Return Journey

Kyosuke and Lin's movements came to an abrupt halt at the sound of that voice.

Because they no longer needed to act.

The newcomer would take care of everything.

Of course, the two of them stopping did not mean Pakura would stop reaching for the Wooden Crate.

It was just that her intentions were doomed to fail.

Just as her hands were about to touch the Wooden Crate, a massive python several meters thick suddenly burst from the ground and sent her flying into the air.

At the same time, a huge swarm of Poisonous Snakes erupted from the newcomer's arm and surged madly toward Pakura in midair.

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands."

Needless to say, the newcomer was naturally Orochimaru.

Pakura, who had given Kyosuke and Lin such a headache, could not even last two exchanges against Orochimaru and was effortlessly bound.

Although she soon used Scorch Release to break free from the snakes' restraints, the gap in their strength was already obvious.

Pakura watched Orochimaru quietly for a moment before suddenly saying, "I'll return these two children to you for now. Next time, it won't be so simple."

Clearly, after realizing she was no match for him, she was preparing to flee.

However, escaping from Orochimaru was no easy matter.

At least, that was what Kyosuke thought.

Yet after Pakura erupted with a massive amount of Chakra and used a Ninjutsu that obscured everyone's vision, she strangely vanished just like that.

Not only Kyosuke and Lin, even Orochimaru wore a puzzled expression.

"This method of cutting off all traces of one's presence... could it be..." Kyosuke could not help thinking of Black Zetsu again.

He had not sensed anything wrong before, but Pakura's disappearance successfully made him connect her with Black Zetsu.

Of course, he was not saying Pakura was Black Zetsu's subordinate. Rather, in the final battle just now, she had likely been possessed by Black Zetsu.

Otherwise, given Pakura's injuries, how could she possibly have gotten back up and fought them again?

As for Black Zetsu's objective, it was probably to kill those two children in front of Kyosuke and Lin.

That way, the Sand Shinobi would never be able to clear themselves of the charge of murdering the Daimyo of the Land of Fire's children.

War would then become inevitable.

Orochimaru's timely arrival, however, had ruined his plan.

Left with no choice, he could only throw out a harsh threat to prove that the Sand Shinobi truly intended to seize the two children.

Then he pretended to be defeated and fled. Black Zetsu's move was truly vicious.

Still, neither Black Zetsu nor the struggle between the two great nations was something Kyosuke needed to worry about yet.

His current goal was to build up his strength and wait for the moment he soared to greatness.

When that time came, he would decide the course of the entire Shinobi World.

At noon on the third day, the Root personnel, including Kyosuke, gathered once more at Konoha's outpost.

Kyosuke and Lin's injuries were not serious. After receiving treatment from medical ninja, they had mostly recovered.

Ankoku's injuries were more complicated. A considerable amount of Gold Sand remained inside his body, all caused by Rasa's Ninjutsu.

Fortunately, as long as he rested for a while, recovery would not be a problem.

Nightshade's injuries were the most severe.

He had been struck by Rasa's Magnet Release: Glass Shards, shattering most of the bones throughout his body.

Thankfully, those bone fragments had not pierced any vital organs, which was why he had managed to keep his life.

But... much like Lee after the Chunin Exams in the original story, with injuries this severe, every medical ninja would likely say the same thing.

"His physical condition no longer permits him to continue working as a ninja."

Kyosuke and the others looked sorrowfully at the man before them, who had lost his usual laughter.

After exchanging glances, none of them knew how to comfort him.

After a long while, Nightshade, who had kept his head lowered in silence, suddenly looked up and said to them with a smile, "Don't be sad for me, everyone. I've been tired for so many years. It's time I took a break and lived like a normal person."

"Y-yeah..." Ankoku forced out an agreement, then lowered his head and fell silent again.

The atmosphere became stifling once more.

Nightshade's acting was simply too poor—so poor that it was difficult for them to pretend his words were sincere.

After all, the two trails of tears on his face made it clear just how much pain the man was in.

That night, inside Orochimaru's tent.

"Thank you for saving us again, Master." Kyosuke thanked Orochimaru once more.

"Hehe, it's nothing. After all, you are my disciple," Orochimaru replied to Kyosuke in his hoarse voice.

After chatting for a while about the mission, Orochimaru began asking Kyosuke about his research.

Taking the opportunity, Kyosuke consulted Orochimaru about each of the difficulties he had encountered during his experiments.

Naturally, Orochimaru answered every question. If this place had not been so unsuitable, the two of them would probably have dragged over a few "materials" and begun experimenting on the spot.

"By the way, what is the situation with the Sand Shinobi now? Do they intend to go to war outright?" Late that night, a satisfied Kyosuke suddenly asked curiously as he was about to leave.

"What is it, Kyosuke? Are you interested in war too?" Orochimaru sharply noticed the glint in Kyosuke's eyes and asked in return.

"More or less," Kyosuke answered vaguely, then waited for Orochimaru's response.

"Originally, Sunagakure's financial situation had always been poor. They simply could not support a large-scale war." Orochimaru spoke mockingly, then suddenly changed his tone. "But things may be different now."

"Yes. What father would not think of revenge after his child was killed by the enemy?" Kyosuke muttered quietly.

"Within a few years, war will likely break out in full." Orochimaru spoke with certainty, then looked at Kyosuke and asked with a smile, "Do you fear war?"

"Who knows?" Kyosuke lowered his head, and a glint flashed through his eyes.

"Then we'll be taking our leave." Kyosuke and the others stood at the entrance to the outpost and bid farewell to Orochimaru.

The Daimyo's two children had already been secretly sent away, while the badly injured Nightshade would be brought back to Konoha by the medical team for treatment.

Thus, the remaining three had little left to worry about. They only needed to continue on their journey in silence.

After offering their thanks, they set off on the journey home.

However, perhaps because one person was missing, each of them felt somewhat heavy-hearted.

But that would not stop them from continuing onward.