At the same time, on the other side.
Land of Fields, in a dark underground laboratory somewhere.
Kakkō was swaying in the long and narrow corridor, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of disinfectant and antiseptic fluid.
At the end of the corridor, a heavy door was ajar.
The light coming from the crack in the door was much brighter than that in the corridor, and faint voices could be heard.
The interior of the laboratory is as spacious as a small auditorium.
The four walls are covered with scrolls, charts and various anatomical diagrams of the human body.
The long table was filled with vessels, containing liquids of different colors, some bubbling, while others were like a pool of stagnant water.
In the center of the room, a slender figure turned his back to the door, looking down at something.
That's a man.
Her skin is as pale as paper, and her long black hair hangs casually on her shoulders.
In the golden eyes, the raised pupils carried an inhuman coldness and shrewdness.
Orochimaru.
Behind him, a ninja wearing colorful clothes was kneeling on the ground, his forehead pressed tightly to the ground, his body trembling slightly, and he didn't even dare to breathe.
The report is over.
But Orochimaru didn't speak. He just stood there, gently turning the pages of the book with his fingers.
Silence.
There was a long silence.
The sweat from the forehead of the wandering ninja kneeling on the ground dripped onto the floor, making a slight sound.
He didn't know what the legendary Sannin would do with him, let alone whether the news he brought back was good or bad.
"Ice Release?"
Orochimaru finally spoke.
His voice was low, hoarse, and had an indescribable laziness, but it made the body of the person kneeling on the ground tremble even more.
"It's interesting."
He turned around, his golden snake eyes narrowed slightly, stretched out his long tongue, and slowly licked his lips, a trace of unconcealable interest flashed in his eyes.
"I thought this kind of Kekkei Genkai had become extinct."
"Yes... yes, sir..."
The voice of the wandering ninja kneeling on the ground trembled.
"That person... wore a mask, had white hair... and also used a particularly cold escape technique... our team... were all defeated..."
"Knocked down?"
Orochimaru smiled softly, and that smile made people shudder.
"Not killed?"
"No... no... he just knocked us unconscious..."
The wandering ninja who was kneeling on the ground said this, and his voice became even lower.
Orochimaru tilted his head, a trace of thought flashed in his golden vertical pupils.
Ice Release, mask, white hair, don't kill indiscriminately.
He searched in his mind for people who matched these characteristics, but found nothing.
The ninja world is not big or small.
The family that could own Ice Release Kekkei Genkai had long since disappeared during the civil war of Mist Village.
As far as he knew, the last ninja with the Ice Release ability was a boy named Shiro.
But that person is already dead.
Died at the hands of Kakashi Hatake of Konoha.
Orochimaru confirmed this news.
So, where did this new person come from?
Is it Mist Village again?
He had heard of Mist Village before and another one suddenly appeared.
He thought it was a rumor, but now it seems like it might be true?
"That village..."
Orochimaru spoke slowly, with an understatement.
"We have already captured almost all of them, but this time I thought we would just kidnap them all so that we can save the time and send more people later."
He paused, and the corners of his mouth curved into a playful smile.
"But I didn't expect that I came across interesting material."
He turned around, walked to the long table, picked up a test tube, and shook it gently at the light.
The liquid in the test tube glowed with a strange purple fluorescence, which was reflected in the golden snake eyes.
"But he should have left now, right?"
There was a trace of regret in his voice, as if he was regretting that a beloved toy had been taken away early.
"That kind of person shouldn't stay in one place for too long."
The wandering ninja kneeling on the ground nodded quickly.
"Your Excellency, you are right. A person like that is a coward who only takes action to save his life."
"Coward?"
Orochimaru raised his eyebrows.
"A coward will not have such strength."
"That... sir, we..."
Seeing that his subordinate could not say anything, Orochimaru was silent for a moment, and then laughed softly.
The laughter was low, echoing in the empty laboratory, making people's scalp numb.
"What a pity."
He put the test tube back on the shelf, turned around, and looked at the ninja kneeling on the ground.
"If he hadn't left, I could have personally come forward and invited him over in a 'friendly' way."
He emphasized the word "friendly" and the curve of his mouth became deeper.
"Ice Release... What a wonderful research subject."
He stuck out his tongue and licked his lips again, his golden vertical pupils filled with greed.
"Forget it."
He waved his hand.
"If you meet again next time, report it immediately and don't fight."
"Yes... yes!"
The ninja hurriedly kowtowed in response, as if he had been granted amnesty, and then bowed his body and exited the laboratory.
The door is closed.
Orochimaru is the only person left in the laboratory.
He stood there, looking at the purple fluorescent test tube in his hand, and was silent for a long time.
"Ice Release..."
He murmured softly, a trace of expectation flashing in his eyes.
"I hope your ice won't be so weak when we meet."