling everything in the Land of Earth from the shadows!
"Lord Adam, what exactly is he planning?"
This question deeply troubled Orochimaru.
Onoki had betrayed the Twilight Hermit Order but faced no punishment. Instead, it was as if 'Adam' had forgotten about him altogether.
Though Orochimaru had repeatedly urged to curb Onoki's growth over these two years, 'Adam' had rejected every suggestion.
It was almost as if 'Adam' was deliberately allowing Onoki to rise.
"Right now, your focus shouldn't be on Iwagakure."
Orochimaru rubbed his temples and looked toward Uzumaki Naruto calmly.
"You should focus on the Advancement Ritual. After all, you have to seal a 'Demigod' alone for it to count. It's no easy feat. What are your thoughts?"
"I'm searching for a target."
Uzumaki Naruto replied coolly, "Originally, the target was Uchiha Sasuke, but she's too slow at advancing. So, I'm planning to switch to someone else."
"Oh?"
Hearing this, Orochimaru wore a teasing smile.
"Is that really the reason? Or are you just too soft-hearted?"
"That's none of your business."
Naruto snorted coldly, raising his hand to summon the Traveler's Door.
"I'll handle Sasuke's matters myself. No need for your interference."
With that, he stepped through the gate and disappeared.
"What a useful ability," Orochimaru murmured.
Looking at the departing Uzumaki Naruto, Orochimaru sighed with regret, "It's a pity. If only this could be turned into an extraordinary item."
The ability to travel anywhere at any time was truly enviable.
When Sasuke arrived at the Hidden Sand Village, the scene before her shocked her deeply.
It looked like a huge crater left behind by a bombing. Countless ruins of buildings piled up everywhere. Even the sand defense barrier had a massive hole blasted through it!
It was clear just how brutal the battle that day had been.
Sasuke had arrived quickly and, through contact with ninja sent from the Sand Village, happened to meet Kakashi's team acting as the vanguard.
"Sasuke, is that you?"
Haruno Sakura was surprised. She hadn't expected to see her long-absent teammate here after two years.
"That's right. It's me, Sakura, Kakashi-sensei."
Sasuke looked at the people across from her. A wave of familiarity washed over her, and a bright smile appeared on her face.
"Neji, Tenten, long time no see."
"How did you end up here? What about Lord Jiraiya?"
Kakashi looked confused. Why had Sasuke suddenly appeared at the Sand Village?
"We returned to Konoha the very afternoon you all left, Jiraiya-sensei and I," Sasuke explained the whole story.
"I see. So the Hokage sent you to support us."
Once he understood, Kakashi stared at Sakura strangely. "But what about Guy? Wasn't he supposed to come with you?"
Mentioning this made Sasuke a little embarrassed. She rubbed the tip of her nose.
"Uh, actually, I was too fast. Guy-sensei and the others are still resting. I arrived ahead of them."
"If we want to catch up, let's do it on the way."
At that moment, a white-haired old lady suddenly interrupted them.
"The Fifth Kazekage's fate is unknown. We should hurry."
"Sorry, Lady Chiyo."
Kakashi bowed slightly in apology and then turned to Sasuke.
"Sasuke, you just arrived at the Sand Village. Rest here for two days. We still need to track the Aurora Order."
"Wait, I'll go with you!" Sasuke volunteered. "This little exhaustion is nothing. Please don't worry about me."
At that moment, Kakashi took a fresh look at his 'student.' Though covered in dust, Sasuke looked energetic, showing no signs of fatigue.
"Looks like you've really improved a lot these past two years." Kakashi said with a hint of embarrassment.
When he first took over Team Seven, it was during the time when White Zetsu was impersonating the Third Hokage.
He hadn't really taught Sasuke much. Now, seeing Sasuke grow under Jiraiya-sama's guidance, he felt relieved.
*******
Support me on my patreon and read upto 20 early chapters.
https://www.patreon.com/c/Unique_Writer