Naruto Dream Fulfillment Master!

Chapter 513 Orochimaru could only live as a "shadow" in his dreams.

the next day.

The Land of Fields, Orochimaru's underground base.

Orochimaru opened his eyes, the scenes from last night's dream still swirling in his mind, unlikely to dissipate anytime soon.

The old man's solemn expression as he entrusted the Hokage position, Jiraiya's obnoxious grin, and Tsunade's punch in the chest—

Thinking of this, Orochimaru couldn't help but curl his lips upwards.

He rarely wakes up in such a good mood in the morning, and today is clearly an exception.

After a quick wash and change, Orochimaru left the room and walked deeper into the underground base along the corridor.

He had just reached the vicinity of the experimental area when a crashing sound came, followed by an even louder boom.

This training ground was specially modified by him for Kimimaro.

Both the ground and the surrounding walls were made of special materials and reinforced with multiple techniques, making them strong enough to withstand the intense corrosion caused by the mutated corpse bone veins.

In a normal training ground, Kimimaro probably wouldn't be able to withstand several of his full-force attacks.

Orochimaru pushed open the iron gate.

In the center of the training field, a white figure was moving back and forth at an astonishing speed.

Kimimaro's toes barely touched the ground as he abruptly turned, the gray-white bone blade extending from his palm slicing through a reinforced training puppet. The hard shell was easily cut open, the edges of the crack quickly turning grayish-black.

Dou was already waiting at the edge of the field.

He held the notebook in one hand and quickly wrote down the data he had just received with the other.

Hearing the door open, he turned around and bowed his head respectfully.

"Lord Orochimaru, you seem to be in a very good mood today."

Orochimaru did not deny it, and his hoarse voice carried a rare hint of pleasure.

"I did have a rather interesting dream."

After speaking, he turned his gaze to the white-haired boy in the center of the training field.

"How is Kimimaro doing?"

Dou immediately opened his notebook and pushed up his glasses.

"Kimimaro is currently doing well, and his recovery is even better than expected."

"Whether it's cell activity, chakra, or the stability of the Shikotsumyaku under high-intensity combat, all key parameters have stabilized. The fusion of the two three-tomoe Sharingan with the body is also going very smoothly, and no rejection reaction has been detected so far."

"Under the continuous suppression of the Sharingan's power, the previous symptoms of bloodline disease have completely disappeared. Several consecutive examinations have not shown any recurrence. The high-speed regeneration ability he demonstrated in battle also shows that the body's repair ability is no longer hampered by the disease."

"The consumption after the complete release of the cursed seal is still considerable, but it has not caused the deterioration that occurred in the past. Kimimaro's current physique has surpassed the original limits of the Kaguya clan."

At this point, Dou turned a few pages.

"Lord Orochimaru, I also made a detailed record of the entire battle outside Sunagakure."

"After Kimimaro fully released his cursed seal, he was able to confront Sasori's Third Kazekage puppet head-on. His Dance of the Early Ferns withstood the Sand Iron World Law head-on. Neither side was able to gain the upper hand for a short period of time. The data from that battle is very valuable. I have already compiled it and placed it on your experimental table."

In the battle outside Sunagakure, he had Kabuto and Kimimaro hold off Sasori and Deidara in the desert. This was partly to lure them away from their own territory and make it easier for him to achieve another goal, but he also wanted to test Kimimaro's physical condition through actual combat.

Kimimaro's answer was far better than he had expected.

As an S-rank rogue ninja, even if Orochimaru himself were to face the Third Kazekage's puppet and the omnipresent iron sand, he wouldn't dare say he could easily defeat Sasori.

Kimimaro was able to fight him head-on and force him to use his true abilities, which is enough to show that his body has been completely transformed.

Orochimaru nodded in satisfaction.

"Well done, Dou."

He closed the notebook, bowed his head, and replied, "It's what I should do."

In the center of the training field, Kimimaro had stopped moving.

