Chapter 349: Return and the Cursed Seal

Two weeks later, Byakuya and Jūzō returned to Amegakure with their group.

Feeling the damp and cold air, both Byakuya and Jūzō Biwa unexpectedly felt a sense of security. Perhaps it was because this was the base of the Akatsuki, a place filled with like-minded comrades.

After taking a moment to appreciate their return, Byakuya instructed Jūzō to report to Nagato. Meanwhile, he took Haku and Kimimaro to the Amegakure tower to discuss their placement with Yahiko.

Before long, Byakuya skillfully pushed open the office door and saw Yahiko warming his hands with a thermos cup.

Yahiko looked up at Byakuya, then at Haku and Kimimaro behind him, and smiled.

"Byakuya, didn't you go to Kirigakure with Jūzō? Why did you bring back two kids? Don't tell me you just picked them up on the way?"

"It's pretty much the same as picking them up," Byakuya admitted with a nod. Then he introduced them, "This is Haku, a ninja of the Yuki Clan who has awakened the Ice Release Bloodline Limit. The other is Kaguya Kimimaro, who has awakened the Shikotsumyaku."

Hearing this, Yahiko was slightly surprised. "Ice Release and Shikotsumyaku… Aren't those Kirigakure's bloodline limits? You brought them here, does Kirigakure not mind?"

"Kirigakure won't have an opinion… and even if they did, they wouldn't dare express it," Byakuya said with a pause. "These two are the last surviving members of the Yuki and Kaguya clans, both of which were wiped out by Kirigakure. I brought them here to enroll them in the ninja academy for training."

Upon understanding the situation, Yahiko let out a relieved sigh.

He had genuinely worried that Byakuya might have kidnapped them, especially considering how Byakuya had previously "picked up" half of the Uchiha Clan.

With that in mind, Yahiko chuckled. "You want them to train in the ninja academy? That's easy. You could have just gone to Konan directly. She's the one managing the academy, so enrolling a couple of transfer students is no big deal."

Byakuya shook his head.

"They aren't ordinary transfer students. Both of them already have the strength of Chūnin, so they'll need specialized training. Plus, Kimimaro has the Kaguya Clan's genetic disease, so he'll need to visit the Root base regularly for treatment."

"Chūnin-level? No wonder you're informing me about them," Yahiko remarked, glancing at Haku and Kimimaro. He quickly wrote a note and handed it to Byakuya. "I'll have people register their identities. Don't worry."

Byakuya took the note and created a Wood Clone to take Haku and Kimimaro to get registered.

Once they left, Yahiko turned to Byakuya's real body.

"Byakuya, how did your mission in Kirigakure go? You didn't install another puppet leader there, did you? If you keep this up, I'll start thinking that all the Five Kage will become your puppets one day."

"Puppet leader? What are you talking about?" Byakuya frowned.

"Sasori is Chiyo's grandson, and he saved Sunagakure from Shukaku. If he wasn't given the position of Kazekage, were they supposed to hand it back to Rasa, the guy who ordered his own son and brother-in-law to be sacrificed? Besides, wouldn't it be good for us if I actually could control all the Kage?"

Yahiko sighed, rubbing his forehead. Byakuya made a fair point, but he still wanted to hear the details of the mission.

"Alright, enough dodging the question. Tell me exactly what happened in Kirigakure."

Since Yahiko asked so directly, Byakuya didn't hold back. After organizing his thoughts, he began explaining, "I originally planned to support Jūzō in becoming Mizukage. But on the way, I encountered Zabuza, who had failed to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage. From him, I learned about the situation with Yagura…"

After listening to Byakuya's report, Yahiko frowned.

Byakuya's original plan was to help Jūzō take power, but instead, he ended up collaborating with Gengetsu, leading to Kirigakure's integration into Akatsuki as an ally.

Byakuya had, once again, demonstrated his overwhelming strength. But what disturbed Yahiko was the revelation that the Fourth Mizukage had been under someone else's control.

And the one behind it was "the masked man."

The name and description sounded eerily familiar, like something he had heard before.

Then it hit him, this was the same masked man who had attacked Konoha during the Nine-Tails incident and later manipulated Uchiha Itachi into wiping out his clan.

Why had this person also infiltrated Kirigakure?

As if reading Yahiko's thoughts, Byakuya continued, "I found it strange as well. I don't understand why the masked man would want to control Kirigakure. However, it was precisely because of Yagura's mind control that I was able to negotiate with Gengetsu. Using the masked man as a common enemy, I convinced Kirigakure to join Akatsuki."

