Naruto: I, who fooled the ninja world, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 61 The passing of all spirits is not a single journey.
Don't know how long it has been.

When the scarred ninja awoke from his coma, the excruciating pain in his wrist made his face contort in horror, but he also saw four figures in front of him.

"Damn it! You're not ninjas from Amegakure at all!"

He was now fully awake. Lying on the ground, he raised his head and shouted, "Whoever you are, let me go! The patrol will be here soon!"

He was already bound hand and foot, his whole body tightly wrapped up, writhing and struggling like an insect.

But all his efforts were in vain; his voice couldn't reach the outside world at all.

Damn it! How much time has passed? Why hasn't anyone come to save me?

The commotion was so loud, and so many people saw it, didn't anyone report it or warn others?
"Stop barking."

Kakashi Hatake picked at his ear, staring at the scarred ninja with dead fish eyes, and explained very "kindly": "We walked out here in a very casual manner, and the tavern owner even personally escorted us out, so no one will come to save you."

Upon hearing this, even Kakashi couldn't help but chuckle, seemingly finding it somewhat absurd and laughable. Tenzo, who usually had a stoic expression, looked even more strangely at Hyuga Kumokawa, who remained silent to the side.

"...What?" The scarred ninja stared blankly and blurted out, "Are those guys crazy? Instead of informing the patrol, they just stood by and watched you take me away?"

Kakashi was too lazy to explain to him, and simply asked, "Speak, tell us everything you know."

"Don't even think about it!" the scarred ninja growled. "I won't betray..."

"Let me do it."

Before he could finish speaking, Hinata Kumokawa suddenly stepped forward and said with a gentle smile, "Don't worry, I will crush your bones little by little, just like before, until you give us the answer we want to hear."

Upon hearing this, Kakashi and the other two exchanged a glance, looked at the scarred ninja with pity, and then left the scene without prior arrangement, leaving the two of them alone.

Seeing Hyuga Kumokawa's smile, the scarred ninja shuddered, his face instantly turning deathly pale, and he shrank back.

"You, you stay away, you... Ah!!"

After a while, the three people guarding the door, including Kakashi, heard the shrill screams and wails gradually subside, and a terrifying silence descended.

Click.

Hinata Kumokawa walked out of the abandoned house, met the probing gazes of Kakashi and the other two, and nodded, saying, "It's been squeezed dry."

The interrogation went smoothly. Under his methods, the scarred ninja revealed the current situation of Amegakure and Hanzo, as well as information about the number of Amegakure's permanent residents and weapons. He spilled everything he knew like beans from a bamboo tube.

In the end, he even confessed to peeping at the girl next door taking a bath when he was a child. If Hinata Kumokawa hadn't finally stopped, he probably would have confessed to his wife's sexual fetish.

Kakashi Hatake pushed open the door and went in to take a look. He saw a scarred ninja whose bones had been almost completely crushed, and who was now a mangled mess.

His expression remained unchanged. Ninjas were never benevolent, and the Anbu was no humane organization. He simply burned them to the ground.

"Now we can confirm that Amegakure has indeed undergone a change as we suspected, and Hanzo's personality has also changed drastically. The root cause is that organization called 'Akatsuki'."

Kakashi summarized the intelligence and instantly grasped the key point.

Xiao organization.

Unfortunately, those in the know kept quiet about it, and Hanzo himself was even more secretive about it, so the scarred ninja didn't know much either, as did the other three Amegakure ninjas.

"Isn't the main focus of this mission to investigate the current strength of Hanzo and Amegakure?" Tenzo asked.

“Yes,” Kakashi Hatake said calmly, “but only if the only threats within the Land of Rain are Hanzo and Amegakure.”

The essence of the mission is not to investigate the strength of Hanzo and Amegakure, but to figure out how much of a threat the Land of Rain still poses to Konoha.

As the war continues to escalate, Sunagakure and Iwagakure are very likely to intervene.

By then, the Land of Rain will be the only route for the two great ninja villages to attack the Land of Fire, and Konoha must figure out the current situation of the Land of Rain before everyone else.

For ninjas, intelligence is the most important thing.

Just like the battle between Jiraiya and Nagato controlling the Six Paths of Pain in the original work, if Jiraiya knew about the Six Paths of Pain's information and abilities, Nagato might not have been able to defeat Jiraiya if he hadn't fought desperately.

For example, Hidan's techniques are terrifying but have fatal flaws. Even Shikamaru could kill him if he knew the information, but Sarutobi Asuma, who did not know the information, could only die at Hidan's hands.

