Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

Orochimaru frowned slightly.

He was familiar with the name Kazuma, after all, he had also learned about the forbidden techniques of the Tsuchigumo clan. However, to be honest, he wasn't very interested in purely destructive forbidden techniques. In addition, the forbidden techniques left behind by the Second Hokage were already enough to keep him busy, so he never considered targeting the Tsuchigumo clan.

But five years ago, the pilgrim was attacked and killed.

He knew about this matter.

"However, Sogen-kun, are you asking this question repeatedly because you think it has something to do with Ma and the Akatsuki organization?" Orochimaru keenly sensed something fishy in Sogen's attitude.

"Speaking of which, hasn't anyone mentioned recruiting Kazuma into Akatsuki? According to you, Pain seems to think Akatsuki is short-handed, so why not recruit Kazuma? As a former Guardian Ninja of the Twelve, and having stolen the forbidden technique of the Tsuchigumo clan, he's hardly a weakling. Why not recruit him?"

Zongxian countered with a question.

“I’m just a nobody in the organization, it’s not my place to make decisions like this. But I understand what you mean, you mean... Pain or that guy who claims to be Uchiha Madara has already contacted this Kazuma in private?”

Orochimaru's mind works incredibly fast; he instantly understood what Sogen meant.

"It's possible, but it's only a possibility. I don't have any information to confirm this possibility."

That's enough.

Zongxian said, "As long as you guys don't cause me any trouble, that's enough." He came to see Orochimaru to find out the Akatsuki's recent movements, in case they secretly colluded with Ma and the Akatsuki and suddenly ran to Konoha to give him a big surprise. Even he would have a headache if that happened.

after all,

Every single member of the Akatsuki is a top-tier ninja in the world: Pain, Konan, Kakuzu, Orochimaru, Deidara, Hidan... Even if there are one or two who are just filling in the numbers, if these people were to work together, they could easily take over a ninja village.

Putting everything else aside, just Pain, in my memory, almost single-handedly wiped out Konoha.

"Alright, that's all for now, I'm leaving."

Zongxian finished speaking, then deliberately dispelled his Shadow Clone Technique, turning into a wisp of white smoke and disappearing from sight.

At this moment,

Bai Cai carried the brewed tea to the door.

"Huh? They've already left?" Looking at the laboratory where only Orochimaru remained, Haku blinked and subconsciously looked down at the two cups of hot tea on the tray.

"They left really fast. I was still wondering about that Kazuma hunting bloodline limit thing... Haku, go back to Otogakure next and have those idiots there gather information about the attacks on Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure. They haven't reported anything yet, it's unbelievable... If necessary, you can get rid of a few of these useless people."

"Yes······"

Bai Cai opened his mouth.

Orochimaru then immediately dispelled the Shadow Clone Technique.

Only Bai remained in the spacious laboratory.

"Is tea... only for me to drink alone?"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Konoha Village, Hokage Building.

"Phew..." Zongxian put down his pen, rubbed his temples, and processed the information brought back by his shadow clone. "We can't completely trust Orochimaru's words, but... Kazuma shouldn't have colluded with the Akatsuki yet, at least not like Orochimaru and his group who directly joined in. So this incident... is either Kazuma's doing or Obito Uchiha's doing behind the scenes."

Two possibilities,

He prefers the latter.

Although Sogen had never dealt with this guy before, he didn't think he was capable of causing so much trouble. In just over two months, he accurately attacked the ninjas of Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure who had inherited the bloodline limit, avoiding direct confrontation with the three villages throughout the entire process, demonstrating an unimaginably powerful intelligence gathering ability.

That's something that no one person could do alone.

Even Orochimaru, whose subordinates are scattered throughout the ninja world and whose hideouts are as numerous as the stars, wouldn't dare say he could keep track of the movements of the five great ninja villages at all times. The reason he was able to obtain detailed information about Konoha was because he was originally a Konoha ninja. Even though the village had undergone several purges after his defection, it was impossible to say that all of Orochimaru's pawns had been completely eliminated. Therefore, he was able to obtain most of the less secretive information about Konoha.

But what does it have to do with horses?

As one of the original Twelve Guardian Ninjas

No matter how far he can reach, it's impossible for him to extend his reach to Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure. That would require not only a lot of time but also a large number of professional spies. The five great ninja villages are not so easily infiltrated by spies.

Unless Kazuma has the full support of the Fire Lord behind him, the organization called Oniwaban is not bad in size.

"Dong dong!"

Just then, a rather urgent knocking sounded on the door.

"Come in! What's the matter?" Zongxian looked up and saw Yakushi Kabuto push open the door and walk in.

"Urgent intelligence."

Kabuto Yakushi walked to the desk with the sealed letter, handed it over, and said in a deep voice, "It's a secret report sent jointly by Mangetsu and Kakashi. They were tricked by Kazuma. Mount Sumeru is not Kazuma's lair, but they made another discovery there."

"...A chimera?"

No need for the pharmacist's explanation.

Zongxian skimmed through the letter, noticing the strange vocabulary that would normally be completely unnecessary. He raised an eyebrow. "What are these things? A strange dog carrying a crossbow on its shoulder? A strange snake that can regenerate? A strange bird whose feathers explode... And these three can combine to form an even bigger monster? What the hell? Do they have to point their fingers at each other when they combine?"

