A body covered in emerald scales, with round holes pierced through it by unknown objects. Through the holes, one could faintly see fibrous internal organs and some uncleared branches.
The face, now a bloody mess, still bore faint human contours, but the mouth had split into a gash like a feline's. The jaw, forcibly dislocated, gaped open in an exaggerated arc, revealing a mouthful of jagged fangs.
Wisps of green blood slowly flowed from the numerous holes across the body, and in the water's current, attracted a large number of fish and shrimp that began to peck at it.
After swallowing this green blood and the flesh and blood of the corpse, the fish and shrimp began to swell at a visible rate, their temperaments suddenly becoming incredibly violent, attacking their kin with frantic ferocity.
Moments later, these frenzied, large fish and shrimp abruptly exploded into a pile of shredded meat. The foul-smelling flesh and blood, teeming with vitality, then attracted even more aquatic creatures.
They came one after another, in an endless stream!
It was from this location that Orochimaru, in Sage Mode, sensed a vast amount of negative emotions generated by death. Frowning at the deformed corpses floating in the water, Orochimaru casually unleashed a surge of senjutsu chakra to disperse the red-eyed, attacking fish, and then pulled the corpse from the water.
"A corpse of this appearance..."
Humanoid, yet possessing beast-like physical characteristics, with all internal cells destroyed...
Orochimaru, with the memories of the future, immediately recognized the cause of the corpse's appearance: biological modification combined with the transplantation of Wood Style cells.
"Danzō, it seems that shortly after Grandma Mito's passing, you couldn't contain your ambitions!"
Orochimaru sneered and produced a sealing scroll from his robe, storing the corpse within.
"I wonder, without my interference, where did you find someone skilled in this area?"
"Old classmate, could it be you?"
Exploring along the river, Orochimaru, as expected, found several more corpses reduced to mere skeletons by fish and shrimp. From their appearances, Orochimaru roughly assessed the progress of the Wood Style experiment.
"Starting with animals, then humans, and now these modified, deformed creatures."
"It seems Danzō has realized that ordinary human bodies cannot withstand the erosion of Senju cells, and has instead found ways to experiment with the genes of various creatures."
"Heh heh..."
"Wood Style, a power like this, is better in the hands of our own people!"
"Danzō, since your actions are exposed, then I have no choice but to eliminate you in advance!"
Orochimaru collected all the corpses he found with a cold laugh, and his figure instantly vanished.
...
Leaving his two disciples to continue their training under the Nine-Tails' supervision, Orochimaru instructed them briefly and returned to Konoha alone.
Seeing Orochimaru's serious expression, the Nine-Tails, for once, did not tease him, merely nodding slightly before lazily lying on the ground, overseeing the training of the two youngsters.
I, Kurama, am the teacher!
In Sage Mode, Orochimaru moved at lightning speed, returning to Konoha in a short time. After entering the village, Orochimaru considered for a moment, temporarily dispelled Sage Mode, and decided to visit the Senju clan compound first.
This matter could not bypass Tsunade.
Ever since she, like Orochimaru, obtained some of the origin of Yin-Yang Release chakra from the Nine-Tails, Tsunade had entered a state of frenzied training.
She no longer went to casinos or drank, locking herself in her room every day. Besides essential meals, she dedicated herself entirely to cultivation.
And it was true, for the first time in her life, Tsunade, truly dedicating herself to cultivation, finally experienced the thrill of genius training that Orochimaru spoke of.
The feeling of getting stronger every second captivated her, making it impossible for her to break free.
Orochimaru's arrival finally awakened Tsunade, who was on the verge of losing control. Looking at Tsunade's disheveled state, Orochimaru couldn't help but frown.
"Tsunade, have you been refining your chakra non-stop for the past two days?"
"Are you insane?"
"Even though your physical strength far surpasses that of ordinary ninjas, with such non-stop training, your body will likely collapse before you even master the Yin-Yang Release!"
Tsunade lowered her head, looking lost, and finally took in her current appearance. Embarrassed, she mumbled with her head down,
"I... "
"Aren't I trying to get stronger faster..."
