The outline of Konoha becomes clearer from far to near in the field of vision. The familiar village gate, bustling streets, and children's laughter are all the same as when they left, full of the unique comfort and peace of the peaceful era.
The aftermath of the space distortion dissipated behind him, and Senju Chen's figure appeared in a secluded alley. He held on to the wall, took a deep breath, and then exhaled slowly.
The continuous, high-intensity Flying Thunder God Technique squeezed out almost every trace of Chakra in his body. At this moment, the effect of the Bingliang Pill had completely worn off, and a sense of exhaustion originating from the depths of his soul submerged him like a tide. His face was so pale that there was no trace of blood, and there were dark blues under his eyes.
He did not go home immediately, but first went around to a remote corner of Senju Clan Compound and found Maruboshi Kosuke who was mowing the yard.
"Grandpa Kosuke."
Hearing the sound, Maruboshi Kosuke's figure appeared silently in front of Senju Chen as if blending into a shadow. When he saw Senju Chen's extremely tired look, a trace of worry flashed in his eyes, but he didn't ask anything.
"Young Master Chen."
"Assign our most reliable man to go to Land of Hot Water." Senju Chen's voice was a little hoarse. He handed over a piece of paper with the address of Tsunade, "Pick up a person and secretly place her in the backyard of Capital of Fire'Food Is Heaven' to ensure that no one will find out. Her identity... is top secret."
"Yes." Maruboshi Kosuke took the note and put it away properly without even reading the content.
"Try to keep this matter as low-key as possible and don't let outsiders discover it." Senju Chen warned again.
"Understood."
Looking at Maruboshi Kosuke's always calm face, Senju Chen felt a little at ease. This old ninja who had survived since First's time was his most trusted assistant.
After explaining this matter, he dragged his legs that seemed to be filled with lead and walked in the other direction.
It was cold, damp, and the air was filled with a strange smell of formalin and earth.
The entrance to the research institute is hidden under an abandoned training ground. On both sides of the deep passage, the walls are inlaid with lighting scrolls that emit a pale green light, making people's shadows elongated and strange.
Senju Chen walked through several corridors full of traps and seals with ease, and came to a heavy steel door.
He didn't knock on the door, just stood there quietly.
After a moment, there was a "click" sound of a mechanism turning inside the door, and the heavy door slid open to one side, revealing a wider and more bizarre space inside.
There are huge glass containers lined up with all kinds of strange biological specimens soaked in them. Countless scrolls and books are piled up, and the experimental table is filled with bottles, jars and metal instruments of unknown purpose.
A figure in a white coat, with his back to the door, was busy working on a dissected python corpse.
"Teacher." Senju Chen said, his voice seemed a bit hollow in this empty laboratory.
Orochimaru didn't look back. He used a scalpel to accurately cut open the python's abdominal cavity and said without raising his head, "The smell on your body... is very mixed. The smell of blood, Yakumi, and there is also a residual smell of... Tailed Beast Chakra. It seems that you had a great time when you went out."
His hoarse voice was like a snake's voice, with a hint of cold stickiness.
"We encountered a little trouble." Senju Chen walked up to him, looked at the neatly separated snake internal organs, and said without changing his expression, "Rin Nohara was kidnapped by Kirigakure's ninjas, and Three-Tails was forcibly sealed."
Orochimaru's movements finally paused.
He slowly turned his head, and there was no surprise in his golden snake eyes, only a kind of indifference and scrutiny like looking at experimental materials.
"Three-Tails Jinchūriki? Interesting. So, you killed her?" In his opinion, this was the most logical and simple way to handle it.
"No." Senju Chen shook his head, "I rescued her and hid her in a safe place."
"Oh?" The corner of Orochimaru's mouth raised a playful arc, "A woman's kindness. An unstable new student Jinchūriki is just a burden to you. Of course, you can also send it to me."
He has no interest in the life and death of Rin Nohara. In his eyes, the fate of a Chunin is no different from that of an ant.
Senju Chen knew this would be the reaction. What he wanted was not Orochimaru's sympathy.
"She is not just Jinchūriki." Senju Chen's tone became solemn, "In order to ensure that this 'bomb' would detonate in Konoha, those people from Kirigakure planted an extremely vicious spell in her heart."
"Spell?" Orochimaru's interest was finally aroused.
"Yes." Senju Chen began to describe in detail, "A purple rune is directly imprinted on the muscle tissue of the heart. I can feel that its power is not only a physical restraint, but also a deep connection with the soul."
"Once Jinchūriki has the idea of committing suicide, the spell will be activated immediately, completely depriving her of her will and turning her into a puppet who only knows how to obey orders. And..."
Senju Chen deliberately paused and emphasized his tone. "This spell is also connected to the Three-Tails seal on the abdomen. Any attempt to lift the spell from the outside will immediately stimulate Three-Tails, causing Tailed Beast to go berserk."
The voice fell.
Orochimaru's golden snake eyes suddenly lit up! It was the kind of light that only appears when a peerless treasure is discovered, full of greed, fanaticism and extreme excitement!
He stuck out his long tongue, slowly licked his lips, and said hoarsely, "Soul link... will deprivation... can it also be linked to the Tailed Beast seal???"
"Yes."
"Your sister Tsunade should be at a loss as well." Orochimaru asserted, "Her Medical Ninjutsu can repair the body, but it is useless against this forbidden technique involving the soul and will."
"Yes." Senju Chen admitted "calmly," "My sister can only temporarily stabilize her body. I used Sealing Jutsu to temporarily isolate the connection between the spell and Three-Tails. But we have no way to completely eradicate it."
"Draw me the shape of that spell, Chakra's flowing details, exactly!" Orochimaru's breathing had become a little rapid, and he couldn't wait to pull a blank scroll from the table beside him, and spread it in front of Senju Chen.
Senju Chen picked up the pen and relied on his strong mental power and perception to accurately reproduce every detail of the "Confinement Cursed Seal" on the scroll.
Orochimaru grabbed the scroll and studied it fascinatedly, mumbling something.
"That's it... this structure is a spiritual shackles built with Yin Release Chakra as the core... No, no, it's also mixed with another completely different power. This is... wonderful! What a genius idea!"
He was completely immersed in his own world, completely leaving Senju Chen aside.
Senju Chen doesn't care either, his goal has been achieved.
Professional matters should be left to professionals. When it comes to playing with forbidden arts, cracking Cursed Seal, and Shinobi World as a whole, no one is better than the man in front of him. Madara Uchiha's methods are ruthless, but what he encountered is Orochimaru, a lunatic in the field of forbidden arts.
He waited quietly for a while, and when he saw that Orochimaru paid no attention to him, he was about to turn around and leave.
"Right."
At this moment, Orochimaru's voice sounded again. He was still staring at the scroll in his hand, but the words were addressed to Senju Chen.
"Senju Clan remains neutral... You kid made a smart decision for your sister."