Naruto: Echoes of a Distant Home

For every 30 POWER STONES there will be an extra chapter!

17 Power Stones to Go!!

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Ye Zi and his two companions crossed the border, not taking the route through the Land of Fire. They had no idea that some people in Konoha were gathering intelligence about him or that Kushina was leading a team in pursuit. The journey wasn't long, but it was rather monotonous. Given the mental state of Kotoha and Uchiha Jin, they took a break before resuming their journey.

A few days later, the three returned to their base.

They opened the hidden entrance and walked inside, greeted by the familiar wooden corridors.

Just as they entered, two young boys dressed in uniform silently emerged from the shadows of a corner.

"Lord Ye Zi," the two boys, with youthful and innocent faces, respectfully bowed to Ye Zi, their eyes filled with deep admiration.

Ye Zi nodded slightly in response and continued down the corridor toward its end, with Kotoe and Shin following him.

The two boys watched Ye Zi's figure disappear around the corner before retreating back into the shadows.

The layout of the base wasn't exactly a labyrinth, but it had the makings of a nest of tunnels, with corridors branching in all directions. If you weren't familiar with the place, it was easy to get lost. Each corridor led to different areas.

Along the way, they encountered several young boys and girls who all respectfully greeted Ye Zi. Every one of them looked at him with eyes full of reverence and respect.

These orphans of war, collected from various places, were often taken in by shinobi villages to be trained into loyal soldiers. Some were fortunate enough to avoid being chosen and were adopted by ordinary citizens, but that was a rarity.

The majority, not so lucky, would end up in various departments within the shinobi villages. For example, many members of the Root organization came from these orphaned children.

Naturally, those selected would first undergo extensive training outside the village. After surviving the first round of elimination, they would be sent to places like Root for further training. To create a batch of emotionless shinobi, they would be subjected to special training and trials.

This phenomenon occurred in every shinobi village.

In recent years, with the wars subsiding, it had become increasingly difficult to find orphans of war. The base had only managed to gather around a hundred.

Ye Zi had invested considerable time and energy into these orphans. The time he spent teaching Uchiha Jin also extended to all the orphans in the base.

As former members of Root, both Ye Zi and Orochimaru were familiar with the harsh training methods used by the organization. Orochimaru had even suggested to Ye Zi that, if he intended to invest time and energy in these children, the most efficient way to maximize their value would be to adopt Root's methods.

Ye Zi had rejected Orochimaru's suggestion without hesitation. He was determined to cultivate followers, but he would not use Danzo's methods.

The orphans collected were both lucky and unlucky.

They had escaped their previous hardships, only to be thrust into the dangerous world of shinobi, where death was always a possibility.

As they walked through the corridors, receiving respectful greetings filled with admiration, Ye Zi eventually instructed Shin and Kotoe to rest while he went to find Orochimaru.

In the largest laboratory, only Nanako was present.

When she saw Ye Zi, Nanako's face lit up with joy. It had been a while since she last saw him.

"You're back," Nanako smiled.

"Yes," Ye Zi nodded. He didn't show any indication that he was there to see Orochimaru, not wanting to disappoint Nanako. He naturally moved to her side, looking over the mountain of documents on her desk. "Don't overwork yourself," he said casually.

Nanako looked at Ye Zi's profile, her gaze soft and gentle, as she smiled and said, "I'll be careful."

Feeling her tender gaze, Ye Zi noticed her long, black hair with several split ends. He reached out and gently smoothed out the frayed strands.

Nanako remained quiet, letting Ye Zi tidy her hair, a soft smile on her face.

Once he finished, Ye Zi asked, "I've been away for a while. Have you finished improving the potion?"

Nanako nodded and replied, "The activation and duration times have been compressed to their limits; there's no more room for improvement. After injection, the activation time is 1.5 seconds, and the duration fluctuates between 6 minutes and 30 seconds to 7 minutes. The potion is now suitable for human use."

"So, that's the limit…" Ye Zi mused, stroking his chin. "You've worked hard. Six and a half minutes is more than enough."

Nanako's eyes curved with satisfaction, and then she asked, "Will the finished potions be used on the children?"

"If necessary, it can't be avoided," Ye Zi replied calmly. "It depends on their own decisions."

When the potion was first developed, it was used by the daimyo of the Land of Grass. Those who chose to inject it knew the risks and did so willingly.

The same would apply to the orphans at the base. If a battle arose, Ye Zi wouldn't force any of them to use the lethal potion. The choice would be theirs alone.

"I understand," Nanako said, ending the topic.

After exchanging some light conversation, Ye Zi sensed it was time to leave. "Don't overwork yourself. I'll be going now," he said.

Nanako's joyful expression faltered slightly, but she smiled again and said, "Alright."

Just being able to spend some time alone with Ye Zi was enough to make her happy.

She had once been accustomed to Ye Zi's cold demeanor, a result of some unknown resistance. Over time, she had worked hard to overcome this and managed to open the door to his heart.

Once that door was opened, what she felt wasn't the coldness she had once known, but a gentle breeze—though it was a breeze she could never fully grasp.

Nanako accepted this reality. She didn't need to be greedy; this was enough.

After watching Ye Zi leave, Nanako refocused on her work, diving back into her documents.

If Orochimaru wasn't in the main laboratory, there were only two other places he could be: his quarters or his private laboratory.

After leaving the main lab, Ye Zi headed straight to Orochimaru's private lab.

At Orochimaru's request, Ye Zi no longer barged in unannounced as he had before. He knocked three times, firmly but not overly hard.

There was a brief silence before Orochimaru's cold voice came from within. "Come in."

Ye Zi entered, and the first thing he saw was a complex black sealing array drawn on the floor. Lying at the center of the array was a young man, unconscious but still alive. His clothes and forehead protector indicated he was an Iwa shinobi.

Orochimaru stood with his back to Ye Zi, his snake-like eyes fixed on the unconscious young man.

He knew it was Ye Zi who had entered; the only people allowed into the room were Ye Zi and Nanako, and from the way the door was knocked, he had deduced it was Ye Zi.

Looking at the ritual-like setup, Ye Zi's curiosity was piqued.

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Currently on Chapter 306 - Mount Myōboku