After returning to the temporary base, Zou Hyuga ordered Kisame to relocate.
Hiruko, who had joined the Akatsuki, might reveal information about the kekkei genkai orphans Zou had taken in. Hiruko might not be capable of doing anything about them, but the same could not be said for Orochimaru.
With Orochimaru's methods, any number of surprises could arise.
Choosing the location of the new base, however, presented another problem. After some reconnaissance, Zou found quite a few suitable sites.
After weighing his options for a moment, he decided to establish outposts at all of them.
As for the most important base, Zou Hyuga carefully sifted through his choices before settling on a location near where he had buried the Leyline.
The reason was simple. Nature transformation chakra and hired muscle for the caravan were not his only reasons for training the kekkei genkai orphans.
He also hoped to raise ninja who could truly prove useful, at least at the jonin level.
Although Haku was currently the only one with that potential, that did not mean the other orphans had no chance at all.
On another front, having already trained Oto Uchiha, he hoped to cultivate subordinates capable of using senjutsu, even if it was only an inferior version.
The chakra he bestowed on them was, in essence, a relatively mild form of natural energy.
Of course, for the moment, he had only let Kisame, Haku, and a handful of others know about the Leyline base.
All of them bore his mark. It was not that he distrusted people's hearts, but bonds and a sense of belonging could not form in so little time.
Still, he did have a few plans for bringing people together.
After dealing with these miscellaneous matters, Zou Hyuga headed back toward the village.
His return was