As night fell and the sounds of commotion dissipated, Ye Zi finally sent everyone away, leaving behind a table of leftover scraps and empty dishes. The moonlight streamed through the open door and cast a layer of white frost over the room.
Ye Zi's gaze drifted through the door towards the withered plants in the garden, as if he were lost in thought, remaining silent.
"Once I devour her, you'll become stronger and get closer to your goal," a voice full of greed suddenly echoed in the quiet room. It was the voice of Shokui.
"If you want to die, you can try," Ye Zi replied coldly. The "her" Shokui referred to was Kushina, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
A small figure emerged from the darkness in the corner of the room. It was a miniature version of Shokui, who looked up at Ye Zi with disdain and sneered, "Sentimentality is for the weak. If killing gives you power, then kill; if devouring gives you power, then devour. If you don't even understand such a simple principle, how do you expect to return to your original world?"
Ye Zi gave him a cold glance and said icily, "If devouring you would open the spatial barrier, I would do it without hesitation, even if it meant suffering backlash and having my soul shattered."
His tone was like the cold wind in a frigid night, piercing and serious, leaving no doubt that he meant what he said.
Shokui instinctively shrank back. After five years of interaction, he knew Ye Zi well. He didn't doubt Ye Zi's words. Ye Zi's soul was too refined and strong; even if there was a contract backlash, it wouldn't result in immediate soul destruction. Thus, Shokui was at a disadvantage here, which was why he always recoiled.
"Don't deny it. That woman's body contains enough powerful energy. Devouring her would only be beneficial; you know this very well." Shokui scoffed, tearing through a cross of light and vanishing into it. As the light faded, Ye Zi was left alone in the living room.
Ye Zi stared at the place where Shokui had disappeared, a glimmer of light flashing in his eyes.
"As long as that problem is resolved, there will be no need to stay here any longer. By then…"
The group who had left Orochimaru's residence went their separate ways, each heading in different directions.
When light is obstructed by something, darkness is created; one side shines brightly while the other fades into obscurity.
The following day, Ye Zi immersed himself in an endless array of missions.
This year, after a period of recovery, the major ninja villages began to stir again.
Plunder and war had always been the main themes of the ninja world. Small countries fought continuously to become stronger, while large countries plundered incessantly to become even more powerful.
In this cycle of conflict and plunder, human life was of no value, merely a number.
As Ye Zi executed missions across various countries, he claimed countless lives. For his own strength, he even invaded small countries' ninja villages and wiped out some lesser-known villages single-handedly.
It wasn't about the missions; it was solely for the sake of becoming stronger.
Many people believed Ye Zi's cold demeanor remained unchanged from years ago.
However, they didn't know that people do not stay the same. Under circumstances unknown to them, Ye Zi had become even colder and more ruthless.
Even seemingly ordinary gatherings with friends were just a façade created by Ye Zi.
He couldn't let Konoha know that some things had already changed or that some matters were beyond their control.
Since signing the soul contract with Shokui and discovering its role, Ye Zi no longer needed to remain in Konoha. He stayed only because he wanted to master the transplanting technique. Before that, he needed Nanako to find a method for him to integrate with the First Hokage's cells.
Until then, he would continue to play the role of an efficient task performer, waiting for the right moment, after which he would be unbound.
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The mission he took this time was to assassinate a high-ranking official from the Land of Lightning.
Ye Zi completed this type of task with terrifying efficiency, then returned to report to Konoha's Root.
After delivering the completed mission, he received another S-rank mission from Danzo.
Observing Ye Zi's robotic demeanor, Danzo's smile grew even more inscrutable.
Watching Ye Zi leave, Danzo finally reined in his smile slightly, gently stroking his right eye through the gauze, and muttered to himself, "Once Nanako's research succeeds, we will immediately seal the results, and then… eliminate everyone. Leave no one behind."
"Yes!"
A cold voice responded from the darkness.
"A tool as useful as this cannot be easily abandoned. Don't you think so too, Orochimaru?" Danzo smiled faintly, turning his gaze towards a certain direction—the direction of Orochimaru's laboratory for human experiments.
To support a large-scale secret experiment, funding was essential, and Ye Zi played a significant role in that.
Danzo saw Ye Zi as a very useful tool, and he believed that the ambitious Orochimaru had taken Ye Zi in for similar reasons.
Whether it was right or wrong no longer mattered.
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