It's normal to get a kaleidoscope as a first deposit of six yuan, right?

"Ah, it was just idle chatter. When he fought us, he called himself a genin. Ha, a genin from Konoha killed four of our carefully selected elite jonin in just one move. If I hadn't run fast, I probably would have died there too. Those few seconds when his whole body was glowing red were the longest period of my life." Biwa Juzo could still feel a lingering fear when he recalled the past trauma.

That's not the kind of power a human being should have; they really shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

"Oh, speaking of which, I'm actually a genin from Konoha, and I haven't even taken the Chunin Exams yet, haha," Zhixue said, half-jokingly.

"So, he really is a genin from Konoha?" Juzo Biwa asked with an incredulous expression.

Seeing the strange old man ignoring her words, Zhixue broke out in a cold sweat. She then scratched her head and said somewhat uncertainly, "Um, it should be a genin. Konoha's genin are usually a bit different from others."

"Is that so? He's just a genin in Konoha?" Juzo Biwa felt a mix of regret and relief.

It's a pity that Konoha didn't discover a talent like Might Guy and almost buried him. Fortunately, they didn't take him seriously, otherwise, if he had been brought to the front lines, even if the other four Kage had come, two of them would probably have died.

After chatting with Pipa Juzo for a while, Zhixue used the Light and Heavy Rock Technique to embark on her journey to the nameless island in the sea.

While Shisue was out on a mission, Obito arrived at Nagato's usual spot and told him about Kotoamatsukami.

"Is Kotoamatsukami really that powerful? It can actually forcibly modify the enemy's will..." Nagato said, looking at Obito with some skepticism.

"It's better to believe it exists than not to believe it doesn't. The higher-ups in Konoha are terrified of this kind of thing. The Mangekyou Sharingan has all sorts of strange abilities, and even if you are the reincarnation of the Sage of Six Paths, you absolutely cannot be careless."

In response to Obito's reminder, Nagato shook his head.

“I don’t usually go out. Pain takes my place. He can’t be affected by genjutsu. Moreover, these eyes that God gave me are the power of Kami. Even if he uses Kotoamatsukami on me, I am confident that I can withstand it.”

Obito frowned as he looked at Nagato, who seemed very confident about the Rinnegan.

"Well, even if you have the Rinnegan, what about Konan? Does Konan have it? You know, Konan is usually very close to Yuki, so it would be very easy for her to use Kotoamatsukami on her."

"No, impossible, Yuki would never do that." Nagato replied firmly. Even if Yuki had any ambition or other intentions, she should have used them on him, the leader. Moreover, given the relationship between Konan and Yuki, it was even more impossible for her to use Kotoamatsukami.

Because Nagato was very confident and somewhat biased towards Shisue, Obito walked out of the tower, feeling the cool drizzle falling from the sky, and clenched his fists.

We absolutely must find an opportunity to test this out properly; there can't be any problems before the Eye of the Moon plan is implemented...

Chapter 130, Fellow villagers meet, tears well up in their eyes.

East China Sea…

On a small island amidst thunder and rain, in a cave hidden by branches and leaves, a group of ninjas wearing headbands from the Hidden Mist Village sat on stone benches, their faces showing some irritation.

"Why haven't those guys brought the ransom yet? Will the Land of Water send people to capture us?" one of the figures couldn't help but ask.

"Don't worry, the Land of Water is in a mess right now and doesn't have time to deal with us. And ninjas from other places can't easily enter this water area either, so he can only obediently go and pay the ransom."

Hearing that what the captain said made sense, the people around him felt a little more at ease.

“But what if they hire bounty hunters? I’ve heard that there are often legends in the ninja world about powerful monsters that like to eat the hearts of rogue ninjas. They’ll do anything for money. What if they just come after us?” The ninja who had spoken earlier couldn’t help but say again, and then he received a loud slap.

Snapped!

"Why so many 'what ifs'? You actually believe this kind of nonsense that's meant to fool children? And even if it were true, the world is so big, why would it specifically target us? If you can't speak properly, then don't speak at all!"

"Oh…"

As the surroundings quieted down, the leader of the rogue ninjas, looking at the pitch-black environment and the biting cold wind blowing in from the doorway, threw a piece of wood into the firewood.

Damn Kirigakure! If it weren't for that awful policy, they wouldn't be in this state. If the village could be as peaceful as the other four countries, who would want to live in constant fear of being hunted down by the Anbu?

……

While the rogue ninja from the Land of Water was still sitting there anxiously awaiting news, a ninja guarding outside rushed over in a panic, his body still covered in blood and wounds.

