"Kid, couldn't you at least say goodbye before running off?"
No sooner had he returned to the village than the Third showed up. Apparently, he'd come looking for Akaba earlier on urgent matters, only to find out the kid had already left.
Sure enough, here he was—cornered at the manga shop.
Akaba gave an awkward smile and said, "I had something urgent I needed to handle."
The Third wanted to light his pipe, but noticing how full the Private Chamber was with papers, he reluctantly put it back and grumbled, "Let's talk in my office."
"Sure thing."
Akaba didn't object.
According to protocol, any ninja leaving the village was required to report either to the Military Police or explain their absence directly to the Hokage.
But this time, he knew there was no way they'd approve if he asked first.
Besides—
some parts of what happened were simply not meant for sharing.
Once in the office, the Third pulled out a scroll. "This came from Amegakure. It's from Hanzo himself—he claims to have encountered Madara Uchiha."
Madara?
Impossible.
Akaba frowned slightly, then took the scroll and glanced over it.
The description provided about Madara was vague at best, clearly indicating that Hanzo hadn't actually seen him. He hesitated and added, "Shouldn't you be talking to Teacher about this?"
The Third shot him a cold look and muttered, "Danzo is handling Sunagakure matters. I've been told to talk to you."
"Well… if you ask me, whoever Hanzo saw can't possibly be Madara Uchiha, because the real one was recently still in the Land of River. I personally crossed paths with him just before coming back."
Akaba then went on to explain where he'd been during his absence.
Of course,
he skipped mentioning Kakuzu for now.
"You knew Madara Uchiha was in the Land of River and still went there willingly? Do you think you have too many lives to risk?"
The Third was furious.
To put it bluntly, Akaba was an absolutely critical cornerstone in Konoha's future development. If anything ever happened to him, both Danzo and the Third would be devastated.
Therefore, from his perspective, allowing Akaba to meet Madara alone was completely unthinkable.
And precisely because of that, Akaba hadn't informed the Third beforehand, choosing instead to venture into the Land of River all by himself.
Facing the Hokage's scolding, Akaba just nodded quietly. He knew the old man was angry not out of blame, but worry—because he never wanted him taking such risks.
After letting off steam, the Third cooled down a bit.
Sitting there puffing on his pipe, he began mulling over the intelligence report Akaba had brought back. After a long silence, he finally spoke again, "Sunagakure dispatched over twenty teams—we've detected their movement through Scouting Units. But if Madara Uchiha was still in the Land of River..."
"He might head next to the Land of Wind," Akaba added.
Whether Madara was after the Jinchuriki wasn't clear yet, but right now, the Land of Wind was definitely among the most suitable places for him to go.
Vast territory, sparse population—perfect for staying hidden.
Although admittedly, the conditions there were also extremely harsh.
The Third nodded thoughtfully. That possibility had already occurred to him. If that were the case, then whoever appeared in Amegakure couldn't possibly be Madara. Chances are, it was Black Zetsu.
That thought alone sent a fresh wave of unease through him.
Hanzo's title of "Half-God" wasn't built on prestige or reputation—it was earned purely through raw power. If this man were to side with Madara and Black Zetsu, the consequences would be catastrophic.
Although Hanzo currently provided intelligence reports, relying solely on those to determine Amegakure's stance would be overly hasty—and foolish.
Akaba remained calm and composed.
As for Black Zetsu's actions, he truly hadn't seen that coming.
Even after parting ways, Black Zetsu still enthusiastically recruited allies for Madara like a top-tier teammate in the ninja world—Madara himself would probably feel moved to tears watching it unfold.
That scheming Black Zetsu never stops plotting against me!
Reaching out to Amegakure seemed on the surface to boost Madara's strength, but at the same time, it risked leaking the truth that Madara was still alive.
Once this news spread, people would realize that this legendary figure had returned to the ninja world.
Everyone eventually hits their limit—even more so considering Madara's advanced age.
Judging from this, Black Zetsu likely has truly split from Madara.
He thought for several seconds before telling The Third his conclusion. The Third simply gave him a thumbs-up in reply.
The Third probably already figured that out on his own.
But his focus had been more on Hanzo's issues, neglecting deeper analysis of Black Zetsu's behavior.
After the conversation, Akaba prepared to leave the office.
At that moment, The Third suddenly remembered something: "Oh right. Orochimaru is returning to Konoha today. You're in charge of providing backup—heaven forbid the Yashin Cult tries something during his arrival."
"Roger that."
The people arriving wouldn't be full backup; although everyone already knew how to deal with Yashin Cultists, manpower might fall short if too many enemies appeared at once.
Providing support was necessary.
Yet Akaba recalled that not long ago, he'd drawn Orochimaru's death himself in the manga.
When they met again, Orochimaru's expression might not exactly be pleasant.
Thinking about it, he spoke up: "I suggest we bring Tsunade along. In battle against the Yashin Cult, some injuries suffered by ninjas may be beyond basic emergency healing techniques."
"Mm. Contact her yourself."
