100: Chapter 100 Two Snakes DeployedInside the Akatsuki's underground base, Sasuke slowly sat down on the ground, leaning against the cold stone wall.
He looked down at his slightly trembling hands.
It's not fear, it's that my body is so exhausted that it's almost beyond my control.
Kisame collapsed against the opposite corner, his severed arm hanging limply.The bleeding had temporarily stopped, and his face was as pale as his Samehada sword.
Jugo lay unconscious a little further away, the cursed markings on his body occasionally twitching restlessly.
Failure!Utter failure!
Manda is dead, Hiki is dead, and the Cloud Village has become mortal enemies.
Sasuke closed his eyes, his mind uncontrollably flashing back to the Raikage's overwhelming presence on Turtle Island, and the mysterious guy who lurked in the shadows and almost killed Killer Bee.
What kind of mess am I in right now?
Deidara switched sides and went to Naruto's side.I heard he's doing quite well, spending his days tinkering with his explosion art research.
Sasori is dead.Let Naruto break him into pieces.
Itachi Uchiha, the older brother he hated for so many years, is now under Naruto's command, and I heard his illness is almost cured.
Afei.that mysterious person behind the Akatsuki organization is still wrapped in Zetsu's disgusting white spores, like an unhatched silkworm pupa, his fate unknown.
What about myself?
Risking their lives to become cannon fodder for the Akatsuki?
I didn't even get to touch the eight tails, and I almost lost my life.
Naruto Uzumaki.
The guy he once considered a loser now controls a force that even the Five Great Nations dare not underestimate, surrounded by defectors and rescued experts, and even figures like Tsunade and Itachi are willing to follow him.
He was still in this dark and damp underground base, listening to Kisame's heavy breathing beside him, like a stray dog.
Frustration!.Resentment, like a poisonous vine, spread rapidly.
If things continue like this, let alone overthrowing Konoha, it will be questionable whether they can even survive the upcoming turmoil in the unknown ninja world.
He suddenly opened his eyes, and his Sharingan glowed with a dark red light.
This can't go on.
He leaned on his Kusanagi sword, struggled to his feet, and walked unsteadily deeper into the base.
In a secret room filled with all sorts of bizarre experimental instruments and scrolls, he found Orochimaru.
Orochimaru was writing and drawing on the body of a White Zetsu that was soaking in nutrient solution, his golden snake eyes flashing with a fanatical thirst for knowledge.
His newly formed, complete body made him look radiant and even more terrifying than Sasuke had imagined.
"Orochimaru," Sasuke said hoarsely.
"Oh?Sasuke-kun,"
Orochimaru didn't even raise his head, licking his lips with his long tongue."It seems this trip isn't going too smoothly."
"The Akatsuki organization is completely rotten."
Sasuke cut to the chase, "The masked man is seriously injured, and the Akatsuki's personnel are changing frequently.If we stay here, we'll only be dragged down by them."
Orochimaru finally put down his pen, turned around, and looked at Sasuke with great interest: "So, Sasuke-kun, what are your thoughts?"
Sasuke's Sharingan stared intently at Orochimaru."We need a force that is completely obedient to us, guided by our will, and capable of providing us with resources and cover."
Orochimaru's eyes flashed with amusement: "For example?"
"Hidden Mist Village".
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, signaling him to continue.
Sasuke walked to the table, dipped his finger in the water in the cup next to him, and drew a few twisted circles on the dusty surface.
"Kigakure is one of the five great nations, but its strength is not among the top five villages at present."
"Most importantly,"
He paused, "The previous conflict between Kirigakure and Naruto Uzumaki has already put Mei Terumi and her Kirigakure leadership in a very passive position."
Orochimaru understood, his snake-like eyes narrowing slightly: "Instability internally, immense external pressure.indeed a good target."
"What do you plan to do?Just storm in, kill the Mizukage, and then declare control?"
"That would be too stupid."
Sasuke rejected the idea.
"What we want is not an empty shell that has been smashed; what we want is for them to willingly…invite us in."
Orochimaru's golden vertical pupils shone brightly."Hehehe.Sasuke-kun, you've really given me a.wonderful script."
"So, the first step."
Orochimaru held up a pale finger."We need some actors, some who are strong enough, terrifying enough, and… obedient."
————
The Land of Rain, inside the tower.
Jue's figure emerged from the shadows on the ground.
".Uchiha Sasuke and Orochimaru, along with that guy named Jugo, have left the base.Judging from the direction they're heading, they're heading towards the Land of Water."
A hint of confusion appeared on Pain's usually indifferent, godlike face as he questioned, "What do they want to do?"
"Looks like they think our place is too small to accommodate these two big shots~ They probably want to go out on their own?" White Zetsu replied with a half-joking smile.
"snort."
