I'm drawing manga in Naruto

The next second, he didn't linger and immediately flew away.

Madara didn't grab him, but frowned as he pondered Akabane's emotions—calm at first, then suddenly fluctuating wildly...

This kid tricked me!

"Never mind, it's just an experiment anyway. But even Jue couldn't prevent me from eavesdropping... This kid is suspicious."

Ban pondered to himself.

In terms of mental strength alone, Black Zetsu is definitely stronger than Akabane. However, Black Zetsu was unaware that Madara possessed this ability, making him vulnerable to Madara's ability to detect his emotions when caught off guard. But the Whisper-Whisper Fruit proved ineffective against Akabane...

Who knows, maybe this kid knows his own abilities?

Ban pondered for a moment, somewhat unsure of the situation.

It's no wonder he's suspicious; Akabane is the creator of One Piece, and that kid might have a way of identifying Devil Fruit abilities.

After thinking for a while, he turned and headed towards the Land of Wind.

Hei Jue definitely had a lot to hide from him, but one thing was true—the Third Kazekage of the Land of Wind was indeed very useful.

Meanwhile, Akabane returned to the caravan's shop.

I had just put on a facade of my emotions, but when I came back, I realized that I was still too flustered in front of Ban, and I overacted in many places. Ban probably noticed something was wrong.

However, it's not his fault.

At first, Madara acted like a lonely old man on the street, and Akabane didn't think of it that way at all. By the time he realized it, it was already too late.

Say.

What are you pretending to be so important with just a Whisper Fruit, and an Ice Fruit too...?

Are you that concerned about saving face?

I'm not afraid of being laughed at by the ninja world if this gets out!

Akabane sat for a while, unsure where to begin his rant.

After thinking for a while, and having gathered enough intelligence, he decided it would be best to return as soon as possible.

Anyway, we can basically guess the situation in the Land of Rivers and Madara's whereabouts, so there's no point in staying any longer. It's safer to go back.

Chapter 296 Even if I, Orochimaru, die, I will never…

"You brat, you went out without even saying goodbye?"

As soon as they returned to the village, the Third Generation came knocking on their door. They probably had something to discuss with Akabane earlier, only to find that the kid was no longer there.

Sure enough, people are crowding the comic book store.

Akabane gave an awkward laugh and then explained, "I had to go out for a bit..."

The third generation wanted to smoke, but noticing the papers scattered all over the break room, he put the cigarette back and said irritably, "Let's talk in the office."

"okay."

Akabane didn't say a word.

According to the rules, any ninja leaving the village must report to the guard or explain the reason to the Third Hokage.

However, he knew very well that if he told his superiors, he definitely wouldn't be able to go this time.

not to mention……

There is some content inside that is not suitable to be shared with others.

The two went to the office, and the Third Hokage took out a scroll and said, "This is a letter from Amegakure. It is in Hanzo's handwriting. He claims that he met Uchiha Madara."

spot?

impossible.

Akabane paused for a moment, then took it and looked at it.

The description of Madara above is vague, so it's clear that Hanzo didn't actually see Madara. He thought for a moment and asked, "Shouldn't you have discussed this with your teacher?"

The Third Hokage gave him a cold look and said irritably, "Danzo is in charge of Sunagakure and asked me to talk to you."

"Hmm... alright, if you ask me, the Madara that Hanzo saw was definitely fake, because the real Madara was in the Land of Rivers for a while, and I even ran into Madara before I came back."

Akabane then recounted his experience on this trip.

of course.

He decided to leave Kakuzu's matter aside for the time being.

"You knew Madara was in the Land of Rivers, yet you still went there to look for him. Were you afraid you wouldn't live long enough?"

The third generation was very angry.

To put it bluntly, Akabane is a very important cornerstone for Konoha's future. If anything were to happen to him, both he and Danzo would be extremely saddened.

Therefore, from his perspective, it was absolutely impossible for him to agree to something like meeting Madara alone.

It was precisely because of this that Akabane did not explain to the Third Hokage beforehand, but instead chose to go to the Land of Rivers alone.

Faced with the Third Hokage's reprimand, he could only nod and bow in submission. After all, the Third Hokage was unwilling to let him take any risks, which was why he was so agitated after learning about this matter.

After a burst of furious venting, the third generation's anger subsided somewhat.

He sat smoking, pondering the intelligence Akabane had brought back. After a long while, he finally spoke again: "Sunagakure sent more than twenty squads, which our reconnaissance teams have all discovered. However, Madara is still in the Land of Rivers..."

"Now we might go to the Land of Wind."

Akabane offered a reminder.

It's still hard to say whether Madara's goal is to become a Jinchūriki, but the Land of Wind is definitely one of the most suitable countries for Madara to go to right now.

Vast and sparsely populated, it's a good place to hide yourself.

Of course, the environment is indeed quite harsh.

The Third Hokage nodded. He had considered this as well. If that's the case, then the one who appeared in Amegakure wasn't Madara, but most likely Black Zetsu.

Thinking about this, he felt a bit worried again.

