Rat Talisman

"Orochimaru-sensei..."

Orochimaru's door was suddenly pushed open, followed by a petite figure walking in from outside.

"Is that you, Anko? Is something the matter?"

Standing by the door was none other than Orochimaru's "beloved disciple"—Mitarashi Anko. She had purple hair, tied up in the back into a high, pineapple-shaped bun.

She was wearing a red short-sleeved shirt, beige shorts, and black, over-the-knee fishnet stockings.

(Anko's childhood attire from the Naruto anime)

"Is it true what they're saying—that you've been restricted from traveling because you committed 'treason'?"

Anko wore a look of worry. She absolutely refused to believe that her most respected Orochimaru-sensei could have committed treason!

"Heh heh... Anko, some things shouldn't be judged by their surface, nor should you listen only to what others say. If I had truly committed some heinous crime, how could I be standing here completely unscathed?"

Orochimaru reached out, his palm gently soothing Anko's slightly chubby cheek, his pale face revealing a rare trace of "doting affection."

"I knew it! Orochimaru-sensei could never do something like that!"

Anko had one hundred percent trust in her teacher. No matter what others said, in her eyes, only things Orochimaru admitted to himself were true; otherwise, it was all just framing! Slander!

"Alright, if there's nothing else, why don't you go practice the Fire Release I just taught you? I still have some research to attend to."

"Yes! Orochimaru-sensei!"

Confirming that her most respected teacher hadn't committed any crimes, Anko immediately broke into a smile, feeling much more at ease, and trotted out of Orochimaru's room.

Watching the petite figure drift away, Orochimaru felt a complex mix of emotions. To say he had no feelings for this disciple would be a lie, which was why he had decided to use a "white lie" to cover up the truth that he had been grounded by Sarutobi Hiruzen.

However, being grounded wasn't necessarily a bad thing; he could now devote more time to his research.

Within the Land of Fire, at the Valley of the End.

This was the place where Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara had once dueled. Under their day-and-night fighting, the terrain had been carved into a canyon, and Konoha had built statues of the two on either side of the Valley of the End to commemorate the great battle.

"I never thought I would return here one day..."

Uchiha Madara stood on high ground, looking down at the two statues in the distance, his heart filled with mixed feelings. This was not only the place where he and Senju Hashirama had fought, but also the place where his dear friend, Senju Hashirama, had backstabbed him.

The scene from back then was still vivid in his mind. Uchiha Madara raised his Gunbai toward the statue of Senju Hashirama and muttered to himself: "You didn't expect this, did you... Hashirama? Years after your death, I have crawled back from hell. This time, I will bring true peace to the Ninja World!"

"Madara-sama, the people sent by the Daimyo of the Land of Fire have arrived nearby~"

"Is that so..."

It seemed the tedious wait could finally come to an end.

The reason Uchiha Madara had traveled all the way from his lair was simple: to seize the talisman.

As for how he knew the location of the talisman? He had that young brat Enshi Shu to thank for that.

Just by the fact that he had mobilized the Twelve Guardian Ninja and a host of guard ninjas in full force, even a fool would know something major was happening.

After sending White Zetsu to tail them, Uchiha Madara confirmed their destination: the "Valley of the End," a place filled with memories for him.

Seeing the guardian ninja holding the Talisman Tracker leading thousands of Shadow Ninja deeper into the Valley of the End, Uchiha Madara's expression showed surprise.

"Strange... since when did a cave appear behind the waterfall in the Valley of the End?"

Although landscapes do evolve over time, it shouldn't have suddenly sprouted a cave in just a few decades, right?

The best way to resolve his confusion was to investigate personally. Uchiha Madara used a few Body Flicker techniques in succession and followed them in.

Inside the cave behind the waterfall of the Valley of the End, Beizi of the Twelve Guardian Ninja held the Talisman Tracker in one hand and a torch in the other, moving steadily toward the direction where the dragon's eyes were glowing.

Because their previous failure was due to outside interference, the Twelve Guardian Ninja had split into two teams this time. The "Lightning Release Quartet" led by Beizi was responsible for entering the cave to find the talisman, while the remaining guardians led by Hema were responsible for watching the entrance from the outside, ensuring no third party could break into the cave.

The roar of the cascading waterfall echoed through the tunnel, which was filled with forks in the road. Gradually, the ninjas heard a faint, creaking "squeaking sound" of movement.

"What is that?"

Beizi stuck three black rods into the ground and released "Lightning Release: Lightning Strike Run" into the earth. As the electricity surged forward, those pitch-black, small creatures appeared on the path ahead.

"Rats?"

It was a massive swarm of small rodents pushing against each other, their eyes reflecting a faint red glow under the light of the torches.

--"Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak"...

Ask yourself, if a massive swarm of rats were startled and ran past your feet, with their damp fur and thin, hairless tails occasionally brushing against your skin, how would you feel?

Even for ninjas who had undergone professional training, their assessment of this was "disgusting to the point of explosion"!

If they weren't inside a cave where they couldn't casually use destructive ninjutsu, they would have already turned this swarm of rats into charcoal!

"I have a premonition that what the Daimyo has asked us to find this time is the Rat Talisman."

"I really don't know where the Daimyo found those guards who can slip into shadows; I'm actually a bit envious of their techniques..."

Unlike the four of them, who were made of flesh and blood, the Shadowkhan chose to advance by hiding in the shadows, completely avoiding the need to be disgusted by the bizarre tactile sensations.

"We're here...!"

Reaching the bottom of the cave, the group saw a gate that appeared to be crafted from silver, platinum, and various other precious metals.

Pushing the gate open, the silver light reflecting between the metals was blinding. The group extinguished their torches and stepped inside slowly, only to see a talisman engraved with a rat pattern embedded on the high platform in the center.

"It seems this mission can finally be completed."

Nanwu smiled as he removed the talisman, looking at the mouse in his palm. He felt that they, the Twelve Guardian Ninja, would finally be able to regain the favor of the Daimyo!

Retracing their steps along the path they had come, the group soon saw the faint light of the cave entrance. Nanwu stepped out of the darkness first, intending to announce the good news of their successful mission to the rest of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, but in the next moment, he was stunned.

The stench of blood hit him head-on. The ground was littered with the corpses of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, and Hema was being held by the throat by a man who looked extremely old, completely unable to resist.

"Do you also wish to dance?"

Indeed, this old man was none other than Uchiha Madara. Extremely confident in his own strength, he had entered the cave without a second thought to seize the talisman, naturally encountering the Twelve Guardian Ninja who were guarding the entrance.

With no common ground to be found, Uchiha Madara had instantly slaughtered all the Twelve Guardian Ninja by virtue of the massive gap in their strength. Only Hema, who was slightly more capable, had put up a brief struggle before being lifted into the air by Uchiha Madara's grip on his throat.