Chapter 43: The Journey Home
With the arrival of the newcomer, Kyosuke and Rei's movements came to an abrupt halt.
There was no longer any need for them to intervene. The one who had arrived would take care of everything.
Of course, just because they had stopped didn't mean Pakura would stop reaching for the wooden box. However, her intention was doomed to fail.
Just as her hands were about to touch the box, a massive python several meters thick erupted from the ground, sending her flying into the air.
At the same time, a swarm of poisonous snakes shot out from the newcomer's arms, rushing toward the airborne Pakura.
"Multiple Striking Shadow Snakes."
Needless to say, the newcomer was Orochimaru.
And Pakura, who had been such a handful for Kyosuke and Rei, couldn't even last two rounds against him. She was easily entangled.
Although she later broke free from the snakes using her Scorch Release, the difference in their strength was already clear.
Pakura stared at Orochimaru for a moment, then suddenly said, "I'll return these children to you for now. Next time, it won't be so simple."
It was clear that, seeing she was no match for him, she was preparing to flee.
But escaping from Orochimaru was no easy task. At least, that's what Kyosuke thought.
However, after releasing a massive burst of chakra and using a jutsu to obscure their vision, Pakura strangely vanished.
Not just Kyosuke and Rei, but even Orochimaru looked puzzled.
This way of completely isolating all presence... could it be... Kyosuke's mind involuntarily turned to Black Zetsu again.
He hadn't felt anything was amiss before, but the way Pakura had vanished had successfully linked her to Black Zetsu in his mind.
Of course, he wasn't suggesting that Pakura was one of Black Zetsu's subordinates. Rather, in that final battle, she had likely been possessed by him. Otherwise, with her injuries, how could she have possibly gotten up to fight them again?
As for Black Zetsu's objective, it was probably to kill the two children in front of Kyosuke and Rei.
That way, the "Sand ninja" would be framed for the murder of the Land of Fire Daimyō's children, a crime they could never wash their hands of. War would then be inevitable.
However, Orochimaru's timely arrival had successfully thwarted his plan. With no other choice, he could only leave a "threatening" message to "prove" that the Sand ninja did indeed want the children. Then, he feigned defeat and fled. It had to be said, Black Zetsu's move was truly venomous.
But for now, neither Black Zetsu nor the power struggle between the two great nations was something Kyosuke needed to worry about.
His current goal was to accumulate strength and wait for the moment to soar into the sky.
At that time, the course of the entire shinobi world would be decided by him.
On the afternoon of the third day, at the Konoha outpost, Kyosuke and the other Root members had regrouped.
Kyosuke and Rei's injuries were not serious and had mostly healed after being treated by the medical ninja.
Ansui's injuries were more complicated. There was a considerable amount of gold dust inside him, a result of Rasa's ninjutsu. Fortunately, with a period of rest, he would make a full recovery.
The most severe injuries belonged to Yage.
He had been hit by Rasa's "Magnet Release: Shattered Glass," which had shattered most of the bones in his body.
Luckily, the bone fragments had not pierced any vital organs, which was why he was still alive.
But... similar to Rock Lee after the Chunin Exams in the original story, with injuries of this severity, every medical ninja would likely say the same thing.
"His physical condition no longer permits him to continue his work as a ninja."
Kyosuke and the others looked with sorrow at the man before them, who had lost his usual cheerful demeanor.
They exchanged glances, unsure how to comfort him.
After a long while, Yage, who had been looking down in silence, suddenly lifted his head and said with a smile, "Don't feel sad for me, everyone. I've been tired for so many years. It's time for me to rest and live a normal life."
"Y-yeah," Ansui managed to reply, then lowered his head and fell silent again.
The atmosphere became oppressive once more...
Yage's acting was terrible, so terrible that it was difficult for them to even pretend to believe him. The two lines of tears streaming down his face were a testament to the immense pain the man was feeling.
Night, inside Orochimaru's tent.
"Thank you for the rescue, Master," Kyosuke said, thanking Orochimaru again.
"Heh heh, it's nothing. You are my disciple, after all," Orochimaru said in his hoarse voice.
After chatting for a while about the mission, Orochimaru began to ask about Kyosuke's research. Seizing the opportunity, Kyosuke asked Orochimaru about the difficulties he had encountered in his experiments.
Orochimaru, of course, answered all his questions. If the location had been more suitable, the two of them would have probably grabbed a few "specimens" and started their experiments right then and there.
"By the way, what's the situation with the Sand ninja now? Do they intend to go to war?" In the latter half of the night, a satisfied Kyosuke asked curiously as he was about to leave.
"Oh? Are you also interested in war, Kyosuke?" Orochimaru keenly noticed the glint in Kyosuke's eyes and asked in return, his curiosity piqued.
"I guess..." Kyosuke replied vaguely, then waited for Orochimaru's answer.
"Originally, the Sand Village's financial situation was very poor, not enough to support a large-scale war," Orochimaru said mockingly. Then, his tone suddenly changed. "But the situation is probably different now."
Yeah, what father wouldn't want revenge after his children were killed by the enemy... Kyosuke murmured to himself.
"I'm afraid it won't be long before war breaks out completely," Orochimaru said with certainty. He then looked at Kyosuke with a smile and asked, "Are you afraid of war?"
"Who knows..." Kyosuke said, his head bowed, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.
"Well then, we'll be taking our leave." Kyosuke and the others stood at the entrance of the outpost, saying their goodbyes to Orochimaru.
The Daimyō's two children had already been sent away secretly, and the heavily injured Yage would be taken back to Konoha for treatment by the medical team.
So, the three of them were now free of their burdens and only needed to travel back.
After some words of thanks, the group set off on their journey home.
However, perhaps because they were one person short, their hearts were all more or less heavy.
But that didn't stop them from continuing... on their way.
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