After delivering the letter, Kabuto Yakushi did not linger and immediately returned home.
Two days later, he returned to the old stronghold, only to find it deserted.
"Has Lord Orochimaru moved to a different location?"
After going down to the basement and checking around, they found that not only was Orochimaru gone, but Sasuke was also nowhere to be seen, and even some of the equipment and instruments had been moved away.
He had encountered this situation before; in order to evade the Akatsuki's pursuit, they often changed their bases.
He had a lot of information about the locations of the strongholds in his mind, and he could always find them whenever he went to another location after changing strongholds.
He figured this time would be similar, so without lingering, he headed towards the locations he remembered.
However, what happened next left him a bit bewildered. Three or four outposts were covered in a thick layer of dust, and some were even abandoned, not to mention Orochimaru's whereabouts.
"Could something have happened? Otherwise, why wouldn't we have heard anything?"
As time went on, Dou began to feel uneasy.
After searching two more locations and finding no one there either, Kabuto fell into deep thought.
"We've searched almost every place we know of. Could it be that they've developed a new base? Or are there places I don't know about?"
After slowly sorting out his thoughts, he realized that Orochimaru would take him with him wherever he went over the years, and would even inform him when developing a new base.
There has never been a situation like this before, where no one can be found and no message has been left.
"There hasn't been any major activity in the Ninja World lately, so even the Akatsuki and Konoha wouldn't be able to find you, sir!"
After eliminating one possibility after another, he finally thought of a place and a sentence that Orochimaru had told him a long time ago.
"If one day you feel lost and have nowhere to go, come and take a look here. Perhaps you will find the answer you are looking for here!"
He was conducting an experiment at the time and thought Orochimaru was telling him to do a good job, but now he realizes he misunderstood.
Upon realizing this possibility, Kabuto immediately headed towards that stronghold.
The reason I didn't think of that place right away was because that outpost hadn't been used for a long time and was practically abandoned.
Two days later, Kabuto arrived at the territory where the Land of Hot Water used to be. Following the memories in his mind, he searched for a long time before finally finding the entrance to the stronghold in the dense forest.
Slowly lifting the long-sealed metal lid, a stench of rotting corpses rose up, causing Dou to unconsciously furrow his brow.
"Hmm? This is... blood?"
Seeing the dried bloodstains on the steps, a bad feeling welled up inside me.
Picking up the kerosene lamp from the side, Dou followed the trail of blood step by step into the basement.
Elsewhere, the outposts have running water and electricity, but this one is different; it still uses the most primitive lighting methods.
By the dim light of the Hikari, as he rounded a corner, the sight before him struck him like a thunderbolt.
"Lord... Lord Orochimaru!"
A body lay quietly on an operating table, and it was none other than Orochimaru.
"How could this be? How could this happen?"
As if he had lost his pillar of support, Kabuto rushed forward to check, but he didn't even need to examine him. He could tell at a glance that the body on the operating table had lost all signs of life.
The blood was flowing from the long gash on his neck, staining the operating table and the floor beneath him, but it had already dried.
"Impossible! How could Lord Orochimaru die so easily!"
Having suffered a tremendous shock, Kabuto collapsed to the ground, muttering to himself, clearly unable to accept it all at once.
The Hikari illuminated the terror and bewilderment on his face; at that moment, he felt as if the sky had fallen.
Over the years, he had grown accustomed to his relationship with Orochimaru. Although Orochimaru had never acknowledged his identity, he had long regarded Orochimaru as his teacher.
It's unclear how much time passed before Kabuto staggered to his feet. His mind was still a blur, but his hands were already unconsciously dealing with Orochimaru's corpse.
Besides Orochimaru's corpse, this basement also contains hundreds, or even thousands, of other corpses.
Most of them were collected by Orochimaru and himself from the Ninja World, which is why he didn't think of this place at first, because it was practically a morgue.
Orochimaru's collection of so many corpses wasn't due to any particular fetish, but rather a preparation for future wars.
"Did Lord Orochimaru foresee this day? He even taught me the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu before..."
Memories of this outpost were unearthed, and only then did he belatedly realize what had happened.
This scene was naturally arranged by Orochimaru long ago, and the corpse on the operating table was also deliberately left behind by Orochimaru.
It was the Mirror Clone that Orochimaru personally killed after being parasitized by Urashiki. At the time, he did not destroy the clone, but left it until now.
Even though a considerable amount of time has passed, his body, due to the injection of Hashirama Cells, will retain its cell activity for two to three years, and will still appear vibrant in the short term, not much different from an ordinary person who has died three to five days ago.
Given that this basement was specifically used for storing corpses, and desiccants and preservatives were everywhere, there was little to be surprised about.
"Lord Orochimaru! I will definitely carry on your legacy! I will fulfill the dreams you left unfinished!"
As Kabuto stitched up Orochimaru's wounds, tears streaming down his face, he had no idea that all of this was part of Orochimaru's plan.
The reason why he taught him Ninjutsu, conducted experiments with him, and even told him the location of Ryūchi Cave was all Orochimaru's deliberate act.
No matter how smart he was, he couldn't see through the scheme Orochimaru had laid out over the years, and the "assets" Orochimaru had left him this time were quite substantial.
Over the years, the three tomb raiders have been searching for auspicious sites everywhere, so it's safe to say that most of their inventory is here.
For example, the Kage of each of the major ninja villages, such as the Third Raikage, the Second Tsuchikage, the Third Kazekage, the Fourth Kazekage, and the Fourth Mizukage.
Jinchuriki throughout the Ninja World, including Blue B, Han, Yugito, and others.
Some renowned powerhouses, such as Fugaku Uchiha, Kagami Uchiha from the Uchiha Clan, and even Shisui Uchiha and Uchiha Madara, were also included.
Besides these, there are also Konoha's White Fang, Mito Uzumaki, Chiyo, Sasori, Hanzō of the Salamander, Danzo, and so on.
These people either found their remains or possessed their belongings from their previous lives, which was enough to meet the conditions for Impure World Reincarnation.
This lineup, while not necessarily stronger than the Original Work, is at least not much weaker.
In addition, over the years Orochimaru has intentionally or unintentionally broadened Kabuto's horizons. Even if he were to integrate the cells of some powerful individuals into his own body, as in the original timeline, he would no longer choose the Sound Five.
There is also a laboratory and a backup cell bank here to store the cells collected from these corpses.
Even the cells of Uchiha Madara or Mito Uzumaki have been cultured, let alone Hashirama Cells. These are no problem for Orochimaru!
In addition to these, Orochimaru also thoughtfully left Kabuto with a pair of Three Tomoe Sharingan, which was an epic enhancement for him.
As for whether they'll end up beating the dog to a pulp, that remains to be seen!