"really……"
Leaning your back against the wall, move forward cautiously.
The number of ninjas patrolling and guarding began to decrease, and many important positions were left vacant.
Kabuto easily bypassed the ANBU cordon that controlled the base based on his familiarity with the routes of the Root headquarters base.
Now that root ninjas are restricted from moving around, the defense of this area, which originally belonged to Konoha's highest alert level, is becoming fragile.
And due to the lack of manpower in the ANBU, the ANBU that controls the roots can only barely control it on the surface. Many places are full of loopholes due to staff vacancies.
It was this opportunity that Kabuto was waiting for.
Although he could freely enter and leave the root base in the past, his every move was monitored by Danzo's subordinates. In a place like this, it was impossible to avoid the sight of the root.
According to Kabuto's investigation, barrier barriers have been set up in many places in the root base, and even Byakugan cannot see through them.
Sentient ninjas are here, and if you don't know the route well, it's easy to get lost in a place like this.
"Next, it seems there won't be any more surprises..."
Kabuto has been avoiding the pursuit of the roots these days. Although it is very hard to hide, and he is almost pulled out from the darkness by the people of the roots several times, but for today's huge harvest, it is all worth it.
Kabuto walked silently on the floor like a cat. Every route here was familiar to him. He had been waiting for this moment for many years.
Even if he became Danzo's plaything over the years and did a lot of dirty things for him that he didn't want to do, he still wouldn't hesitate.
Soon, Kabuto arrived at his destination.
This is a large cold room.
It is also a place commonly known as morgue and morgue.
However, this is not a place to preserve corpses for experiments.
The corpses preserved in this room were all Konoha ninjas who once belonged to Gen.
After their sacrifice, if the bodies are not lost, they will be transported here for preservation, allowing them to gain final rest and tranquility.
And in order to ensure that these root ninjas get the final peace after death, each corpse is stored in a separate coffin.
Each coffin is marked with a number, the original name of the victim, and a code name at the root.
There are a total of one hundred and thirteen coffins, which means that there are a total of one hundred and thirteen elite ninjas here who died as unknown Konoha ninjas.
It is also the total number of personnel who have died in the mission over the past few decades.
This is undoubtedly an astonishing number considering the stringent requirements placed on the strength of formal members by the Roots.
After all, those who can be absorbed into the root must be special ninjas who master the secret technique or the blood inheritance limit.
Kabuto swept over each coffin, passing through the names and code names of these people, constantly looking for his target.
Finally, he stopped in front of coffin No. 81.
Under the number, the name 'Yakushi Nonou' is engraved.
She was the 81st root ninja who died in the mission. Her medical skills were among the best in Konoha in the past.
Because he yearned too much for the light in his heart, during the Third Ninja World War, he was half separated from his roots. With the support of the Third Hokage of Konoha, he opened a wartime orphanage. It can be said that he was an alien among the roots. But even so, due to her powerful medical and espionage abilities, she was re-activated by Danzo, so she could not erase the traces of her roots until her death.
After her death, the body was still recovered by the Root people to prevent the secrets in the body from being explored, and was kept in the morgue at the Root headquarters. This is also a natural result.
"It's been a long time, Dean. It's really easy for me to find you."
Kabuto took off the glasses from his face, a look of reminiscence flashed in his eyes.
Although I have now found the meaning of life, such as the meaning of existence given by Orochimaru, the person who gave me the original meaning and name and made me live strong is the woman lying in the coffin.
Just like the report card released in a ninja school, people only pay attention to the first place and often ignore who is the second place.
The same is true for Kabuto.
Initially and later, this is the definition that has been made in my heart and will not change as time goes by.
Therefore, Kabuto can no longer tell whether Orochimaru gives his own survival meaning, or whether he sees Orochimaru as a substitute for the most important woman.
But there was only one thing that Kabuto knew very well.
That is, in my heart, this woman's position is irreplaceable.
Some people spend their entire lives repaying the pain of childhood.
But some people can use their childhood to heal their entire lives.
Kabuto undoubtedly belongs to the latter.
From this point of view, he was also one of the luckiest people during the war years.
As a war orphan, I spent a happy and carefree childhood with her company when I was most lonely and helpless.
It was also because of this period of childhood that I was able to survive tenaciously in this cruel world.
Kabuto took a deep breath, put his glasses back on, then stretched out his hand tremblingly, raising the corners of his mouth slightly, an excited and happy smile appeared on his face.
He slowly opened the heavy coffin board, letting light shine into the abyss-like darkness.
