From Naruto onwards, I've become a dreamer.

Chapter 218 Beware of Konoha Genin
After seeing off Uchiha Muneki, the ANBU team in charge of the investigation returned.

The ANBU member wearing a bird mask knelt on one knee and said in a deep voice, "Lord Tobirama, as you requested, we have searched the important areas one by one. In the sealed 'Root' headquarters, we found a trace of intrusion. The interior was damaged, and it is suspected that some item is missing."

"As expected, Orochimaru was just bait!"

Tobirama Senju's eyes were sharp, and his aura surged like a raging wave, causing the hard ground around him to crack.

Now, as he re-examined the battle, the last trace of confusion in his heart was finally resolved.

No wonder, from beginning to end, Orochimaru's words and actions had a strong sense of incongruity. It turned out that he was using himself as bait to attract Konoha's attention.

While their attention is diverted, have another person sneak into the root and steal something!
Damn!

Veins bulged on Tobirama Senju's forehead as he clenched his fists.

At the same time, he cursed himself inwardly for being so stupid. Had he been dead for too long that he couldn't even see through such a little trick?

Hiruzen Sarutobi, standing next to the words "Danzo, Root, lost item," muttered two words, his expression changing slightly, his eyes narrowing: "Could it be that Orochimaru and Aurora are connected? Is he deliberately drawing our attention so that his comrades can retrieve another lost item?"

"No, I don't think it has anything to do with the aurora festival."

After calmly analyzing the situation, Tobirama Senju shook his head and said, "If it really had a connection with the aurora, then it should have been taken away when the 'Dark Saint' came."

"But if it weren't for the Aurora Society, why would Orochimaru specifically target 'Root'?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was completely baffled and looked utterly confused. After all, that place was closely associated with the Aurora Society, and who else besides that group of lunatics would be interested in it?

"Unless Danzo and the 'Root' are hiding a secret that neither we nor the Aurora Society know about."

Tobirama Senju frowned, his mind a jumble of thoughts, like a tangled ball of yarn, with no clues to be found: "But the question is, how did Orochimaru know a secret that even the Aurora Society didn't know?"

"Teacher, do you think it's possible?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

"explain."

Tobirama Senju gave a low shout, signaling him to continue.

"Perhaps there exists another mysterious organization that we are unaware of?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a solemn expression, "Just like the Aurora Society, they are hidden in the shadows, and Orochimaru and his companions who broke into Root are among them?"

It's not that this possibility is nonexistent, but rather that it's very high!

Otherwise, Orochimaru's illogical actions cannot be explained.

"Issue a bounty."

Tobirama Senju rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. Things seemed to be developing in an increasingly complicated direction.

Looking at his elder brother beside him, his thoughts returned to that day, shortly after Uchiha Muneki was killed, when the souls of the two brothers were suddenly pulled into a dark space.

In that pitch-black space, they encountered the legendary Sage of Six Paths.

The Sage of Six Paths gave them an instruction: to find the source of the abnormal phenomena that had caused the current situation and disrupted the fate of the ninja world.

What is an anomaly?

This was the question he asked the Sage of Six Paths at that time.

But the answer he received was incomprehensible to Tobirama Senju, because the Sage of Six Paths replied: "The shadow that manipulates the pointer of fate, the will that disrupts the order of the ninja world, an unknown being from the depths of the starry sky, is gradually awakening from its slumber."

So much for the memories.

Tobirama Senju pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered to himself in a voice only he could hear, "Could it be that the Sage of Six Paths refers to the 'True Creator' worshipped by the Aurora Club?"

Inside a slightly dilapidated house.

The specially made incense, with its faint smoke, seemed to possess a consciousness, permeating the space above the bed.

A candle was lit in each of the four corners of the bed.

A young man lay on the bed, his eyes closed, a slow smile playing on his lips, as if he were having a sweet dream.

Suddenly, the candles in the four corners went out.

At the same time, a figure, like a ghost, went from being ethereal to being fully revealed.

The young man in his dream opened his eyes groggily and saw a man standing in front of his bed with waist-length black hair, a tall and slender figure, an exceptionally handsome face, and pale golden eyes like vertical snake pupils, exuding a cold and sinister aura.

"Lord Orochimaru?!"

Those distinctive eyes and cold demeanor made the young man immediately recognize that the man standing by the bed was Orochimaru.

"Tsk, that's really troublesome."

Orochimaru glanced sideways, then used Body Flicker Technique to move past and slash at the young man's neck.

boom!
The young man's vision went black, and he fainted again.

After resolving a minor problem, Orochimaru re-examined the room, his gaze falling on the incense and candles. He bowed respectfully and said, "Thank you for your help, Mr. Adam."

The incense smoke drifting in the air circled around him once before slowly dissipating.

It seemed to indicate that the being had received his gratitude. Orochimaru breathed a slight sigh of relief, then slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with fanaticism, and licked his lips: "Is this Mr. Adam's power? Truly unbelievable, to be able to allow me to instantly travel to another place through someone else's dream. This power is astonishing!"

This was the first time he had truly experienced the power of the 'divine way'.