Orochimaru sighed and gently shook his head.
"Stop it!"
"Go clean yourself up, I'll take you to see Teacher Sarutobi. There are some things you need to know!"
Tsunade was slightly stunned and looked at Orochimaru with confusion.
"What things?"
"What have you and the old man been hiding from me?"
Orochimaru turned his head away from her loose-fitting clothes and said casually,
"You'll know when you go!"
Tsunade huffed, lowered her head to smell herself, and grimaced with disgust. She glanced cautiously at Orochimaru, her face flushing, and ran out.
Tsunade did not keep Orochimaru waiting long. She reappeared before him in clean, fresh clothes.
Since Orochimaru said they were going to see Hiruzen Sarutobi, Tsunade had deliberately put on her Jonin vest over her clothes. Her form-fitting attire, coupled with the high ponytail at the nape of her neck, while not yet possessing the mature elegance of her future self, still radiated youthful vibrancy.
Even Orochimaru, a man who had seen much, was momentarily captivated by Tsunade's refreshing and unadorned beauty.
However, Orochimaru had no mind for romantic matters at the moment. After a brief glance, he averted his gaze from Tsunade and turned to leave.
Tsunade pouted, stomped her foot on the ground, and followed him with hurried steps.
...
The Hokage's office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, looking troubled, examined the intelligence laid out on his desk by an ANBU member.
"Alas!"
"Since Lady Mito's passing, this is the fifth disappearance case this month!"
Taking a deep puff of his cigarette, Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed heavily.
"It seems that with the mountain of Lady Mito's presence gone, some people have become restless!"
Few people in Konoha were privy to the news of Uzumaki Mito's death.
The Hokage's inner circle, such as the clan heads of the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi clans.
Apart from them, only a few high-ranking Konoha officials knew of this news. The two advisors and Danzō Shimura, as a Konoha elder.
And the one audacious and ambitious enough to act so hastily at this moment could only be Danzō Shimura, no one else!
"Should I, as Lady Mito said, strip you of your authority so you finally know who the Hokage of Konoha is?"
"Danzō, the war is about to begin, and you're suddenly getting restless..."
"If I don't deal with you, how can I face the villagers if this news gets out!"
"But..."
"Alas!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed repeatedly, clearly, without Orochimaru's constant supervision, his indecisive nature was beginning to cause trouble again.
"Knock knock!"
A knock on the door jolted Hiruzen Sarutobi from his thoughts. He tidied the intelligence on his desk and rearranged the files he hadn't finished processing for the day, assuming an appearance of diligent work, and mumbled, "Enter!"
Tsunade impatiently pushed aside Orochimaru, who had knocked, and kicked the door open with a bang, swaggering inside.
"Stop pretending, I could hear your sighing from outside!"
"Old man, Orochimaru said he has something to discuss with you!"
"He insisted I come along and listen!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi gave a wry smile and shook his head helplessly.
"Tsunade, you..."
"When will you show me the same respect you show this old man, like Orochimaru does?"
Tsunade rolled her eyes and leaned against the window with her arms crossed.
"When you smash that thing in your drawer, then I'll stop calling you old man!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a headache coming on.
"Tsunade, that thing is what the teacher used for..."
Tsunade waved her hand impatiently, giving him a look that said, "I've seen through you."
"If you're reluctant, then you're reluctant. Old man, let's get to business!"
"I need to go back to training later!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi slumped and turned his gaze to Orochimaru. Looking at his sensible and powerful disciple, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally found some solace.
"Orochimaru, I heard from the ANBU that you took Nawaki and that new disciple you took in to the training grounds for practice."
"Is that child's name Nonō, right? Bring her by sometime for your teacher to see!"
"If you took a liking to her, that child must possess extraordinary talent!"
Orochimaru nodded slightly.
"Once their training is nearing its end, I will bring her for you to meet."
Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled, stroked his slightly graying beard, narrowed his eyes, and nodded.
"Mm."
"Did you come back suddenly to see me about something?"
"If you need any ninjutsu or anything for your training, feel free to ask your teacher."