In a daze, a gentle smiling face appeared in Kabuto's mind.
The memory was so clear that the blood seemed to be flowing backwards and began to boil hotly.
However, all this came to an abrupt end when the coffin boards were opened.
The smile froze on Kabuto's face.
Inside the coffin, it was empty.
◎
"How is this going……"
Sakura and Shino were shocked when they arrived to see the trees and land around them being destroyed on a large scale.
The sky in the distance is overcast with heavy clouds, with faint thunder gleaming from the dark clouds, and the air is filled with a moist atmosphere.
At this moment, a faint moan seemed to be heard.
Sakura and Shino looked towards the source of the sound, and immediately saw Kiba and Akamaru lying on the ground with bruises.
"tooth!"
Sakura and Shino ran over to check on Kiba and Akamaru's injuries.
"It's you...I'm so sorry, we failed to intercept Sasuke..."
Kiba reluctantly opened his eyes, and after seeing it was Sakura and Shino, he said with difficulty.
"how so……"
"Don't worry about me yet, I can still hold on, hurry up and find Hinata..."
Kiba stopped Sakura who was about to use medical ninjutsu on her and asked her to go find Hinata.
"Hinata?"
Sakura was stunned.
"That bastard Sasuke... hurry up and get over there!"
After saying this, Ya fell down and fell unconscious.
Just when Sakura was at a loss, an insect flew over and landed on Shino's fingertips.
"Sakura, come with me. Hinata seems to be in danger."
Shino didn't wait for Sakura to respond and ran straight in one direction.
"Wait for me, Shino."
After glancing at the unconscious Kiba, Sakura had no choice but to follow Shino.
Soon, Sakura, who was following Shino, stopped in a clearing.
Seeing Hinata bleeding heavily from her chest and looking as pale as a dead person, Sakura's expression suddenly changed with shock. Without hesitation, she took out the medical kit from her ninja bag, rushed to Hinata and gave her first aid.
Although Shino was worried about Hinata's condition, he also knew that he could not disturb Sakura at this time to prevent her from making mistakes during the first aid process.
He dispersed his parasites in the surrounding woods, keeping vigil while looking for traces of Shikamaru and others.
Kiba and Hinata are both here, so the others should be here too.
Judging from the traces of the battle here, it is likely that the mission to pursue Sasuke failed.
Soon, the parasitic bugs sent word that Shikamaru and Choji had found them.
Although the injury was serious, it was not fatal. Only Hinata's condition was very bad.
Judging from the amount of bleeding in her chest, she was probably seriously injured.
About half an hour passed, and Sakura sat down on the ground as if exhausted, sweat dripping down her face, and she let out a sigh of exhaustion.
"How is it going?"
Shino stepped forward and asked.
"The injury has barely stabilized. There is a special chakra circulating in her body to prevent Hinata's injury from getting worse. However, she needs to be transported back to the village as soon as possible for the second course of treatment. Fortunately, she only hit the shoulder and lungs. The position between, if the position is deflected a little more..."
Sakura didn't say anything, but Shino knew what the consequences of what Sakura said were.
If it hits the heart, I'm afraid he will die immediately, instead of leaving a chance for first aid like this.
Hearing what Sakura said, Shino breathed a sigh of relief and asked:
"Can you tell what ninjutsu was used to hurt Hinata?"
Shino's question silenced Sakura.
Seeing this situation, Shino didn't ask any more questions. They both knew what the answer was. Then, anger flashed through his eyes behind his sunglasses, and Shino's lowered palms slowly clenched into fists.
At this moment, silhouettes of people flashed in the open space, causing Sakura and Shino to turn their heads and look.
"Hey, are you okay?"
The person who suddenly appeared here was wearing the attire of a Konoha ninja. In the team, there were three ninjas wearing white clothes.
On the backs of these white-clad ninjas, the word 'medicine' surrounded by a circle is embroidered.
He is a medical ninja of Konoha Medical Department.
In addition to these three medical ninjas, there are four other ninjas, one jounin and three chuunin.
The first person to ask questions was the leader of the team.
"You are……"
"I am Jounin Takemura, an advisor to the higher-ups. I have been sent here to support you."
The jounin said.
Sakura and Shino's expressions relaxed.
"Thank you for your support. There are several seriously injured people here. Please move them back to the village as soon as possible."
Sakura knew there was progress on Ino's side, so she immediately told them that there were wounded here who needed first aid.
"Of course, that's what we're here for."
Takemura Jounin directed his subordinates and medical ninjas behind him, asking them to go around and bring the wounded.
