Shinno had expected Danzo to be ruthless enough to kill the intruders, but instead, he simply placed them under genjutsu and released them.
"Continue searching," Danzo ordered indifferently.
Fuku and five others stood silently in place.
Shinno couldn't believe it—this wasn't like Danzo at all. "Why? Have you actually fallen for that ridiculous rumor too?"
Danzo gave him a brief, indifferent glance. "The Three Great Holy Sites do exist, as does Sage Art. Not all rumors are false. The original Sannin each had a contract with one of the three holy sites."
"But—" Shinno opened his mouth, wanting to say more.
Danzo cut him off with a wave of his hand. "If they vanish here, another group of explorers will come later. It's better to let them leave and prove this place has no value at all."
One more thing, Shinno—repairing Angkor Fortress is on me. As for you, gather that energy you spoke of immediately."
With that, Danzo turned and left without looking back.
Shinno cast a cold glance at his retreating figure before walking away.
He already understood Danzo's plan—to use Angkor Fortress to conquer the other ninja villages.
But once he completes the gestation of the Zero-Tails...
Who controls Angkor will no longer be Danzo's decision to make.
The hundreds of Sky Ninja still aboard ships at sea still recognized *him* as their leader.
Early the next morning, Shinno left the small village with Yusui.
He had already infused the Zero-Tails into Yusui.
From the moment he first saw her, he understood this child—mistreated by villagers, fragile, and longing for affection.
Shinno deliberately played the role of a knight in shining armor, rescuing her just in time and ensuring she saw him as her only true protector.
His tenderness toward her was nothing more than a means to keep her pure.
The purer the soul, the darker the chakra born when it descends into shadow.
The Zero-Tails grows stronger from the darkness in human hearts.
Kakuzu's collection of maps only fueled the chaos further, nudging unseen forces in unpredictable directions.
Those seeking the Three Great Holy Sites weren't only ninja—they included ordinary people too.
Unable to wield chakra themselves, they clung desperately to the hope that these mystical places might grant them power.
Perhaps if they could uncover those secrets, they too might master Sage Art.
Most people crave the kind of power that lets them control their own fate.
At the very least, it would give them the strength to save themselves—and become the ones doing the choosing, not the ones being crushed.
Outside Orochimaru's base, a massacre was underway.
Orochimaru's ninja always wore a uniform style, with purple cloth sashes tied around their waists.
Without mercy, they slaughtered anyone lingering near the perimeter.
Watching silently from a distance, Orochimaru muttered, "How many times has it been now?"
Standing beside him, Kabuto pushed up his glasses and spread out a map before Orochimaru. Calmly, he answered, "This is the fourth time, Lord Orochimaru."
"Truly disgusting."
The metallic scent of blood from afar invaded his nostrils. Orochimaru slightly wrinkled his nose in distaste, pushing away the message Kabuto Yakushi was handing him.
"Orochimaru-sama, heads from other bases have sent messages. It seems they've also encountered some unexpected visitors," Kabuto Yakushi awkwardly rubbed his nose and continued explaining.
"..."
Orochimaru's face remained cold, seemingly deep in thought.
"Not sure who's behind this, but maybe that person wants to stir up efforts across the Ninja World in search for something?" Kabuto Yakushi's eyes gleamed slightly as he continued.
"A bunch of ignorant fools." After muttering coldly, Orochimaru turned his back on the scene and stepped into the lab.
In the Country of Rain, Konan repressed her rage while confronting Kakuzu.
"Someone has been trying to sneak in recently—are you the one who led them here, Kakuzu?"
Kakuzu shrugged innocently. "How could that be?"
Konan's aura grew darker, sending chills into the air. "Hidan already told me everything—don't think I don't know what you're up to. Delete the Country of Rain from your maps now."
Kakuzu simply replied nonchalantly, "It's already marked. Removing it deliberately now would make things more suspicious, wouldn't it?"
"You're not allowed to leave without Nagato and my permission," Konan snarled.
"Understood." Kakuzu calmly responded.
In the Village Hidden in Leaves,
"It appeared again... a monster!"
"Somebody help!"
On a certain street, a man suddenly rushed out, completely losing his mind with veins bulging all over his body.
He charged recklessly into the crowd, lashing out and even biting people at random. The villagers could only scream in terror, powerless to stop him.