Smelling the bloody stench in the air, the rogue ninja captain sitting on the stone bench was startled and ran over to help his comrade who was about to fall up.

"What happened? The Water Country's secret service shouldn't have known we were here so quickly. Could it be that they're going to give up entirely..."

"No, no, it's other ninjas. The enemy is very strong, let's run!" The ninja who ran over grabbed the captain's hand and said.

"What are you afraid of? The hostages are still in our hands, as long as..."

stab~

Before the rogue ninja could finish his rebuttal, a large gash was suddenly torn open in the branches and strips of cloth blocking the way.

Meanwhile, news also came from inside the cave.

"Report! Our ninja guarding the hostages seems to have fallen under a genjutsu spell; everyone inside has escaped!"

"What!" Upon hearing this news, the captain of the rogue ninja from the Land of Water almost fainted.

The cave is dozens of meters deep, and a perception barrier has been set up. How did the enemy get in?

Upon hearing that the hostage had disappeared, all the ninjas present stood up warily. The money they had just gotten their hands on had just vanished. Had they been waiting for so many days for nothing?

Just as chaos was about to break out at the scene, Kizo Biwa walked over step by step carrying the Executioner's Blade. Looking at the familiar faces illuminated by the firelight in the distance, he sighed with emotion.

Aren't these members of the Hidden Mist Village's security force? Even they defected, why is he suddenly a little happy about this?

As Juzo Biwa walked over with his Executioner's Blade, everyone noticed the tall figure before them. As fellow old acquaintances from the Land of Water, some of the more senior members were quite familiar with him.

"You're Pipa Juzo-senpai!?"

……

Outside the nameless island, Zhi Xue used the Light and Heavy Rock Technique to bring more than a dozen people in blue uniforms to a crevice in the nearby mountain.

"Don't come out yet, let's talk after we've resolved the issue."

"it is good…"

After Zhixue made the arrangements, she left a shadow clone behind to keep an eye on the safety of the people, and then rushed to where Pipa Juzo was.

"Strange uncle, I'm here to help you, you..." Zhi Xue rushed into the cave and saw Pipa Juzo sitting with several rogue ninjas as if he were contemplating life. Suddenly, she felt like her brain wasn't working properly.

Uncle! We're enemies! Why are you sitting with them?!

Seeing Zhixue's surprised expression, Biwa Juzo calmed her down. A rogue ninja was nothing out of the ordinary in Kirigakure.

As Zhixue watched her partner and the group of mission targets chatting and talking as if they hadn't seen each other for years, she suddenly had the illusion that she was the outsider.

Although Juzo Biwa wasn't very famous within the Akatsuki organization, he was quite infamous in the ninja world for his Executioner's Blade and his collaboration with the other Seven Ninja of the Mist.

Knowing they were no match for him, the dozen or so rogue ninja from Kirigakure gave up resisting, chatted with Juzo Biwa about the current state of the Land of Water, and then let the matter drop.

As she walked out of the cave, Zhixue curiously glanced back at the group of Water Country rogue ninjas sitting on the rocks, still worrying about their future meals.

"Are all the ninjas from Kirigakure like this?"

“Ah, actually, don’t be fooled by the fact that the ninjas of Kirigakure are skilled in assassination techniques. They are still human, made of flesh and blood. Many ninjas, unable to accept the cruel rule of Kirigakure, chose to defect like I did, wandering the world. I can really understand their feelings.” Biwa Juzo sighed.

That bastard Yagura, under his leadership, the Land of Water is doomed sooner or later. It's fortunate that the enemy we encountered this time wasn't a ruthless defector from the Land of Water, otherwise we would have had to fight another tough battle.

After easily completing the task and receiving their reward from the client, Zhixue and Biwa Juzo began their journey back to the Land of Rain. With the advantage of being able to fly to uncontrolled high altitudes using the Light and Heavy Rocks, the two traveled back almost in a straight line, returning to the Land of Rain in less than two days.

Pipa Juzo held up a large umbrella to shield himself and Shiki from view as they returned to Amegakure. Upon returning, Shiki noticed something amiss.

Why does it feel so quiet?

Looking at the empty organization tower, Zhi Xue searched the surrounding floors but couldn't find anyone. However, she did find several of Kakuzu's hidden stashes of money.

While Zhixue was still pondering whether to use her senses to find someone, Obito suddenly appeared behind her and sat down on a nearby stone platform with his legs crossed.

"No need to look. The Akatsuki members are still having a meeting at the top of the tower. There's no one here."

"A meeting? Is our organization planning something big?" Zhi Xue turned around and looked at Obito, asking curiously.