"Well, there is another one, Uzumaki Naruto. I don't know where he has gone for the time being. He may have continued to look for Sasuke..."
Before Sakura could finish speaking, Takemura Jounin said:
"Don't worry, Uzumaki Naruto's side has already been handled by Lord Jiraiya, one of the three ninjas. He is also accompanied by the sentient ninjas of the Yamanaka clan. Uchiha Sasuke should also be brought back smoothly."
The task of Jonin Takemura is to deal with the wounded who may be present during the pursuit. As for Naruto's safety and the matter of bringing back Uchiha Sasuke, it is up to the Sannin personally.
Although there are still some doubts in this, Takemura Jounin will not interfere with these matters. He only needs to complete his work.
Sakura and Shino looked at each other and gave up the idea of continuing to chase Sasuke and find Naruto.
◎
The Valley of the End.
The rain dampened the forest and the ground.
When Jiraiya and others arrived, they only saw Naruto lying on the muddy ground covered in blood.
There were three people who came with Jiraiya.
They are the Jonin of the Yamanaka Clan and the Inuzuka Clan, responsible for the perception and tracking of the team.
The last person is the ANBU squad leader. He is wearing an ANBU ninja uniform and a beige hooded coat. He is an expert in assassination and medical treatment.
He walked to Naruto who was lying on the ground, squatted down, and covered the wounds on Naruto's body with his hands covered with emerald green light.
I saw that Naruto's wounds were healing at a speed visible to the naked eye. However, due to lack of blood, his face was still pale, but his breathing had finally stabilized.
"How's it going?"
Jiraiya stepped forward and asked.
The ANBU captain stood up and replied: "There is no danger even without medical ninjutsu treatment. It should be related to the nine-tails chakra. I will probably be able to be alive and kicking tomorrow."
In the case of symbiosis between the jinchuriki and the tailed beast, once the jinchuriki encounters danger, the tailed beast will provide its own chakra to protect and fight.
Naruto is also in the same situation now. In order to ensure that Naruto does not die, Kyuubi will do his best to save Naruto's life and prevent him from dying.
As a medical expert, he only needed simple follow-up treatment.
At the same time, he was also shocked by Naruto's resilience. Even with the help of a tailed beast, it would be difficult to recover from such an injury within a day.
Maybe his own constitution was at play in this.
The huge vitality of the Uzumaki clan.
"That's good. This kid is really messing around and leaving the village rashly. It would be terrible if he meets someone from that organization."
Jiraiya lifted Naruto on his shoulders and couldn't help but complain softly to Naruto.
First something happened to the village, and then his mentor Hiruzen Sarutobi died. If something went wrong with Naruto now, he really didn't know what to do.
Fortunately the worst didn't happen.
"What should we do next? Are we going to chase Uchiha Sasuke? It seems that he has already left. Judging from the traces of the battle, it took at least half an hour."
The ANBU captain said.
"I will escort Naruto back to Konoha and leave the task of chasing Uchiha Sasuke to you. You can try to contact the troops at the border. It is not that simple for the Uchiha boy to pass through there. "
Jiraiya ordered the jounin of the Yamanaka clan and the Inuzuka clan.
Nowadays, Konoha's internal management system is very chaotic, and many places need to be controlled by Jonin.
For this support mission, it was already the limit to be able to squeeze out a few jounin.
After all, Danzo, the unstable bomb, still exists in Konoha, causing the ANBU and many jonin to focus their energy on internal stability for the time being.
Another point is that compared to Uchiha Sasuke, Naruto's importance is the highest priority, both in his eyes and in the eyes of senior officials.
"yes."
After receiving Jiraiya's instructions, the jounin of the Yamanaka clan and the Inuzuka clan immediately nodded and launched the pursuit.
◎
"come in."
In front of a huge rock with no entrance, Kakashi stopped, stretched out his hand and placed it on a raised stone of the rock, turning it slightly.
Traces of trembling immediately appeared on the huge rock, and a stone door opened. Within the stone door, there was an underground staircase leading to the ground.
Panting, Sasuke followed Kakashi into the rock and walked along the underground stairs toward the ground.
After about ten meters deep into the ground, the underground stairs reached the end.
Then there is a smooth secret passage.
There are many intersections in the secret passage. On both sides of the secret passage, there are snake-like candlesticks, and the candles on them have long been extinguished.
Kakashi could only take out the lamp in his ninja bag to illuminate the road ahead.
Occasionally, the light shines on those snake-shaped candlesticks, which gives people an eerie feeling, as if a living snake is twisting there.
