From Naruto onwards, I've become a dreamer.

Chapter 449 Grace or Destruction

The members of the Twilight Hermits, in a state of panic, fled Konoha and reunited at the agreed-upon location.

Everyone's expression was different; some were angry, some were calm, and some had their heads down, seemingly lost in thought.

The plan, which was painstakingly formulated and involved a great deal of manpower and resources, ultimately ended in failure.

"What about them?"

Mikoto Uchiha frowned and looked at the two empty seats.

"They're not back yet."

Orochimaru frowned, his expression grave.

Then, suppressing her anger, Mikoto Uchiha turned her attention to Onoki, her eyes icy as she said, "If you hadn't stopped him, that guy would be dead by now. What exactly do you mean by that?"

"Are you doubting me?" Onoki frowned, meeting the slightly questioning gazes of the crowd, but his expression remained calm as he said unhurriedly, "I think I have already explained that I believe we may be able to obtain the method to awaken Lord 'Adam' from White Zetsu."

"Hmph, who knows what you're really thinking?"

Mikoto Uchiha smiled coldly, her blood-red tomoe slightly rotating, her deep voice laced with killing intent: "You should be quite pleased to hear what White Zetsu said, shouldn't you?"

call!

The brass oil lamp, burning with candlelight, suddenly swayed and fluttered.

Against the backdrop of Onoki's face, half-lit and half-shadowed, exuding an eerie aura, he lowered his eyelids and said without showing any emotion, "Mikoto, you need to calm down, instead of biting people like a mad dog."

Upon hearing this, a flash of anger crossed Mikoto Uchiha's eyes, and she retorted sarcastically, "If I'm a mad dog, then what are you? An old dog yearning to replace Lord 'Adam's' power? Don't think you're hiding it well; your ambition, Onoki, the two-day scales scale, has already been exposed!"

"Uchiha Mikoto, you've gone too far."

Even with his good temper, Onoki couldn't hold back any longer, and a surge of spirituality welled up in the depths of his pupils.

"Did I say something wrong, you old dog?"

Unfazed, Mikoto Uchiha retorted coldly, "Don't think I don't know. Ever since Lord 'Adam' fell into slumber, you've been expanding Iwagakure's strength, from laws to culture, and you're even secretly searching for Lord 'Adam.' What exactly are you planning to do?"

"I've explained this many times, Uchiha Mikoto."

Suppressing his anger, Onoki said in a deep voice, "From expanding the fighting strength of Iwagakure to strengthening the laws and culture, everything is to curb the Aurora Society and White Zetsu. As for finding Lord 'Adam,' it's to find a way to awaken Him."

"Ha, who knows?"

It must be said that Uchiha Mikoto, as a "Hunter" type, is absolutely skilled at provocation.

In just a few words, Onoki lost his composure. His face turned bluish-purple, he was panting heavily, and his eyes were filled with terrifying bloodshot veins.

Just as the atmosphere was tense and a fight was about to break out, Orochimaru slammed his hand on the table.

"That's enough!"

Orochimaru spoke sternly, stopping the two who were arguing.

Looking around at everyone, he exhaled a breath of stale air and said in a hoarse voice, "The responsibility for this matter lies with me. I failed to kill White Zetsu in time."

His words essentially took the initiative to shoulder the responsibility for the entire plan's failure.

"snort."

Mikoto Uchiha remained silent.

Onoki suppressed his anger, sat down again, and said to himself, "No need. The greatest responsibility for this matter lies with me. It was because I trusted White Zetsu's words that I missed the opportunity."

"There's one more thing I need to say."

Orochimaru rubbed his throbbing temples. The battle had severely damaged his spiritual energy, and he could only endure the excruciating pain of his torn mind as he said in a deep voice, "White Zetsu likely used 'psychological suggestion' when he spoke, with the aim of dividing us. So everyone, please don't fall for it."

Before leaving, Bai Jue's words were like a bombshell, causing a huge uproar in everyone's hearts.

The purpose was simple: to plant a time bomb within the Twilight Hermits' Society.

Having said that, he narrowed his snake-like eyes, as if scrutinizing everyone's faces.

"I have never believed White Zetsu's words."

Mikoto Uchiha remained calm and composed, without any hesitation whatsoever.

I agree with her.

Xiao Nan couldn't tell what she was thinking.

"Same."

Onoki's answer was brief.

But Orochimaru's gaze lingered on him for half a second longer.

"The plan has failed; White Zetsu will likely be promoted soon."

Orochimaru withdrew his gaze, looked at them solemnly, and said in a deep voice, "We must be extremely careful during this period of time. Now we can only wait for Lord 'Adam' to awaken."

The flickering candlelight then went out one by one.

Correspondingly, the members of the Twilight Hermit Society all left, leaving Orochimaru alone.

After a while, another candle was lit.

Noticing the flickering candlelight, Orochimaru opened his eyes: "You're back?"

"Um."

The candlelight illuminated Bai Ya's face.

However, White Fang looked rather disheveled at this moment, with hideous wounds all over his body, indicating that he had been through a great battle.

"What exactly happened?"

Orochimaru looked at White Fang opposite him, his words tinged with a hint of resentment: "Just a little bit more, just a tiny bit more, and we could have eliminated that damned traitor."

Upon hearing this, White Fang sighed bitterly and said, "It was the Sage of Six Paths. In the original plan, he was to be the main force to hold off Obito Uchiha, and I was the second line of defense. But something happened in the middle, and the Sage of Six Paths left directly, which greatly shortened the time."

"Leaving suddenly?"

Orochimaru paused, his brows furrowing deeply as he pondered, "Could it be related to the secret of the Pure Land that forced the Sage of Six Paths to leave?"

The Pure Land, the final resting place of the soul after death, holds a great secret.

Although the Sage of Six Paths remained silent about this matter, it was quite obvious from the various signs he observed in daily life.

The Sage of Six Paths concealed from them a very important matter, one that was clearly of great significance.

"The matter must be very serious, otherwise he wouldn't have looked so serious when he left."

White Tooth leaned back in his chair as if relaxing, and added a sentence.

Just then, the brass lamp at the end lit up, and a figure suddenly appeared.

"The Sage of Six Paths?"

Orochimaru and Sakumo were somewhat surprised.

"it's me."

The Sage of Six Paths seemed very tired and said in a deep voice, "I have some very bad news to tell you."

Orochimaru and Sakumo exchanged a glance, and seemed to see shock in each other's eyes.

The fact that the Sage of Six Paths could show such a serious expression clearly meant it was no small matter. Combining this with the previous speculation, an answer seemed to emerge in my mind.

"Is it a secret about Pure Land?"

Orochimaru asked cautiously.

"you."

The Sage of Six Paths seemed to realize something after saying only half of his sentence, and then said bitterly, "That's right, it's related to the secret of the Pure Land."

really!

Orochimaru's guess was confirmed, but he showed no joy whatsoever: "What exactly happened?"

"Adam once went to the Pure Land and instructed me to keep that secret."

The Sage of Six Paths looked distressed and said, "But now, for some unknown reason, the 'secret' that has been suppressed in the Pure Land has completely broken through the seal left by 'Adam' and has surged directly into the material world, and is now entrenched underground on this planet."

"Is there a problem with that?"

White Tooth asked with some confusion.

"Yes, and the problem is serious."

The Sage of Six Paths sighed, "I once asked Adam what that thing was, and His answer was that it was the source of everything. The fact that it is flowing into the material world means that the power of the 'primordial' will affect the entire ninja world. I don't know what this means. Perhaps it is a blessing, or perhaps it is destruction."

(End of this chapter)