Gato rummaged through the shelves piled high with scrolls before pulling out a few yellowed maps, which he respectfully spread out on the table in front of Menma.
"My lord, these are the national maps of several western countries. Please take a look." Gato bowed slightly.
Menma picked up the maps on the table and unfolded them, his gaze sharp as an eagle's as he scrutinized them carefully.
As a world-class corporation, Gato Company had branches in various nations. The simplest business model was buying specialties at low prices in one country and transporting them to another to sell at a high price.
For example, tea from the Land of Tea could fetch a high price when transported to the capitals of other nations.
This kind of trade naturally required familiarity with geographical environments. Major merchant groups, companies, and fleets all had their own hand-drawn or purchased maps and nautical charts, which were considered rare resources in their own right.
However, highly accurate maps were difficult to come by. Most were like ancient maps, requiring the guidance of professional scouts or experienced merchants to be used effectively.
"Prepare some supplies and send them to the Land of Bears. The organization plans to establish a base there." Menma said, tapping his finger on a map of the Land of Bears.
Kakuzu also walked over and glanced at the maps on the table.
The Land of Bears was located between the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind, bordering smaller nations like the Land of Demons, the Land of Valleys, and the Land of Birds.
The country was long and narrow, with vast plains in the west where it bordered the Land of Valleys and the Land of Demons… suitable for agriculture.
The central and eastern regions were covered in dense forests and towering mountains, with a poisonous mist-filled chasm known as Devil's Ravine in the east.
"As you command, my lord." Gato replied, bowing even lower.
"Do you need me to clean up Hoshigakure?" Kakuzu licked his lips.
"No need." Menma shook his head. "You'll work with Kado to escort the supplies. As for the cleanup operation in the Land of Bears, another team will handle it."
Although he had recruited Kakuzu and Gato, he couldn't rely solely on them for everything… doing so might expose the organization's lack of manpower.
Hearing that another team would be sent ahead, Kakuzu's green eyes narrowed slightly in anticipation.
Since joining the organization, he had only worked with Gato and hadn't met any other members. Now, he finally had a chance to see who else was part of this mysterious group.
He wondered just how many powerful Ninja were there in such an organization?
…
After giving Kado and Kakuzu their new orders, Menma left the capital of the Land of Fire.
The organization was currently short on manpower, so Menma planned to recruit some Missing-nin.
'However, at this point in time, Pakura is already dead, Zabuza and Kisame probably haven't defected yet, Deidara is still in Iwagakure, and who knows where Sasori is hiding...' After running through the list, Menma realized there were very few capable Missing-nin he could recruit.
After all, he had no intention of bringing in a murderous fanatic like Hidan.
'Kurosuki Raiga and Ranmaru are likely in the Land of Rivers. At the very least, they're Jonin-level fighters, and Raiga seems to have an entire clan that defected from Kirigakure.'
Though the Kurosuki Clan didn't possess any Kekkei Genkai, they were still a Ninja Clan with some level of heritage.
'Ah, right… there are also scattered survivors of the Uzumaki Clan.' Menma thought of Uzumaki Karin and her mother in Kusagakure, as well as Uzumaki Honoka in the Land of the Sea.
'But for now, I should head to the Land of Rice Field to look for Orochimaru.'
Under the cover of night, Menma, wearing a fox mask, dashed swiftly through the forest.
'If I remember correctly, Otogakure should be located in the north-central part of the Land of Rice Field." Menma used Mind's Eye of the Kagura, stretching his perception across a radius of nearly a hundred kilometers.
This unique sensory technique of the Uzumaki Clan was something Menma had learned from Kushina when he's in the Limited Tsukuyomi World.
The perception range of Mind's Eye of the Kagura varies depending on the amount of Chakra of the caster, and even Karin could cover thirty or forty kilometers. But Menma's range extended well over a hundred kilometers!
Within this radius, every fluctuation of Chakra would be detected by him.
During his previous encounter with Orochimaru, Menma had already marked Orochimaru's Chakra characteristics.
Shortly after entering the Land of Rice Field, Menma's Mind's Eye of the Kagura detected several faint traces of Orochimaru's Chakra. However, the signals were weak, and there were very few other Chakra presences nearby… likely just some backup hideouts or storage facilities.
Continuing northward, as he approached the capital of the Land of Rice Field, Menma sensed a large concentration of Chakra to the north of the city. It bore strong similarities to Orochimaru's Chakra but with some distinct differences.
"Already so impatient, Orochimaru?" Menma guessed that Orochimaru had already used the Living Corpse Reincarnation.
After all, his original body was already over forty years old and had been severely injured by Hiruzen. Though he could repair it, his physical capabilities and reaction speed would inevitably decline with age.
Seizing this opportunity to switch bodies was a logical move.
"Found you!" Menma burst out of the forest, and the view in front of him suddenly became clear.
Before him lay a small village at the edge of the woods. On the surface, it appeared to be an ordinary farming community, but underground, Orochimaru had hollowed it out to build a secret base.
Under the moonlight, Menma, wearing his white three-eyed fox mask, made no effort to conceal himself as he strode straight into the village.
The pale glow of the moon cast a cold sheen over his mask, and his black coat fluttered lightly in the wind. The sudden appearance of such a mysterious figure immediately drew the attention of Orochimaru's subordinates.
Several Ninjas leaped out from various hiding spots, landing on the rooftops of the village houses, their expressions tense as they stared down the unwelcome visitor.
Menma used Mind's Eye of the Kagura to assess the Chakra levels of the three Ninja and found them to be nothing more than Genin-level.
Then again, it made sense. Most nations' Ninja resources were monopolized by their respective villages. After establishing his own Ninja Village, Orochimaru had no choice but to train children from scratch.
From the time of his defection to the Konoha Crush, Orochimaru had only managed to cultivate the Sound Five over nine years. Among them, only Kimimaro possessed Elite Jonin-level strength, while the others were merely Chunin-level at best… reaching Special Jonin-level only when activating their Cursed Seals.
There was also the unstable Jugo, and Hozuki Suigetsu, whom Orochimaru had captured.
"Kid, this isn't a place you should be." A Ninja with a bandage on his right eye, who seemed to be their leader, issued a warning from atop a roof.
"Orochimaru sent small fry like you to die?" Menma frowned slightly, unsure what game Orochimaru was playing.
"You bastard! So you are here to hunt Orochimaru-sama?" The leader seemed to trigger at the provocation, barking orders to the other two: "Kill him!"
The two Ninjas threw kunai and attacked Menma from both sides.
Meanwhile, the leader tore off the bandage covering his right eye, revealing a crimson Two-Tomoe Sharingan, which he fixed menacingly on the masked figure below.
"I see." Menma understood Orochimaru's intention the moment he saw the Sharingan.
This is a gift… delivered straight to him.