But Kimimaro knew that such a desire for peace was almost impossible to achieve. Even a top-tier powerhouse like Orochimaru could only manage to hold dominion over a single village like Otogakure. He looked at Haku; this kind boy harbored an incredibly difficult wish. The two children beside Haku, meanwhile, were exploring the house with wide, curious eyes.
With Otogakure's protection, they should be able to live into their teens. In this era, just staying alive was not easy.
"Next, I will explain our village's regulations to you," Kimimaro's tone returned to its usual calm. "Within Otogakure, you must not do anything that harms the village, nor can you leave without permission. All ninja are required to take on missions periodically, and the village will deduct a portion of the remuneration as funds for village development."
"Mm, I have no problem with that," Haku nodded.
"Since you joined Otogakure through Lord Orochimaru, you will have certain privileges. As long as you complete a certain number of missions and your skills pass an assessment, you can join the Sound Five," Kimimaro stated. Orochimaru had already instructed him to inform Haku of these various matters beforehand. Naruto had no objections to this. Joining Otogakure would serve as a good protective umbrella for Haku, as well as a place for him to gain experience.
"The Sound Five?"
"Only the most outstanding members of the younger generation have the chance to join the Sound Five and serve Lord Orochimaru directly." Speaking of Orochimaru, unconcealable adoration shone in Kimimaro's eyes.
It seemed Orochimaru's prestige was very high.
Haku saw in Kimimaro a reflection of himself when he used to follow Zabuza—both willing to lay down their lives for the other. It was a good thing to have someone you were willing to follow with all your heart, because it would make your own heart more steadfast. At the very least, you wouldn't be lost.
"Please guide me well," Haku extended his right hand, a brilliant smile on his face.
"This way, Naruto-kun," Orochimaru said, leading Naruto's clone deeper into the experimental facility. "Currently, the Hollowfication experiments are progressing smoothly. However, the Hollows' destructive power is astonishing, so I'm in urgent need of powerful assistants here."
"I've already begun to grasp the mysteries between human souls and Reiatsu. I believe it won't be long before we see results."
Clang.
Layer upon layer of heavy doors opened. Each door was guarded by ninja, mostly Chunin-level in strength, with occasional individuals whose chakra rivaled that of a Jonin. Though the guards' abilities weren't exceptionally high, in a small ninja village, they were enough to be formidable.
Along the way, they passed several small laboratories, all containing "materials" strapped to tables. Naruto's clone also spotted several Shinigami.
Noticing his gaze, Orochimaru explained, "These are all successful Shinigamified subjects. However, they retain their memories from life and harbor great hatred towards us, so for now, we can only keep them under control."
Arriving at the final laboratory, they could see through a large window two heavily wounded Hollows sitting on the ground, with a third Hollow between them, only half its body remaining.
"The Reiatsu within them is quite good," Naruto's clone commented, his eyelids lifting slightly in mild surprise.
"They are the survivors of the infighting," Orochimaru smiled. "I have a feeling they are not far from becoming Adjuchas. Therefore, the second phase of the experiment will be to place Shinigami in the same room with them."
Orochimaru pressed a button. A large gate opened, and an enormous cage was pushed inside. Within the cage, a Shinigami was trapped.
The moment the two Hollows saw the Shinigami, they became agitated.
"Orochimaru!!!" The Shinigami gripped the bars of his cage, glaring furiously at Naruto's clone and Orochimaru, letting out an enraged roar.
"This one was a Suna Jonin before being transformed into a Shinigami," Orochimaru said, pressing another button. The cage opened.
The two Hollows swarmed forward.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!" Two earthen walls rapidly rose but were instantly shattered by the two Hollows. Sharp claws flashed, shredding the wood-like material of the broken walls into countless splinters.
"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet!" After forming hand seals, an earth dragon composed of mud and rocks surged towards one of the Hollows.
Bang! With a pained shriek from the Hollow, the powerful impact slammed it against the far wall.
The other Hollow, while the Suna-nin was attacking, had quietly circled around and now slashed with its claws.
Clang! An Asauchi suddenly appeared in the Suna-nin's hand, blocking the heavy blow. He counter-slashed, leaving a gash on the Hollow's chest from which white Reishi continuously flowed.
Naruto's clone and Orochimaru watched the battle below with keen interest, offering commentary.