"Two ungrateful dogs who turn against you, and fence-sitters who run away when things turn sour."
Pain let out a sneer, a look of divine disdain at being offended by an ant.
"Obito was still seriously injured, and the organization suffered setbacks one after another, so they were eager to find another way out.Foolish."
Xiao Nan's figure gathered nearby, scraps of paper flying everywhere: "Should we send someone to handle this?"
Payne remained silent for a moment, his Rinnegan gazing at the endless rain.
"No need.Since they have chosen to betray, they are enemies of God."
"We'll clean house once the tailed beasts are collected."
His eyes became empty and distant again.
"Right now, the One-Tailed Beast and the Eight-Tailed Beast are the primary targets."
"As for those two stray dogs.let them go and fight with the Mist Hideout dogs first."
The tower returned to silence.
On the border of the Land of Water, there is a swampy area shrouded in a light acidic mist all year round.
This place is sparsely populated, making it a natural habitat for rogue ninjas and wandering ninjas.The hiding place also retains many dark traces from the "Village of Blood Mist" period.
"The environment here is perfect for 'sourcing materials'."
Orochimaru took a deep breath of the decaying air, looking quite pleased.
His so-called "material selection" does not refer to the overly obvious use of the Impure World Reincarnation technique.
That would be too easy to expose and attract unnecessary attention.
He chose a method that was more "close" to the current state of Fog Shadow.
Within a few days, several rogue ninjas operating in the swamp area, or some wandering ninjas who were dissatisfied with the Mizukage and were regarded as "remnants of the Blood Mist," disappeared without a trace.
They were controlled by Orochimaru through cursed seals or drugs, their eyes became fanatical, and they became puppets who only obeyed Orochimaru.
At the same time, Orochimaru also used some body tissue provided by White Zetsu, combined with some relatively "fresh" remains of powerful individuals found in the swamp, to perform a "weakened" version of the Impure World Reincarnation.
They summoned some notorious ghosts from Kirigakure's history, whose strength was at the level of elite Jonin, making them look more like an aggregate of some kind of resentment.
Sasuke cooperated with Orochimaru in these preparations.
"The actors are in position." Orochimaru licked his lips."Well then, let the show begin."
Outpost on the outskirts of Kirigakure.
Two genin were on routine patrol; the fog was thick and visibility was very low.
"Hey, I heard there was an attack at the market to the east a few days ago.Several people died, and their bodies were drained of blood."
A low-ranking ninja lowered his voice, filled with fear.
Shh!Don't talk nonsense!
Another, slightly older genin looked around nervously."The elders said it was the work of some extremists, and they're already investigating."
Just then, a swaying figure slowly emerged from the thick fog ahead.
The figure was wearing a tattered Kirigakure ninja uniform, but his skin had an abnormal bluish-gray tint, and his eyes were vacant.
"Halt!Who goes there?"
The older ninja shouted sternly, gripping his kunai tightly.
The figure didn't answer, but instead let out a low growl that wasn't human, and accelerated towards them!It was incredibly fast!
"Enemy attack!"
The kunai pierced the figure's chest, but no blood flowed out.The other party seemed to be completely unaware, grabbed the young genin's neck, and bit him!
A piercing scream echoed all around.
Similar attacks began to occur at multiple outposts and in the surrounding area outside Kirigakure.
Some of the attackers were controlled rogue ninjas who acted madly and were unafraid of pain.
Some are "weakened" versions of the undead, difficult to kill with normal attacks, and are seen by the villagers as true "return of the dead".
Panic began to spread like a plague.
"It's the undead of the Blood Mist!They've returned for revenge!"
"Why hasn't the Mizukage dealt with them yet?"
"The rumors were true!There are still those lunatics in the village!"
Terumi Mei was extremely busy and overwhelmed.
Her mopping-up troops often came up empty-handed, or when they finally caught up, the enemy would either go on a rampage and self-destruct, or exhibit bizarre characteristics, causing casualties to her side before disappearing without a trace.
The attacks are becoming more frequent and the methods are becoming more brutal.
Within the Hidden Mist Village, the voices of doubt grew louder and louder.
Elder Yuanshi summoned Terumi Mei and said in a heavy tone, "Mizukage, you should be aware of the rumors circulating in the village."
"If you can't even guarantee internal stability and the safety of the villagers, how can your system gain the trust of the people?"
Mei Terumi bit her lip, her beautiful face full of exhaustion.
She knew someone was up to no good, but she couldn't find any direct evidence or any specific organization behind it.
All the clues seemed to point to those elusive "remnants of the blood mist".
She felt brimming with energy but nowhere to channel it, while the entire village was being slowly swallowed up by an invisible fear.
We are currently on a cliff overlooking part of the misty landscape.
Sasuke and Orochimaru stood side by side, observing the village below, shrouded in a light mist, where the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.
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