บท 226: Chapter 227
Jōmae Village Training Grounds.
Sasuke stared in confusion as Gensou appeared beside him, patted him on the shoulder as if to encourage him to train hard, and then disappeared in an instant.
What was that about?
Sasuke was a bit puzzled.
Shaking his head, he assumed that Gensou had just come to urge him to continue his training, so he resumed his practice.
Ding!
Main Quest: Long-Awaited S-Rank Mission (Completed)
Sasuke, acting on impulse, pursued Gaara, the One-Tail Jinchuriki, in a desperate attempt to continue their unfinished fight. Assigned by Kakashi, the host, Naruto, Sakura, and others undertook the S-Rank mission to "retrieve Sasuke." After a pursuit, the host successfully caught up to Sasuke and subdued him, completing the mission.
Reward: Two Random A-Rank Jutsu
Gensou felt that bringing Sasuke back was one of his wisest decisions.
Not only did it secure a pair of Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan on his side, but it also provided an efficient way to complete many system tasks.
Many of his previous main quests had been Sasuke-related.
It wouldn't be surprising if future main quests also involved Sasuke leaving the village.
Just a simple pat on the shoulder and the task would be complete—couldn't get any easier.
Gensou received his mission rewards at random.
The two A-Rank jutsu were Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu and Earth Release: Camouflage Concealment Technique.
Not bad.
He had already mastered Camouflage Concealment, but this was his first time acquiring the Third Hokage's technique, adding to his collection of jutsu.
With everything done, Gensou flashed away and soon appeared at the entrance of the aerial lift.
There, waiting for him, was Hanare, dressed in shinobi attire and carrying a large scroll strapped to her back.
This trip was to eliminate Orochimaru and preemptively remove any hidden threats.
However, Gensou suspected that, like with Danzo, Orochimaru's hideout would yield a wealth of valuable "loot," so he specifically brought Hanare along.
After all, an extra person meant an extra pair of hands.
Upon meeting Hanare, Gensou didn't pause. He waved his hand, signaling, "Let's move."
The two of them set off immediately.
...
At the same time…
Konoha had already gathered a team, dispatching Kakashi and Team 8 as the vanguard to investigate Orochimaru's base.
Meanwhile, on Orochimaru's side, Kabuto led a team that included Yukimaru, who could influence the Three-Tails, Guren, a Crystal Release kekkei genkai user, and several subordinates bearing cursed marks to capture the Three-Tails.
Thus, with different goals, the three groups set off, some sooner, some later.
A storm was brewing.
As with the journey to Mount Katsuragi, time passed, and the grand search led by the Five Great Shinobi Villages continued to intensify rather than subside.
However, this had no impact on Gensou.
He and Hanare, though starting the farthest from Orochimaru's base, moved at the fastest pace.
In just a day, they crossed the Land of Fire and the Land of Fields, arriving in a remote, little-known country in the ninja world.
"This is the location from the intel."
Hanare noted the hidden entrance, now completely collapsed, confirming the place with a slight frown.
"It looks like it's been deliberately destroyed. Also, there's a strong smell of blood inside."
Hanare sniffed the air delicately.
Trained as a spy, her ability to gather information and detect details was highly professional, though her combat skills were secondary.
Gensou wasn't surprised. "If Orochimaru were that easy to catch, he wouldn't be Orochimaru."
He stepped forward and placed his hand on the sealed entrance. With a surge of chakra, the blocked pathway softened, causing soil and stones to move aside.
Soon, a two-meter-high passage leading inside was cleared.
Step. Step. Step.
Their steady footsteps echoed loudly in the otherwise silent cave.
Hanare looked around, noticing severed limbs and other body parts scattered among the soil.
But this was nothing compared to what awaited them deeper inside.
Following Gensou, they reached the innermost area, where Gensou created a large fireball, illuminating the surroundings.
In its light, an enormous coliseum came into view.
On the coliseum floor lay countless corpses, stacked layer upon layer, so numerous they were impossible to count.
Even more disturbing, the bodies were horribly disfigured: some had wings made of bone, some had tentacles for arms, and others had spider legs instead of a lower half, resembling horrific amalgamations of creatures and humans.
Despite her experience, Hanare had never seen such a grotesque and brutal sight.
"Orochimaru…"
The scene gave Hanare a deep impression of this man, once one of Konoha's legendary Sannin.
Gensou, familiar with Orochimaru's twisted nature, showed no reaction.
If he was a scientist of tradition, then Orochimaru was a rogue scientist, constantly pushing the boundaries of forbidden and immoral science.
The number of people who had died under his experiments far exceeded the bodies here.
It was astounding that someone like him could eventually be redeemed.
Gensou surveyed the coliseum.
It was clearly one of Orochimaru's human experimentation sites.
The prisoners here bore cursed marks but were only flawed attempts, far from the level of the Sound Four.
A violent clash had recently taken place here.
It didn't seem like a riot, more like a selection process.
This was typical of Orochimaru's methods.
"What would he need people for…?"
This wasn't the location where Orochimaru was supposedly hiding, but Gensou wasn't disappointed. He followed the clues, ready to continue his pursuit.
Capturing a snake.
Especially a seasoned, cunning old snake, required patience.
At that moment, Gensou noticed something. He approached a pile of corpses and stomped down, causing a number of bodies to roll away, revealing a man with ashen skin, covered in cursed mark symbols, and with claws on both hands and feet.
"Help… me."
Barely alive, the man's eyes were full of desperate hope as he looked up at Gensou.
Gensou glanced at him briefly.
The cursed mark was out of control, his body on the verge of collapse, with only a breath left—beyond saving.
Without wasting time, Gensou locked eyes with him.
He swiftly delved into the man's memories, seeing image after image.
As he suspected, this was indeed a human experimentation base.
Yesterday, under Guren's command, a slaughter had taken place here, with a portion of the survivors chosen to follow her and serve Orochimaru.
Gensou withdrew his gaze.
Casting one last look at the man, who had now melted like a snow cone, he laid him to rest and then continued tracking in the direction Guren and her team had taken.
(End of Chapter)
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