This brief, temporary experience undoubtedly intensified Orochimaru's deep-seated desire to obtain the 'Path of God' recorded on the blasphemous stone tablet.

Orochimaru didn't want to waste a single moment and couldn't wait to rush to the 'gathering point'.

Following the image of the young man on the bed, after a simple transformation, Orochimaru slowly pushed open the door and stepped onto the bustling street.

Although he managed to escape right under the Second Hokage's nose by using the young man's dream, he was still in Konoha, but quite close to the edge of the village, with the village gate not far away.

Looking at the noisy crowd, chattering about how Orochimaru publicly announced his defection from the village and was then brutally beaten by the Hokage, Orochimaru himself listened but merely chuckled, completely unconcerned, and swaggered towards the main gate of Konoha.

Once he steps out of Konoha's gates, he won't need to pretend anymore.

Arriving at the gates of Konoha, there was no one there. Orochimaru chuckled, "It seems everyone has been led over there. Very good."

At that moment, a rough, large hand suddenly reached out from behind and placed on Orochimaru's shoulder.

Just as countless thoughts flashed through his mind, wondering if he had been discovered, a cheerful and honest voice came: "Ikeda, something big has happened. Orochimaru has announced his defection from the village. The Second Hokage has ordered us to search for his whereabouts immediately and report back as soon as we find him."

Orochimaru slowly turned around and looked at the man with his hand on his shoulder. The man was a middle-aged man with a middle-part hairstyle and wearing a green bodysuit.

"I never expected to run into you here."

The man sighed, his face full of sorrow, and said, "It's perfect that we go together. You know I'm not good at searching."

Orochimaru remained silent for a few seconds, unable to recall the person's name.

"What's wrong? Ikeda, don't you recognize me?"

The man with slicked-back hair, resembling a watermelon rind, looked utterly shocked and exclaimed dramatically, "No way! It's me, Matt Dai! You...you've got such a bad memory?!"

Matt Day. Oh, now that you mention it, he seems to vaguely remember it.

Orochimaru vaguely remembered that this guy was good at taijutsu, but was too bad in other aspects. In the end, he was only allowed to become a genin out of pity.

"No, I just woke up and my head is a little foggy." He made up an excuse to get away with it: "Didn't we say we were going to search for Orochimaru's whereabouts? Let's hurry up, or Orochimaru might get away if we're too late."

"Oh, yes, yes!"

Matt Dai couldn't tell the difference clearly, and nodded his head vigorously.

Just then, a hunched figure blocked their way: "Wait, Dai."

Might Guy, whose path was blocked, scratched his head, looking puzzled: "Kosuke-senpai, why did you stop us?"

Kosuke? Maruboshi Kosuke!
Orochimaru felt a slight tremor in his heart; he had heard of this name before.

He is a genin who has been around for a long time. His ninja talent is considered above average, and his strength is comparable to that of a jonin. It is said that he has even received instruction from three Hokage.

Kosuke Maruhoshi, dressed plainly and carrying a black pot on his back, had a solemn expression. He quietly drew a short sword from his back, a hint of killing intent brewing in his eyes: "Might Guy, look carefully, that guy is not Ikeda!"

"Senior Kosuke, please stop joking."

Orochimaru, confident in his disguise, said innocently, "I am Ikeda. Are you sure you're not mistaken?"

"Tch, your disguise is absolutely awful!"

Maruhoshi Kosuke sneered and said, "First of all, Ikeda never calls me 'senpai,' only Might Guy does. Secondly, Ikeda would never fail to recognize Might Guy; your look just now clearly showed that you didn't recognize him. Finally, and most importantly, your scent is off!"

"Smell?"

Matt Day's eyes widened, looking utterly shocked.

"I spend most of my time in the wild searching for medicinal herbs."

Maruhoshi Kosuke touched his nose and said with considerable confidence, "In the process of searching for herbs, I have developed an amazing sense of smell over time. Although it is not as good as the ninja dogs of the Inuzuka family, it is definitely enough. Just now when I passed by you, the scent I smelled was completely different from Ikeda's!"

"Konoha: Power Cyclone!"

Might Guy turned around, using centrifugal force to deliver a powerful whip kick to Ikeda beside him.

boom!
'Ikeda' was knocked back several steps by the whip kick. After regaining his footing, he clicked his tongue lightly.

"Show your true colors!"

Maruboshi Kosuke and Might Guy watched him warily, secretly wondering which ninja village had sent the fake Ikeda as a spy.

What is this called?
They were just one step away from victory when two low-ranking ninjas stopped them.

"Forget it, there's no need to keep pretending." Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the two people in front of him, a cold smile creeping onto his face: "One's a perennial genin, the other only knows taijutsu. Let's finish them off quickly. Anyway, we're only a few steps away, it doesn't matter if we're discovered."

Then, he simply tore off his mask and revealed his true face.

Upon seeing that familiar face, Maruboshi Kosuke and Might Guy were immediately stunned, their eyes wide with disbelief.

"Orochimaru?!"

Second update~ I guess nobody's reading this now. The remaining two updates will be tomorrow at 11 AM and 4 PM, the usual times.
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(End of this chapter)