Awakening

"Simu, I'll come back for you."

Before Orochimaru died, he uttered such an eerie sentence.

Simu folded the black wings behind him, which resembled two enormous steel swords, and looked at Orochimaru's corpse with a slight frown.

Although he could confirm that this body was indeed dead, he had not sensed Orochimaru's soul within it.

Based on what he knew about the Shinobi World, he could infer that this thing was likely just one of Orochimaru's clones.

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

Having one more Snake Clone did not seem impossible.

A mere clone had been able to display such strength. It seemed Orochimaru was even stronger than Simu had imagined.

Simu narrowed his eyes.

Being targeted by someone like that was certainly not a good thing.

But from another perspective, it was not entirely bad either.

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

With a gentle push of his glasses, all the Ravens instantly scattered. The Black Beetles hidden throughout the area rippled outward from Simu, continuously searching the surroundings.

A few minutes later, Simu slowly opened his eyes.

No enemies had been found within twenty kilometers.

There were still some traces, however.

"In any case, I'll recycle this first."

Simu lightly kicked the giant snake's body. Immediately afterward, countless Black Beetles poured out from every corner and wrapped around it like a tide.

Before long, Orochimaru's clone was delivered intact to the Blood Pool for analysis.

Meanwhile, in a valley along the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth, Orochimaru slowly opened his eyes after sensing his clone's death.

His scarlet tongue brushed over the corner of his mouth, and a hint of dreamy fascination appeared in Orochimaru's eyes.

"Simu, I will definitely have you."

With that dazed look in his eyes, Orochimaru picked up a scalpel and entered the operating room.

Soon, terrifying screams rang out from inside.

Shiraishi Mori, who was in Shuiyu Village, awoke at the same time.

His white hair resembled pale snow, while his body was so emaciated that he was practically skin and bones.

If Simu had not wanted this test subject to die and injected him with a dose of specially formulated nutrient solution before leaving, Shiraishi Mori would have long since been finished.

Although both his body and mind were beyond ordinary, even he could not withstand repeatedly handing his life over to his Kagune and letting it run rampant!

Hearing movement from the room, the people standing guard outside immediately pulled open the door.

Gentle, bright sunlight streamed in through the crack and filled the entire room.

A cute little girl with long hair pushed a wheelchair into the room.

"Rin?"

As Shiraishi Mori looked at the girl before him, a torrent of memories surged forth, then quickly settled again.

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

Even though he was only twelve years old now.

Sunlight fell across the blanket covering the girl's knees, and an air of fragile beauty appeared on her small, childish face.

"Your legs..."

Shiraishi Rin smiled faintly. "They were crushed when a collapsed roof beam fell on them that day."

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

"My brother and I were lucky just to survive, weren't we?"

Feeling the warmth in her palm, Shiraishi Mori opened his mouth, yet could not speak for a long time.

After a while, Shiraishi Mori finally asked in a somewhat dazed voice, "How long was I unconscious?"

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

"You've been unconscious for five days."

"Five days..."

Shiraishi Mori sighed, then said, "Tell me what happened these past few days."

"Mm."

Shiraishi Rin blinked and began recounting everything that had happened over the past few days in detail.

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

Back then, after he entered his berserk state, forcefully killed the Yunin ninjas, and encountered his sister, he had fallen unconscious.

After that, the surviving villagers and the Ghouls who had escaped from Sakamoto Trading Company had used that cruise ship as their base and joined together of their own accord.

In particular, the surviving villagers of Shuiyu Village had placed the root of all their Hatred on the ninjas and those powerful elites.

If it had not been for the Yunin ninjas and noble merchants like Sakamoto, Shuiyu Village would not have suffered such a devastating disaster, and their loved ones would not have perished in the sea of flames.

Having killed Sakamoto and the Yunin, Shiraishi Mori had naturally become the village's hero.

"Big brother is the village's hero now."

Stars glittered in Shiraishi Rin's clear eyes, filled with admiration.

"A hero?"

Shiraishi Mori gave a self-mocking smile.

Recalling the events of that night, he did not think of himself as any kind of hero.

"What kind of hero is he?"

A burst of commotion suddenly came from outside.

Shiraishi Rin's expression turned slightly unnatural. Her fingers lightly pinched the hem of her clothes as she said uneasily, "Big brother, don't misunderstand, this is..."

Shiraishi Mori raised a hand, signaling that his sister did not need to continue.

Because he could roughly guess what was going on.

Although he had killed the Yunin back then, he had also caused irreparable damage to the village in that state. It was perfectly normal for people to hold 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 could not stop him.

Seeing that Shiraishi Mori was already on his feet, the man snorted coldly. "So you finally decided to get up?"

The two younger men immediately frowned. "Uncle Yasho, Mori was injured for the village's sake."

"For the village's sake, my ass!"

The middle-aged man immediately became agitated.

"For the village's sake? How could he destroy half the village for the village's sake? Even my child, he..."

Uncle Yasho clutched his head. His eyes turned black, and countless blood vessels spread through them.

He had become a Ghoul as well.

"I'll avenge him!"

A thick purple Centipede Weihe instantly grew from behind Uncle Yasho and lashed toward Shiraishi Mori.

"Big brother, watch out!"

Without even thinking, Shiraishi Rin tried to push her wheelchair in front of her brother, but Shiraishi Mori easily caught her.

The incoming Weihe stirred up a gust of air that lightly ruffled Shiraishi Mori's snow-white hair.

The next second, he instantly entered Ghoul mode. Darkness and bloodlust flooded his eyes, and with only a single glance, he made Yasho's entire body tremble, leaving him unable to move.

This sight stunned everyone present.

That included the two young men who supported Shiraishi Mori.

They knew how strong Shiraishi Mori was, but they had never expected him to subdue another Ghoul with nothing more than a glance.

"Take Uncle Yasho with you. I have something to say."

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