It's normal to get a kaleidoscope as a first deposit of six yuan, right?

Five minutes later... the ninjas present captured the shadow clone.

Seeing the clone, who was handcuffed with her feet off the ground and whose eyes seemed to have lost their dreams, several ninjas from the sealing squad rushed over and used layers of barriers to seal the chakra within Zhixue's body.

"You...you caught him so easily?" Onoki said in disbelief, looking at Shiyuki who was no longer moving in the distance.

They've only just arrived and they've already captured the enemy; that's very strange.

"Ugh, fighting is so tiring. Can you guys put me down? It's so uncomfortable hanging like this." The clone twisted its body, feeling the restraint that prevented it from moving, and said.

"Don't worry, I'll personally take you into the dark room for interrogation later. The painful experience will gradually numb you until you can't feel the fatigue anymore." Morino Ibiki placed his hand on the shadow clone's round cheek and said with a murderous look.

"Oh my, you're having such an exciting time, sir? But you probably don't know that I let you catch me on purpose, do you?"

"What are you saying?" Ibiki Morino asked, looking at Shiyuki's fearless expression with a strange expression.

The next moment, as the clone within the seal gradually transformed into lightning and dissipated within the seal, everyone present was shocked.

"This is... a Thunder and Earth clone!?"

As the clone dissipated, the seal imprinted on it also gradually dissipated along with the chakra.

After passing through the barrier, Onoki went over to look at the pile of scorched earth left by Shiyuki. He took it out and rummaged through it, eventually finding a cartoon image of someone patting someone's head, which looked quite cute.

"Report! Report! Something's happened to the intelligence department!"

Hearing the information coming to him, Onoki's face darkened, and he sensed a hint of mockery as he looked at the cartoon image in his hand.

"That was a feint! What a cunning little devil!"

Gripping the paper in his hand, Onoki waved for the nearby ninjas to immediately begin the search. Although they didn't know how the enemy had sneaked in, they absolutely couldn't make the same mistake twice!

Dozens of kilometers away, Zhixue also emerged from the spatial rift, while on the other side of the rift, in another dimension, dozens of ninja allies, including Nara Shikaku and Yamanaka Inoichi, collapsed.

"Sigh, let's stop here for now. It's time to slip away. Going back to slack off is much more comfortable than fighting." The Rinnegan pattern in her pupils faded, and then Shiyuki herself ran back along the original route towards the Akatsuki base…

Chapter 287, Ambition Orochimaru

"Why can't you make a move? Maybe this is a good opportunity?" Black Zetsu said, somewhat annoyed, looking at Orochimaru sitting motionless on the stone chair.

"Hehe, don't be in a hurry. This is only the early stage of the Ninja World War. There will definitely be an opportunity later." Orochimaru chuckled twice and said to Black Zetsu.

Although she wasn't particularly strong, she wasn't stupid. Even setting aside the possibility that brat Uchiha Shiyuki might turn around and beat her up again, even if she succeeded, who would she have offended?

Is the Akatsuki organization, which is now evenly matched with the Allied Shinobi Forces, really that good? She knows that they are not on the same page as her, and she doesn't want to be used like a knife by others; that would only lower her status.

To put it another way, she now has the perfect Impure World Reincarnation technique in her hands. Wouldn't it be better for her to decide what to do based on the situation? Even if Zetsu goes back to report, as long as she doesn't have any major grudge against the Akatsuki, they shouldn't bother to deal with her.

Seeing Orochimaru's domineering attitude, Black Zetsu's face turned ugly as he turned away.

This snake is like a spirit, not easy to fool. I hate these absolute egoists the most, they're not as lovable as the Uchiha clan at all.

"Fine, since you think the timing isn't right, let's wait until another day. But don't forget, apart from this opportunity, it's probably unlikely you'll get Uchiha Shiyuki's body."

"Hehehe, of course I understand."

Seeing Orochimaru's eyes filled with ambition and desire, Black Zetsu left in a fit of anger.

"Lord Orochimaru, this guy seems to have become hostile towards you. Should we..." Kabuto Yakushi, standing next to Orochimaru, made a throat-slitting gesture towards Orochimaru and whispered.

"Don't rush. We still need his intelligence capabilities, and his physiological structure seems quite different from other ninjas, so he might be difficult to deal with. Let's maintain the status quo for now," Orochimaru said with a cold smile to Kabuto from the eerie cave.

A snake lurking in the forest needs to hide itself well and be able to endure loneliness in order to catch a delicious prey; taking the initiative is not its style.