"Fingers to fingers?"

Kabuto was puzzled. What did this mean? Was it some kind of fusion ritual? But the letter didn't mention it. Or was this exclusive information possessed by the Hokage's assistant?

"I was just talking nonsense, never mind that. The question now is, what's going on with these monsters? Mangetsu and Kakashi shouldn't dare to talk nonsense, which means that even if Sumiru Mountain isn't Kazuma and the others' lair, there must be someone else inside raising monsters... Also, why is Tsunade-senpai acting with them?"

The secret letter was not long.

The letter contained a great deal of information.

The text described their experience but didn't explain exactly what happened, leaving Zongxian completely confused.

"The origins of these chimeras are still unclear, but... you can take a look at the last part of the letter. It seems that Lady Tsunade is quite familiar with those chimeras. Perhaps new information will be sent back soon."

"...Are you familiar with Tsunade-senpai?"

Zongxian's furrowed brows slowly relaxed.

Although the mission could be considered a failure in terms of not being able to track down Kazuma and the others, it wasn't a complete waste of time because we encountered Tsunade, and she seemed to know a lot about chimeras. Putting everything else aside, if we could use this opportunity to get Tsunade to return to the village again and deliver the final verdict for the Fifth Hokage.

"Send a message to Kakashi and Mangetsu, telling them that it's fine if they can't find Kazuma's whereabouts, but the important thing is to bring Tsunade-senpai back to the village. No matter what method they use, you must bring her back for me."

"...This will give Kakashi and Mangetsu a real headache."

That's their problem.

"I understand."

The pharmacist shrugged and agreed.

Anyway, it's not him who's in a difficult position, so let Kakashi and Mangetsu have their headaches!

[Chapter 304. The Final Step in Evolution]

Kakashi was indeed having a headache.

After receiving the reply from the village, he began to have a headache. The Hokage's assistant ordered them to find a way to invite Tsunade back to the village. The order was easy to give, but the problem was that the order did not specify how to "invite" this great goddess back to the village. It just left them to figure it out on their own.

Is there any way to do this?

Left with no other choice, Kakashi opted for a collective effort.

I'm hoping my friends will give me a surprise.

"do not know."

"not understand."

Chihaya Uchiha and Ameyuri Ringo were steadfast in their individuality, showing no interest in anything other than fighting and enjoying good food. Fortunately, Kakashi was somewhat prepared for this and didn't expect them to offer any useful advice.

He was looking forward to seeing Mangetsu, Itachi, and Kimimaro.

"I have the same headache as you."

Hozuki looked worried and frowning.

As the vice-commander of the Konoha and Kirigakure joint investigation department for rogue ninja, he was on the same level as Kakashi. The Hokage's assistant, or rather, the department head's orders, were not only given to Kakashi, but he also had to bear half the responsibility. The key was that Kakashi was helpless in this matter, so he was even more helpless.

No matter how many years he stayed in Konoha, he was always a Kirigakure ninja.

He didn't think his words would have any impact on Tsunade.

"I don't have any ideas for the time being."

Kimimaro's answer was brief and clear.

"...Lady Tsunade is here." Itachi Uchiha stood up. Their group was still in the palace deep in the Sumiru Mountain. Cleaning up those monsters was only the first step in the investigation. Even though it had been confirmed that this was not Kazuma and the others' residence, it did not mean that this place had no value.

Regardless of whether it was Kazuma or not, the people studying those synthetic beasts here were certainly not benevolent. Since they had discovered such a nest, they naturally wanted to investigate it thoroughly. Of course, this was also related to the fact that they had lost any trace of Kazuma. The sensory ninjas were still wandering around the mountain, searching for clues that were uncertain to exist.

Therefore,

They stayed here for the time being.

"Lady Tsunade."

Kakashi stepped forward and cautiously asked, "Did you find anything?"

"The lab was cleaned very well, and no data was found left behind." Although she said that, Tsunade's expression made it seem that things were not so simple. "However, those research machines that were left behind are also a kind of intelligence. I have already checked them. Although many of the machines can be seen to be privately developed, the standards in all aspects are those left behind by my great-uncle."

"This means..."

Kakashi's expression immediately changed, realizing that this seemed to be related to the village again.

"The owner of this place was a Konoha ninja, or rather, the word 'formerly' should be added before that." Tsunade sighed softly.

"Could it be... Orochimaru?"

Even though it was Kakashi who said the name himself, he couldn't help but feel nervous. But he couldn't help it; this strange place involuntarily reminded him of Orochimaru. As Konoha's most famous rogue ninja, perhaps the name was no longer well-known among teenagers.

However, Kakashi and his generation clearly understood just how powerful the Legendary Sannin of Konoha were!

Orochimaru's betrayal once brought tremendous upheaval to Konoha.

"Do not."

To Kakashi's and the others' surprise,

Tsunade shook her head.

"It's not Orochimaru. The style of the laboratory here is completely different from Orochimaru's. That guy Orochimaru would never build such a ostentatious palace on the ground... That bastard is a venomous snake that doesn't like the light. Even in this desolate mountain, he wouldn't expose his laboratory on the ground. Besides, there are other details that can rule out the possibility of it being Orochimaru."

"······is that so?"

Kakashi gave a dry reply.