The bone blades and spurs extending outside the body retracted one by one, and the tiny wounds left on the skin healed within a few breaths.

Upon hearing Orochimaru's voice, he didn't hesitate for a moment. He immediately turned around, quickly walked to Orochimaru, and knelt down on one knee.

"Lord Orochimaru." Kimimaro's usually overly quiet face now revealed an undisguised anticipation.

Orochimaru looked down at the boy before him and said with satisfaction, "I've already witnessed that battle."

"You did very well, Kimimaro. You've become even better than before."

After this simple compliment, a faint blush quickly rose on Kimimaro's originally pale face.

"Only when I can serve you will this reborn body have any real value."

He raised his head and said earnestly and firmly, "Lord Orochimaru, now that my body has fully recovered and is even stronger than before, I am more suitable than ever to become your vessel."

"The last battle has proven the capabilities of this body. I can offer it to you at any time, just give the order."

Kimimaro paused for a moment, but the fervor in his eyes remained unwavering.

"This is my only wish in my life. Please grant it, Lord Orochimaru."

The training ground fell silent for a brief moment.

Kabuto stood to the side, silent, observing Orochimaru's reaction through his glasses.

Orochimaru was also stunned for a moment.

This should have been the sentence that best suited his taste.

Kimimaro's body has stabilized, and his mutated Shikotsumyaku far exceeds the original limit of the Kaguya clan. From any perspective, he is a rare vessel.

However, just as he was about to speak, the images from his dream last night surfaced in his mind without warning.

Orochimaru was silent for a moment, then reached out and gently patted Kimimaro's shoulder twice.

"No rush. Your body has only just recovered and needs further observation. We can discuss the container later."

Kimimaro's disappointment was fleeting; he quickly lowered his head again, remaining as obedient as ever without the slightest hesitation.

"Yes, everything will be done according to your will."

Kabuto stood aside, taking in this unusual answer.

He cautiously changed the subject.

"Lord Orochimaru, what about the other target from the last operation?"

The moment Gaara was mentioned, the last trace of a smile on Orochimaru's face vanished, leaving only a chilling coldness in his snake-like eyes.

The prey that was already within their grasp was forcibly taken away.

No one would like this outcome.

"I won't let that matter go."

Orochimaru let out a cold laugh.

Just then, the air in the center of the training field silently distorted, and ripples spread out out of thin air, quickly converging into a rotating spatial vortex.

Kimimaro had already gotten up from the ground and stood in front of Orochimaru, a gray-white bone blade protruding from his palm.

Kabuto also took a half step back to the side, making room for casting his spell.

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, his killing intent instantly enveloping the entire training ground, locking onto the figure that emerged from the spatial vortex.

The newcomer was dressed in a black robe with red cloud patterns and wore an orange spiral mask; he was the one who had ruined his plans earlier.

"hehe."

Orochimaru crossed his arms and looked at the other person coldly.

"You cowardly rat, you ruined my plans, and now you dare to come knocking on my door."

Despite the malice emanating from the room, Obito seemed oblivious, still speaking in Tobi's relaxed and irritating tone, "Hey, don't get so worked up, Orochimaru."

He spread his hands and chuckled nonchalantly.

"After all, our cooperation must continue, right?"

the other side.

Sunagakure Village, Sasori's residence.

Deidara paced around the living room, peeked into the yard twice, and finally walked to Sasori's room with a puzzled look on his face.

"Where did that idiot Ah Fei go? He disappeared in the blink of an eye, huh!"

Scorpion raised his head from in front of the workbench.

Several sketches of mechanical structures were spread out on the table, and a few disassembled small parts were neatly arranged to the side.

"Given that guy's elusive nature, he's probably gone back to Amegakure first."

"Tch, you run pretty fast."

Deidara shrugged, not taking Afei's whereabouts too seriously.

He went into the kitchen, poured himself a glass of water, leaned against the doorframe, took a couple of sips, then, as if remembering something, turned and asked, "But seriously, is it okay for us to stay here?"