Yahiko thought for a few moments, then asked, "And what about the Tailed Beasts? Wasn't your main goal to collect them? Now that you've saved the Fourth Mizukage, how will you handle that?"

"Six-Tails was already taken by the masked man. As for Three-Tails, Yagura is heavily injured, so it won't be long before it's released. When that happens, we'll be able to capture it."

Hearing this, Byakuya clenched his fist. and continued, "But what I don't understand is, why is the masked man collecting Tailed Beasts? We have the Rinnegan and the Gedo Statue, so we can revive the Ten-Tails. But why does he need them?"

Could it be that he also wanted to revive the Ten-Tails?

At this thought, Byakuya and Yahiko exchanged a heavy look, both realizing the implications.

After a moment of silence, Yahiko asked, "Byakuya, I think the masked man is after the Tailed Beasts as well. Otherwise, he wouldn't have attacked Konoha or used genjutsu to manipulate Yagura."

He paused, then, in a doubtful tone, asked, "By the way… is it true that the masked man is a successor of Uchiha Madara, and that you are the heir of the Senju Clan? Are you really a descendant of the Senju? After all, only the Senju can use Wood Release."

Byakuya sighed.

"I'm not entirely sure. I might be a descendant of the Senju, but I've always believed I was from the Uzumaki Clan. But it doesn't really matter. Both the Senju and the Uzumaki have already been wiped out."

Collecting himself, Byakuya continued, "Yahiko, you were right to be suspicious. The masked man might have deliberately spread information about the Ten-Tails' power to manipulate us into gathering the Tailed Beasts for him."

Yahiko nodded in agreement.

"That's very possible. He planted those rumors so you would focus on capturing the Tailed Beasts. Then, once you had them all, he could strike and take them from us. If you hadn't gone to Kirigakure, we might have never realized this."

After a moment of thought, Yahiko said seriously, "Byakuya, we can't let the masked man get his way. Maybe we should stop collecting the Tailed Beasts for now. I'm worried that continuing will lead to an all-out confrontation with him. If we lose…"

His words made Byakuya narrow his eyes.

"Once we've started gathering the Tailed Beasts, we can't just stop. Besides, the masked man's goal isn't just the Tailed Beasts, he might also target Nagato. To revive the Ten-Tails, he needs both the Gedo Statue and the Rinnegan. Right now, we have two Tailed Beasts, the Rinnegan, and the Gedo Statue. We have no reason to hand the Ten-Tails over to someone else. Even if the masked man does have some scheme, we can just crush him directly."

Yahiko remained silent for a long time, replaying Byakuya's words in his mind.

With Akatsuki's current strength, there was no real reason to fear the masked man. Even without counting Byakuya and Nagato, who were Kage-level powerhouses, the rest of Akatsuki's members were strong enough to surpass any of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.

However, Yahiko wasn't worried about losing the Ten-Tails, he was more concerned about Byakuya and Nagato.

If the masked man could control the Fourth Mizukage without anyone noticing, then controlling Byakuya and Nagato in the same way wasn't out of the question. It was all too dangerous.

Akatsuki had already grown powerful, and if they continued on this path, they could eventually form a massive alliance spanning half the shinobi world.

At that point, the strength and influence of the alliance would allow them to gradually absorb the major villages of Iwagakure, Konohagakure, and Kumogakure without shedding a drop of blood, eventually unifying the entire shinobi world.

But after much deliberation, Yahiko ultimately chose not to voice his concerns. If Byakuya knew what Yahiko was thinking, he would have simply scoffed.

Unifying the shinobi world through alliances? That would require an immortal and undying leader.

The only reason Byakuya had been going this route was that he could gain system rewards by bringing villages into the alliance.

But true integration of the shinobi world would require a war on the scale of the past three Great Ninja Wars. Only a common enemy that threatened the entire world would force the villages to set aside their differences and unite.

---

After completing the identity registration for Haku and Kimimaro, Byakuya brought them back to Akatsuki's base.

Compared to Amegakure, the atmosphere at Akatsuki's base was much heavier. Even the patrolling ninja gave off an overwhelming pressure that weighed on Haku and Kimimaro.

Stepping into the Akatsuki laboratory, Byakuya found Orochimaru, who was clad in a white lab coat.

Due to his nature, Orochimaru rarely stayed at Akatsuki's base, often wandering the shinobi world in search of suitable experimental materials.

