Tayuya was currently in a state of panic.
The reason was simple.
Just now, Orochimaru had ordered her to escort that terrifying Uzumaki Naruto to a guest room to rest. But the moment she turned her back, the guy had vanished.
After witnessing the conversation between Orochimaru and Naruto firsthand, Tayuya had silently raised her assessment of the boy's threat level in her mind.
Allowing someone like him to roam freely inside this hideout was no different from tossing a lit fuse into an oil warehouse.
She even took out her flute and used a Summoning Technique to call forth the three demons.
Three bizarre-looking humanoid monsters appeared, and then, under the guidance of her flute, they began searching in three different directions.
But Tayuya always seemed to be one step behind Naruto.
By the time she arrived at the scene, all she found were violently torn-open doors and empty prison cells.
The guards around them were all unconscious.
However, not all the prisoners had been released.
Among the test subjects imprisoned by Orochimaru, there are also many scoundrels from other Ninja Villages.
Among them were Ninjas, thugs or gangsters, but now, this group of people had completely set aside their differences and were peacefully snuggled up with the guards, fast asleep.
Realizing she couldn't stop Uzumaki Naruto's rampage on her own, Tayuya decisively retreated to the upper levels and headed straight for Orochimaru's personal laboratory.
When she entered, she found Orochimaru in the middle of 'shedding his skin'.
And Orochimaru, who saw Tayuya running in so panic, didn't show any displeasure. In fact, he seemed to be in a rather good mood as he asked what had happened.
She reported everything she had seen truthfully to Orochimaru.
She had expected Orochimaru to react strongly, but instead, he merely chuckled lightly.
"If it's just those people, then let Naruto-kun do as he pleases."
"Compared to him, those test subjects have little value left anyway."
"If Naruto-kun wishes to do this, then cooperate with him. Tell the guards on the island not to obstruct those trying to escape."
When it came to Naruto, and the other world behind him, Orochimaru was practically salivating with greed.
The vitality radiating from Naruto's body was something Orochimaru had only ever seen in the cells of the First Hokage, Hashirama.
Perhaps the Uzumaki Clan's bloodline played some role in it, but based on his past dissections of other Uzumaki Clan's members, that wasn't the key factor.
In Orochimaru's opinion, the true reason Naruto possessed such a formidable physique lay in that other world.
Right now, all he wanted was to keep Naruto placated.
Releasing a few prisoners was nothing. Even if Naruto decided to tear this entire hideout apart, Orochimaru wouldn't bat an eye.
"Very well. If Naruto-kun doesn't need you to guide him, you may leave."
Hearing Orochimaru's words, Tayuya naturally didn't dare to argue. She obediently stepped out and closed the door behind her.
"…Now then, it's time for the two of us."
Orochimaru slipped on a pair of gloves and gazed lovingly at Hidan's head, which was placed on the table.
At this point, Hidan seemed to have undergone some sort of treatment by Orochimaru… he wanted to shout out curses, but no sound came out.
Leaving aside Hidan's impending tragic fate, Naruto continued to delve deeper into the facility.
Those innocent people, who had been either tricked or outright kidnapped, were all freed by Naruto without hesitation.
Every guard along the way was knocked unconscious, and though the prisoners were weak from exhaustion, they could still manage to stand.
"Th-thank you... Who are you?"
One of the boys asked timidly when he passed by Naruto.
"Naruto. You can call me Uzumaki Naruto."
For these people, who harbored no real malice in their hearts, Naruto's attitude was exceedingly friendly.
He gently patted the boy's head and pointed toward the elevator leading upward.
"Go. The guards outside are all knocked out. Now's your best chance to leave."
"Naruto-... Naruto-sama! I… my name is Sachinosuke! Can I... follow you?"
The rescued boy, Sachinosuke, gazed up at Naruto's tall, imposing figure and couldn't help but ask.
His family was already dead, and he himself had been captured and imprisoned here by Otogakure's Ninjas under Orochimaru due to possessing a unique bloodline.
So even if he were released now, he had no idea where to go.
"I still have things I need to do… but if you have nowhere else to go, you can head to the Land of Whirlpools."
"It's an island nation further south. Though there probably aren't many people left there now."
"If I get the chance, I'll come visit you there."
Sachinosuke's expression dimmed slightly at Naruto's refusal, but it quickly brightened again at his following words.
"Understood, Naruto-sama! I'll wait for you in the Land of Whirlpools!"
There were many others like Sachinosuke. A large portion of the prisoners here had lost their homes… or their families.
They also heard Naruto's words.
In the end, these people silently gathered around the young Sachinosuke and left the hideout together.
'This could be considered as gathering the initial population for the revival of the Land of Whirlpools…' Naruto thought to himself.
He took out his flask of sake and took a sip.
'Hmm, after doing a good deed, even the sake tasted better.'
He seemed to have returned to the days when he was in his twenties and climbed the Red Line to Mary Geoise with Fisher Tiger to liberate slaves.
'Ah, those were truly memories worth savoring.'
As he walked, nearly all the innocent prisoners without major ill intent had been freed by Naruto.
As for the guards outside the island, they had already been 'quietly' knocked out when he first confronted Orochimaru.
In fact, as soon as Naruto came here and saw the prisoners, he had already planned to release them.
As for how they would leave the island, there are boats at the dock. Although there are not many, if they squeezed in, it should be manageable.
He just hoped they wouldn't run into a storm at sea.
Tap, tap, tap…
Naruto continued descending to the deeper levels.
Beyond this point, there were no more prison cells… instead, cold, sterile rooms filled with various experimental equipment took their place.
Inside, there were plenty of 'dismantled' remains of victims.
'Damn you, Orochimaru.'
In Naruto's mind, Orochimaru's life was already on a countdown.
While he wasn't one to break agreements, but once he obtained enough intel on the Akatsuki, their deal would be considered complete.
And when that time came, he would wipe out this bastard… along with every last one of his hidden bases.
When Naruto reached the lowest level, he saw a massive containment tank, inside of which floated a naked, white-haired boy.
The moment he stepped into the room, the boy's gaze locked onto him through the transparent liquid.
But besides the two of them, there were also over a dozen of Orochimaru's subordinates dressed in lab coats.
"Who are you?! Unauthorized personnel are not permitted to approach this area without Orochimaru-sama's…"
One bespectacled researcher, who looked rather dull-witted, was still reciting protocol when one of his companions smacked him upside the head.
"It's an intruder! Call for backup!"