"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh..."
Several figures swiftly approached—a trio of Anbu along with two Hyuga clan members subdued the man.
The villagers sighed in relief and dispersed.
Kakashi followed Tsunade as they walked toward the scene.
Samui stood at a nearby corner, silently witnessing everything unfold.
As an outsider, she maintained curiosity about events occurring in Konoha.
"Has he recovered yet?" Tsunade asked one of the Hyuga men.
The two Hyuga exchanged glances before shaking their heads simultaneously.
Tsunade let out a slight sigh. "There's really no solution at all?"
"Hokage-sama, the effect natural energy has had on him is irreversible. As stated in that mysterious tome..." When the speaker mentioned "that book," he hesitated briefly.
Stealing a glance at Tsunade's expression and finding her still calm, he continued, "According to that book, those who cannot control nature eventually become part of it. This man is essentially no different from an idiot now."
She no longer cared how these people had managed to reach the second stage.
Hiroki had already informed her about Kirigakure's shortcut method.
The first step can easily be achieved by suppressing one's innate chakra responsiveness using Genjutsu.
It wasn't surprising if someone in Konoha figured out a similar approach.
Kakashi and the others held their breath, heads lowered, too afraid to respond.
"Have I really been too kind to all of you?" Tsunade said coldly.
Seeing Samui watching with amusement only made her feel worse.
Kaguya had told her that Yugito held great prestige in Kumogakure—her word was law, and no one dared act insincerely before her.
Could it be that even a lower-ranking ninja could outmatch her? Did she really have to keep scheming against her own people?
"Hokage-sama…" Kakashi tried to explain, but Tsunade cut him off with a cold voice. "Search every household. If anyone has bought anything claiming to be 'Sage Art of Mount Myoboku,' burn it all. Those who resist will be imprisoned in Konoha's jail. That way, they won't become destabilizing influences on others."
"Yes," the rest responded with a bow.
"Also, find out where this person came from. There might be stone carvings there," Tsunade sighed.
This wasn't the first time such fanatics had shown up—or been caught—in Konoha. Because of those reckless practitioners who ignored warnings and caused unexpected incidents, even regular villagers had learned about the dangers of failed attempts at Sage Art training, so they became much more obedient.
At the same time, Hiroki and Kaguya were questioning White Zetsu.
"Nothing new to report?"
"They found traces leading to someone's nest, but nothing else…" White Zetsu thought for a moment while shaking his head.
"What about Black Zetsu?"
"Nothing either."
Kaguya fell silent for a moment, muttering to herself, "Could that guy have been hiding in another dimension all along…?"
Hiroki spread out all available versions of maps across the table, sincerely remarking, "Kakuzu was truly a genius."
Kaguya tugged at the corner of her mouth but gave no comment.
"Kaguya, let's pay Shikkotsu Forest a visit," Hiroki suddenly suggested.
Kaguya raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.
"It's actually about Kiri…"
The rumored search for the Three Great Holy Sites caught everyone's attention. But compared to those minor skirmishes, the ninja villages' actions were far more organized—they could weed out the wrong leads much faster.
Thanks to this surge of activity, other villages like Iwa Ninja Village were distracted, which greatly reduced the pressure on Kumogakure.
Following Hiroki's suggestion, Terumi Mei volunteered and requested permission from Genshi to personally lead the expedition searching for the location of the Three Great Holy Sites.
After careful consideration, Genshi finally agreed: "One month. Regardless of success or failure, you must return."
Outside Kiri Village, after saying goodbye to Genshi and the others, Terumi Mei led a team of fifteen shinobi.
After half a month of wandering under her guidance, as if struck by sudden inspiration, Mei abruptly headed straight toward Shikkotsu Forest.
Passing through a hidden entrance, the scenery before their eyes changed instantly—from barren land to lush greenery.
"Wah! Never would've imagined there's an entrance here…"
"A desert transformed into an oasis…"
As they marveled, darkness suddenly fell over them.
A towering figure nearly a hundred meters tall suddenly emerged from the distance, leaping forward until it loomed over them.
They looked closer, stunned to discover it was actually the legendary Katsuyu.
Her mouth slightly agape, the majestic creature spoke in a soft yet commanding voice, "Who are you people, daring to trespass into Shikkotsu Forest?"