"The Third Kazekage's puppet has been exposed. Your grandmother saw it with her own eyes that day. After all, it was the Third Kazekage."

Scorpion didn't even raise his head, he just shook his head indifferently.

"Don't worry."

He raised one hand, and with a slight twitch of his fingers, a thin, almost invisible blue chakra thread lit up at his fingertip, then quietly disappeared.

"I just released the puppet bird to survey the area above the village. The patrol team's setup is the same as yesterday; there have been no additional personnel or blockades at any exits."

"If the old woman wanted to harm me, she wouldn't have covered for me in the desert that day. Since she chose to remain silent, she won't go back on her word anytime soon. At least for now, it's safe for us to stay in Sunagakure."

Deidara gave a thoughtful "hmm" and was about to speak again when Sasori seemed to sense something and his brow furrowed slightly.

"That troublesome kid, why is he here again?"

Familiar footsteps soon echoed outside the courtyard.

The person went straight to the main entrance without slowing down at all, and then the door was pushed open from the outside.

Kankuro burst into the courtyard excitedly.

He wasn't wearing his patrol uniform today, but had changed into a training outfit that allowed him to move around freely. Before he even stepped into the living room, his voice was already audible.

"Scorpion-senpai!"

Kankuro strode into the living room, his excitement barely concealed by the purple face paint.

Ever since witnessing Scorpion's puppetry skills, he has become a completely loyal follower of Scorpion.

Seeing Kankuro's appearance, Deidara couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Hehe, I didn't know that."

He winked at Scorpion, his tone full of schadenfreude and mockery.

"Scorpion, you're quite popular in Sunagakure, huh!"

Sasori completely ignored the teasing and simply looked coldly at Kankuro.

"What is it?"

Feeling a little embarrassed by his idol's gaze, Kankuro rubbed his hands together, straightened up, and honestly explained his purpose.

"It's like this, Senior Scorpion, Professor Maki asked me to invite you over."

"The puppets you gave to the village before have already been distributed to the elite members of the puppet army by Teacher Maki."

At this point, Kankuro's expression became somewhat embarrassed.

He raised his hand and scratched his cheek, saying, "The problem is, those guys' skills are really lacking; they never seem to get the hang of controlling the puppets—"

"So Professor Maki would like to ask you to go to the training ground in person and give them some pointers. After all, these works of art are all your creations, and only you know the internal structure best."

The living room fell silent for a moment.

"Idiots." Sasori sneered disdainfully. "They can't even use a puppet that can be controlled with just one chakra thread. What kind of puppeteers are they? They should just go back to the ninja academy and play in the mud."

Although the internal structure of these puppets was intricate, he had already built a complete chakra conduction structure within them.

For a truly qualified puppeteer, simply connecting the chakra threads to the core allows them to control the puppet as if it were their own arm.

Kankuro was sweating profusely from the scolding, and could only nod and laugh awkwardly, not daring to defend the puppet troops at all.

However, after the reprimand, Scorpion did not get up immediately.

The ninjas chosen by Maki and the old woman must be elites from the Sunagakure puppet army.

How could a group of battle-hardened elite puppeteers not even be able to control a human puppet of this level?

This is completely illogical.

What exactly is Maki planning by concocting such a flawed reason to invite him to the training ground?

"senior?"

Seeing that Sasori did not respond for a long time, Kankuro tentatively asked a question with some trepidation.

Scorpion then stood up from the chair.

"Let's go."

"I want to see just how bad those guys who can't even handle basic operations really are."

If Maki has any plans, just go and take a look, and you'll know for sure.

On the streets of Sunagakure, the constant dry wind whips up yellow sand, passing between the earthen and stone buildings.

Kankuro and Sasori walked down the street, one in front of the other.

"Thinking about that dream last night, it still seems really absurd."

-

Kankuro, who had been holding it in all the way, finally couldn't resist and leaned close to Sasori, saying, "Satoshi-senpai, you saw it last night too, right? Orochimaru becoming Hokage? That dream was just too absurd."

