Habara felt that the current Orochimaru probably hadn't yet realized what elements constituted the "ultimate secret" of the ninja world. However, this brilliant disciple of the Third Hokage had already unconsciously begun to collect these elements.
This was actually very natural. Wood Release was very strong, the conventional means by which the First Hokage dominated the ninja world, so Orochimaru wanted to research Wood Release. He discovered special individuals who could use natural energy and understood the reality of Sage Mode, so Orochimaru wanted to research natural energy.
As for the three great dojutsu, the first, Byakugan, didn't interest Orochimaru. The second, he temporarily didn't understand the Mangekyo Sharingan, and without seeing Itachi Uchiha, Orochimaru wasn't very concerned about the Sharingan either. The third, the Rinnegan, was currently just a legendary thing.
Things that ordinary ninjas couldn't touch in their entire lives, for a high-end player like Orochimaru, were basically within reach with a little effort. However, although Orochimaru's first contact was with the "Tattoo Era," he would eventually yearn for the "Colored Contact Lens Era."
So now the key question was, who had "Koh," or rather, Yamato/Tenzo?
No, it didn't really matter who had him. As long as Orochimaru understood that Wood Release was feasible and replicable, it was enough, because he had essentially mastered the method of using Hashirama's cells. If the experiment could succeed once, it could succeed a second time. Just like after the experiment on Habara succeeded, Orochimaru didn't care at all about letting him go.
For Orochimaru, everything was illusory; only knowledge was real.
Habara thought to himself that he might very well see a "version-upgraded" Orochimaru. But not necessarily, what if Orochimaru discarded things like Wood Release and Sage Mode like worn-out shoes? It wasn't entirely impossible, right?
After quickly looking through the contents of this scroll, Habara rolled it up again, and then put away all the valuable things... This wasn't a library or a reading room, but a dungeon that hadn't been cleared of danger. No matter how bold Habara was, he couldn't do any reading or research here.
According to Hotaru's plan, if Habara could successfully obtain these things, he should hand them over to Konoha and gain some benefits. Because ordinary people could hardly understand what Orochimaru was up to, and even if they could understand the meaning of these things, they would choose to report him because Orochimaru was doing something too big.
However, Habara wasn't an ordinary person. Since these materials had corresponding value, he would definitely keep them.
After obtaining the things hidden at the map's marked location, Habara didn't search for anything else in this underground space, because he believed in the professionalism of the Anbu ninjas – any useful items would have been taken away long ago.
All in all, it was a successful exploration. Then Habara began to return along the original path. At this time, it was about eight or nine o'clock in the evening. His action time was relatively early, because he felt that if it was too late, he would be more conspicuous acting alone, and at this time there were still quite a few pedestrians on the streets.
Tap, tap, tap. The clear light scattered, shadows swayed, and footsteps echoed. For a moment, Habara had the illusion that he was patrolling here like Orochimaru.
And at this moment, just as Habara's right foot landed and his left foot hadn't yet lifted, an arm suddenly emerged from the ground below. Before Habara could react, in the blink of an eye, only his head remained above ground...
His entire body below his head was buried in the ground.
Earth Release: Earth-Style Decapitation Technique. The characteristics of this technique were very obvious, because a certain copy-ninja used it frequently.
Clang! The oil lamp Habara was holding was dropped to the ground. It shattered easily, and flames spread with the spilled oil.
A ninja, completely covered in clothing and wearing a face paint mask, appeared in front of Habara.
In the blink of an eye, Habara had been captured. In a sense, this was the biggest crisis he had faced since Orochimaru's experiment, because the entire village of Konoha might become his enemy.
Habara thought he was being very cautious. He had waited a long time before returning to this underground space. He hadn't expected that choosing this place would still be under surveillance.
In this narrow passage, Habara had become a fish on a chopping board.
"Answer my question. Who are you? Why did you come here?"
The ninja asked Habara in an incredibly cold voice.
"Anbu? Root?" Habara asked, while simultaneously concentrating his chakra throughout his body.
Judging solely from the style of the mask, this ninja was more likely to be from Root, because Anbu ninja masks were mostly animal-shaped and particularly simple in design. This could still be distinguished from Root, but such things couldn't be definitively stated.
"Answer my question."
Habara's answer wasn't standard, so the ninja didn't hesitate to kick Habara's head directly!
Bang!
A loud sound echoed in the passage. Habara's neck twisted exaggeratedly to one side... One could only hope that the national football team could have this kind of kicking power.
This person was really ruthless.
Fortunately, Habara didn't intend to be polite to him either.
Huh?
The ninja hadn't had time to retract his foot when he noticed something unusual, because the feeling just now wasn't like kicking flesh and blood, but like kicking an iron plate... Okay, not "like." He looked down and saw that half of Habara's face and one side of his shoulder, buried in the soil, were covered by a layer of something black.
Then, a standard small sphere with a silvery metallic luster appeared in front of him.
"Shit..."
This ninja realized something was wrong, but Habara's attack was far faster than his movements. He could only instinctively raise his arms and cross them in front of his body. However, this simple defense was completely ineffective.
Secret Technique: Mercury Lamp!
In this narrow environment, there was no way for the enemy to avoid such an attack range.
Countless sharp threads burst out instantly, and then the "Mercury Lamp" rotated a full circle under Habara's control. Now that ninja was completely beyond recognition.
Habara's peculiarity was that he didn't need seals to launch attacks, or even his hands and feet. Normally, who would have thought of that?
"Whether you're an Anbu ninja or a Root ninja, you should have killed me immediately, instead of trying to get information." Habara wasn't pretending. He was genuinely shaken. At this moment, his heart rate was incredibly fast.
This enemy was silent when he acted. If his first strike had been a killing blow, Habara wouldn't have been able to avoid it.
Unfortunately, there were no ifs.
Driven by the "sword box" on his back, he slowly arched out of the ground like an inchworm, leaving only a large hole in the ground.
Habara reached out and squeezed his chin, feeling that his jaw was a little loose, and at the same time, blood flowed from his mouth. But he closed his mouth tightly, enduring the bloody taste and swallowing the blood.
He wouldn't leave his blood at the scene.
Then he collected the mercury ball again, and without touching the corpse, he quickly left... He tried his best not to leave any traces.
In just a few months, Habara's way of doing things had changed significantly. On the one hand, he was indeed a little numb, and on the other hand, Izayo's matter had also had a certain impact. In short...
Even if the enemy was a legitimate Konoha ninja, Habara didn't hesitate to kill.