Chapter 48: Strawberry and Apple! Orochimaru's Depression
"Strawberry~
Why do I feel like you're being super quiet?"
Somewhere in the Land of Rice Fields.
Ringo Ameyuri, who had been sent out on a mission by Byakuya, was looking somewhat gloomily at Nohara Rin.
She felt that Nohara Rin was just too reserved.
They'd been traveling together this whole time, and Rin barely said a word.
However…
There was one thing about Rin that Ameyuri was extremely satisfied with.
Rin was incredibly attentive to detail.
Throughout their journey, whether big matters or small, Ameyuri hardly had to worry about anything.
It gave her a very comfortable feeling.
She was just… a bit too quiet.
If only she'd talk a little more.
"Apple, you talk too much."
Rin shook her head. "We should hurry and complete the mission.
This time's task isn't a simple one."
"That's true~"
Ringo Ameyuri nodded.
"I hate these intelligence-gathering missions the most."
This time, Byakuya had given them two tasks.
The first was to find and deal with an extremely evil person along the way.
This task had no time limit.
But the target had to truly fit the description of being "extremely evil."
The second task.
Was to locate Guren and have her join the organization.
Compared to each other,
neither task was particularly difficult.
The only real challenge.
Was gathering intelligence and actually locating the targets.
"Actually, these people are pretty easy to find.
The information is easy to gather too."
Rin shook her head.
"For example, finding an extremely evil person.
We just need to ask around among ordinary people,
then confirm the details ourselves.
As for Guren…
The Master said Guren is one of Orochimaru's subordinates.
So we just need to go to the Land of Rice Fields, find Otogakure,
and gather information from there. That should be enough.
The Master said the key clue is Yakushi Kabuto.
We can use the grudge between Kabuto and Guren to track her down."
"Sounds pretty simple, yeah."
Ringo Ameyuri shook her head helplessly. "But I still think it's boring.
Right now I just want to find someone to fight~
Otherwise, what was the point of powering up so much?"
"There will be chances to fight."
The two continued their casual back-and-forth conversation
while searching for information about Otogakure's location in the Land of Rice Fields.
Luckily,
it didn't take them long.
From the mouth of an Otogakure defector, they obtained some intelligence about Orochimaru's secret bases.
...
Because of Orochimaru's "death,"
the Otogakure he had founded ended up with a huge number of defectors.
After all…
Orochimaru wasn't exactly an upright shinobi.
He was a scientist.
He loved conducting extremely dangerous human experiments whenever he had the chance.
So after the high-level forces of Otogakure died in Konoha, and their leader Orochimaru "died" as well,
Otogakure fell into chaos.
The Sound Four, who had been injured while fleeing Konoha, had no way to stop the mass desertions.
In the end,
they simply let it happen.
Under Kabuto's orders,
the Sound Four took the gravely ill Kimimaro and completely abandoned Otogakure.
They moved together to one of Orochimaru's secret bases not far from the Land of Rice Fields.
"When exactly will Orochimaru-sama recover?"
Kidōmaru asked somewhat anxiously.
"It won't be long now."
Kabuto glanced toward the sealed chamber.
Then he quickly led the Sound Four back to the meeting room.
At this moment,
his mood was exceptionally cheerful.
A faint smile hung on his lips.
"I knew it.
Orochimaru-sama is the strongest.
Look—
even the leader of that mysterious Black-Robed Organization couldn't kill Orochimaru-sama!
Once Orochimaru-sama obtains an even more powerful body,
I refuse to believe anyone in this world can stop him!"
Not long ago,
he had watched with his own eyes as Orochimaru was struck down with a single palm.
His heart had completely collapsed.
Because in his eyes,
Orochimaru was the strongest existence in the world.
That one strike had shattered his entire worldview.
He had fallen apart.
That was why he hadn't really fought back at all—just grabbed the Sound Four and fled back here.
However…
Just when he was drowning in sorrow and despair, preparing to modify his own body using Orochimaru's cells,
he suddenly discovered that Orochimaru had come back to life!
Although the current Orochimaru was terrifyingly weak,
he was undeniably alive.
This instantly filled Kabuto with boundless imagination.
"To survive that kind of attack…
As expected of Orochimaru-sama!"
However…
What he didn't know
was that the Orochimaru-sama he was currently praising was, at this very moment, extremely depressed.
"Finally recovered."
Orochimaru slowly stepped out from a nutrient tank.
Right now, his strength had returned to its peak!
"It really wasn't easy.
Just because of that one palm strike… I ended up weakened for this long…
If I hadn't prepared in advance,
I really would have died this time.
I might not have even known when—or if—I would ever revive."
Orochimaru gazed at the blue sky outside the window, feeling utterly exhausted.
"But… is this what high-level power looks like?
I feel like even Itachi wouldn't have been able to dodge that palm!
The mysterious Black-Robed Organization…
truly is something to look forward to~"
Orochimaru extended his tongue and slowly licked his lips.
"Time to start gathering intelligence about that organization."
With that thought, he prepared to step outside and make arrangements.
However…
The moment he stepped through the door, he sensed an incredibly terrifying chakra pressure!
"Hm?
Who's here?"
Orochimaru looked up warily toward the sky.
And there, in the heavens above,
a massive, pitch-black thundercloud had appeared!
The thundercloud constantly flashed with lightning,
looking utterly menacing.
"That thundercloud…
Is it a ninjutsu?"
Orochimaru was somewhat astonished.
He truly couldn't imagine there existed such a terrifying Lightning Release technique!
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Crack!"
Just as Orochimaru was about to do something,
a series of thunderclaps suddenly rang out.
Then came an earth-shaking tremor.
The thundercloud in the sky had actually begun unleashing indiscriminate lightning strikes downward!
Every terrifying bolt that struck destroyed a huge area.
Orochimaru's heart ached just watching.
"Who the hell is it!?"
He felt extremely depressed right now.
He had only just revived, and now he was suffering another massive blow.
It was truly adding insult to injury for someone whose "family" was already far from wealthy.
"Ding~"
At that moment,
two girls dressed in black skirts and wearing bamboo hats slowly approached.
One walked on the ground.
The other floated through the air.
The sight was extremely eerie!
"Black-Robed Organization again!"
Orochimaru's pupils shrank.
He suddenly felt a splitting headache.