"Lord Orochimaru, should we really target Uchiha Shiyuki? According to intelligence, her strength may have already reached the level of the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara. If we fail..." Kabuto Yakushi didn't finish his sentence, but Orochimaru naturally knew the consequences.

"I know you think it's very risky, but Dou, do you think there's any meaning to life other than thinking about how to live?"

"The...meaning of life?" A flash of his past experiences crossed Kabuto's eyes, and the sadness buried beneath seemed to leave his heart feeling empty.

Seeing Kabuto's bewildered expression, Orochimaru chuckled and said, "Hehehe, what you've learned is still too superficial. Once a person's material needs are met, a desire for more arises—that's greed. But I enjoy that feeling. And although I've already achieved a preliminary form of immortality, I'm not satisfied..."

Orochimaru stood up from his chair, looking at the deep cavern, and said to Kabuto, "You should know that I've always believed that there's a power within the human body that ordinary people can't develop even in their entire lives. Despite conducting human experiments for over a decade, I still haven't found a clue. But that brat Uchiha Shiyuki is different..."

"You mean Uchiha Shiyuki's sudden change of heart caught your attention?" Recalling the fact that Uchiha Shiyuki was once just a loser, Kabuto Yakushi's eyes lit up instantly.

"You're right. Uchiha Shiyuki was originally just an insignificant piece of trash in Konoha, but her growth rate in just a few years has been so rapid. Perhaps the secret I'm looking for is hidden within her! Once I unlock it, I will gain endless power!"

Seeing Orochimaru's fanatical eyes, Kabuto realized just how ambitious Orochimaru was. However, the scene suddenly changed, and Orochimaru calmed down again.

"However, in the end, the gap in strength between us is still too great. Even with the Impure World Reincarnation technique, it is still just an external thing. What we can hope for now is that the Allied Shinobi Forces can exhaust the Akatsuki's strength and Uchiha Shiyuki's energy, and then we can benefit from it."

"Even if the final result is not satisfactory, it is perfectly acceptable for us to stop while we are ahead. After all, this is just an idea, and even if someone points it out, there is no evidence to prove that I want to do anything."

Kabuto was quite surprised to see Orochimaru suddenly become calm.

"So, Lord Orochimaru, if things don't go well, are you really willing to give up your plan to capture Uchiha Shiyuki?"

"What's the use of being unwilling? Even with thousands of reanimated ninjas, I still don't have the confidence to defeat her. Her power is simply too overwhelming; I still haven't forgotten that despairing power..."

Orochimaru trembled as he recalled the shadow that had easily crushed his ambitions during the Chunin Exams.

That's just how people are. Even if they know something is probably impossible or very risky, they still want to try it out, clinging to that tiny bit of possibility.

Kabuto Yakushi was somewhat surprised to see Orochimaru seemingly gripped by fear.

Is the shadow cast on Orochimaru's heart by Uchiha Shiyuki really that deep?

……

On his way back to Akatsuki, Black Zetsu also heard the intelligence reported by White Zetsu.

Uchiha Shiyuki escaped unscathed from the Allied Shinobi Forces headquarters and captured all the key members of the intelligence department, much to Pain's surprise.

To dare to attack the Allied Shinobi Forces in broad daylight was something neither the enemy nor their own people expected, and the fact that they actually succeeded was truly remarkable.

"Xiaoxue is really amazing. It seems we didn't misjudge her." Xiaonan rubbed Zhixue's head and said to Payne with a smile.

"Yes, this mission was indeed well done. We captured some important figures. Now that we've taken down the enemy's binoculars, the situation on the front lines should be much better."

Pain then ordered Konan to imprison the people Zhixue had captured in a barrier similar to that of Black Zetsu. They were thousands of meters underground, with White Zetsu's lairs all above them, so they couldn't escape.

"Now that the mission is over, what should we do next?" Zhixue asked Payne.

"From now on, you don't need to show your face. Xiao Nan will call you when needed," Payne said, nodding to Zhi Xue.

"alright."

While Zhixue was still studying the battlefield, Pain sighed and then left with the 5000 million taels of bounty given to him by Xiaonan.

"With the second level of ability, maybe I can go and meet Nissan tonight..." Zhixue walked out and murmured to herself, looking at her reflection in the water.

She used illusion magic to knock her brother unconscious earlier. He probably won't be angry... right?

Chapter 288, A Late-Night Visit

The sky was filled with stars, and under a bright moon, a cold wind whistled from afar.