The Mist Ninjas froze in disbelief.
"Wait, this is really Shikkotsu Forest?"
"We found it!"
"Goodness, it's so huge... Isn't it even bigger than the Tailed Beasts?"
"No wonder they call this a legendary place..."
Katsuyu snorted coldly. "Leave immediately, or don't blame this Sage for being impolite."
Terumi Mei stepped forward and reassured her comrades, saying, "Let me talk to her."
Deep within Shikkotsu Forest,
The Slug Sage gazed in that direction helplessly. "Do I really have to play along with those people?"
Although the Katsuyu appearing before Terumi Mei and others seemed enormous already, it had actually been formed by splitting from her True Form and recombining.
Hiroki and Kaguya stood atop the head of the Slug Sage. Both possessed extremely sharp observation skills. Though they couldn't hear what Terumi Mei's group was discussing, through watching their movements they could roughly understand what was going on.
Kaguya's face showed an unusual strange smile. "Exactly."
"What about afterward?" asked the Slug Sage.
"You will be responsible for teaching them how to cultivate Sage Arts," Kaguya replied calmly.
The Slug Sage momentarily lost for words. If she had known things would come to this, she might as well have accepted Tsunade's offer from the start. At least Tsunade knew how to throw in some sweet dreams to keep her interested—now she was stuck playing second fiddle in this farce.
Meanwhile, the story between Katsuyu and Terumi Mei's group had reached its climax.
After uttering several icy, unfriendly words, Katsuyu launched an attack against Terumi Mei and the others.
A massive amount of acidic mist spewed out, surrounding Terumi Mei's party.
Refusing to show weakness, Terumi Mei unleashed her Kekkei Genkai techniques with full force.
[Lava Release] and [Boil Release] techniques were unleashed without restraint.
Both Katsuyu and she specialized in corrosive attacks.
Visually, the battle appeared evenly matched.
The other Mist Ninjas had absolutely no opportunity to interfere.
The air became scorching hot, steam continuously rising, gradually obstructing their vision. They could no longer see clearly the process of the fight between the woman and the giant beast. They only kept hearing continuous sizzling sounds similar to burning.
Everyone was astonished.
"So powerful! No wonder Lady Terumi Mei is our leader!"
"There's hope for our village!"
"That thing just said it's a sage, right? Right?"
After a while, the fog slowly dissipated. Katsuyu's voice rang out again, "Little girl, I acknowledge your strength. What brings you here? Speak quickly—I, this Sage, wish to hear all about it."
All the Mist Ninjas raised their heads simultaneously, only to see—Terumi Mei was actually standing atop the head of Katsuyu!
Far away, Katsuyu sighed quietly.
What a cursed script is this? Letting someone stomp on her head just to prove their dominance!
Terumi Mei jumped down and lifted her head respectfully. "Sage, we have come seeking the secrets of Sage Arts."
Katsuyu gave a haughty snort as before, "This is the closely guarded secret of Shikkotsu Forest. If you wish to know more, send your village's Kage to speak with me. You are not worthy of such knowledge."
Saying that, Katsuyu opened its mouth again.
A gale burst from its mouth, laced with a sharp mix of salt and acid, hurling Terumi Mei and the others backward.
What she originally possessed wasn't any Wind Release techniques, but her massive size meant even the slightest movement created effects akin to Wind Release.
After regaining their balance in mid-air, everyone realized the giant creature had already disappeared from sight.
"Should we go search for it again?" someone asked.
"No," Terumi Mei stopped the idea, "that being probably hasn't shown its full strength yet. If we keep entangled with it, there might not be a good outcome."
Everyone felt a chill in their hearts.
"Let's go back to the village," she said, frowning while sniffing at the unpleasant smell on herself, leading the way forward.
Looking back, the Mist Ninja followed her away.
Hiroki and Kaguya only stepped out from deep within Shikkotsu Forest once those people had completely disappeared.
The Slug Sage reinforced the barrier and turned to the two, asking, "When will you be leaving?"
It was clear she was trying to get rid of them.
"Of course not until they come again," Hiroki smiled.
He was thinking: Once word spreads that Kiri has 'tamed' Shikkotsu Forest, other villages will likely accelerate their searches for Mount Myoboku and Ryuchi Cave...
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