The two walked along the riverbank, following the flowing Naka River.
Along the way, Orochimaru didn't want to talk to Miki.
Miki also ignored him.
He was just a tool, not a conversationalist.
They gradually left the Village's boundaries, but not too far, arriving at a deserted area.
Beneath their feet were steep cliffs, and in the distance ahead was an endless forest, with tree crowns intertwined, forming a green sea of trees.
When the wind blew, the leaves rippled and undulated like waves, grand and beautiful.
This area was Konoha's heartland, surrounded by hidden surveillance outposts.
They were scattered like stars throughout the nearby forest sea.
They extended outwards, all the way to the border outposts.
It was a tough job, manned by Genin and Chunin; years of peace had made them lose their vigilance, just passing the days.
Jonin, as valuable high-level combatants, would not be assigned such work.
Therefore, if an invading enemy was skilled, they could penetrate deep into Konoha's heartland unnoticed.
There were two purposes.
One was to prevent external enemies from infiltrating.
The second was to prevent Shinobi from defecting from the Village.
Generally, Konoha Ninja and residents without missions or applications to leave the Village could not exit it; they could wander near the Village, but not too far.
Going too far raised suspicions of carrying secret techniques, forbidden jutsu, or classified information for defection.
Even if it was a secret technique developed by one's own clan or oneself, it was nominally a Village secret technique.
This applied to everyone.
Miki and Orochimaru were no exception.
However, the two knew the hidden routes and could leave the Village unnoticed.
Miki had located these outposts through her Eve Swarm.
And Orochimaru had located them through his snakes.
If it were an ordinary Konoha Ninja, they wouldn't dare follow Miki so casually.
Otherwise, they might be forced to defect from the Village.
Such a matter couldn't be explained away; a standard interrogation process would be indispensable.
Without confidence, one truly wouldn't dare to just follow.
As for why Miki chose this place, it was because the Village simply couldn't accommodate any more.
Referring to, secret bases.
Anbu had them, Root also had them; the entire underground of Konoha Village was basically hollow, with hidden passages extending in all directions. The two departments each used a portion of the underground facilities.
They could even serve as shelters in times of need.
Built under the supervision of the Second Hokage, with Mito responsible for arranging the defensive Barrier, it was basically airtight, not even a mosquito could fly in.
But not all bugs couldn't get in.
This counted as the Village's territory.
In the forest outside the Village, the major Shinobi Clans also had them.
Not to mention large clans like Senju, Hyuga, and Uchiha, even smaller clans had them, and quite a few.
Escape tunnels were basic operations, and secret rooms for storing supplies and valuable items were also very practical.
The Inuzuka Clan's dog packs not only liked to dig dog dens but also liked to pee everywhere to mark their territory.
The Aburame Clan, in particular, had many, basically one per person, located in various hidden spots in the Konoha Forest. They not only served as safe houses but also functioned as 'fish ponds' for cultivating bugs.
Not only Miki knew that feeding bugs meat saved Chakra, but all the clan members understood. Bugs didn't stay in the body 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, so they also needed a considerable amount of territory.
To avoid being annoying, each was more hidden than the last.
And besides Shinobi Clans, many individual Shinobi also had such needs.
For example, Orochimaru.
So, they just dug holes with Earth Release, without any planning.
The nearby forest looked quite normal on the surface, but if you dug it up, the underground was full of various holes.
Like it had been gnawed by dogs.
And Miki wanted to expand her territory, so she could only squeeze in wherever possible, truly surviving in the cracks.
Referring to secretly occupying several abandoned Anbu bases.
Many places, both inside and outside the Village, were actually under Miki's control.
Since no one was using them, she just picked them up for use, raising bugs and such, which didn't require much space and didn't attract attention.
And the secret bases opened further out each had their own functions.
Upon reaching the cliff, Miki directly jumped down.
Seeing this, Orochimaru immediately followed without hesitation.