"here it is……"
Sasuke endured the strange and rancid smell here and asked Kakashi in front of him.
"A stronghold placed by Orochimaru in the Land of Fire was probably created during the Third Ninja War. However, later Orochimaru left Konoha in a hurry, and this stronghold has been abandoned. It is said that before, this place It’s where Orochimaru was used for human trials.”
Kakashi walked forward and explained to Sasuke who was following him.
"That's really funny. No wonder there is a smell of rotting corpses in the air. How many corpses did that guy dispose of here?"
Sasuke covered his mouth and nose, disgusted with the smell here.
"I don't know. There were too many people missing during the war, so it's difficult to count accurately. However, Orochimaru had not defected to Konoha at that time. The living subjects used for human experiments were probably enemy ninjas."
Although the middle and lower levels of the village are not very supportive of human experimentation, if they want to develop medical technology and delve into various forbidden and secret arts, human experimentation is an unavoidable part.
Among Konoha, there are ninjas who are keen on human experiments to bring strength, especially Danzo and Orochimaru.
In order to win the war, these two men did not care what means they used.
"arrive."
Kakashi turned several intersections and led Sasuke to the door of a stone room.
Kakashi entered the stone chamber first and lit the candles in the stone chamber.
There was only a bed for resting, and nothing else.
Sasuke found that this place was not as dirty as he imagined. Even the dust on the bed boards and the floor had been cleaned. It didn't look like a place that had been abandoned for more than ten years.
"This is the only place that is clean. I specially asked someone to clean it a few days ago. We will rest here tonight."
"Then what should I do with dinner? I no longer have any Bingliang Pills on me."
Sasuke said.
There is still a lot of time until tomorrow.
He left Konoha without stopping today and didn't eat breakfast or lunch.
He now needs to recover his physical strength and chakra, and must get enough food.
"It will be delivered after dinner."
Kakashi also considered this issue and reassured Sasuke.
After hearing this, Sasuke took out a portable medical kit from his ninja bag.
When he took it out, Sasuke did not open it immediately, but fell into some kind of memory.
"Sakura gave it to you, this medical kit."
Kakashi said.
He knew that for the safety of the members of the team, including him, the guiding jounin, Sakura had given them all a homemade medical kit. The medical equipment in it could be used to stop bleeding, heal injuries, and detoxify. Compared with Konoha's unified standard medical kit, each has its own merits.
"This kind of thing makes no sense."
Sasuke opened the medical box, took out a medical bandage, and wrapped it skillfully on his arms and abdomen.
"The movements are quite skillful, just like a real medical staff. Is this what Sakura taught you?"
"..."
For some reason, Sasuke felt very angry.
"Now you can tell me who you are. You are not from this side of Konoha at all."
If he was on Konoha's side, he should have been brought back to Konoha by Kakashi before and accepted high-level interrogation.
But Kakashi didn't do that, and instead chose to take him away and send him to Orochimaru's abandoned stronghold in the Land of Fire, and...Kakashi's identity is probably much more than that.
"Didn't you investigate me secretly?"
Kakashi asked rhetorically.
"Yes, I secretly investigated you out of curiosity. You were the disciple and confidant of the Fourth Hokage at first, but after the Fourth Hokage died in the line of duty, you became a popular figure around the Sandaime. That's all I know. .”
Moreover, this is something that many ninjas in Konoha know, and it is not considered a secret.
"The Fourth Hokage? It's such an ancient title. You are right. After the death of the Fourth Hokage, I worked under the Third Hokage, but on the other hand, I also relied on Danzo and Orochimaru to do their work for them. We did a lot of things. For example, we helped them ambush nails among the ANBU and the security team, and we also provided them with the movements of the Third Hokage so that they could always keep track of the movements of the Third Hokage."
"You are really scary."
After listening to Kakashi's narration, Sasuke couldn't help but be shocked by Kakashi's boldness.
The Fourth Hokage, the Third Hokage, the senior executive named Danzo, and the S-class rebel ninja Orochimaru, each of them can be said to be important figures, but Kakashi lives like a fish in water among these people. I don't want to shock people. All difficult.
"It's nothing, just out of mission."
"Mission? Speaking of which, I remember you mentioned the Kingdom of Ghosts before..."
"It's rare that you still remember this. Yes, the reason why I serve as a multi-faceted spy among the four of them is, on the one hand, because of my own reasons, and on the other hand, it is also because Qianba Shiraishi gave me this task. He It can be said that he is my direct superior. The intelligence station of the Kingdom of Demons in Konoha was established by me and others, of course, with the convenience of being an Anbu."
