"What is the current situation on the Wind-Fire battlefield?"
Ryun actively changed the subject, not wanting to waste words on the Ten-Tails.
"It can only be said that the forces are evenly matched. The battle will continue for a while, and it will be difficult to determine a winner in a short time, unless..." Orochimaru said, suddenly looking at Ryun, his meaning obvious.
"A chaotic ninja world makes it easier for me to move around. As long as the war continues among the Five Great Nations, they are not a threat to me." Ryun gazed into the distance and spoke softly.
"What are your plans next? Returning to Otogakure? That newly established village still needs someone to hold the fort..." Orochimaru grinned.
"Cut it out. I won't spend too much time and energy on Otogakure. When will you defect and go become its Kage?" Ryun glanced at him with slight dissatisfaction.
"Wait a bit longer... At least until the war here is over. That way, I'll be even with that old man and won't owe Konoha anything anymore..." Orochimaru murmured, looking in the direction of the Konoha camp.
"Such a hassle..."
Ryun stood up and patted the dust off his pants.
"I should go!"
"Where to?" Orochimaru couldn't help but ask.
"Traveling around, seeing the sights..." Ryun waved without looking back.
"This guy..."
Watching Ryun's carefree departing figure, Orochimaru couldn't help but laugh and curse softly.
...
One year later.
Land of Whirlpools, ruins of Uzushiogakure.
"Not a soul within ten li, barely a red head within a hundred li. Those beasts certainly killed ruthlessly..."
Looking at the ruins of Uzushiogakure, overgrown with wild grass, Ryun couldn't help but feel a bit emotional.
A powerful bloodline clan with a thousand-year history was wiped out in the blink of an eye, leaving only a few scattered survivors. The desolate ghost village spoke volumes about the cruelty and darkness of the ninja world.
Ryun had originally wanted to see if there were any surviving Uzumaki clan members here. If there were, he wouldn't mind taking them back to Otogakure for protection. After all, he had received the Uzumaki clan's legacy and felt somewhat grateful...
Unfortunately, the Uzumaki clan was either dead or had fled. Even after all these years, no one dared to return to their homeland.
"Fine... Since I received your clan's legacy, doing nothing would be somewhat unworthy of these countless innocent souls!"
"Since Kirigakure contributed the most among the killers, I will make a trip to the Land of Water. This journey is also primarily about killing, consider it seeking justice for you all..."
His soft voice drifted through nearly half the abandoned village. The moment his words fell, a piercing, chilly wind happened to blow in from the distance!
The howling wind sounded as if countless wronged souls were responding to his words in unison.
As Ryun's figure quietly disappeared, the howling cold wind at the spot gradually returned to calm.
Three months later.
Land of Water, a restaurant in Kirigakure.
A blind young man with bandages wrapped around his head was savoring the delicacies on the table before him. His eating movements were slow and elegant. Even with both eyes covered, he could still accurately use various small utensils. This scene quickly attracted the attention of many diners.
"Guest, you ordered every single dish on our menu in one go, and now it's just you alone... Can you finish all this?" A waitress brought over the prepared dishes, placed them in front of the young man, and couldn't help but ask.
"What? Is your boss afraid I'll dine and dash? Don't worry, I have money..." The young man smiled at the woman.
"N-No, no, I absolutely didn't mean that, I was just a bit curious... I wish you a pleasant meal, guest, I won't disturb you anymore..." The waitress quickly waved her hands in denial, then prepared to step back and leave.
"Wait a moment... Tell me about your boss? I heard he is a powerful veteran Jonin?" The young man suddenly stopped her and asked such a question.
"Ah... Yes, indeed, our boss is a respected Jonin. He owns several shops around here. Guest, you probably aren't from the village, are you?"
Kirigakure at this time wasn't yet the Bloody Mist Village it would become. Locals living here often came into contact with outsiders, so the waitress wasn't surprised and didn't feel particularly wary of the blind young man.
"No."
The young man answered and said no more. The waitress waited for a while, and seeing that he remained silent, she took the hint and withdrew.
As she left, she couldn't help but take a few more glances at the young man, thinking to herself with pity: Such a handsome young man, a pity he's blind...
This meal took quite a long time. It wasn't until a Kirigakure ninja appeared within his perception that the young man finally stood up and left money for the meal.
In the restaurant's hallway, the young man directly intercepted this Kiri-nin.
"Hmm?"
Seeing a stranger block his path, the Kiri-nin frowned, but upon realizing the other was blind, he showed an understanding expression and tried to step aside to let him pass.
Unfortunately, this young man had come specifically for him. Before achieving his goal, he wouldn't leave easily.
"You... is there something you need?" the Kiri-nin asked, looking at the strange man before him.
Surprisingly, the young man didn't answer his question. Instead, he slowly reached up and unwound the cloth strip covering his eyes.
When he saw that spiral, blood-colored eye, the Kiri-nin's pupils constricted to their limits, then inexplicably began to dilate and expand, until finally, three strange black tomoe appeared around them.
"Do you know the whereabouts of the Three-Tails and the Six-Tails?"
Ryun asked expressionlessly.
"I know... Three-Tails..." the Kiri-nin nodded woodenly.
"Take me there."
"Yes..."
Half an hour later, in a heavily guarded underground cavern, after a merciless slaughter, Ryun finally saw the hill-like turtle Tailed Beast.
"Only the Three-Tails... The Six-Tails has already been sealed into someone to become a Jinchuriki. Even elite Jonin don't know its specific whereabouts..." Ryun murmured to himself, slightly disappointed.
The gains from this trip didn't satisfy him, especially after lying low in Kirigakure for several days.
"Fine... Next, let's see if we can lure out that Six-Tails Jinchuriki..." Ryun said, striding up to the Three-Tails.
As his hand, forming a seal, slowly pressed down, the sealing barrier restraining the Three-Tails shattered in an instant. The giant turtle ended its long dormancy and gradually opened its eyes.
"Beast, time to get up and stretch your bones..."
Ryun formed a one-handed seal. A mysterious, invisible ocular power surged from the sinister, crimson Mangekyō Sharingan.
This mysterious ocular power drilled directly into the Three-Tails' eyes, then began to replace its consciousness, taking full control of its mountain-like massive body.
An enormous roar echoed throughout the cavern, followed immediately by a violent explosion that blew open the cavern's heavy ceiling.
As nearly half of Kirigakure began to shake, the attention of numerous ninjas was drawn to this terrifying commotion.
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