The sound of dripping water deep inside the cave suddenly became unusually clear.
The passage was longer than expected. The moss on the rock walls was gradually being replaced by traces of human excavation, and occasionally a few deep claw marks could be seen.
Hatake Sakumo's fingers quietly traced a line on the rock face, leaving his fingertips coated with a fine layer of powder.
The marks of Chakra burning... and they were left not long ago.
"Arrive."
After an unknown amount of time, Orochimaru stopped in front of what appeared to be an ordinary rock wall.
The rock face slid open silently, revealing a downward staircase. The air suddenly became dry, carrying the smell of some kind of heated metal.
The laboratory at the end of the stairs was smaller than I had imagined.
Hatake Sakumo's gaze swept over the neatly arranged instruments, pausing for a moment in a certain corner.
The dust there was unevenly distributed, as if people were walking around frequently.
"Tea?"
Orochimaru had somehow appeared in front of the lab table, holding a steaming teacup in his hand.
Hatake Sakumo didn't take it, but instead walked towards the map on the wall. It was a map of the Land of Fire marked with strange symbols, with several red dots concentrated near the Valley of the End.
"What's this?"
Orochimaru put down his teacup, his voice suddenly becoming low and deep.
Three years ago, Fourth Shinobi World War, the Akatsuki collected the seven Tailed Beast and launched a surprise attack on Amegakure.
" The Allied Shinobi Forces of the Five Great Villages suffered repeated defeats and finally retreated to this place. That evening, just when everyone thought they were about to be wiped out, the sky suddenly split open, and a miracle occurred."
Golden light fell like rain.
Orochimaru suddenly stopped, turned around, and took out a sealed metal box from under the lab table.
Once opened, it contains a blurry video recording.
On screen, a golden rift suddenly opened in the sky above the Valley of the End, and countless points of light fell like raindrops, with people on the battlefield falling one after another.
"The next day, the members of Akatsuki suddenly became peacemakers! Everyone forgot about the great battle of the previous day and believed that peace had been maintained since the first year of Konoha's existence."
"From that day on, the Akatsuki was stationed in the Valley of the End."
Hatake Sakumo frowned deeply. "You mean, this so-called miracle... was Akatsuki?"
"That's what I thought at first too!" Orochimaru frowned.
"But strangely, they seem to have been affected as well; they haven't left the Valley of the End for the past three years, they've stayed there!"
Listening to Orochimaru's words, Hatake Sakumo's gaze slowly swept across the laboratory, his fingertips lightly tapping the table.
He could sense that Orochimaru's words were hiding something, but he wasn't in a hurry to expose him. After all, if Orochimaru really wanted to hide something, it was unlikely that he could force him to confess.
"So for the past three years, you've been hiding here doing research?"
"It's not that I'm hiding, it's... being cautious."
Orochimaru paused for a moment, then continued, "I once thought about going to the Valley of the End, but every time I got close, I felt a strong sense of unease, like..."
"Like there's an abyss ahead?" Hatake Sakumo chimed in.
Orochimaru nodded. "To be more precise, it's like standing on the edge of a cliff, knowing that jumping off will result in certain death, but your body involuntarily leans forward."
Hatake Sakumo walked to the window and lifted a corner of the curtain.
The Forest of Death under the moonlight was eerily quiet; there wasn't even the sound of insects chirping.
"Haven't you tried sending Shadow Clone in?"
"I've tried, many times," Orochimaru said. "The furthest I went was to the valley entrance, and then we lost contact; not even the memories came back."
"..."
Hatake Sakumo unconsciously traced the red markers with his fingertips.
Orochimaru's words kept echoing in his mind, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, but he could never piece together a complete picture.
Golden rain of light...
A power capable of instantly altering the course of a battlefield is being used to create peace?
The thought made him instinctively feel uneasy.
His years of experience in the Shinobi World taught him that the greater the power, the less likely it is to be given away without a reason.
Every seemingly generous gift comes with a price tag.
Hatake Sakumo's gaze swept over every corner of the laboratory.
Those sophisticated instruments, neatly arranged test tubes, and mountains of experimental records piled up in the corner.
Orochimaru did indeed conduct long-term research here.
But what bothered him even more were the unnatural marks: scratches on the edge of the lab bench, a few faint charred spots on the wall, and a few shallow drag marks on the floor.
What is he afraid of?
The palpitations Orochimaru mentioned didn't seem faked.
Just how terrifying is this being that even this mad scientist hesitated to approach?
Hatake Sakumo's gaze unconsciously drifted to the window. The Forest of Death appeared exceptionally tranquil under the moonlight, without even a breath of wind.
The Shadow Clone also lost contact, not because they were destroyed, but because the connection was directly severed.
There are only a few possibilities in this situation...
The most plausible explanation is some kind of powerful barrier, but what kind of barrier could completely block the transmission of memories from Shadow Clone?
Hatake Sakumo tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, the rhythm quickening.
Unless, it's not an ordinary barrier.
He suddenly thought of a possibility, and his fingers abruptly stopped.
If the space inside the Valley of the End has been distorted, forming a realm independent of reality...
The thought made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
But what bothered him even more was a detail Orochimaru mentioned: the Akatsuki members had never left the Valley of the End in the past three years.
Did they stay voluntarily, or were they trapped?
Hatake Sakumo's gaze returned to the map.
Perhaps the Valley of the End is now both 'His' abode and a prison for the Akatsuki?
A servant of peace.
The name sent a chill down his spine.
What kind of being would need 'waiters'? And why create this false peace?
It seems I have to go and see what's in the Valley of the End.
At this moment, Orochimaru continued, "Of course, it's not like I haven't made any other discoveries."
"He is not omnipotent! His cognitive influence is limited, and his power has its limits. The Valley of the End is likely the core area, while the Land of Fire is the main area of influence."
"As for other places, He can't take care of them, so He uses a one-size-fits-all approach, which makes those people's behavior seem very strange."
Hatake Sakumo's gaze slowly swept across the map, his fingertips lightly tapping the location of the Valley of the End, his voice low and deep.
"So you mean... this so-called 'miracle' is actually a flawed technique?"
Orochimaru's lips curled up slightly, revealing a meaningful smile.
"Like any Ninjutsu, it has its limitations."
He walked to the lab bench, his fingers lightly tracing a row of test tubes; however, this procedure was on a larger scale, and the effects were rather terrifying.