As the direct subordinates of the Hokage, even if they are a layperson in the ANBU, they have priority over many jounin in terms of status and function, because this represents the authority of the Hokage. Therefore, in daily operations, as long as you make good use of the identity of Anbu, it is enough to open a hole in Konoha.
As your position in the ANBU continues to advance, it will naturally become easier to establish an intelligence station.
"Then this time the internal chaos in Konoha was caused by the Kingdom of Demons..."
Sasuke had a slight look of surprise on his face.
"No, it has nothing to do with that. It's simply a contradiction within Konoha. Even if there is no country of ghosts, this contradiction will break out sooner or later. The power of Konoha's martial arts faction is getting stronger and stronger, and Danzo wants to seize power from Hokage. Either this year or next year. I just triggered this conflict in advance and pushed Orochimaru in front of Konoha, letting him bear Konoha's anger on my behalf."
This is also the reason why Kakashi does not plan to return to the Kingdom of Demons for the time being.
What he did in Konoha has already caused public outrage. If he returns to the Kingdom of Demons, the Kingdom of Demons will definitely be held accountable by Konoha in this regard, and it will also trigger panic in other countries, which will be very detrimental to the Kingdom of Demons.
But Orochimaru was different.
He is just a rebel who has no credibility and cannot make his voice heard internationally.
When Orochimaru disrupts Konoha, other countries will not only not be afraid, but will only applaud and ridicule Konoha.
For Kakashi, Orochimaru was his scapegoat and the safest haven.
After Sasuke listened, he almost understood most of the things.
"What about leading me to investigate Uchiha..."
"That was arranged by me. But the person who contacted Minazuki Yuzuki was not me, but another intelligence officer at the same level as me."
"Asami Masumi?"
An idea flashed in Sasuke's mind, as if he had grasped some important information.
He suddenly remembered this woman who was the director of the pharmacy department at Konoha Hospital. Her existence is too mysterious, and there are also unknown secrets between her and Kakashi.
Through Kakashi's words, it is clear that the other party is working for Konoha on the surface, but secretly he is probably serving the Kingdom of Demons.
Kakashi said nothing, as if he acquiesced.
"Tell me so much, aren't you afraid that I'll leak it out?"
Sasuke asked.
"It doesn't matter if I tell you. Neither I nor she are, strictly speaking, the most important part."
In this way, it will be easier for Sasuke to think that we are his own people.
"..."
Sasuke was stunned and speechless.
In other words, there is an equally powerful 'ghost' in Konoha.
"Tomorrow I will take you to Orochimaru. The next target to be cleaned up in the Kingdom of Ghosts is Orochimaru. If you can get this certificate by then, you can quickly gain a certain status in the Kingdom of Ghosts. For you It will also be helpful for future promotions. And I am responsible for your assessment and protecting your personal safety at Orochimaru's place."
Kakashi didn't ask whether Sasuke was willing to join the Kingdom of Demons.
In fact, there is no need to ask.
There is an irreparable gap between Sasuke and Konoha who knows the truth.
Orochimaru was willing to take Sasuke in, not out of sincerity, but for another purpose.
The only country left that could accept Sasuke was the Kingdom of Demons. There were his kindred people there, and it was the only place in the world where he could still feel a sense of intimacy.
People who have a home and people who are homeless have completely different moods and ways of thinking when facing difficulties.
Seeing that Sasuke was silent and seemed to be thinking, Kakashi wisely did not disturb him and let him think quietly for a while, which would be more effective.
At this moment, footsteps sounded outside the stone room, followed by a knock on the door.
"Anyway, let's eat something to fill our stomachs first. The food delivery person is here."
Kakashi said, going to open the door of the stone room.
A man walked in from outside, carrying a lunch bag in his hand, and he could see several hot lunch boxes inside.
"Kakashi, you are really good at summoning people. Don't say it doesn't taste good. I bought it based on a one-to-one ratio of meat and vegetables. I don't want to go out for another trip."
The person who came in handed the toilet bag to Kakashi, scratching his head and grumbling.
He was obviously dissatisfied with Kakashi asking him to run errands.
"Who are you……"
Sasuke raised his head and his eyes widened in surprise when he saw the person delivering the food.
This is an acquaintance.
"Hello, Sasuke-san. What, you just haven't seen me for half a year and you have completely forgotten about your teacher?"
When the visitor saw Sasuke's stunned look, he immediately grinned, which made people feel bad and malicious.
"Mizuki!?"