As they fell rapidly, Miki was seen sliding down the cliff face at high speed, her feet pressed against it.
Orochimaru, free-falling completely suspended, watched Miki and couldn't help but ponder.
In just a moment, Miki's figure was already out of sight.
Orochimaru had surpassed Miki.
Meaning, he was free-falling off the cliff.
Miki watched Orochimaru fall, then stood firm on the cliff face.
This guy...
Is he a bit dull...?
Is he really a genius?
After a long time, Orochimaru, who had been completely dried by the wind, came up the cliff, soaking wet.
He looked at Miki with a gloomy expression.
Miki pointed at a cave entrance on the cliff beside them.
From the dark cave entrance, occasional sounds of flapping wings and rat-like squeaks could be heard.
Orochimaru looked in, and as he stood at the entrance, he could distinctly smell a strange odor wafting out.
It was the smell of feces.
A large amount of feces.
No creature is powerful enough to extract all the nutrients from the food it eats, so feces are a rather good food source in nature.
Everyone knows the saying, 'a dog can't change its habit of eating shit.'
Bugs like dung beetles don't need much explanation.
Rabbits don't have the ability to ruminate, so they eat their own droppings; these are actually semi-digested grass pellets.
Additionally, Butterflies not only collect nectar but are also very interested in feces.
Finally, there are humans: is civet coffee delicious?
Miki also uses fecal microbiota transplantation to treat various intestinal diseases.
And directly administering feces has a miraculous effect on those with food poisoning.
And this location was Miki's ranch.
More precisely, one of the Eve Swarm's ranches.
Miki clapped her hands, and a vibrant purple climbed all over her body, used for air purification.
Parasitic Minute Bugss would kill various bacteria and viruses, decompose various organic and inorganic compounds, and remove harmful gases and odors.
"Go in," she reminded, "but it's toxic." Miki walked in first.
Orochimaru hesitated at the cave entrance.
He didn't hesitate for long before a large swarm of black bats rushed out of the cave. After about ten minutes, no more bats flew out.
Seeing this, Orochimaru covered his mouth and nose with his wet sleeve and bravely walked into the cave.
The light was dim, and the pervasive smell made him dizzy, the stench making him nauseous.
Orochimaru saw Miki's figure.
In the dark environment, her Chakra, transformed by Parasitic Minute Bugss, became a faint purple, acting as a light source in the gloomy cave.
So this technique also had a lighting function?
Orochimaru followed Miki's steps.
They walked along a narrow, one-person-wide path inside the cave, with bottomless darkness on both sides, where mountain-like black shadows could vaguely be seen.
It was a mountain of shit...
Orochimaru wanted to say something, but found he had nothing to say at the moment. He followed behind Miki with a sour expression.
After what felt like a continuous descent, Miki pushed open a sliding stone door, and they entered a stone passage with illumination.
The stone walls all around were covered with small, reddish beetles; they were the light source here.
Flamebug, Orochimaru recognized them.
A crimson glow reflected on them, creating a very eerie atmosphere.
The vibrant purple faded from Miki's body. She turned to Orochimaru and said, "You stink."
"Don't you stink!?" Orochimaru truly broke down, roaring.
"No," Miki said. "The feces outside have multiple uses. First, they prevent Shinobi from invading."
A normal person wouldn't even have the courage to look, let alone enter.
"Next time you come in, you'll have to figure out your own method for deodorizing and detoxification," Miki said. "Long-term, unprotected entry and exit will make you sick. The bats outside carry multiple viruses, some of which are extremely deadly to humans."
This place is too terrifying, isn't it?
Orochimaru hesitated to speak.
Only this guy is terrifying.
At this moment, Miki had already walked deeper into the passage.
Orochimaru bravely followed.
Future updates will be at this time.
Yesterday, I worked overtime and didn't have time to write, so I saved two chapters for emergencies.
I need to start stockpiling again. If I have five chapters, I'll release them all at once. The main thing is to keep two daily chapters for unexpected situations.
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