Awakening

"Simu-kun, I will come back for you."

Before his death, Orochimaru uttered these eerie words.

Simu retracted the black wings behind his back, which resembled two giant steel swords, and looked down at Orochimaru's corpse with a slight frown.

Although he was certain that this body was indeed dead, he could not sense Orochimaru's soul within it.

Combining this with the information he knew about the Shinobi World, he could deduce that this thing was likely just a Snake Clone of Orochimaru.

After all, the Shinobi World had Earth Clones, Water Clones, and Shadow Clones.

It didn't seem impossible for there to be a Snake Clone as well.

If a mere clone could display such strength, it seemed Orochimaru was even more powerful than he had imagined.

Simu narrowed his eyes.

Being targeted by such an existence was certainly not a good thing.

But from another perspective, it wasn't entirely bad either.

After all, Simu was very interested in the abilities Orochimaru had displayed, especially that [Fushi Tensei no Jutsu].

Simu gently adjusted his glasses, and all the ravens scattered instantly. The Black Beetles lurking in various places rippled outward, using Simu as the center to continuously scout the surroundings.

A few minutes later, Simu slowly opened his eyes.

There were no enemies within twenty kilometers.

As for traces, there were still some to be found.

"In any case, let's recycle this thing first."

Simu gave the snake body a light kick, and immediately, a large number of Black Beetles swarmed out from every corner, wrapping around it like a tide.

Before long, this clone of Orochimaru was completely transported into the Blood Pool for analysis.

On the other side, deep in a valley on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth, Orochimaru, who had sensed the death of his clone, slowly opened his eyes.

A scarlet tongue flicked across his lips, and a hint of obsession appeared in Orochimaru's eyes.

"Simu-kun, I will definitely obtain you."

Carrying this obsession, Orochimaru picked up a scalpel and walked into the operating room.

Soon, terrifying screams rang out from within.

Also waking up at this time was Shiraishi Mori in Shuiyu Village.

At this moment, his white hair was like pale snow, and his body was gaunt, almost nothing but skin and bones.

If not for the fact that Simu didn't want this test subject to perish just yet and had injected him with a special nutrient solution before leaving, Shiraishi Mori would have already met his end.

Although his body and spirit were different from ordinary people, he couldn't withstand repeatedly surrendering his life to the Kagune to go on a rampage!

Hearing the commotion from the room, the person guarding outside immediately pulled open the door.

Gentle, bright sunlight poured in through the gap, occupying the entire room.

A cute little girl with long hair pushed a wheelchair inside.

"Rin?"

Shiraishi Mori looked at the girl before him, and a surge of memories flooded his mind before quickly calming down.

After that kind of baptism, he was no longer the ignorant child he once was.

Even though he was only twelve years old now.

Sunlight spilled onto the blanket on the girl's lap, and a hint of broken beauty appeared on her small, delicate face.

"Your legs..."

Shiraishi Rin smiled faintly: "They were crushed by a collapsing beam that day."

Seeing the look of guilt on her brother's face, she immediately pushed the wheelchair to his side and took his hand.

"It should be considered lucky that you and I survived, shouldn't it?"

Feeling the warmth from her palm, Shiraishi Mori opened his mouth, unable to speak for a long time.

After a while, Shiraishi Mori asked with some confusion: "How long have I been unconscious?"

Seeing the bewilderment in his brother's eyes, Shiraishi Rin tightened her grip on his hand.

"Brother has been unconscious for five days."

"Five days, huh."

Shiraishi Mori sighed and continued: "Tell me what has happened during these days."

"Mm."

Shiraishi Rin blinked and began to tell him everything that had happened, point by point.

Through his sister's account, Shiraishi Mori finally understood the current situation.

At that time, after he had entered a berserk state, forcefully killed the ninjas from Yugakure, and met his sister, he had lost consciousness.

After that, the surviving villagers and the Ghouls who had escaped from the Sakamoto Trading Company spontaneously united, using that cruise ship as their base.

In particular, the surviving villagers of Shuiyu Village placed the root of all their hatred upon the ninjas and those powerful elites.

If it weren't for those ninjas from Yugakure and noble merchants like Sakamoto, Shuiyu Village would never have suffered such a catastrophic disaster, and their loved ones would not have perished in a sea of flames.

Shiraishi Mori, who had killed Sakamoto and the ninjas, naturally became the hero of the village.

"Big brother is the hero of the village now."

Shiraishi Rin's clear eyes sparkled, filled with a look of adoration.

"A hero, huh?"

Shiraishi Mori gave a self-deprecating smile.

Recalling the scene that night, he didn't consider himself any sort of hero.

"What kind of hero is he?"

A sudden commotion erupted from outside.

Shiraishi Rin's expression turned unnatural; she pinched the corner of her clothes with her fingers, saying uneasily, "Big brother, don't misunderstand, this is..."

Shiraishi Mori raised his hand, signaling for his sister not to continue.

Because he could roughly guess what was going on.

Although he had taken out the ninjas at the time, he had also caused irreparable damage to the village in that state, so it was only natural that some people had grievances against him.

Just as he tried to stand up, a middle-aged man rushed into the room.

The two younger men beside him clearly couldn't hold him back.

Seeing that Shiraishi Mori had already risen, the man let out a cold snort: "Finally decided to get up, have you?"

The two young men beside him immediately frowned: "Uncle Yasho, no matter what, Mori was injured for the sake of the village."

"For the sake of my foot!"

The middle-aged man immediately became agitated.

"For the village, for the village—how could he destroy half the village! Even my child, he..."

Uncle Yasho clutched his head, his eyes instantly turning pitch black as countless blood vessels spread outward from them.

He, too, had turned into a Ghoul.

"I will have my revenge for him!"

A thick, purple Centipede Weihe suddenly sprouted from Uncle Yasho's back, striking toward Shiraishi Mori.

"Big brother, watch out!"

Shiraishi Rin pushed the wheelchair to block in front of her brother without a second thought, though Shiraishi Mori easily caught her.

The incoming Weihe stirred up a gust of air, slightly ruffling Shiraishi Mori's snow-white hair.

In the next second, he instantly entered his Ghoul mode, his eyes covered in darkness and bloodlust; with just a single glance, he made Yasho tremble all over, unable to move.

This scene stunned everyone present.

That included the two young men who supported Shiraishi Mori.

Although they knew how strong Shiraishi Mori was, they hadn't expected him to be able to subdue another Ghoul with just a look.

"Take Uncle Yasho with us; I have something to say."

Shiraishi Mori walked toward the door, his words carrying an unquestionable air of authority.