The next day, in the desert of the Land of Wind.
After the group rested for a night and left the Ancient Kingdom of Roran, the sandstorm that had blotted out the sky for four whole days finally ended.
Before anyone could celebrate, Kabuto Yakushi crouched down, cleared off a stone slab engraved with a snake symbol, and blew away the sand on it. Pleasantly surprised, he said:
"Lord Orochimaru, we've reached the Land of Wind base!"
Impossible!
Naoki Senju and Orochimaru exchanged a glance, each seeing the shock in the other's eyes. Orochimaru, in particular, remembered the exact location of the Land of Wind base very clearly. There could not possibly have been ruins of the Ancient Kingdom of Roran nearby, or he would have claimed them long ago.
Moreover, that stone slab should have been buried several meters beneath the sand. If the sandstorm had uncovered it, that would have been far too much of a coincidence...
Orochimaru narrowed his golden, serpentine eyes. He never believed in coincidences. Every coincidence was someone else's deliberate doing. In that case, who had the ability to accomplish all this?
A possibility suddenly occurred to Orochimaru, and he could not help asking quietly:
"Naoki-kun, do you think the Ryūmyaku's energy possesses self-awareness?"
Naoki Senju refuted it without hesitation:
"Impossible. If the Ryūmyaku really possessed self-awareness, how could it have been sealed when it had the terrifying power to destroy Rōran?"
"Indeed..."
Orochimaru raised his right hand and gently rubbed his chin, agreeing with Naoki Senju. That conjecture truly was not very plausible.
After fooling Orochimaru, however, Naoki Senju could not help carefully considering the possibility. The sandstorm that had lasted four days before abruptly ending, the Land of Wind base right before their eyes-everything seemed far too abnormal.
Perhaps I should test it, Naoki Senju thought to himself. At the same time, he closed his eyes and concentrated on sensing the Wood Release chakra he had deliberately left in the Ryūmyaku.
A short while later, Naoki Senju opened his eyes with a frown.
As expected, I can't sense it anymore... The Ryūmyaku's power truly is beyond imagination, and it possesses a degree of self-awareness. But what exactly is its goal?
Even by the time they entered the base, Naoki Senju had not figured out the Ryūmyaku's goal. Perhaps their ways of thinking or forms of life were different. No matter what, Naoki Senju could not fathom its purpose.
Tsunade circled around behind Naoki Senju, suddenly patted his shoulder, then rested her arm across it as she said:
"What has you so absorbed, you little pervert? Why not tell me? If I'm in a good mood, I might just sort it out for you."
Naoki Senju looked this woman, who had "nothing going for her" besides her boobs, up and down. He had intended to skip the subject, but something suddenly occurred to him, and he hugged Tsunade excitedly.
"You're right, Sister Tsunade! I've thought of a way!"
Tsunade was somewhat at a loss. Although Shizune, Orochimaru, and the others had already looked over, pushing Naoki away would only seem unnatural, so she could only ask with flushed cheeks:
"What way?"
"I want to meet Katsuyu Sage."
"Katsuyu Sage..."
Hearing Naoki Senju mention Katsuyu Sage, Tsunade was not surprised. Instead, she gave it serious thought. When Naoki had first practiced Wood Release, Katsuyu had mentioned that Katsuyu Sage wanted to meet him. Later, when Tsunade introduced the Summoning Technique and the Three Great Sage Lands to Naoki, she had also mentioned Katsuyu Sage.
However, Tsunade had felt there was no need to rush, so she had put it off for the time being. Now, Naoki Senju himself was asking to meet Katsuyu Sage. After some serious consideration, Tsunade finally smiled and said:
"All right, I agree. Before, I was afraid you'd be drawn to Shikkotsu Forest and neglect improving your own strength. But now you're strong enough, so I'm no longer worried."
"Sister Tsunade!"
Naoki Senju tightened his arms around Tsunade's soft, full waist, resting his chin on her rounded shoulder and breathing in her faint fragrance. Although Tsunade's body was full and soft, her collarbones remained clearly visible. She had the finest sort of slightly plump figure, one he could not bear to let go of.
His hot breath brushed against her fair neck, making Tsunade feel an itch inside as an unfamiliar sensation welled up. To keep Shizune from noticing anything, Tsunade patted Naoki's back and said in a charming, alluring voice:
"All right, why are you still acting like a child? Let go already."
Although the words were a reprimand, her tone was so soft it could have melted, leaving Guren and Shizune beside them deeply envious. They were both victims of war and had almost never experienced familial affection.
Naoki Senju released Tsunade somewhat reluctantly. The Ryūmyaku was far too troublesome. How could it be as interesting as the fragrant, soft Tsunade? If the Ryūmyaku had not delivered itself to his doorstep, Naoki would not have wanted to bother with it.
Watching this interaction between the siblings, Orochimaru showed not a trace of impatience, which was exceedingly rare. In fact, he watched with considerable satisfaction.
This made Kabuto Yakushi even more wary of Naoki Senju. Talent, intelligence, hard work, resources-he lacked nothing. Becoming a powerhouse on the level of the Sannin seemed only a matter of time. His backing was also frighteningly powerful. Two of the Sannin were extremely close to him, and the remaining one, Jiraiya the Mad Demon, probably would not be a problem either.
It seems maintaining a good relationship with Naoki Senju is a sound choice. I should also speed up the research on immortal cells and produce results to demonstrate my value. Kabuto Yakushi adjusted his glasses and made his decision with utmost seriousness.
After this brief interlude, the group continued through the dim underground base.
Orochimaru's bases in the Land of Wind were all underground. Although they were fairly spacious, the lighting was truly poor. Orochimaru had considered occupying an oasis to establish a base, but the Land of Wind was simply too poor. Even if there were oases, Orochimaru would never get a turn; they had long since been occupied. His only option would be to secretly control an oasis town.
But doing so would undoubtedly require a great investment of manpower and resources, as well as risk exposure and turn Sunagakure into an enemy. The losses would outweigh the gains.
Fortunately, ninjutsu was convenient enough. Just one Earth Release ninja and one Water Release ninja could sustain an underground base's basic needs, preventing all sorts of problems arising from a shortage of resources.
Back in this underground environment, Orochimaru was noticeably more energetic than he had been in the desert. Tsunade, however, did not particularly like such surroundings. More precisely, aside from Orochimaru, practically no one would like such a dark, damp environment.
Orochimaru also noticed Tsunade's displeasure and deftly soothed her:
"In the town thirty li east of the base, there's a Land of Wind market and gambling houses."
"Gambling houses! Are you sure, Orochimaru?"
Tsunade's spirits were instantly ignited. For her, the surroundings could be poor and the food could be poor, but the one thing she could not do without was a gambling house. Orochimaru had pinpointed Tsunade's weakness and struck a fatal blow.
"Of course. That's also where the base replenishes its supplies. But Tsunade, if you want to visit the gambling houses and taverns, you must have Naoki-kun accompany you."
"You're such a nag. I'd take Naoki even without you telling me."
Tsunade waved dismissively. How could she go to a gambling house without Naoki? Who would pay if she lost?
Only after receiving Tsunade's affirmative answer did Orochimaru relax. If Tsunade went alone, got carried away gambling, then had a few drinks and started babbling whatever came to mind, and Sunagakure's Anbu happened to overhear her, would he still get to keep his base? Building a base was very expensive.