Scorpion continued walking, sneering, "It's an insult to the name 'Shadow'."

"Actually—" Kankuro cleared his throat, his back unconsciously straightening up a bit, and continued with extra seriousness, "If you ask me, trash like Orochimaru doesn't deserve to be a Kage at all. Only someone as powerful as Sasori-senpai, who always cares about the village, is qualified to become a Kage."

"Orochimaru is not even worthy of carrying your shoes."

The scorpion stopped in its tracks.

He turned his head and looked Kankuro up and down, a gaze that gave Kankuro goosebumps.

"Who taught you to say that?"

"Huh? Nobody's here."

Kankuro's eyes began to dart uncomfortably to both sides, while he still managed to force himself to stay silent.

"These are my heartfelt feelings, Senior Scorpion, you were originally—"

"Oh."

Scorpion sneered, directly interrupting his sophistry.

"How could you say such a thing?"

Kankuro's face stiffened.

He originally wanted to hold on a little longer, but under Scorpion's all-seeing gaze, his clumsy pretense couldn't even last a moment.

"hey-hey----"

Kankuro scratched the back of his head sheepishly and had no choice but to confess honestly.

"Actually, it was Professor Maki who told me to say it."

"He said that if the topic of 'movies' came up on the way, I should casually mention it and see how Scorpion-senpai would react. But what I just said was all from the heart; Maki-sensei just—tells me to find an opportunity to say it."

Scorpion withdrew his gaze, did not respond immediately, but simply raised his hand to touch his chin.

First, they lied and claimed that the elite of the puppet army controlled puppets that no one understood, and then invited him to the training ground so that he could come into contact with the most elite group of puppeteers in Sunagakure.

Now Kankuro is testing him with these easily understood lines.

What kind of strength and dedication to the village are required to qualify as a Shadow?

Maki clearly wanted to see if he was interested in the position of Kazekage.

Could it be that guy really intends to let him stay and succeed the Fifth Kazekage?

The images from last night's dream flashed through Scorpion's mind again.

If someone like Orochimaru can become Hokage, why can't Sasori, the puppet genius of Sunagakure, become Kazekage?

If he doesn't even dare to try, wouldn't that make him seem less magnanimous than that stinky snake that he has always looked down upon?

not to mention----

Sasori raised his head, his gaze piercing through the sandstorm, landing on the Kazekage Building at the end of the street, a symbol of the highest power in Sunagakure.

Orochimaru, that poor bastard, can only indulge in his dream of being Hokage in the end.

After waking up, he could still only hide in the underground base in the Land of Fields, where the sun never shines.

But Sasori of the Red Sand is different.

He truly has a legitimate chance to become the Kazekage in the real world.

Not long after, Kankuro brought Sasori to the training ground on the west side of the village.

This is an open sandy area surrounded by a high, earthen-yellow wall. The ground is covered with a layer of fine sand that has been repeatedly trampled down, and training stakes and targets are scattered around.

At this moment, nine ninjas stood neatly in the center of the training ground.

The nine people were divided into three groups of three, arranged in a triangular formation, forming three standard combat squads.

Each person had a human puppet standing beside them, their dark red robes fluttering gently in the wind.

The nine people were breathing steadily, and their chakra was not weak.

Even though Sasori and Kankuro had already entered the training ground, they remained standing motionless, clearly skilled fighters who had undergone rigorous training.

No matter how you look at it, they are all elites carefully selected from the Sand Village puppet army, including some Jonin.

Scorpion even vaguely remembered two of them.

Before he left Sunagakure, these two were young Chunin working under him.

Unexpectedly, after so many years, they have become elite puppeteers capable of working independently.

He even specially picked out his old acquaintances.

Scorpion glanced at the three overly neatly arranged squads in front of him, a cold smile playing on his lips.

As expected, Maki's purpose was not so simple.

The setup was so neat and orderly that even Kankuro wouldn't believe it wasn't pre-arranged.