Hanzo's title of "demigod" did not come from prestige or fame, but from real power. If he were to side with Madara and Black Zetsu, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Although Hanzo is still sending them intelligence, it would be too hasty and foolish to determine Amegakure's stance based solely on this intelligence.

Red feather eyes observe the nose, and the nose observes the heart.

He really hadn't expected Black Zetsu...

Even after parting ways, he still "enthusiastically" and frantically sought sponsors for Madara, making him an incredibly good teammate in the ninja world. Even Madara himself would be "moved to tears" seeing this.

Black Zetsu is still determined to harm me!

The move to win over Amegakure, seemingly to help Madara increase his strength, also revealed that Madara was still alive.

Once this news spreads, everyone will take notice of this legendary figure who once dominated the ninja world.

Everyone has their limits, especially someone as old as Ban.

Judging from this, Black Zetsu probably really has fallen out with Madara.

He thought for a few seconds and finally shared his conclusion with the third generation, which was praised and appreciated by the third generation.

These are things that three generations might not have thought of.

However, his thoughts were more focused on Hanzo's problem, rather than on the hidden information in Black Zetsu's actions.

After their conversation, Akabane prepared to leave the office.

At this moment, the Third Hokage suddenly remembered something: "Oh right, Orochimaru is returning to Konoha today. You are responsible for meeting him to prevent the Jashin Cult from taking advantage of this time to make a move."

"Ok."

The returning personnel are certainly not all of them. Although everyone already knows how to deal with the cult members, there are still too many people and not enough manpower.

A backup is necessary.

However, Akabane remembered that he had just "killed off" Orochimaru in the manga.

This……

After meeting, Orochimaru will probably not be in a good mood.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "I suggest that Tsunade go with us to fight the Jashin Cult. Some of the injuries the ninjas have sustained may not be fully treated by emergency treatment techniques."

"Okay, you can contact them yourself."

The three generations nodded.

With Tsunade involved, the atmosphere wasn't so awkward—although the Eight-Headed Serpent Technique was indeed ugly and disgusting, it was indeed Orochimaru's signature forbidden technique.

Tsunade spends almost every day at the hospital. She is not very old, but her talent in medical ninjutsu is unmatched. Her expertise in this area may even be slightly higher than that of Koharu Utatane.

Upon their reunion, Akabane could sense the changes in her.

The chakra aura weakened, while the Yin Seal aura strengthened considerably, indicating that the research on the forbidden technique of creation and regeneration had not been abandoned recently.

I told Tsunade about it, and she readily agreed.

The next second, Flying Thunder God Technique was activated.

Orochimaru was indeed filled with resentment upon seeing Akabane.

Although he was on a mission, it wasn't difficult to buy the manga within the Land of Fire, so he not only read the manga but also caught up on the latest episodes of the story.

then……

Like Kakuzu, Orochimaru witnessed the death of "himself".

Kakuzu at least died surrounded and beaten by a bunch of people. Although his death was extremely miserable, he still had a lot of face. What about Orochimaru?

He devoured Sasuke, but his mental will was not as strong as that of the disciple who had been taught by him. As a result, his own consciousness space was invaded and he was killed in retaliation.

So stupid!

When Orochimaru saw the ending of the manga, only these three words came to mind; nothing else.

Even if I, Orochimaru, die, am killed on the battlefield, or grow old and frail, I will never research such useless and shameful techniques!

of course.

This is Orochimaru's current thought, and as for whether there will be a "it's actually good" reversal in the future, even he himself cannot be sure.

However, Orochimaru agreed with one particular line.

He longed to know all the principles of the world, hoped to understand all the unknown things, and wanted to understand the meaning of all existence.

From this perspective, the pursuit of immortality is not entirely incomprehensible.

Because of Tsunade's presence, Orochimaru didn't dwell on the matter. After exchanging pleasantries for a while, he excitedly took Tsunade and Akabane to "visit" the spoils of their trip—a bunch of living, sealed cultists.

The most numerous are those who are immortal, but others with abilities such as growing larger or having enhanced regenerative abilities are also collected.

When Akabane saw these undead again, many of them had been reassembled and stitched up, but without exception, they were all without limbs and were imprisoned in small cages constructed by sealing magic, like human sticks.

Orochimaru explained, "Their immortality is slightly different from Hidan's. They can survive for a long time without any problems with their limbs being separated, but they will die if their head is separated for more than half an hour."

"It's aged quite a bit; it's only a semi-finished product."

Akabane quickly noticed the difference.

These people are much older than last time; it seems that this ability to live comes at the same price: life.

This is also normal.

For cults, life is precisely the least valuable thing.

"And what abilities does he possess?"

Gang pointed at a cult member who was simply bound.

"Self-healing, his self-healing ability comes from the chakra of the evil god. To maintain this ability, one must follow the rules of the evil god's cult and perform rituals during its use. It's probably the ability we've encountered most often. You see..."

As Orochimaru spoke, he stabbed the guy.

The cult member was clearly unconscious, but his body began to recover automatically after the knife was pulled out.

Akabane and Orochimaru had encountered this ability back during the Chunin Exams.

However, the cult has now clearly undergone reforms.