章節 72: Orochimaru's Discovery

Chapter 72: Orochimaru's Discovery

On a quiet jungle path, a pit blocks the middle of the road. Chiba stood by the pit, his gaze shifting to the old cow grazing nearby. He had a sense of déjà vu about this scene.

Creak! Creak!

Suddenly, an ox cart loaded with goods appeared. As if sensing its arrival, the grazing old cow lifted its head and made eye contact with its counterpart.

Moo!

"Wind Style - Wind and Sand!"

A figure emerged from behind the cart, swiftly forming hand seals.

Whoosh!

In an instant, a strong gust of wind materialized, stirring up the dust on the ground. The unstoppable wind, mixed with sand and dust, created a small sandstorm, obscuring the view.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Simultaneously, three figures dashed forward, hurling a series of kunai. The wind and sand carried the explosive tags attached to the kunai, propelling them toward the young man standing beside the pit.

Upon closer inspection, it was evident that the kunai blades were laced with a dark purple substance, presumably a poisonous coating.

"This coordinated attack will surely be his demise."

"Bold of him to stand openly in front of us."

"It appears he has attacked the Flying Sand Team's cattle grazing nearby."

"No need to worry; he won't survive this."

The four assailants landed on the ground, wearing relaxed expressions. Their joint attack proved formidable.

The initial stage involved the use of wind and sand to obscure the enemy's vision. Subsequently, the explosive tags hidden within the wind and sand shot toward the enemy.

Boom!

An explosion resonated, engulfing the young man by the pit.

"Is that all the strength he possesses?"

"How did the Flying Sand Team fall victim to such a weakling?"

"Look at the pit. Could it be that the Flying Sand Team fell in?"

"Let's proceed and collect the goods from the Flying Sand Team."

However, their footsteps suddenly halted. Their gaze shifted to a large tree by the roadside and then looked upward.

Ah, now they understood, the young man was standing atop the tree, unscathed.

"But how?!"

The group was astounded and couldn't fathom it. The young man hadn't moved at all, yet he had managed to ascend the tree.

"There is a technique known as the Body Replacement Technique," Chiba calmly explained.

"That's impossible! The Body Replacement Technique requires seals, and you don't have any seals. Moreover, you don't even possess a substitution medium!"

"Oh?"

Chiba smiled.

Seals? Medium?

He had no need for either.

A snap!

He snapped his fingers into the void, activating the Power of Grains' Reincarnation.

"Pfft! Damn it!"

"Pfft~~ Ugh!"

"Pfft... What's happening?"

"Pfft!"

As they scattered, running away while collapsing to the ground and uttering curses, Chiba landed gracefully, lifting his left foot.

"Go on, your companions are waiting for you," he said, kicking forward.

Gululu~~

The Sand Shinobi tumbled into the pit one after another, unable to stop themselves.

Once inside, they struggled but lacked the strength to break free.

Realizing their escape was futile, the four individuals glared fiercely at Chiba from within the pit, their expressions filled with rage.

"You're finished! Our larger forces will arrive soon, and you'll meet your end! Ugh~~"

"If we die, you die too. I'll wait for you in the pit. Ugh..."

"If you're capable, get us out! Let's fight fairly... Ugh~~"

"Enough with the talk, my mouth is nearly submerged... Gululu~~"

Amidst their shouts and curses, the bodies of the four sank further into the pit.

After a while, only bubbles remained, bubbling from the depths of the cesspit.

The new cow observed the scene, then turned its gaze to Chiba.

Moo~~

With a low call, it walked to the side of the road and resumed grazing.

...

In the Land of Fire

The Orochimaru team leaped through the forest.

They had been assigned the task of going to the Country of Whirlpools to protect Chiba.

"Finally, no more pig-catching," Jiraiya exclaimed, feeling elated.

He had grown tired of catching pigs, and now, after all their efforts, they had received a more significant assignment.

"Why are you so thrilled? Afraid of fainting again?" Tsunade teased, poking at Jiraiya's sensitive spot. Jiraiya's mood instantly soured.

"Is that fainting incident really my fault? It was a tactical faint."

As he spoke, Jiraiya produced a stack of masks.

"See, I'm prepared too."

Thump!

Suddenly, Orochimaru halted. His gaze fell upon the nearby river.

"Orochimaru, why did you stop?"

"Shut up!" Orochimaru snapped, ignoring his two teammates' clamor.

He leaped off the tree trunk and walked toward a clearing beside the river.

"Signs of a battle! And what is this?"

Sweeping the area, Orochimaru's eyes settled on something. A pile of white, decaying flesh lay scattered on the ground, emitting a foul stench. What concerned him more was the abundance of excrement present amidst the rotten meat.