Naruto: I Confronted the Five Kage Before the System Arrived

Chapter 228: Patience in Snake Hunting

The training grounds at Lockfront Village.

Sasuke stood dumbfounded as Hagoromo Gengetsu appeared beside him in the blink of an eye, patted his shoulder, and then vanished just as quickly, indicating that Sasuke should train diligently.

What is going on?

Sasuke was puzzled.

Shaking his head, he decided to take it as a sign that Hagoromo Gengetsu was urging him to train hard.

He resumed his training.

[Ding!]

[Main Quest: The Long-Awaited S-Rank Mission (Completed)]

[Sasuke, acting recklessly, chased after Gaara, the One-Tails Jinchuriki, to continue their unfinished battle. Under Kakashi's orders, the host, Naruto, Sakura, and others took on the S-Rank mission to "Retrieve Sasuke." After a chase, the host successfully caught up to Sasuke and restrained him, completing the mission smoothly.]

[Mission Rewards: Two Random A-Rank Jutsus]

Hagoromo Gengetsu felt that bringing Sasuke back was a wise decision.

Not only did it bring a pair of Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan into his camp, but it also allowed for the quick completion of several system missions.

Many previous main quests had been related to Sasuke.

If nothing unexpected happened, future main quests were likely to involve Sasuke's departure from the village.

A simple shoulder pat would be enough to complete them, making things very convenient.

Hagoromo Gengetsu drew his mission rewards.

The two A-Rank jutsus were the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique and Earth Release: Hiding in Camouflage Technique.

Not bad.

He had already mastered the Camouflage Technique, but this was his first time obtaining the Third Hokage's technique, adding to his repertoire of jutsus.

Having completed what needed to be done, Hagoromo Gengetsu vanished and soon appeared in front of an elevator.

Hanare, dressed in ninja attire and carrying a large scroll on her back, was waiting for him there.

This mission was to kill Orochimaru and eliminate the threat early.

However, knowing Orochimaru as a great scientist, Hagoromo Gengetsu suspected there might be valuable "loot" similar to what he had found with Danzo, so he brought Hanare along.

After all, having an extra pair of hands couldn't hurt.

After meeting up with Hanare, Hagoromo Gengetsu wasted no time. He waved his hand and said, "Let's go."

They immediately set off.

At the same time.

Konoha had already gathered its forces, dispatching Kakashi and Team 8 as an advance unit to investigate Orochimaru's base.

On the other side, under Kabuto's command, Orochimaru's faction also moved out, bringing with them Yūkimaru, who influenced the Three-Tails' power, the Crystal Release user Guren, and a group of cursed seal subjects to capture the Three-Tails.

Thus, three parties set out with different goals, converging sooner or later.

A vortex was about to unfold.

Similar to the situation when setting out for Mount Katsuragi.

As time passed, the large-scale search led by the five great ninja villages not only didn't slow down but intensified.

However, this didn't affect Hagoromo Gengetsu.

Bringing Hanare, the two of them covered the longest distance to Orochimaru's base but moved at the fastest speed.

In just one day, they crossed the Land of Fire and the Land of Fields, arriving at a remote small country rarely mentioned in the ninja world.

"The address from the intel is here."

Looking at what was once a hidden entrance, now completely collapsed, Hanare confirmed it, frowning slightly.

"It seems to have been deliberately destroyed. Also, there's a strong smell of blood inside."

Hanare sniffed with her petite nose.

Coming from a background as a spy, she was very skilled in information gathering and detection, though her combat abilities were not her main strength.

Hagoromo Gengetsu wasn't surprised. "If Orochimaru were so easy to catch, he wouldn't be called Orochimaru."

He stepped forward, pressing his hand against the blocked entrance.

As chakra flowed in, the once tightly sealed entrance softened, and the dirt and stones shifted aside.

Soon, a two-meter-high tunnel leading inside appeared before them.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Their steady footsteps echoed loudly in the silent cave.

Hanare looked around, noticing many severed limbs buried in the dirt.

This wasn't the shocking part.

Following Hagoromo Gengetsu to the deepest part of the cave, he waved his hand, and a large fireball rose into the air.

Illuminated by the light, a massive coliseum came into view.

Hanare saw countless corpses piled layer upon layer, covering the entire arena.

What made her frown even more were the grotesque appearances of the dead. Some had bone wings on their backs, some had arms turned into tentacles, and some had spider legs for lower bodies, looking like various monsters pieced together from human parts.

Despite having witnessed much darkness in her role as an intelligence officer, this was the first time Hanare had seen such a gruesome and horrifying scene.

"Orochimaru..."

Unlike the previous descriptions, Hanare now had a profound understanding of this former member of the Three Legendary Ninjas of Konoha.

Hagoromo Gengetsu, already familiar with Orochimaru's nature, remained unfazed.

If he was the conventional scientist, Orochimaru was the maverick, delving into forbidden and unethical practices.

Countless people had perished in his experiments over the years.

For someone like him to be redeemed in the end was quite something.

Hagoromo Gengetsu surveyed the coliseum.

This must be one of Orochimaru's human experimentation sites.

The captives here were cursed seal subjects, but far from the level of the Sound Four, making them defective products.

A brutal internal slaughter had occurred here not long ago.

It didn't seem like a riot but rather a selection process.

This was typical of Orochimaru's methods.

"What did he need people for?"

This wasn't the hideout described in the intel, but Hagoromo Gengetsu wasn't disappointed. He followed the clues to continue tracking.

Catching a snake.

Especially a cunning and experienced one like Orochimaru, required patience.

At that moment, Hagoromo Gengetsu noticed something. He walked to a pile of corpses, stomped his foot, and the dead bodies rolled away, revealing a man with ashen skin, covered in curse seal symbols, with hands and feet transformed into beast claws.

"Help me..."

The man, still alive, looked at Hagoromo Gengetsu with hope in his eyes, pleading for help.

Hagoromo Gengetsu glanced at him.

The curse seal was rampaging, his body was on the verge of collapse, and he was beyond saving.

Not wasting any effort.

Their eyes met.

Hagoromo Gengetsu quickly scanned the man's memories.

As he suspected, this was a human experimentation site.

Yesterday, under Guren's orders, a slaughter ensued here, and the surviving winners left with Guren to serve Orochimaru.

Hagoromo Gengetsu withdrew his gaze.

After a final glance at the now lifeless, melting body, he buried him and then continued to track Guren and the others with Hanare.