"I may not have much else, but I can certainly part with some of my personal collection of ninjutsu of various attributes for my grand-disciple."
Orochimaru shook his head slightly, thanked Hiruzen Sarutobi for his kindness, and then reached into his robe, producing a sealing scroll marked with the character '尸' (corpse).
The discerning individuals present immediately recognized the meaning of such a sealing scroll.
Tsunade was merely puzzled by Orochimaru suddenly producing a scroll sealing a corpse, but Hiruzen Sarutobi's reaction was entirely different.
"Whose corpse is sealed within this?"
Orochimaru did not answer Hiruzen Sarutobi's question, but instead asked,
"Teacher, before I answer that, I would like to know if there have been any missing persons cases in Konoha recently."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils constricted. Seeing the serious look in Orochimaru's eyes, he nodded slightly, his voice dry as he said,
"Yes!"
"How many?"
...
"Including the one reported missing by the ANBU two days ago, that makes a total of five!"
A sharp glint flashed in Orochimaru's eyes. He proceeded to pull out four more scrolls, making a total of five, along with the first one.
"Then, Teacher, would you like to count? Is the number here sufficient?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi did not reply. He knew that with Orochimaru's intelligence, he had likely already guessed who was behind these five disappearances.
"You've figured it out?"
Orochimaru nodded and flicked his wrist, releasing the seal on one of the scrolls.
"Clatter!"
With the sound of heavy objects hitting the floor, five bizarrely shaped corpses appeared on the floor of the Hokage's office.
The corpse covered in emerald scales strangely emitted no odor of decay. Instead, it lay there stiffly, like a piece of wood covered in animal hide, atop the pile of white bones.
"It hasn't even been a month since Grandma Mito passed away, and he dares to target the villagers, conducting human modification and Wood Style cell transplantation experiments..."
"That person cannot be allowed to live!"
Tsunade's eyes widened in shock. Angrily, she rushed to the corpse and, after examining it closely, finally discovered the wood-like internal organs.
"Who?"
"How dare he experiment with my grandfather's cells? I'll flay him alive!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi ignored the enraged Tsunade and silently puffed on his pipe.
A hint of disappointment flickered in Orochimaru's eyes, and he spoke softly,
"If Teacher still clings to old ties and cannot bring yourself to do it, then let me handle this matter!"
"If a decaying root is not severed in time, it will, before long, extinguish the vitality of the entire tree!"
"By then, the hollowed-out interior of the great tree will become a nest for countless snakes, insects, rats, and ants!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes flickered, as if weighing something in his mind. After a long while, he let out a long sigh and gently shook his head.
"He is, after all, your elder. It would be difficult for you to handle such a matter without leaving some stain."
"Let Teacher handle it personally!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep puff of his pipe. The fire in the pipe bowl flared brightly before quickly dimming.
The last wisp of tobacco burned out.
Putting down his pipe, Hiruzen Sarutobi straightened his combat attire, donned the Hokage's robe, picked up his hat, and solemnly placed it on his head.
"Sakumo!"
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
Sakumo Hatake's upright figure instantly appeared in the Hokage's office, bowing respectfully to Hiruzen Sarutobi. As the captain of the ANBU, with the vice-captain retired, the burden of protecting Hiruzen Sarutobi fell solely upon his shoulders.
Sakumo, who had clearly heard Orochimaru's complete account from the shadows, naturally understood that the Hokage's sudden summons meant a major operation was imminent.
As expected, Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up a brush from his desk. After a moment of deliberation, his strokes were swift and powerful, and a ninja deployment order appeared on the paper.
"With this order, go to the Sealing Force and mobilize ten squads of ninjas. Also, gather all available ANBU and assemble at Shadow Rock."
"Conceal your movements and do not disturb any villagers!"
"Understood!"
Sakumo Hatake's fingers touched the order, and he vanished in a flash.
Hiruzen Sarutobi walked up to Orochimaru and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Orochimaru, I have a premonition!"
"Under your leadership, Konoha may yet recreate the glory of the First Hokage's era!"
"Let's go!"
"Accompany Teacher on this journey!"