Konoha's Mission Master

Although the Hatake Secret Manual is a ninjutsu, it carries some characteristics of Sage Mode after being advanced to the Master level.

As Kakashi breathed, lightning crackled.

One darkness and one day.

Alternating light and shadow…

This is the tempering and refining of Kakashi's body by the power of nature. It is conceivable that after regaining consciousness... Kakashi's physical attributes will be greatly enhanced.

Today I sparred with Yukotsu Chiyuki under immense pressure.

Kakashi understood the secret of the Hatake Secret Scripture and used his own chakra to draw upon the natural power of lightning in the world to resonate with it.

At fourteen years old, the secret manual of Hatake, master level... accomplished!

……

PS: Requesting monthly votes.

Chapter 282 Preparation, Conversation Under the Moon

October 20th.

Yakumo lay on the roof, enjoying the gentle breeze.

At this moment... Gold coins: 19500.

The daily task yields 300 gold coins per day.

Within two days, the Wood Release Manual will definitely be upgraded.

Yakumo gazed at the brilliant starry sky.

The Dao Transformation level... is absolutely comparable to the Six Paths level. At that time, Yakumo Yata will have the power to completely crush Orochimaru.

During this period, the ninja world was peaceful, and neither Orochimaru nor Madara Uchiha showed up, as if the two had completely vanished from the world.

Secretly... Orochimaru has already spread information about the events of the night of the attack on Konoha among the high-ranking officials of all the major ninja villages.

Konoha's prestige has been damaged to varying degrees.

Hatake Sakumo wanted to change this situation, but there was not only Orochimaru as an external threat, but also Uchiha Madara, who was secretly eyeing the situation.

Konoha's current external policy can only be... to seek progress while maintaining stability.

Yakumo heard...

Iwagakure has once again set a bounty of up to 2 billion on Orochimaru, clearly demonstrating the Land of the Dead's relentless pursuit of him.

Unfortunately... very few ninjas accepted the bounty.

After all… Orochimaru escaped safely from Yakumo’s clutches, so his strength must have reached the pinnacle of the entire ninja world.

Many years ago, twenty S-rank bounty ninjas on the black market accepted a mission to hunt down Orochimaru.

Unfortunately... the ending was that all twenty bounty hunters perished.

Orochimaru's strength once terrified the ninja world.

Later... the new god of the ninja world, Iori Yakumo, personally took action.

Only then, within the Land of Earth, Orochimaru was completely eliminated... demonstrating Konoha's power and maintaining peace in the ninja world.

At this moment, Orochimaru reappeared, and Konoha's prestige was naturally affected once again. Some people in the ninja world even believed that Orochimaru had never actually died back then.

That was just a play put on by Orochimaru and Konoha.

After all... coming back from the dead is too bizarre.

Most people... are more willing to believe that Orochimaru never died at all.

Sakumo Hatake asked Yakumo several times when he would leave Konoha to kill Orochimaru and restore Konoha's lost prestige.

Yakumo, however, kept delaying.

It's always best to be safe and sound in everything you do.

Suddenly, Yakumo opened his eyes and immediately sat up... his eyes looking towards the eastern direction of Konohagakure, full of doubt.

"There's no mistake... that's Orochimaru's aura."

Suddenly, Orochimaru's aura appeared within his perception range, but this aura was extremely weak.

"A secret technique to conceal chakra fluctuations, or perhaps a shadow clone?"

Both are possible, but it's easy to tell.

The black and white ball on Yakumo's wrist shattered, revealing a special item sealed inside—the malevolent curse of the Big-Headed Doll.

Yakumo gently pinched the belly of the big-headed doll.

A faint, almost imperceptible gray mist was spreading...

A map formed in front of Yakumo, with layered lines that were quite detailed, as if it had undergone some kind of upgrade within two months.

What he didn't know was that... the energy for upgrading the items... was all provided by Orochimaru.

A blood-soaked, large-headed doll-like image appeared in the void... Without any hesitation, it bit directly at Yakumo.