"Heh, it's about Orochimaru. Because he's been gone for too long and left the organization without a reason, he's been judged a defector. They're currently in a meeting to organize a team to arrest him..."

"Hmm, so that's how it is?" Zhi Xue recalled her understanding of this part of the plot from her previous life. It seemed that the Akatsuki organization had sent people to hunt down Orochimaru, but it seemed that after so many years, they still hadn't found any trace of Orochimaru.

Seeing that Zhixue didn't seem to care much, Obito looked into her clear, bright black eyes, and his expression behind the mask became wary.

Uchiha Shisui really left the Akatsuki with a difficult problem to deal with...

Chapter 131, Zun Du and Jia Du

"Ah, another new mission..." Upon hearing from Payne that there was another mission, Zhi Xue's face suddenly fell.

Wasn't this supposed to be the last mission of the year? Why is there still a mission? Didn't the Akatsuki organization never exploit its employees? (Sad)

"Don't rush, we're just going to check around the area near Amegakure to see if there's anything strange. Recently, some villagers have been saying that there are strange spirits wandering around the area, so you need to take a good look." Hearing Pain's explanation, Zhixue instantly felt her energy return.

It turns out they were just going to check around outside the village. That shouldn't take too long, but Zhixue felt there was something deliberate about it, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

After borrowing this solo mission from Payne, Zhixue left. She decided to start the mission tomorrow morning; there was still a little time before the New Year, so there was no rush to set off.

After seeing Shisei leave, Obito emerged from the vortex and appeared behind Pain.

"How do you plan to test the waters? You won't force the Nine-Tails to come out, will you?"

"Don't worry, there are only a few laboratories left by Orochimaru there. Apart from a few monsters and the White Zetsu that I fused with, there's nothing else. Even if Juzo Biwa spent some time and his injuries, he could have dealt with that. This time, I just wanted to assess her strength."

Payne nodded upon hearing this.

It's best not to make things too big. Xiaoxue is still a member of Akatsuki, so we should show more trust and tolerance. Even if we want to extract the Nine-Tails later, that's a matter for the future. We'll talk about it later.

……

Tanin Village…

On a snowy night, in a dark and empty underground laboratory, Orochimaru sat in a chair, with several photos and an unknown scroll on the table.

After being beaten up by Zhixue, Orochimaru was then taught a lesson again by Itachi Uchiha, who had three tomoe, using Sharingan genjutsu, which puzzled Orochimaru greatly.

Losing to a Mangekyou Sharingan is one thing, but to lose to a regular Three-Tomoe Sharingan user is another? Is his resistance even weaker than Kurama's? (Kurama: Have you no manners?)

Although he was beaten up twice by the Sharingan, this only further demonstrates the power of the Sharingan.

Looking at the Uchiha clan emblem in the photo, Orochimaru gently stroked it twice.

We can't enter Konoha for the time being. The old man will definitely be on guard in the coming months. Even with Yakushi Kabuto's help from the inside, it's unlikely. Right now, we probably need to find some other materials to study, such as—the Impure World Reincarnation Technique.

This thing shouldn't be affected by genjutsu, right? As long as I control it from behind, it'll be fine. If the Second Hokage knew I was using the Impure World Reincarnation technique against the Uchiha clan, he'd probably be very happy, wouldn't he? After all, all the techniques this guy has developed are geared towards targeting the Uchiha clan.

Orochimaru chuckled coldly twice, then took out a scroll from a locked drawer. Currently, the Impure World Reincarnation technique is still in the experimental stage, but only after many experiments can the ninjutsu be optimized and modified.

"Hehehe, the Impure World Reincarnation Technique, Sarutobi-sensei, wait until many years later, when I have completed the research on this great ninjutsu and obtained Yuki's body, just wait and see my good show." Orochimaru stood up with the scroll in his hand and headed to the nearby experimental site, where he selected a lucky person to place on the magic circle.

"If we're talking about reincarnation targets, let's choose some cells from a more ancient time." Orochimaru arranged the collected sample of Tobirama Senju's remains on the other side of the magic circle, and then began to perform complex hand seals according to the information and records on the forbidden scroll.

Orochimaru originally intended to use Hashirama's cells because their high activity seemed to be beneficial for reincarnation. However, because of their high activity, Orochimaru was hesitant to use them, fearing that summoning the God of Shinobi might cause some trouble. Therefore, he chose Tobirama Senju's cells, which were slightly less active but still had the same activity.

However, when Orochimaru had everything ready, and all his work, including the flow of his chakra and the sequence of hand seals, was complete, the lucky one bound to the magic circle was still struggling there, full of energy, without making a sound.