Chereads / Naruto: Echoes of a Distant Home / Chapter 216 - Chapter 216: Heading to the Land of Water

Chapter 216 - Chapter 216: Heading to the Land of Water

The idea of stealing the Rinnegan was a contingency plan, something buried deep in Ye Zi's mind that no one else could know about. As for finding the right talent to help with such plans, Ye Zi still had no leads and hadn't started developing it. The person who had developed the mysterious drug they encountered, however, was someone he couldn't afford to let slip away.

He was definitely interested but didn't want to reveal that to Sasori.

After a while, other than the shriveled corpses of those who had injected the drug, all the other bodies had been devoured by Shokui.

The amount of chakra contained in the dead bodies wasn't much, only some residual chakra left in their chakra pathways, which provided little benefit to Shokui. With his back to Sasori and Ye Zi, Shokui surveyed the remaining bloodstains in the area, a cold glint flashing in his single eye.

The fact that energy had now transformed into chakra presented a new opportunity for him—one that could potentially flip the script in his favor.

"I must not rush. I must not rush," he repeated to himself, calming his mental state and killing off any impatient thoughts. So far, Ye Zi hadn't allowed him to consume living bodies, but Shokui knew he couldn't act rashly. He couldn't reveal his true motives just yet. His ultimate goal was the tailed beasts.

Due to his unique ability, part of the energy he absorbed from devouring bodies would always transfer to Ye Zi. Though the portion that went to Ye Zi was minimal compared to what Shokui himself absorbed, in order to reverse their positions, Shokui would need to consume a massive amount of energy.

And the tailed beasts, with their immense chakra, were his ultimate target.

"Thank you, world," Shokui muttered silently.

The endless years of loneliness had long since filled every void within him, leaving him with unmatched patience. After waiting for countless ages, as his energy dwindled to the brink of exhaustion, he had finally found an opportunity.

He suddenly turned around, his lone eye narrowing slightly with dissatisfaction. He casually pulled out a wooden toothpick from who-knows-where and stuck it between his teeth, boldly addressing Ye Zi, "Dead bodies just don't taste the same as the living. Hey, how about throwing me some live ones every now and then? A change of flavor would be nice. At this rate, life's getting pretty boring."

Sasori glanced at Ye Zi and remarked, "Your summon is rather interesting."

To Sasori, who turned living humans into puppets, devouring corpses and living beings wasn't all that shocking.

"It's handy for disposing of bodies," Ye Zi commented nonchalantly as he spat out a fireball, igniting the shriveled corpses, which caught fire instantly.

At that, Shokui grumbled unhappily, "You've got to be kidding! I'm not some cleanup crew for dead bodies!"

Sasori let out a low, brief chuckle.

"You can go back now. I'll call for you when you're needed," Ye Zi said, glancing at Shokui. He then turned toward the direction of the small country known as the Land of Fields. "I'm going to meet the person who developed that drug."

Ignoring Shokui's protests, Ye Zi forcibly sent him back to his dimension.

"I'm not particularly interested in this, but I'll accompany you," Sasori said coolly. "I haven't collected any useful materials in this country anyway."

"In a country this small, there wouldn't be much material worth collecting. If you're looking for materials, go to one of the major nations," Ye Zi replied as they began walking toward the Land of Fields.

Sasori followed, adding, "There's a battle-hardened clan in the Land of Water with impressive physical strength. I'm interested in them, but it's tough to take them on alone."

Ye Zi, sensing that Sasori was asking for his help, figured that aiding Sasori in acquiring new material would ultimately strengthen him. Thus, he didn't refuse outright. "I'll go with you when the time comes," he said calmly.

"Agreed," Sasori nodded.

The two walked side by side toward the Land of Fields, their demeanor as casual as if they were strolling after dinner. Behind them, the fire continued to burn, and the ground was stained with blood—but no bodies remained.

After some time, Ye Zi suddenly heard Nagato's voice in his mind.

"Ku (Ye Zi), Gyoku (Sasori). If your mission is complete, head to the Land of Water."

"We just finished the mission," Ye Zi replied.

After a brief pause, Nagato continued, "White Zetsu has located a missing-nin from the Hidden Mist with considerable strength. You two are to go to the Land of Water and recruit him."

Ye Zi's eyes flickered. "Name and location?"

"Kyuuroku Hōkyō. He's on an island in the western part of the Land of Water. He specializes in large blades."

"Understood."

"Go," Nagato concluded.

The communication was cut off.

"It looks like you won't get to meet the person who developed that drug," Sasori remarked dryly.

Ye Zi responded calmly, "We'll recruit this person first."

Recruiting the last few core members for their plans took precedence over everything else. He didn't want to delay the collection of the tailed beasts any longer.

Without further discussion, the two changed course, heading swiftly toward the Land of Water.

....

The Land of Fields

In this small, enclosed nation, both the village and the country coexisted. This unique setup had grown from the cracks between the larger nations. The capital city stood atop the highest point in the country, and beneath it lay a hidden underground laboratory.

Descending a staircase that led to a secret chamber, the path was lined with dim yellow lights, just bright enough to illuminate the cold stone walls. Thick black cables snaked along the floor, connecting to a series of complicated machines that were lined up against the walls.

In the center of the room stood several platforms and four cylindrical glass containers filled with oxygenated liquid. Inside each container was a fist-sized chunk of flesh, floating amid the bubbles. Each piece of flesh had visible veins, pulsating rhythmically every few seconds.

A figure clad in a black cloak stood in front of the machines.

Suddenly, the door to the chamber creaked open.

A woman, appearing to be in her twenties, stepped inside. She had a slender, graceful figure, and her head was wrapped in a black cloth, suggesting she might be bald beneath it. Her face was marred by a grotesque scar that ran from one cheek, across her nose, and down to the other cheek. Despite the scar, her features were rather delicate.

The woman approached the black-cloaked figure, lowering her head slightly as she spoke calmly, "The squad that went to attack the enemy country was completely wiped out an hour ago. The daimyo is very anxious and requests that you prepare the next batch of medicine as soon as possible."

The cloaked figure's voice, sounding young and clear, showed slight surprise. "Even with the support of my drugs, they were wiped out?"

The scarred woman replied, "When I arrived, there were no bodies, only traces of a fire. I found broken syringes and some residual traces of the drug. It seems some of the squad used the drug, but they still lost. The enemy destroyed the corpses for reasons unknown."

"Understood. You may leave," the cloaked figure responded.

"Yes," the woman replied, bowing before turning to leave.

"Could it be because of the side effects?" the cloaked figure murmured, turning their attention back to the pulsating chunks of flesh suspended in the glass tubes.

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