Chapter 160: The Wind from Another World Disappeared
"The wind from another world disappeared."
Tsunade's voice cracked, then sharply rose, echoing off the wooden walls of the Hokage's office. "I cannot accept this result!"
"Tsunade, calm down," Hiruzen Sarutobi snapped, his weathered face hardening into a mask of authority. "This is for the good of the Village."
For the good of the Village.
Hiruzen continued to speak, his voice a dull drone outlining the absolute severity of the situation. He lectured them on the strict protocols of secrecy, demanding their sworn silence the moment they stepped past the office door.
Tsunade tuned him out. Her gaze drifted toward the window. The sky outside was a brilliant, mocking blue. Sunlight bathed the leaves in a warm, golden glow, and a gentle breeze rustled the branches. It was a beautiful day. So why did ice claw at her veins?
"I understand, Hiruzen-sensei," she interrupted, her voice trembling with suppressed rage and grief. "You don't need to say anything more!"
She spun on her heel and bolted from the room.
Ever since Kou's supposed accident, right up until the moment she left the Village, a heavy, eerie unnaturalness had clung to every event. Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya had dug through the archives and investigated the shadows for weeks, yet they had found nothing but dead ends.
Now, the horrifying truth finally clicked into place.
It had all been a grand, tragic stage play. Kou and the Fourth Hokage had orchestrated every single detail to deceive the mastermind lurking in the dark—Black Zetsu. The dense fog of confusion that had shrouded the Sannin's investigation had been deliberately woven by the Hokage and Kou themselves. No wonder their search had yielded nothing. The logic was flawless, and the two of them had played their parts perfectly.
But the cost was absolute. Kou was dead.
She had died in a brutal, tragic manner, never to return. Even her physical body had vanished, pulled back to her own world. How could Tsunade possibly accept this?
Kato Dan caught up to her on a secluded dirt path just outside the administrative building. Tsunade didn't say a word. She simply turned, threw herself against his chest, and buried her face in his flak jacket, choking back harsh, bitter sobs.
From a distant rooftop, pale golden eyes observed the embrace. Orochimaru did not step forward to offer comfort. He turned away, letting the shadows of the Research Institute swallow him.
The damp, pitch-black laboratory was his sanctuary. In this suffocating darkness, surrounded by the sterile scent of chemicals and cold metal, his mind was at its sharpest.
He approached a steel shelf, his gaze locking onto the mechanical arm resting on a velvet cloth. He reached out and picked it up.
It was a masterpiece of engineering. The specifications and precision of its internal mechanisms far surpassed anything available on the black market. The skeletal structure was lightweight, the joints fluid and delicate, and the synthetic skin covering the metal was indistinguishable from human flesh. It was a prosthetic clearly tailored for a woman's frame.
After staring at the lifeless limb for a long moment, he handed it to Senju Nawaki, who was organizing data scrolls nearby.
"Log the specifications for this prosthetic," Orochimaru instructed, his voice entirely flat. "If a client requests a custom build in the future, show them these schematics. Sell it to whoever can afford it. And make sure the price is exorbitant. Bleed them dry."
Nawaki blinked, carefully taking the arm as if it were a live explosive. Confusion wrinkled his face. "Master? Didn't you say this was a custom piece for a friend? You used the most luxurious materials we had! You wouldn't even let me breathe on it yesterday because you said it wasn't for sale. Why pawn it off now?"
"Because the wind from another world has disappeared," Orochimaru murmured.
A single, crystalline tear slipped down his pale cheek, catching the dim laboratory light before vanishing into the collar of his shirt. "Cease all research on prosthetics."
He turned his back to his student. "Nawaki, do you believe it is possible for humans to achieve true immortality?"
Nawaki scratched his head. He had no idea what was wrong with his master today. He was just an Earth Release specialist, a meathead who hit things hard. He only recorded numbers because his master threatened to skin him if he touched the actual experiments.
"Probably not," Nawaki grunted, answering honestly. "A person's life is bright and flashy exactly because it's short. If you lived for hundreds of years with nothing left to strive for, wouldn't you just be bored out of your skull?"
Orochimaru paused. He certainly hadn't expected his foolish apprentice to deliver such a simple, yet deeply cutting observation.
A slow, dangerous smile crept onto Orochimaru's face. "Then, how about we change our focus? Let us research parallel dimensions. What do you say, my silly apprentice?"
"Huh?!" Nawaki's brain short-circuited. He hated complicated questions.
But Orochimaru's mind was already racing, a newfound obsession taking root. If Uchiha Kou could cross over from a parallel world, the theory was sound. With the right research, he could eventually tear through the fabric of space himself. Were there other dimensions? Worlds with similar histories but subtle, chaotic deviations? The sheer potential thrilled him.
Three days after the news of Kou's death reached Konoha, Jiraiya finally returned to the Village.
As a registered shinobi, his track record was abysmal. While Tsunade and Orochimaru bled for the Village and pushed the boundaries of their respective fields, Jiraiya had spent five years isolated on Mount Myōboku. And upon his successful completion of his training, his first instinct wasn't to report for duty or take on defensive missions.
Instead, he bypassed protocol, used Hiruzen's security clearance to access the intelligence network, and hunted for Kou. He rarely visited home, extracted what he needed from the Fourth Hokage, and vanished just as quickly. In any other hidden village, behavior like that would have earned him a spot in the Bingo Book as a rogue ninja.
Jiraiya strode into the Hokage's office, intending to officially report his return. The Fourth Hokage was absent, leaving only his assistant, Nara Kajisuke, to manage the paperwork. Finding no answers there, Jiraiya sought out his old teacher.
"Didn't you plan to stay at Mount Myōboku longer to perfect your Sage Mode?" Hiruzen asked.
The Third Hokage didn't know that Jiraiya had already clashed with Kou and dragged her to the toad realm. But seeing his student standing there, completely oblivious, filled Hiruzen's chest with leaden dread. He struck a match with a trembling hand and lit his pipe. The office was already thick with acrid smoke, but he puffed aggressively, hiding behind the gray haze.
Jiraiya remembered Fukasaku Sage's parting words. His eyes darkened briefly before he forced a neutral expression. "I hit a wall with Sage Mode. I want to pivot to Sealing Techniques. Does Konoha have any archives on forbidden seals?"
"That falls under advanced theory. You should consult Tsunade; she's currently leading our sealing research."
Hiruzen chewed on his pipe stem. The truth about Uchiha Kou burned on his tongue. He ran the tragedy through his mind a dozen times, but looking at Jiraiya's earnest face, he couldn't bring himself to shatter his student's world. He didn't want to keep Jiraiya in the dark, but delivering the news of her death felt like an executioner's task.
"Since you're back, take a few days to rest," Hiruzen offered, forcing a casual, grandfatherly tone. "Actually, several new hot spring bathhouses just opened in the commercial district. I have a rare afternoon off. Care to join me for an inspection?"
Jiraiya sighed, waving a hand dismissively. "Hiruzen-sensei, I only did that stuff when I was young, reckless, and stupid. I'm an adult now. I know the Three Ninja Prohibitions by heart. Please don't suggest things like that anymore. If Kou hears about it, she'll completely misunderstand my character."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Jiraiya bowed and stepped out of the office.
As the heavy wooden door clicked shut, he frowned, scratching his chin in genuine confusion. Hiruzen hadn't suggested peeping at a hot spring in decades. Why bring it up out of nowhere today?
Was the old man trying to relapse into his perverted habits and needed a scapegoat in case he got caught?
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