The Stolen Corpse
Has the Third Kazekage recovered?
There has been no response yet.
"Send someone to Sunagakure again to urge them on, and have Sakumo act as an envoy to help that Lord Kazekage make a decision."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
The ninja, who had been standing respectfully before the table, waited quietly for three or four seconds. Seeing that the Lord Hokage had given no further instructions, he quickly withdrew.
As the Tenten went by, Orochimaru's authority as the Fourth Hokage gradually took root in people's hearts. With his extraordinary wisdom, boundless energy, and shrewd methods, he established an unshakeable authority.
This is most evident among the staff working at the Hokage Building.
Walking through the Hokage Building, whenever you hear people talking, you always hear them praising how wise and powerful the Fourth Hokage is. All the hundreds of staff members in the building admire this Lord Hokage.
The subordinates carefully withdrew. The empty room was very simple and plain, without any calligraphy or paintings, nor was there any smoke filling the room.
Orochimaru sat quietly behind the table, contemplating how to deal with the possible situation that might arise next.
This time, the Mist Ninja landed, the Stone Ninja went south, and the Cloud Ninja were also eager to make a move. In an instant, Konoha found itself surrounded by enemies on all sides.
Orochimaru was not surprised by this.
The strength of Konoha is not something that Stone Ninja, Cloud Ninja, Mist Ninja, or even Sunagakure would be happy to see.
The Five Great Nations and the Five Great Ninja Villages have been established for forty-five years, less than half a century, yet they have already launched Five Great Ninja Villages major wars, forging deep and irreconcilable hatreds among themselves.
For example, because of the death of the Second Hokage, Konoha harbored extreme hatred for Cloud Ninja, and the mutual destruction of the Second Mizukage and the Second Tsuchikage caused great animosity between these two major ninja villages, one in the south and one in the north. There are countless other examples.
Ironically, it was precisely because of the discord among the Five Great Ninja Villages that a situation of mutual restraint was formed, maintaining a delicate balance. No single power could grow too powerful and surpass the other four, nor could any power fall and become one of the four great ninja villages.
Everything was proceeding according to the First Hokage's plan. If it weren't for Madara Uchiha and Black Zetsu stirring things up behind the scenes, this situation would likely have lasted for a very long time.
Orochimaru invited the Sand Village ninja to join the battle not because Konoha was helpless, but simply to eliminate a potential threat.
How long the alliance between Konoha and Sunagakure can last is entirely unknown. Orochimaru never expected Sunagakure to work together with him; that's unrealistic.
What he is doing now is forcing the Sand Village to make a choice: either break the alliance and start fighting again, or abide by the alliance and obediently send their troops to the front lines to fight alongside them.
He'd rather force the Sand Village to make a decision now than wait until the Cloud Ninja in the north gets involved. If the Sand Village stirs up trouble then, it will be very troublesome. Konoha has developed rapidly in recent years, but it will inevitably suffer heavy losses if it tries to contend with the four great nations on its own.
"Any new news from the east?"
Orochimaru suddenly spoke up and asked.
"A report was sent yesterday, but we haven't received any news yet today."
A sound, seemingly coming from nowhere, echoed in the room.
What about the north?
"There has been no response yet, but if the calculations are correct, the Land of Grass has probably already started a war."
Fighting on two fronts simultaneously, north and south, doesn't put too much pressure on Konoha right now Mist Ninja are weak, and with the well-informed Yuki Hatsuzuki leading the attack, their offensive has been completely contained. Yesterday's battle report said that the Mist Ninja were driven from the shore into the sea, and the battlefield has begun to shift to the islands scattered in the sea.
The pressure mainly comes from the two northern kingdoms. Stone Ninja have already made their move, but Cloud Ninja are still observing.
"With Sakumo- senpai stepping in, the Third Kazekage shouldn't make an irrational choice." Orochimaru pondered for a while, considering all aspects. Now, his worries were about Ōnoki, who might personally intervene from the north, and Madara Uchiha, who was lurking in the shadows.
"Bang--!"
"Lord Hokage, something's happened!"
The door was forcibly kicked open, and a man wearing a white coat, as thin as a bamboo pole, stumbled and fell to the floor, looking extremely panicked.
"... Stand up."
Orochimaru waved his hand, dismissing the Anbu who had appeared in the corner, his brow furrowed as he stared at the man lying on the floor.
"Lord Hokage, something's happened..."
"Stand up and speak slowly."
Orochimaru's eyes drooped, his golden vertical pupils revealing a deep, unfathomable gaze.
"..." The man in the white coat scrambled to his feet, dusted off his clothes, took two steps forward to close the distance, and said, "Lord Hokage, a valuable item from the Ninjutsu research department has been stolen."
What is it?
His voice instantly dropped several decibels, as chilling as the coldest days of winter.
The man in the white coat shuddered, spitting out a mouthful of saliva. "It's the highest-grade research item provided by Lord Katsuki, that... the Third Mizukage."
After saying that, the man shrank his neck, pretending to withstand a violent storm.
However, the storm did not erupt as expected.
"The Third Mizukage's body was stolen? Around when did that happen?"
Orochimaru's questioning was calm, without the expected outburst of rage, as if he were handling an ordinary matter.
"It must have happened last night. I went to the lab this morning and the thing was gone, so I rushed over to report it," the man said nervously.
"Last night? Didn't the guards find anything?"
"No, not only the guards, but even the two people working all night in the research lab next door were completely unaware. One of them is a ninja from the Yamanaka Clan," the man replied quickly.
"The people of the Yamanaka Clan..."
Orochimaru lowered his head in thought; this was rather strange.
The Ninjutsu research department sounds normal, but its main responsibility is actually dissecting corpses.
As everyone knows, a ninja's corpse is a treasure trove, and the Ninjutsu research department is the treasure hunter, digging out the secrets hidden in each corpse.
The corpses of enemy ninjas captured by Konoha Ninja in battle are usually sent to the Ninjutsu research department after the battle to study Kekkei Genkai, secret Ninjutsu, and other high-level Ninjutsu, much like playing a treasure hunt game.
The corpse of the Third Mizukage is naturally the most valuable research material. He possesses the Kekkei Genkai of Boiling Release, is proficient in many Water Release Ninjutsu unique to Kirigakure, and has many secrets of Kirigakure in his mind. This is a super treasure, the highest-grade material ever processed by the Ninjutsu research department.
Because the materials are so precious, the Ninjutsu research department is being extremely careful in their research. More than two years have passed, but they still haven't completely completed their study of the Third Mizukage's corpse.
"To be able to steal the Third Mizukage's body from the heavily guarded Ninjutsu research department without alerting anyone... that's not something just any petty thief could do."
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, becoming increasingly interested in the matter. (To be continued)