Hoshino finished tidying up the experimental data and turned to look at Shion, who was standing at the laboratory door.
The girl clasped her hands together in front of her, her purple eyes gleaming with a complex light.
"Are you leaving?" Shion's voice was a little softer than usual.
Hoshino nodded. "I'm going to verify some conjectures. It won't be long, I'll be back in half a month at most."
Shion's fingers unconsciously tightened around her sleeves, her lips slightly pursed.
In the end, she let go of his hand and took out an exquisite amulet from her bosom. "Take this with you; it will protect you and ensure your safe return."
Hoshino took the amulet, feeling the pure Priestess Power it contained, and solemnly hung it on the ninja tool pouch at her waist.
"Thank you! When I return, I will free you from your fate as a priestess."
When I stepped out of the shrine gate, the morning mist had not yet dissipated.
Hoshino stood on the stone steps and glanced back.
Shion's figure appeared and disappeared in the thin mist, like a hazy ink painting. Hoshino raised his hand and waved, then turned and disappeared into the mist.
Crossing the border forest of the Land of Demons.
Hoshino leaped onto a high ground and first sent a message to Pain, saying that he wanted to borrow Hidan for a while in exchange for him coming to open the gates.
Then a second message was sent to the Scientific Research Department.
Instruct them to collect Karin's physical data as soon as possible, focusing on analyzing the Uzumaki Clan's Kekkei Genkai, and await further instructions.
With a soft mechanical whirring sound, the armor on Hoshino's back slowly unfolded, and six pairs of metallic wings pierced the morning mist like sharp swords.
"Activate cruise mode! Target: Land of Whirlpools."
As soon as the words were spoken, all six pairs of wings vibrated simultaneously, emitting a high-frequency buzzing sound, and the surrounding air was compressed into visible ripples.
The next second, Hoshino's figure shot into the sky like an arrow, leaving a silver-blue trail in the sky.
During flight.
The communicator suddenly lit up; it was Pain's reply, " Hidan can lend you his services for three days. We can discuss the details in person."
Hoshino smiled slightly and replied, "See you in a few days."
The six pairs of wings suddenly vibrated faster, instantly doubling the flight speed, and the mountains and rivers below turned into blurry patches of color.
Before long, the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools were already faintly visible on the horizon.
Hoshino landed on the dilapidated dock of the Land of Whirlpools, and his six pairs of mechanical wings slowly folded in.
The scene before him was even more desolate than he had imagined.
The collapsed houses are now just ruins, the once bustling streets are overgrown with weeds, and a few emaciated stray dogs rummage for food among the rubble.
Hoshino activated the scanning function of his mechanical prosthetic eye, and a pale blue light screen unfolded on his retina.
The energy reaction was so weak that it was almost negligible. The entire Uzushio Village was like a hollowed-out corpse, with hardly any residue left.
"Looks like we're decades too late."
Hoshino muttered to himself as he walked towards the center of the village, stepping over the broken rubble.
Several ragged, wandering ninjas watched him warily, but after seeing the mechanical wings on his back, they wisely hid in the shadows.
According to historical records, the shrine of the Uzumaki Clan should have been built at the highest point in the village.
Hoshino gracefully leaped to the top of the remaining clock tower, from where the layout of the entire village was clearly visible.
They then located a raised area covered by vines.
That place should have been the site of a shrine, but now only a pile of collapsed boulders remains.
Hoshino landed in front of the ruins, and her six pairs of wings transformed into six mechanical arms to begin clearing the obstacles.
The rubble and dust were quickly cleared away, revealing a dark hole, from which a musty smell mixed with a rotten odor wafted out.
The clan emblem of the Uzumaki Clan can still be discerned on the walls of the passage, but it is now faded and worn.
The further you go in, the more damp and cold the air becomes.
When Hoshino finally arrived at the main hall of the shrine, the sight before him made him frown.
This place has already been completely looted.
Only a few broken wooden planks remained where the shrine was, the sealing scrolls on the wall had been roughly torn off, and even several floor tiles had been pried open.
Several startled mice darted out from the corner and disappeared into the darkness.
Hoshino kicked aside a moldy futon at his feet, his mechanical prosthetic eye constantly switching scanning modes.
Three hours later.
Apart from a few fragments of pottery and a few pieces of stone with faint inscriptions, nothing was found.
Although he had expected it, the empty shrine ruins still made him silent for a moment.
Hoshino shook his head with a wry smile, his six pairs of wings unfurled again, and he soared into the sky. After circling once above the ruins, he sped off towards the Land of Rain.
at the same time.
In the tower of Amegakure, Pain sat in his wheelchair, gazing into the distance.
Konan appeared silently behind him and said softly, "Are you really planning to hand him over to Hoshino? That person never acts according to common sense, maybe..."
Pain shook his head and said, "It's alright! Hoshino's goals don't conflict with ours, at least not for now. Besides... I'm curious about what he's really pursuing."
Just as the two were talking, the space inside the tower suddenly twisted and rotated.
"Looks like you're discussing something interesting."
Wearing an orange Spiral Mask, Obito slowly walked out of the Kamui Dimension, his voice tinged with amusement.
Konan instantly went on high alert, but Pain merely raised his eyes slightly. "Appearing suddenly is hardly polite."
Obito shrugged and said, "I just came to let you know that Sasuke is coming back! Also, I won't be staying in the Land of Rain for long."
Kirigakure, with the aim of overthrowing the rule of the Fourth Mizukage.
For Obito, this was just a minor incident, but he didn't intend to interfere too much to avoid causing unnecessary trouble.
He initially controlled the Fourth Mizukage mainly out of revenge, but now that he's vented his anger, he's no longer involved.
When Pain heard that Sasuke and Madara both wanted to return to Akatsuki, Pain did not refuse.
The Land of Rain is in dire need of manpower right now.
Madara's strength goes without saying; he still hasn't figured out his opponent's exact strength.
As for Sasuke... after all these years of training, although his strength is still far from Kage Level, it is no less than some Jonin, not to mention that he has also awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
It's already working!
Of course, there is another reason...
The establishment of the Shinobi Alliance changed the entire landscape of the Shinobi World, and the Land of Rain, as a permanently neutral country, also gave them unprecedented room to maneuver.
Otherwise, they really wouldn't dare let Sasuke appear in public.
After all, the person was stolen from Konoha, and now letting him show up so openly is tantamount to slapping the Hokage in the face in public.
"I understand. I'll arrange an identity for him. Is there anything else?"
Inside the tower of Amegakure, the sound of rain pattering against the glass windows.
Obito's figure gradually dissipated as the spatial vortex twisted, leaving only a few pieces of paper drifting and slowly swirling in the air.