Thank you for being my patron.
The List of The "ANBU" Member:
-Korron Hightower
-Z3kChrome
-Paolo Garcia
-Abel Yapura
-Auzzo
-EaterOfTheDead
-PandaSho
-Red Rabbit
-Robert Thompson
-Glizzy
-Dwaynedg
-John Doe
-KATL-Chief
-Astro
-ar4ngel
-Ninedust
-Nako
-MUHAMED BELOSANOV
-Hochmuetig
You can read 40 chapters ahead of everyone on p@treon.
P@TREON - p@treon.com/lessaservantofcosmos
(just replace the "@" with "a")
ps: Please support me on P@treon. I can really use your help!
-------------------------------------------------------------
Near the Village of Konoha.
"Tap! Tap! Tap!"
In a tranquil forest, the crisp sound of footsteps echoed as a graceful figure arrived.
With long, flowing black hair cascading down to her waist and a fair face adorned with bright, clear eyes, she gazed intently ahead.
Her figure was tall and slender, having completely outgrown the immaturity of her youth, now exuding an enchanting allure.
Raising her hand slightly towards a rocky cliff ahead, she commanded with a delicate yet firm voice,
"Hadō #33. Sōkatsui!"
As her words fell, a pale blue flame suddenly gathered between her fair palms, then quickly shot towards the massive cliff!
"Boom—"
The roaring flames exploded, scorching the cliff. The intense heat caused the rock to weaken, crumbling and falling apart.
The entire cliff's color began to change dramatically.
As the searing pale flames continued to burn, the woman withdrew her hand slightly and remarked in a clear, melodious voice,
"The power this time is quite impressive. It seems even without incantation, it can still unleash nearly half its full power."
However, her voice abruptly stopped.
She quickly turned her head to glance at the forest behind her, her fair face turning icy cold.
The black and white of her eyes swiftly turned blood-red, revealing the three-tomoe Sharingan as she fixed her gaze on the dense forest, coldly demanding,
"Who's there?!"
A gentle breeze stirred the leaves, causing a soft rustling sound.
From the shadowy corner of the trees, a figure slowly emerged, with a pale face and narrow, snake-like eyes staring at the woman with interest. In a hoarse voice, he spoke,
"How interesting, Uchiha Sakuya. You possess a strange ninjutsu that only Sōsuke could perform."
Upon seeing the newcomer, Uchiha Sakuya's brows furrowed slightly, her blood-red eyes locked onto him as she coldly responded,
"Orochimaru... Why are you following me?"
At Sakuya's words, Orochimaru's eyes narrowed slightly, and in his raspy voice, he replied,
"Shouldn't you be the one explaining yourself, Sakuya? Why does a member of the Uchiha clan like you wield Sōsuke's ninjutsu? I recall this power, known as Kido, belongs solely to him."
Sakuya remained silent, her gaze toward Orochimaru growing colder, as if she was about to strike at any moment.
As if reading her thoughts, Orochimaru's lips curled into a slight smile, his voice softening,
"Don't worry. You don't need to be so cautious with me. I have no intention of informing the village about this. I'm only here... to ask you a few questions."
Despite Orochimaru's assurances, Sakuya remained vigilant, her blood-red eyes subtly scanning the surroundings, seemingly assessing whether others were hidden nearby.
Orochimaru didn't mind, his snake-like eyes locked onto her face as he rasped,
"Uchiha Sakuya, your brother, Uchiha Shino, isn't dead yet, is he?"
Upon hearing Orochimaru's words, Sakuya's pupils contracted slightly, and her expression turned cold as she demanded,
"What are you talking about, Orochimaru!?"
Orochimaru simply shook his head gently and murmured,
"Sōsuke... truly terrifying. I wonder when it all began..."
He raised his head slightly, glancing at the cold-faced Sakuya before chuckling softly,
"You're still too naive. Though you pretend to be surprised, your earlier reaction has already given me the answer. You know, don't you? Your brother, Uchiha Shino, is still alive, likely by Aizen's side."
Sakuya's face turned cold, but she remained silent.
Orochimaru continued speaking to himself,
"I only realized this after seeing you. After all, if Even Saki is still alive, there's no reason someone with even greater talent like Shino would be allowed to die so quietly."
As he spoke, a twisted smile appeared on his lips as he rasped,
"No matter when, Sōsuke always manages to surprise. How terrifying..."