However, it could not truly touch Yakumo, as if an invisible membrane completely protected Yakumo's body, leaving the big-headed doll helpless.

Gray gas gathered in the air, forming a map.

The red dot representing Orochimaru is hidden within the Land of Rice Fields, indicating that Orochimaru's true form has not moved.

However, Orochimaru's presence could be clearly felt outside Konoha.

Then... it can only be a clone.

Yakumo stood up, his figure rising higher and higher... and he was in the air.

He flew directly towards the direction of Orochimaru's aura and re-formed hand seals to use Yin-Yang Seal to seal the Big-Headed Doll.

In Yakumo's hands, another small black and white sphere shattered, and the Glory Sword Box appeared in his hand, which he easily slung over his back.

In just a few seconds, Yakumo had left Konoha Village.

Beneath its feet, the outline of the black forest constantly changed shape under the influence of the breeze, resembling a giant beast with bared fangs and claws.

A gentle breeze rustled the leaves as they rubbed together.

At the edge of the forest stands a mountain peak tens of meters high, somewhat abrupt compared to the surrounding forest, like a crane standing out among chickens.

On this hilltop, there is a square pavilion, about five meters high, built by our ancestors. Inside the pavilion sits a rather slender figure.

Yakumo landed in front of the pavilion, and Orochimaru raised his head, looking at Yakumo with some envy.

Orochimaru envied that ability to fly freely.

He is a snake that lives in… a damp cave.

Yet, they also envied the birds flying in the sky.

"Yakumo-kun, please."

A teapot is placed on the stone table in the pavilion.

Pale white steam rises, and the delicate aroma of tea wafts in the breeze. Beside the teapot, there is a plate of fruit and some nuts.

The surface of the teapot is engraved with a snake pattern.

The invitation seemed perfectly ordinary...like that of a regular friend.

Yakumo remained still, observing Orochimaru.

Under the moonlight, Orochimaru's black hair flowed freely, his pure white kimono was without a single wrinkle, and two snake-shaped pendants hung from his earlobes.

Orochimaru is clearly a man, yet he possesses the effeminate qualities of a woman, and wears a humble and gentlemanly smile on his face. These two completely different temperaments are perfectly blended together in a touch of coldness.

Yakumo did not sense any malice in him.

Most importantly, Orochimaru's clone is really weak.

"Yakumo-kun, please," Orochimaru said again.

This time, Yakumo didn't stand on ceremony and went straight into the pavilion, sitting down opposite Orochimaru.

Orochimaru took out a teacup and poured tea for the two of them.

The tea was quite clear, and Yakumo didn't smell any strange odors, only a light tea fragrance lingering in the air.

"Please." Orochimaru was the first to pick up his cup and take a small sip.

Yakumo did not pick up the cup and held his breath cautiously.

"Shadow clones?" Yakumo asked.

“I knew it… I couldn’t hide it from Yakumo-kun.”

"This is not a shadow clone, but another technique, though it functions similarly to a shadow clone."

A strange light flashed in Orochimaru's eyes.

He is now 80% certain that the strange doll that attacked his spirit was Yakumo's doing.

Yakumo nodded. Since it wasn't his true form, it was understandable that he could evade the item's lock.

"Is there something you need?" Yakumo asked directly.

Since Orochimaru didn't come in his true form, he probably wasn't there to fight; he was more likely just there to provoke us.

Based on this analysis... something must have happened.

"No rush... let's talk."

Orochimaru took another sip of tea, glanced at the untouched teacup beside Yakumo, and a hint of melancholy appeared on his face.

"This tea is refreshing and sweet, with a mild bitterness that is not astringent... It would be a shame not to drink it."

“I’m afraid it’s poisonous… Let’s get down to business,” Yakumo said bluntly.

Orochimaru placed the teacup on the table, looked up at Yakumo, and his eyes showed more kindness and enthusiasm.

"I still want to invite Yakumo-kun to climb to the top with me."

“I killed you once, and I also ruined your plans.”