In the brightly lit camp at midnight, Shisui had just finished an emergency meeting and was searching the map for a way to break through the situation on the main battlefield.

Zhixue, who was silently standing behind him using her second ability, felt a little embarrassed when she saw that Zhishui seemed to have dark circles under his eyes.

It seems she's robbed the intelligence department, keeping all five Kage busy.

Seeing that it was almost dawn, Zhixue gradually deactivated her pupil technique in the tent. Zhishui, seeing the firelight outside suddenly disappear, looked up and saw Zhixue's face slightly flushed in the dim light.

……

Seeing Zhixue's sudden visit, Zhishui didn't seem to be as angry as usual when dealing with her. Instead, he looked at Zhixue with complicated eyes, and his silence made Zhixue feel a little flustered.

"N-Nii-san? That was just a misunderstanding, really!" Zhixue waved her hand to isolate the nearby sounds with a barrier, sat down in a chair, and explained to Zhishui.

“Of course I know what you’re trying to do with the illusion you cast on me, but this is no small matter. At the very least, you should have discussed it with me, shouldn’t you?” Zhi Shui sighed and said to Zhi Xue with his back to her.

"I'm sorry, the situation was quite urgent at the time. If I hadn't come out quickly to clarify things for you, in a few days, you might already be..."

"Are you talking about the Hokage position? Actually, I don't really care about this position. Even if I'm forced to step down and become an untrusted ninja, I still don't want you to look at me like that, okay?" Shisui turned around and placed his hand on Shisui's hair, saying sadly.

Even knowing it was fake, Shisui still resisted Shisui's attempt to smear him and then clear his name.

Seeing Zhishui's expression, a hint of guilt flashed in Zhixue's eyes as well.

"Alright, fine, but for now, let's just observe from the perspective of the enemy..."

"There's nothing we can do about it. But can you tell me why you joined Akatsuki? As far as I know, you seemed to have been wearing that coat for a long time." Shisui looked at Shisui and asked the question that had been on his mind.

Akatsuki is now a gathering place for ambitious rogue ninjas who are at odds with the entire ninja world, and Shiyuki was not originally a rogue ninja from Konoha. Shisui doesn't understand why she would join this dangerous organization.

"Well, at first I just wanted to make money, but I didn't expect to join for so many years. Although there are good and bad people in there, they are actually pretty good to me, so I have never quit." Zhi Xue scratched her head and said a little embarrassedly.

"But he's different now than before, isn't he?"

Seeing Zhishui's serious expression, Zhixue understood his worries.

The current situation is too dangerous for Xiao. If they are defeated and Zhixue is captured, Zhishui will face a dilemma.

Will he personally send his younger sister to hell as ordained by the rules, or will he abandon his family and village and flee the ninja world to face judgment?

Conversely, even if the Allied Shinobi Forces were defeated, things might be even more serious. Even if the 100,000-strong ninja army were routed, it's unlikely that the world would be content to be innocent and docile. A fierce rebellion would then ignite a war that would last for several years or even more than a decade. Neither of these scenarios is what Shisui wants to see.

"Ah, Nisan, I know what you're worried about, but this war is very complex, believe me, it won't escalate to that point."

Seeing that Zhixue seemed to be hiding something, Zhishui sighed.

After all, this matter concerns the fate of the entire ninja world, and it must be considered carefully.

"It seems someone's coming. I'll be leaving now, Nisan. I'll come find you another day." Sensing the chakra reaction outside the barrier, Zhixue activated her second level of ability and gradually disappeared from the area.

Shisui was stunned as he watched the barrier and Shisui disappear.

This doesn't seem to be a teleportation technique, does it?

Seeing Shisui standing there in a daze, Shiyuki easily passed through the tents and left the Allied Shinobi Forces' camp.

Itachi, who had just lifted the curtain and walked in, frowned as he smelled the faint fragrance emanating from the air.

Something's not right. Has someone already been here?

"Ahem, Itachi-kun, weren't you recuperating? What brings you here to see me?" Shisui asked, forcing a smile at the one-against-seven.

"Ah, don't worry about my injury. Right now, you're the one under the most pressure as the Hokage, aren't you? I brought you some three-colored dumplings this time. You need to replenish your nutrition if you're staying up all night. This is something Izumi taught me." Itachi ignored the strange aroma and said with a smile, picking up a bag in his hand.

Shisui:…

No, I want a little sister, I don't want a dumpling...