Konoha's Mission Master

Yakumo paused for a few seconds before continuing to ask.

"So...you still intend to invite me?"

Orochimaru answered immediately, without hesitation.

"Of course, I've said it before...you made me who I am today!"

"I refuse."

"Too many people have sacrificed their lives on your path."

Yakumo answered softly, surprised that Orochimaru hadn't given up on inviting him after all these years.

This acceptance, coupled with his peculiar obsession, is consistent with his personality.

Unfortunately, those who walk different paths cannot make plans together.

"How can one reach the top without losing anything?"

"Not everyone in this world is as gifted as you!"

Orochimaru first sighed, then looked at Yakumo with an unusually fervent gaze... as if Yakumo were a rare treasure in his eyes.

In his view... Yakumo's talent could not be explained by any theoretical basis; he was a special person who could only be born once every few hundred years.

"I will not slaughter ordinary people in order to become stronger."

Yakumo shook his head, his tone firm.

"You don't know how?"

"of course not."

Orochimaru drank another cup of tea and placed the cup on the table.

His expression suddenly became agitated.

"You have not experienced the loss of precious lives before your eyes, nor have you witnessed the countless comrades-in-arms who died on the battlefield."

You have never experienced the despair of working hard for years but making no progress, nor have you ever felt the pain of losing everything.

How do you know you can't?!

Yakumo remained silent, while Orochimaru's emotions seemed strange, or perhaps agitated.

At the same time, he was recalling everything Orochimaru had said. If he had experienced that sorrow and pain, would he... also be like Orochimaru, resorting to any means to pursue power?

He shouldn't have looked down at Orochimaru with such a disdainful attitude.

"If you had experienced those things... would you..."

Yakumo did not answer immediately, but instead rubbed the teacup with his fingertips, looked at the pale white column of steam, and sighed softly.

"I won't."

If we disregard his memories of his past life, he might have followed Orochimaru's path in pursuit of power.

But the memories of his past life truly exist, making him clearly aware of the weight that life should have.

"When you live in this world, there are some things you can do and some things you can't do. You should have a bottom line in your heart."

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru remained silent and picked up his teacup.

Yakumo could tell that he was deep in thought.

After a long while, Orochimaru raised his head... his tone firm.

"When I clearly understood the limits of life, I began to pursue immortality."

"When I touched the limits of humanity, I began to abandon my established image and make changes and evolve."

"When I realized that individual strength has its limits, I connected with the forces of creation to sustain myself."

Orochimaru's inner journey could fill a book.

The book is titled... The Rise of a Villainous Boss Who Is Not Human.

"In this process, adhering to the bottom line has long become irrelevant."

Orochimaru also once considered protecting Konoha Village as his goal.

But the more he understands the vastness of the world, his own limitations, and the fragility of life itself, the more he sees it as utter foolishness to protect ordinary people.

"No... I still think it's important."

Yakumo remained steadfast in her beliefs.

"You're still too inexperienced and too naive," Orochimaru shook his head.

In his view... Yakumo, though powerful, had very naive ideas. In his eyes, there was a clear distinction between black and white, good and evil.

Orochimaru believed that the world was inherently chaotic, and that all other life forms besides himself were merely nourishment for him to transcend his limits.

"I don't want to argue with you about this. I'm more curious... what brings you here today?"

Both Yakumo and Orochimaru are determined individuals, each with their own understanding and perspective on the world.

Orochimaru could not persuade Yakumo, and Yakumo had no intention of making Orochimaru understand his theories.

"call…"

Orochimaru stood up. The two were positioned on higher ground, where they could clearly see the distant, sprawling forest and the sparsely lit Konoha.

From their perspective, Konoha appeared to be lying quietly on the ground, with occasional flickering lights.

The overall atmosphere is quiet and peaceful, like a paradise.

"Isn't this scenery beautiful?" Orochimaru asked.

"What are you trying to say?" Yakumo stood up and came up behind Orochimaru.

"Of course, we should destroy this beauty and turn it into rubble."

Orochimaru chuckled... He stretched out his hand and slowly clenched his fist towards Konoha... A twisted and perverse smile appeared on his face, along with a chilling aura that hinted at his true intentions.

At this moment, Orochimaru showed no lingering affection or reluctance towards Konoha on his face; only a hint of madness, determined to achieve his goal, was hidden in his eyes.

"Yakumo-kun, that blood-red doll was one of your tricks, wasn't it?"

“That’s right,” Yakumo readily admitted.

"When do you plan to... destroy Konoha?"

“If you are willing to remove that spell… I can cancel the plan.”

Orochimaru did not answer Yakumo's question directly, but turned his head and looked at Yakumo as he continued.

"You should know... if I wanted to destroy Konoha, you couldn't stop me."

At this moment, his tone was somewhat chilling, like a lonely north wind blowing across thousands of miles.

Yes... that is indeed true.

"It will take about two days to remove this spell."

Yakumo clenched his fists slightly, his right leg trembling unnaturally, revealing his rather agitated state, while his face also showed anger.

"Then I'll wait for your good news," Orochimaru replied with a smile.

In fact, he was just deceiving Yakumo into lowering his guard so that he could reverse the path of the Otsutsuki bloodline.

He couldn't possibly give up... Kushina Uzumaki, who possessed the purest Uzumaki bloodline, and Hiashi Hyuga, who possessed the purest Hyuga bloodline.

The next second, Yakumo blasted Orochimaru's body apart, his expression changing from anger to calm, with a hint of coldness hidden deep in his eyes.

"Don't worry...it will only take two days."

He knew... Orochimaru couldn't possibly abandon the plan.

Some even speculate that Orochimaru had other motives for destroying Konoha.

When Orochimaru mentioned destroying Konoha, his eyes... were so resolute and determined, like a believer about to receive divine blessings.

Two days later, the Wood Release Secret Manual will reach the Transformation level, at which point Yakumo will possess the power to directly annihilate Orochimaru.

"Do I have to wait two days?" Yakumo asked in his mind.

It wouldn't be difficult for Yakumo to defeat Orochimaru, but the real concern is that his organization might be hiding other powerful forces.

Madara Uchiha was still outside the surveillance range of Konoha.

"Phew...we still need to rethink our plans."

It was past midnight, and the daily tasks refreshed.

Yakumo immediately started running.

After running a distance of about ten kilometers.

"submit."

First daily quest... complete.

"Orochimaru, just wait for me quietly."

……

PS: Requesting monthly votes.

Chapter 283, Journey Two Hundred and Eighty-Three, Minato Namikaze

The next day, early in the morning.

After having breakfast, Yakumo completed all his daily tasks.

Gold coins: 19800.

The two tasks are separated by a fine line.

Yakumo was walking towards the Hokage's office.

At this moment, Sakumo Hatake was already behind his desk, writing furiously and dealing with the mountain of documents.

Due to abandoning the unexpected mission to the Land of Fire, Konoha's income has shrunk significantly during this period.

Fortunately... Konoha Hospital's life cell engineering continues to reap the wealth of the entire ninja world, which keeps income and expenditure basically balanced.