This time, he had come back because Byakuya had specifically summoned him.

And Byakuya's reason for calling Orochimaru was simple, he wanted him to meet Haku and Kimimaro. With their rare, nearly extinct Bloodline Limit, Orochimaru was bound to be interested.

Hearing the approaching footsteps, Orochimaru turned and looked at the three of them.

His gaze lingered on Haku and Kimimaro for a moment before settling on Byakuya. Then, he slowly spoke, "Byakuya-sama, these two… they are the last inheritors of Ice Release and Shikotsumyaku?"

Byakuya nodded and said, "That's right. They are Haku and Kimimaro, the last surviving wielders of Ice Release and Shikotsumyaku. As for this man here, he is one of the Three Legendary Sannin, the infamous Orochimaru. He's also Akatsuki's top researcher."

"Orochimaru?!"

Upon hearing the name, Haku and Kimimaro were slightly stunned. Orochimaru's name carried significant weight, even more than Zabuza's. And now, this legendary figure was actually one of Byakuya's subordinates?

Just how powerful was Byakuya?

Orochimaru, on the other hand, swallowed slightly, clearly eager to study these two.

Seeing this, Byakuya frowned and spoke sternly, "Orochimaru, these two are my subordinates. I won't allow you to experiment on them. You may collect some blood samples occasionally, but you must ensure their bodies remain unharmed."

At Byakuya's warning, Orochimaru snapped out of his thoughts and reluctantly looked away.

This wasn't his personal lab in Otogakure, it was Byakuya's base. He had long since witnessed Byakuya's terrifying strength, and without absolute confidence, he wouldn't dare provoke him.

After refocusing his mind, Orochimaru turned to Byakuya and asked, "Byakuya-sama, I assume you didn't summon me just to collect blood samples?"

Byakuya nodded.

"Kimimaro has developed the Kaguya Clan's genetic disease. I called you here to see if you can find a cure for him. Aside from that, I also want to ask about the progress of your Curse Mark research."

"Shikotsumyaku's genetic disease?" Orochimaru fell into deep thought before responding.

"As far as I know, every enhanced Kaguya Clan member suffers from this condition, and there has never been a cure."

"If no one else can cure it, I trust that you can," Byakuya said firmly.

After a brief pause, he continued, "After spending time with Kimimaro, I've more or less figured out the cause of the disease. His Shikotsumyaku is incredibly powerful, but his body isn't strong enough to handle it. If he had a physique similar to mine, he wouldn't have developed the disease at all."

"It's due to physical limitations?" Orochimaru mused. "Since my leader has spoken, I will do my best to find a solution."

He made a mental note before moving on.

"As for the progress on the Curse Mark research, the current success rate is still very low. Apart from Jūgo, who naturally possesses Sage Body, the success rate for other test subjects is less than ten percent."

"Less than ten percent?"

Byakuya nodded slightly. "That's already better than Wood Release, but it's still not viable for large-scale use. So, is there any way to lower the failure rate?"

Orochimaru shook his head and elaborated on the specific success rates:

"For ordinary people, the survival rate is one percent. For Genin, it's ten percent. For Chūnin, it's twenty percent. Jōnin won't die from it. To have a completely side-effect-free transplantation, the subject needs to be at least an Elite Jōnin."

After hearing this, Byakuya fell into deep thought.

The problem with the Curse Mark was clear: the weak had a high risk of death, while the strong found little benefit from it.

The Curse Mark significantly boosted the power of weaker shinobi because it unlocked hidden potential, but this process was extremely dangerous and often fatal.

Meanwhile, Elite Jōnin had already tapped into their full potential, so the Curse Mark provided little to no enhancement for them. In some cases, it even weakened them.

To create a Curse Mark that could enhance even Elite Jōnin, the only possibilities were the yet-to-be-perfected Heaven and Earth Curse Marks or the Sage Mode of the Three Great Summoning Lands.

But the success rate of Sage Mode was even lower than the Curse Mark, it was something only the most talented shinobi could achieve.

Pulling himself back from his thoughts, Byakuya patted Orochimaru on the shoulder and said,

"Keep working on it. I've always had high expectations for you. Honestly, I believe the Curse Mark has even greater potential than the Sage Mode of the Three Great Summoning Lands. Perhaps you, Orochimaru, can develop your own unique Sage Mode."

Though he knew Byakuya was just flattering him, Orochimaru was still pleased.

After all, there weren't many shinobi in the world who truly recognized his talent, and even fewer who were willing to fund his research.