"Is there still no sign of the Three-Tails?"
Steam wafted as the rich aroma of tea filled the air. Hanare leaned over to pour a cup of green tea. Gensou, who had recently left the experimental base, took a sip, savoring the refreshing taste on his tongue before asking.
Hanare set down the teapot, shaking her head. "Not yet."
Gensou furrowed his brows.
Among the five remaining tailed beasts in the outside world, only the Three-Tails was still in the wild with no leads on its whereabouts.
The One-Tail was in the Sand Village, and its Jinchuriki was the Fifth Kazekage, making escape nearly impossible.
Both the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails were in the Cloud Village, and with Samui as an insider, Gensou could keep track of the Eight-Tails' Jinchuriki's movements. As for the Two-Tails, it was just a matter of time.
As for the Nine-Tails… that one was too familiar to even bother mentioning.
Gensou's plan for capturing the tailed beasts differed from Pain's approach of capturing them one by one.
He aimed to catch them all in one fell swoop, much like his previous handling of the Akatsuki.
Capturing all the remaining tailed beasts at once would prevent the ninja world from reacting in time, allowing him to absorb them into the Gedo Statue and transform into the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki, realizing his goal of ascending through his Bloodline Network.
Of course, this was the ideal scenario.
Unexpected challenges might arise during the actual operation.
However, as long as the general plan remained unchanged, it would be manageable.
Currently, Gensou was following this plan step by step.
Thus, finding the wild Three-Tails, which didn't belong to any faction, and absorbing it into the Gedo Statue was crucial.
If the other eight tailed beasts were secured but the Three-Tails remained elusive, it would be a significant setback.
"By the way, how was the Three-Tails captured in the original story?"
Time had dimmed Gensou's memories of plot points unrelated to the main storyline.
The Akatsuki's capture of the tailed beasts that left the deepest impression on him included the Fifth Kazekage, Gaara, the Jinchuriki of the One-Tail, who was captured under the watchful eyes of countless Sand ninja. There was also Sasuke's failed attempt with the Eight-Tails and Pain's search for the Nine-Tails.
Other than that, he vaguely recalled the captures of the Six-Tails and Two-Tails' Jinchuriki.
But the Three-Tails…
Since the death of Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage, the Three-Tails had disappeared, leaving Gensou without any clues. He could only rely on the Three-Tails' affinity for water and turtle-like nature, sending Deidara, who excelled in flight, and Kisame, a master of underwater combat, to search for it.
He even took a small risk by dispatching several teams of ninja equipped with aerial devices from the Land of Sky to aid in the search.
However, with the vastness of the ocean, results weren't immediate.
Gensou shook his head.
Forget it. He would set the matter of the Three-Tails aside for now. There was another task awaiting his attention.
The village of Jōmae had found traces of Orochimaru.
"This snake has stayed hidden well over the past two years. How did the village discover his location?" Gensou asked curiously.
Hanare replied, "The village gathered intelligence from Konoha. Apparently, it was information relayed by an ANBU operative just before their death."
After listening to Hanare's account, Gensou nodded in understanding.
Normally, with Jōmae Village's intelligence network in Konoha, it would've been difficult to uncover such hidden information, especially after the death of a key operative.
All thanks to their old friend, Shimura Danzo.
Years ago, when Gensou raided the Root base, he focused primarily on advanced equipment and experimental materials, leaving most other items behind unless they were convenient to carry.
Upon returning to Jōmae Village, he handed those miscellaneous items to Hanare and others to sort out. In doing so, they discovered sensitive documents collected by the Root, containing damning evidence against several key Konoha personnel. Revealing these would ruin these individuals' reputations beyond redemption.
Danzo's goal was clearly to keep these people under his control.
Now, all of this fell into Jōmae Village's hands.
To avoid desperate self-destruction, the village refrained from pressuring these Konoha operatives excessively.
Even so, one individual eventually caved completely.
Not every Konoha shinobi believed in the Will of Fire.
This time, it was that individual who relayed the information.
"Orochimaru, huh."
Gensou tapped his fingers lightly on the desk.
Orochimaru himself didn't concern him much. Even if Orochimaru had unmatched survival skills, he was merely an obstacle that Gensou would eliminate whenever necessary.
However…
Gensou thought of Orochimaru's Reanimation Jutsu, recalling the Fourth Great Ninja War, where legendary deceased shinobi with great historical impact had a greater impact than an army of thousands.
A smirk played on his lips.
He had no desire to engage in a grand reenactment with those long-dead figures.
So… kill!
Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin, would meet his end by seeking power beyond his control.
For Gensou, Orochimaru, feared by most, was no different from an ordinary ninja.
With speed and decisiveness, Gensou resolved to act immediately.
But first, there was another task to complete.
Ding!
Main Quest: Chunin Exams (Completed)
The Chunin Exams began. In the first round, the written test, the host answered all questions correctly, demonstrating knowledge exceeding even Sakura's. The host passed smoothly. In the second round, the Forest of Death, the host and their teammates reached the central tower without incident. During the preliminaries, the host successfully defeated Akimichi Choji. In the finals, the host defeated Nara Shikamaru. Due to the outbreak of the Konoha Destruction Plan, the host's journey in the Chunin Exams came to an end.
Congratulations to the host on completing the Chunin Exams.
Rewards: Jonin-level chakra capacity; mastery in one chakra nature transformation and one shape transformation; Nintaijutsu: Lightning Release Chakra Mode
After completing tasks in Konoha and spending several days equivalent to the Chunin Exams' duration, Gensou's main quest was finally settled today.
Due to the importance of the Chunin Exams, he reaped an especially rich system reward.
Casually choosing the Yin nature for his chakra transformation, Gensou sensed the mastery-level chakra nature and shape changes but found them of little improvement.
Unsurprisingly, he shifted his attention to the other two rewards.
Had he truly been, as the system presumed, a fresh Genin of less than a year, these rewards from the Chunin Exams would have elevated him to the level of a Jonin.
Not bad.
As the missions progressed, the rewards grew increasingly substantial.
Even if the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan failed, he still had a viable backup plan.
Gensou took one last look at the completed Chunin Exam quest and the newly released mission.
Before setting off, he'd complete it with ease.
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My Patreon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!! For Only $5!!][www.p@treon.com/zaelum]
[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[Thank You For Your Support!]