"Interesting, isn't it?"
Orochimaru's raspy yet magnetic voice echoed through the vast stone cave.
Saitama withdrew his gaze from the murals and shook his head slightly, loosening up. Keeping his head raised for a long time to examine the paintings had caused some strain on his neck, leaving those areas feeling sore.
"It's certainly fascinating, but to be honest, it doesn't really serve much purpose for me!"
Saitama shifted his sight and looked at Orochimaru, who still wore that enraptured expression.
These murals didn't contain any secret jutsu, nor were they maps pointing to hidden treasures or anything like that. They were just artworks from ancient times—depictions of the world back then, enhanced with a bit of creative flair. The storylines were continuous and complete, like a picture scroll telling a tale across an era thousands of years ago.
It told the story from the birth of Goddess Kaguya all the way to the end of her reign, mixed in with legends of falling beliefs and the rise of new sages... It also recorded certain fantastical stories from those times.
Perhaps these stories weren't entirely complete, maybe just remnants left behind by a particular tribe or family.
Saitama wasn't particularly interested in these things, but Orochimaru believed these were fragments of truth hidden within the river of time—the final historical puzzle piece he'd been desperately seeking.
...
"Sanshiki, enemy's presence is right ahead! Let's send out a signal first—we aren't strong enough to handle him alone as a four-man squad!"
On this barren mountain stood a four-person ninja squad, crouching behind a large rock. They wore bright-red ninja uniforms and forehead protectors marked with Iwagakure's symbol—they belonged to Iwagakure forces.
Recently, an extremely mysterious and ancient altar deep within the Land of Earth had been infiltrated by outsiders.
Though this location was well-known throughout the entire Land of Earth, to Iwagakure itself, it wasn't considered especially significant, hence its defenses hadn't been particularly strong.
This altar served as a site where the nobility and royal families of the Land of Earth annually honored their ancestors—it was also supposedly the place where their civilization originally began, sometimes referred to as ancestral land.
However, since this ancestral origin dated so far back, even the nobles themselves had long forgotten whether it truly was their original homeland.
And yet, the annual rituals were still carried out every single year.
Therefore, one could argue that objectively speaking, it indeed held great importance. Yet actually speaking, the ninja of Iwagakure Village viewed this altar with disdain and apathy.
If the Daimyo hadn't personally ordered it, Iwagakure wouldn't have sent any ninja there at all. Even when they did dispatch shinobi, only three regular chunin squads were assigned, rotating shifts for surveillance duty.
The person who had entered this sacred altar—so revered in the hearts of nobility within the Land of Earth—was none other than Orochimaru.
After exploring the Land of Lightning and obtaining what he needed, uncovering traces of historical truths,
he followed scattered clues and ruins across the land, all leading to this altar—an ancient site older than the Land of Earth itself.
From what he could tell, this altar also belonged to Goddess Kaguya—it held secrets no one had ever uncovered.
Although time was short, Orochimaru still managed to find what he needed from the altar through his understanding of mystical knowledge.
He shattered the central statue—an enormous stone figure over ten meters tall—and uncovered a hidden scroll inside.
The scroll didn't contain any ninjutsu techniques, but it slowly filled in the gaps in Orochimaru's memories of ancient times.
To know his origins, to understand his creation, to see where he was going.
These were the three simple goals he had set for himself.
And as he gathered fragments of forgotten history, his doubts about those three objectives began to clear away.
Once again, he confirmed his path—truth was intoxicating!
"Understood! The enemy is likely a rogue ninja from Konoha. I've already passed that info to the other squads!"
A Stone Shinobi named Sanshiki nodded at his teammate.
When the enemy infiltrated the altar, they instantly wiped out an entire patrol squad without making a sound.
If it hadn't been for the shift change, they might not have noticed anything at all.
Even so, the two remaining squads still suffered near-total casualties just to send out the intel: "There's an intruder!"
If Orochimaru hadn't already gotten what he needed—or if he had wanted more trouble—those wounded Stone Shinobi would have been executed on the spot.
"That's good! We'll wait until backup arrives and strike together! From what we know, there's only one enemy—though he's strong. But once our captain and pursuit units show up, we'll take him down for sure!"
"I wonder why someone would break into this altar? What could possibly interest a ninja in such a ruin?"
Another Stone Shinobi muttered softly while leaning against a rock, eyes puzzled.
Though speaking with his comrade, he kept scanning the area cautiously.
"Unknown—I haven't checked myself, but I heard the statue of Goddess Kaguya at the altar was smashed."
Hearing his companion's words, another Stone Shinobi joined the conversation.
Four shinobi hiding behind rocks wore serious expressions.
Though none had actually seen the enemy, one among them could track by scent.
According to him, the enemy was nearby and hadn't left—the strongest scent trace was at the foot of this mountain.
With no choice, the group decided to wait here for the main force.
Judging from the surroundings, this mountain was surrounded by taller peaks—escape in any direction would be nearly impossible.
"Thud!"
Crouching low, the four carefully peeked out from both sides of the rock. As a dark figure flashed past their vision, footsteps rang in their ears.
A chill crept up their spines, their bodies stiffening as they slowly lifted their heads.
The rock they were hiding behind was wide and tall enough.
It was a massive granite outcrop jutting from the mountainside, its color blending seamlessly with the surrounding terrain—all the same dull yellow-gray.
They had chosen this spot for concealment precisely because it was far from the mountain's base and offered a wide field of view.
If the enemy took any path other than this one, they'd have a clear view from here.
Even if enemies came directly through this area, they still had ample time to escape.
But now, everything was spiraling beyond their grasp.
Because the enemy had moved from the foot of the mountain to stand before them in less than a second—like teleportation.
With great difficulty, several Stone Shinobi lifted their eyes upward, catching sight of a man in a long coat, frowning as he looked down at them.
"Gulp…"
Simultaneously, the Stone Shinobi swallowed hard, their faces revealing expressions of horror.
According to the intelligence they had received, the ninja who entered the altar shouldn't have been the person standing before them.
Although they were only a team of Chunin, they still had some knowledge about the organization that had recently stirred up the Shinobi World.
There was an infamous group whose core members were all S-Rank Rogue Ninjas from various Hidden Villages.
These individuals wore Black Cloaks Bearing Red Clouds, killed mercilessly and without hesitation, and always appeared and vanished unpredictably…
Seeing those familiar cloaks, the Stone Shinobi grew frantic.
"You… what are you doing squatting around here?"
Saitama's gaze remained calm. His eyes looked like stagnant pools of water—utterly devoid of emotion.
He had just exited the cave with Orochimaru when he sensed these four rats hiding nearby.
Without hesitation, he activated his speed and instantly disappeared from sight, reappearing right in front of them.
"Scatter! Escape!"
Sanshiki—who heard Saitama's mocking tone—immediately shouted loudly.
Then, placing both hands on the ground, he pushed off forcefully, launching himself into the air and darting backward.
This action, seemingly betraying his teammates, still carried an air of resolve.
At certain difficult moments, ninjas needed to make even harder decisions.
When faced with such powerful enemies, someone must sacrifice themselves while others retreat carrying critical intelligence.
It was an unavoidable trade-off—a ninja rule passed down through generations.
At his shout, the other three also sprang into motion—nearly as fast as him.
The moment they recognized the clothing worn by Saitama, all four knew they absolutely must return with valuable intelligence.
Fighting was pointless—it would be suicide. Against an S-Class Rogue Ninja, unless you had several elite Jonin, victory wasn't even worth imagining.
Whoosh! They dashed like bolts of lightning—facing death made them faster than they'd ever been.
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