"This Shinigami's skills are decent. He's clearly been awakened for some time. Using a combination of ninjutsu and Zanjutsu, killing one Hollow shouldn't be a problem. But his opponents are two Hollows."
"In comparison, the Hollows are merely mindless beasts. They possess great strength but are unable to fully utilize it."
"I think this Shinigami should be able to take out one of the Hollows. What do you think, Naruto-kun?" Orochimaru asked with a smile, watching the fight with fascination, as if they were merely observing an interesting movie.
"Both these Hollows will be killed," Naruto's clone said with a slight smile. "I believe in human… no, Shinigami intelligence."
In the arena, the battle was reaching its climax. The Suna-nin continuously used the Substitution Jutsu to evade the Hollows' attacks, while under his harassment, the two Hollows also managed to inflict wounds on each other from time to time. He first used a clone to lure away one Hollow, then beheaded the other with a single strike.
Swish! He then condensed countless kunai from his Reiatsu and hurled them towards the last Hollow.
"Sand Style: Dust Cloud Technique!" The entire area was then swept by a small sandstorm that obscured vision.
"Sand Style: Sand Spear!" Following that, a sharp spear condensed from sand materialized.
At the center of the sandstorm, the last Hollow wretchedly blocked the kunai with its claws. But the next moment, its presence was locked onto, and the all-penetrating Sand Spear shot towards its head.
"Ah, it seems I still underestimated a Shinigami's intelligence," Orochimaru sighed, shrugging helplessly. "However, these precious experimental subjects cannot be allowed to die just like that."
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!" A tall earthen wall rose abruptly, blocking the Sand Spear in front of the Hollow.
Chktchktchk! The Sand Spear embedded itself in the earthen wall, its immense force still driving it forward. Unfortunately for the Suna-nin, Orochimaru possessed Kage-level strength; the Doryuheki he created was not something a single Sand Spear could pierce.
"Bakudo Number 61: Rikujokoro!" Simultaneously, Naruto's clone softly chanted. Six slabs of light materialized out of thin air, stabbing into the ground around the Suna-nin like sharp swords, forming a subtle connection. The Reiatsu they contained felt chillingly familiar.
The Suna-nin, caught within it, felt his expression change. He sensed that both his chakra and Reiatsu were being suppressed, rendering him unable to use them.
"This—!!" He looked up in horror at the smiling Naruto's clone. He had never imagined that there was someone else in this world who possessed Reiatsu like him and had retained their sanity!
"As expected of Naruto-kun. Even a clone can use Kido powerful enough to control a Shinigami," Orochimaru said, looking at Naruto's clone with a hint of surprise, unconcealable admiration in his eyes. Although this Shinigami had been nearly exhausted by the two Hollows, Naruto's ability to control him so effortlessly was not to be underestimated.
"Naruto-kun, it seems you've grown stronger again. Truly Konoha's number one genius," Orochimaru praised softly.
"Number one genius? I wouldn't dare claim that," Naruto's clone shook his head. "It was merely controlling an exhausted Shinigami."
At that moment, the cage once again confined the unwilling Shinigami and was wheeled out the gate. The sole remaining Hollow, having narrowly escaped death, immediately scrambled towards the corpse of the other Hollow and began to ravenously devour it.
"Naruto-kun, I am very curious, when do you plan to leave Konoha?" Orochimaru asked, looking at Naruto's clone with a smile.
"Leave? The time is not yet right," Naruto's clone shook his head. "Root's intelligence network is still quite useful. At this stage, there are many benefits to staying in Root." Naruto was still waiting for the mission to the Land of Demons. He wanted to rely on Root's intelligence to find the secrets hidden there. Perhaps he could find a way to the Pure Land.
"Root's intelligence capabilities are indeed impressive, but even so, there is much information they cannot grasp," Orochimaru licked his lips, his voice raspy.
"Orochimaru, besides Konoha, are there any other dangerous factions in the ninja world?" Naruto's clone inquired. He was currently preparing his plans to leave Konoha. Before that, he needed to understand the distribution of power in the ninja world to find a relatively safe territory for his future strength.
Hearing Naruto's clone's question, Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, a nostalgic look appearing on his face. He said slowly, "I wonder if Naruto-kun has heard of the Akatsuki Organization?"