Finishing his thoughts, his gaze flickered slightly, as if deep in thought.
Seeing this, Sakuya's eyes grew cold.
"Swish!"
In an instant, her figure vanished from her original spot, leaving behind a trail of crimson light in the air.
She rapidly dashed towards Orochimaru, her hand raised, aiming directly at him as she chanted,
"Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring. Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle!"
As her chant ended, she was already very close to Orochimaru. With a soft shout, she commanded,
"Hadō #63. Raikōhō!"
In her fair palm, countless brilliant yellow lightning bolts gathered, crackling sharply.
"Boom—"
With a loud bang, the yellow lightning bolts shot forth like a swift leopard, tearing towards the seemingly defenseless Orochimaru.
The light grew brighter in his eyes as Orochimaru's gaze flickered, his raspy voice murmuring,
"Let's see what power you've gained from Aizen."
He quickly formed hand seals, slamming his palm to the ground and commanded,
"Summoning Jutsu: Triple Rashomon!"
As his voice fell, the ground trembled suddenly, and three massive iron gates with demonic faces carved on them erupted from the earth, appearing on the battlefield.
"Boom!"
At such close range, the yellow lightning bolts crashed into the enormous black iron gate like a charging leopard.
"Sizzle!"
In an instant, the first of the three giant Rashomon gates shattered under the intense lightning, but that was all.
The yellow lightning and the first gate slowly dissipated from the scene.
Scattered lightning sparks etched terrifying grooves into the ground, and the surrounding trees bore blackened scorch marks, creating a chaotic scene.
As the dust slowly settled, two massive gates still stood tall on the battlefield.
With a smile on his face, Orochimaru stood behind the gates, looking at Sakuya's cold expression, and rasped,
"The power of the Kido you unleashed could only break through one layer of the Rashomon... Compared to Sōsuke, you're far too weak. You still lack the power to kill me here."
Hearing Orochimaru's words, Sakuya's face twisted in frustration, but she didn't attack again.
As Orochimaru had said, it would be difficult for her to kill him in her current state, so she coldly asked,
"What is it you really want, Orochimaru?"
Orochimaru's gaze flickered, and he chuckled softly,
"I've already told you, I won't inform the village of your actions. I came here simply to confirm a few facts. You can pretend we never met."
With that, he turned slightly, facing away from Sakuya as he walked towards the forest.
"I just wanted to know if what he said was true. From what I've seen, considering his wisdom, he might be right... Perhaps I don't belong in this village after all."
With these complex and low words, Orochimaru's figure slowly sank into the ground, disappearing from sight.
Seeing this, Sakuya frowned slightly, unsure of what he was implying.
However, it seemed things hadn't turned out too badly. It likely wouldn't cause trouble for Sōsuke-nii.
At the same time, the forces of Iwagakure and Sunagakure had already gathered.
After thorough discussions, the Suna Shinobi agreed to Onoki's proposal to form a joint force and launch a direct attack on Konoha.
Onoki also informed Aizen of this, coordinating the timing for their participation in the war.
In a quiet forest within the Land of Fire, suddenly, birds flapped their wings, breaking the momentary silence of the dense forest.
"Tap! Tap! Tap!"
Then came the sound of light footsteps.
A group of people appeared, led by a tall figure with a slight smile on his lips, walking calmly at the forefront.
Behind him, several people closely followed his steps.
Among them, a brown-haired figure wore an anxious expression, as if worried about something.
Aizen, leading the group, glanced at him from the corner of his eye and spoke softly,
"Nawaki, are you worried?"
Hearing Aizen's words, Shinobu hesitated for a moment, then lightly nodded, his voice slightly dejected as he replied,
"I'm a bit worried... I don't know how to face the people in the village."
Aizen turned his head back, looking ahead, his eyes flickering as he softly spoke,
"Nawaki, have you ever thought about a bright future when you feel lost? The peaceful world that the First Hokage dreamed of is not just a fantasy."
"Everything you're doing now is to achieve a dream that no one has ever fulfilled."
"Remember, our actions are not for killing, but to end war. Everything we do is to usher in a new era."
"Even if most people can't understand or agree, you must be clear about your stance and your efforts for this new era."
"In a way, we represent the will of this era because the era of ninja is destined to decline, and our era is beginning."
Hearing Aizen's words, Nawaki's eyes brightened slightly. He nodded firmly, his voice resolute,
"I understand what to do now"