Therefore, in the ninja world, there has never been an ironclad rule that "genin" cannot defeat "chunin" or "chunin" cannot defeat "jonin".

As long as you know yourself and your enemy, and gather enough intelligence, you can make targeted arrangements based on the enemy's weaknesses, and even a genin can kill a jonin.

"So, Kakashi-senpai thinks that the Akatsuki organization might pose an obstacle and threat to Konoha's future war situation?" Hyuga Kumokawa suddenly asked.

Seeing Kakashi nod, another ninja frowned and said, "It's just an organization that's being chased by Amegakure, and there are only a few remnants left. Is it worth paying so much attention to?"

"I think Kakashi-senpai's idea is correct."

Before Kakashi Hatake could explain, Hyuga Kumokawa chimed in with a laugh, "Hanzo's reputation is well-deserved, earned through battle. Even if he's old, he shouldn't be so cowardly."

"The fact that the so-called 'Akatsuki' organization could drive Hanzo to such a state of fear shows that it is by no means simple."

Upon hearing this, Tenzo and the Konoha ninja seemed to understand each other, and they agreed with Kakashi and Hyuga Kumokawa's judgment.

"So what do we do next?" Tianzang asked.

Kakashi Hatake pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Given Hanzo's current personality and situation, his attitude towards Konoha might not be as hostile as before. We can try to talk to him."

"While gathering information about the Akatsuki, we offered to help them resolve this problem and hoped to form an alliance with them. In this way, the Land of Rain might become a barrier for Konoha to resist the Sand Village and the Iwagakure Village in the future."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Of course, this is on the premise that the Third Generation Lords agree; otherwise, we must not act on our own."

Hinata Kumokawa nodded in agreement, but at that moment, his gaze suddenly paused slightly.

He suddenly had a feeling.

The scroll that Orochimaru had taken away was activated.

In other words, Orochimaru has met the conditions for breaking the seal, and we can now see what happens next.

"Have they finally developed 'reincarnation'?"

Hyuga Kumokawa's eyes flickered slightly, and he smiled, "I've been waiting for a long time, Lord Orochimaru, please don't disappoint me."

He left some interesting notes on the back of that scroll.

Or rather, it's a lie.

Or perhaps, it's the "rules".

Hyuga Kumokawa is no longer limited to materializing ninjutsu and objects; he wants to try to implant underlying "rules" into the ninja world.

This is a colossal lie, enough to make the entire ninja world dance with joy.

Meanwhile, at the border between the Land of Grass and the Land of Rain, inside a hidden experimental base in a mountain cave...
Orochimaru's pale face appeared particularly cold under the light, but the madness and fanaticism on his face were exceptionally intense.

"Finally, finally it's done! Reincarnation! I..."

"Fizz!"

Before he could finish speaking, a snake suddenly flicked out of his tongue, and his voice changed to that of a woman, mocking, "Useless Orochimaru, so what if you develop a technique that allows you to change bodies? Are you willing to give up this body that can use Sage Mode?"

"Whatever you gain in Ryuchi Cave, you'll have to pay the price, hiss... You'll never escape this for the rest of your life..."

"Shut up!" Orochimaru's voice changed again, his eyes and expression turning resentful as he said hatefully, "Princess Tanshin, I'll devour your body and soul sooner or later!"

Having said that, he turned around and walked toward the scroll that was placed on the table.

No, it shouldn't be said as "walk".

It should be said that it is "climbing".

At this moment, Orochimaru had lost his legs, and in his place was a white snake tail.

On that day, in order to survive, he made a deal with the White Snake Immortal.

And that's the price he has to pay.

She merged with the body of "Tenshin no Shinhime," one of the three great snake princesses of Ryuchi Cave, and gained the ability to use sage techniques, but she could not escape the control of Ryuchi Cave.

However, it's all worth it.

"Hiss."

Orochimaru instinctively flicked out his tongue, his eyes burning as he looked at the scroll in his hand.

What was previously impossible to see could now be easily unfolded with a gentle pull.

"Indeed, only by mastering the soul and natural energy can the seal behind the scroll be broken."

Orochimaru's gaze intensified as he eagerly scanned the scroll's contents, but his eyes froze after reading the first two sentences.

[The passing of all spirits has many paths. Upon death, the soul departs, some vanishing into the wind, some returning to the pure lands of the six realms, and some falling into my illusory world.]

The Void Realm is the final resting place of souls, suspended in the gap between the mortal world and the Pure Land, shrouded in eternal night year-round...

(End of this chapter)