Bringing Tsunade along would make things slightly less awkward. Although the Eight Branches Technique looked grotesque and disturbing, those were indeed forbidden techniques that Orochimaru would later master.
Tsunade practically lived in the hospital these days. Though young, her talent in medical ninjutsu was unmatched—even possibly a bit better than Koharu Utatane's.
During their second meeting, Akaba could clearly sense the change in her chakra signature.
Her chakra presence weakened while the energy from her Yin Seal significantly increased, clearly indicating she had not abandoned the forbidden Creation Rebirth technique.
After explaining the mission to Tsunade, she readily accepted.
Next instant, [Flying Thunder God] activated.
Seeing Akaba, Orochimaru indeed showed deep resentment.
Though technically on a mission, buying manga within the Land of Fire wasn't difficult, so he had read all the way up to the latest chapter.
Therefore—
Like Kakuzu, Orochimaru had now seen himself die—in a manga, no less.
At least Kakuzu died surrounded by multiple attackers—an agonizing yet impressive demise. But what about Orochimaru?
Devouring *Sasuke*, only to be overpowered by his protégé's stronger will—his own consciousness tainted and destroyed in retaliation.
So stupid!
These three words filled Orochimaru's mind as he read the manga's ending, leaving no room for other thoughts.
Even if I, Orochimaru, were to die—on the battlefield or of old age—I'd still never waste time on such a pathetic, embarrassing technique!
Of course.
This was Orochimaru's current mindset. Whether he would later have a "this isn't so bad after all" reversal of fortune, even he couldn't say for certain.
However, there was one quote Orochimaru strongly agreed with.
He yearned to uncover every secret of the universe—to decode the mysteries of the unknown and decipher the purpose behind all that exists.
Viewed from this perspective, pursuing immortality wasn't hard to understand.
Thanks to Tsunade's arrival, Orochimaru didn't dwell on the matter long. After exchanging a few polite words, he grew excited and quickly led Tsunade and *Akaba* to "see" the fruits of this expedition—a bunch of live, sealed-up Yashin cultists.
The majority were undead, though some had abilities like body enlargement and enhanced regeneration.
When *Akaba* saw these undead creatures again, many had already been reassembled and stitched together. But without exception, they had lost all limbs and were imprisoned like human logs within small cages constructed from sealing techniques.
Orochimaru explained, "Their immortality differs slightly from [*Hidan*]'s. Their limbs can survive separation for extended periods, but if their heads separate for more than half an hour, they die."
"You've definitely seen better days. Still just test models, huh?"
*Akaba* quickly noticed differences.
These people looked significantly older than before. It seemed this immortality ability also came at the cost of lifespan.
That made sense.
To the Yashin Cult, life was precisely what held the least value.
"What kind of ability does he have?"
Tsunade pointed at a cultist merely bound with simple ropes.
"Healing. His regeneration [Regeneration Technique: Evil God's Blessing] ability comes from the *Evil God*'s chakra. To maintain this ability, rituals must be performed according to the Yashin Cult's rules during its use. This is actually the most common ability we've encountered. Look,"
As Orochimaru spoke, he stabbed the man with a blade.
Although clearly unconscious, the cultist's body automatically began healing once the knife was removed.
Back during the Chunin Exams, *Akaba* and Orochimaru had encountered this ability before.
Now, however, the Yashin Cult had clearly improved it.
Its energy consumption had decreased.
But for Tsunade, this ability possessed considerable research value. She observed it for a long time before excitedly declaring, "These cultists really are interesting."
Then she took out her scalpel and stabbed him several more times.
Next, Orochimaru guided Tsunade through various cultists, each time both enthusiastically performing "practical demonstrations."
The assistants who had come along to help monitor the captives weren't excited at all. Just watching Orochimaru and Tsunade interact made their skin crawl.
"That's not ninja research—that's horrifying!"
Noticing their horrified looks, Orochimaru paused briefly before suggesting, "Since *Akaba*'s here, half of you are free to go back to the *Front Lines*. Strengthen the *Border* defenses to stop those Yashin freaks from sneaking into the *Land of Fire*."
"Yes!"
The group shouted excitedly.
But then everyone realized a problem — the available spots were limited to half, so who would go and who would stay?
Every genius is a little mad.
Orochimaru's recent obsession with studying the Cultists' powers had scared quite a few of his comrades — something he was painfully aware of.
Seeing this, he thought carefully before speaking again: "Leave a few behind for escort duty. The rest can return."
Selecting the escort team was straightforward — ten elite Genin were chosen to stay behind.
There was nothing they could do about it. After all, they were just Genin, lacking Naruto's prestige or strength.
As for whether the Cultists might cause trouble — Orochimaru wasn't worried at all.
Such great trust in me. Thank you so much indeed!
As everyone knew, Akaba hated work and especially despised tedious tasks like this one. If given a choice, he definitely wouldn't have taken it.
But since Orochimaru had said it like that, what else could he say?
Alright, you call the shots today.
Akaba grudgingly accepted, then activated his Sensor Ability to scan the surroundings, just to be safe in case anything unexpected happened.
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