He was very satisfied with this location, so Hankuang decided to dig a cave here.
"I already left a letter at home saying I went to the Land of Hot Water. This excuse should barely pass, right?"
It was merely an excuse. Whether his teacher believed him or Team 9 believed him was none of his concern.
As long as he hid here for a few months, he would emerge as One-Punch Man.
Just as Hankuang was preparing to dig, a figure appeared behind him.
"What are you doing here?"
Danzo frowned, his tone somewhat low.
He recognized the boy.
Thanks to yesterday's great Explosive Tag crisis, Danzo recognized Hankuang at a glance.
"Huh?"
Hankuang was startled by the shout and hurriedly turned around.
I haven't even started digging the cave, and I've already been discovered?
This is the dense forest behind the mountain, for crying out loud!
When he saw that it was Danzo, Hankuang's heart sank.
Could it be that Danzo also wants to find a shelter cave behind the mountain?
Of course, that was only what he was thinking. He did not say it aloud.
His thoughts raced, and Hankuang reluctantly came up with an excuse.
"Lord Danzou! It's been a little hot lately, so I came to the back mountain to escape the heat."
After saying that, he added,
"Are you here to escape the heat too?"
Danzo and Orochimaru's Attention! Where Is He?
Escape the heat?
The corner of Danzo's mouth twitched.
No wonder you're carrying a shovel. So you were planning to dig a hole here?
"This isn't a place you should be. Leave immediately!"
"Oh."
Hankuang looked disappointed as he picked up his shovel and backpack and left.
On the way, he simply could not figure out what Danzo was doing in the back mountain.
"If I can't figure it out, I won't think about it. The shady side won't work, so I'll find another place."
He circled around to the sunny side of the back mountain and chose another good spot.
The woods were just as dense, and there was also a stream nearby.
The only drawback was that this side faced the village.
"As long as I'm careful, the people in the village shouldn't notice me."
At the same time.
Danzo reached a hidden rock wall on the shady side of the back mountain and pressed a mechanism.
Click!
As the mechanism was triggered, a stone door slowly rose.
Danzo's figure disappeared into the depths of the cave.
"Why have you come?"
A hoarse voice came from the darkness. Orochimaru walked out of the laboratory.
"The Sand Ninja attacked the Land of Rivers. Your experiment will have to be put on hold for now." Danzo stated the reason for his visit.
"Oh? Is that so..."
Orochimaru looked disappointed.
His experiment had already achieved initial results, yet he was being forced to interrupt it.
That was because the Third Hokage would certainly summon him to the front lines.
"By the way, did you tell anyone about this secret laboratory?" Danzo suddenly asked.
He thought of Hankuang, whom he had just seen nearby, and felt that the timing was far too coincidental.
Why would a Genin come to the shady side of the back mountain? To escape the heat? That excuse was truly far-fetched.
Danzo had not thought much of it at first, but the more he considered it, the more suspicious it seemed.
"Tell anyone? Do you think I'm an idiot?" Orochimaru's tone carried displeasure.
All the experiments here were illegal. How could he possibly tell anyone about them?
"I see. Then I regret to inform you that the secret laboratory may have been exposed," Danzo warned.
"Hm? Exposed?" Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.
"I saw a dead-last from Team 9 nearby just now."
"Team 9? Minato Namikaze's team?"
Orochimaru instantly became alert.
If it had been anyone else, it would have been fine. But Minato Namikaze was a shinobi even more talented than himself.
Orochimaru had no choice but to admit that.
The problem now was that Minato Namikaze's disciple had suddenly come to the back mountain and had even started digging near his secret laboratory!
What did this mean?
Was he really here to escape the heat?
Only an idiot would believe that.
"Why didn't you kill him just now?" Orochimaru demanded.
"This is your secret laboratory. Of course, you should be the one to do it." Danzo threw the question right back at him.
As if!
Minato Namikaze had already gained an initial mastery of Space-Time Ninjutsu. Who knew whether he had left some means of protection for his disciple?
Besides, even if the secret laboratory had been discovered, it was Orochimaru's fault. What did it have to do with Danzo?
Boom!
Suddenly, a faint tremor came from the rock wall of the cave.
Although it lasted only a brief moment, the two of them still noticed it.
Looking at the misshapen shovel, Hankuang nearly burst into tears.
"I was careless. I forgot that a shovel can't break through rock."
Crouching in front of the stone wall, Hankuang tossed the shovel aside.
He had been focused on digging a cave the whole time and had overlooked the fact that he needed to dig through stone.
Now, he had not managed to dig a cave, and his tool had already been ruined.
"If I go back to the village for another tool now, I'll probably be discovered."
"But without a tool, how am I supposed to dig a cave?"
I can't hide under a tree forever, can I?
The chance of being discovered that way was extremely high. Besides, what if it rained?
After thinking it over, he glanced at the Strength value on the Attribute Panel.
Strength: 114 [Kage Level]
And so, Hankuang came up with an idea.
A tool?
Why did he need a tool?
He himself was the best tool.
"No tool is reliable. The only one I can rely on is myself!"
Hankuang took a deep breath, raised his right fist, and gathered his strength.
Then.
Before you continue