Heavy snow swirled through the air, nearly burying their ankles.
Dark figures flickered in the distance. Their familiar presence suggested they were people from Konoha coming to meet them.
Orochimaru withdrew his gaze and led Longjian farther away. Snow had piled up on Longjian's head, and he was frowning, lost in some unknown thought.
Longjian still could not distinguish reality from illusion. It was best not to let him run into anyone from Konoha.
There was a backup laboratory on the outskirts of Konoha. Its barriers and seals were all functional, so Longjian could live there for a while.
As for getting him to accept Duan's death... that would have to be left to time.
Snowflakes kept swirling, and the wind would not stop blowing. Accepting reality was only a matter of time.
Black Zetsu emerged from the earth and shook the loose snow off his body.
After so long in the cold wind, even the Jashin Cult's unremarkable, icy cave entrance gave him the illusion of warmth.
When the snow had been lighter, he had still been trudging along on foot. But as the blizzard worsened, walking would leave tracks someone could follow. He had no desire to keep plodding through the snow either, so he had used the Mayfly Technique to travel swiftly underground.
Black Zetsu inspected the entrance, repeatedly confirming that nothing was amiss before stepping inside.
He had not been away for very long, but he returned in a different state from when he had left. The constant feeling of mental suppression had vanished completely. It was a blessing in disguise.
The Jashin Cult's hideout was deserted. They had lost quite a few followers on this mission.
But that did not matter. The Jashin Cult followers had always been cannon fodder, their sole purpose to