Chapter 361: The Plan

The collapse of the mountain, the clouds of dust swirling through the air, and the deafening roar that seemed to echo endlessly left the Root members outside the stronghold in a state of shock.

The sudden catastrophe had caught them completely off guard.

An entire layer of the mountainside had caved in, along with several trees and the surrounding ground, leaving a one-meter-deep crater.

It was impossible to imagine the fate of those inside. Shaken back to their senses, the remaining Root operatives attempted to excavate the bodies of their buried comrades, but their efforts were in vain.

"Damn it, Raiga…" one of the Root members muttered through clenched teeth.

The entire stronghold had been nothing but a trap, meticulously prepared to welcome them. The earlier triggered traps had merely been decoys, designed to lower their guard.

"Return to the village."

The eight surviving Root operatives left the site, their hearts heavy with frustration.

The stored food, the dust-covered rooms, and the lack of any signs of recent movement confirmed one thing: the stronghold had been abandoned well before they had begun their surveillance.

To ensure nothing was overlooked, they had unknowingly walked into a trap, losing over thirty comrades in the process.

Though they were prepared for death, having lived their lives on the knife's edge, this kind of death felt unbearable.

Back in Konoha, deep within the Root base beneath the village, Danzo stood on a cross-shaped bridge, listening to the detailed mission report.

His half-closed eye opened slightly, a dangerous glint flashing within. Gripping his slender cane, he slammed it against the stone floor with enough force to send spiderweb-like cracks through the ground.

"Ye Zi!" he growled, his voice dripping with murderous intent.

Since learning that Ye Zi was alive, Danzo had orchestrated multiple operations to eliminate him, all of which had ended in failure with significant losses of skilled operatives.

It wasn't easy to cultivate loyal and capable subordinates, and yet Ye Zi had cut down so many of his men.

Knowing that Ye Zi wouldn't be defeated easily, Danzo had even tried to use Minato's faction to deal with him, but that, too, had proven ineffective.

Danzo's patience had worn thin. He refused to continue sacrificing his people for Ye Zi—unless an opportunity presented itself.

"Tsunade and Jiraiya are searching for Ye Zi's whereabouts, aren't they…" Danzo muttered to himself, his expression icy.

The renowned Sannin, Tsunade and Jiraiya, along with "those two" individuals… this time, would Ye Zi still be able to escape unscathed?

"Find Ye Zi's location as quickly as possible," Danzo commanded.

"Yes, sir!"

The kneeling Root operative disappeared into the darkness to execute Danzo's orders.

Once alone, Danzo narrowed his eyes and began devising his plan against Ye Zi.

The intelligence on Ye Zi's old stronghold had been cut off. Even someone as skilled as Ryo had been discovered. Finding the new stronghold's location was now almost impossible.

If that was the case, Danzo would prioritize eliminating Ye Zi, his corpse would be enough.

The Research Division had recently developed new equipment capable of extracting memories from a body using the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques, but Danzo's influence couldn't yet reach them.

No matter. Danzo would let Tsunade, Jiraiya, and others do the dirty work, and once Ye Zi was dead, he'd find a way to acquire the intel he needed.

Unaware of Danzo's continued scheming, Ye Zi and Orochimaru had entered the Land of Earth and arrived at one of its most famous locations: Matsutake Mountain.

The terrain was rugged and uneven, covered entirely in reddish rock formations that stretched as far as the eye could see. The rocks, shaped like oversized matsutake mushrooms, gave the place its name.

Ye Zi and Orochimaru's target was the largest formation in the area—a colossal Matsutake Rock with an extensive cave system inside.

Compared to the smaller rock formations, this massive structure appeared bloated and cumbersome. After circling its base, they confirmed that there was only one entrance.

Above the cave entrance, a polished stone wall bore faint, worn inscriptions. Though most of the writing was illegible, one character stood out: "Water".

"Water?" Ye Zi muttered, glancing around. This place was a barren wasteland. There wasn't a single trace of water or even the faintest hint of vegetation. All he could see were the endless mushroom-shaped rocks.

Orochimaru studied the stone wall briefly, then led the way into the cave.

Inside, the darkness was absolute, with no trace of light.

Ye Zi extended his hand, using Wood Release to form a weakened wooden torch, which he then ignited with Fire Release to create a makeshift light source.

"Such a convenient ability," Orochimaru remarked with a smirk as he glanced at the torch. It was hard to tell whether he was genuinely praising Ye Zi or mocking him.

The legendary First Hokage's Wood Release had been reduced to mundane tasks—building strongholds, crafting furniture, and even fashioning tableware and toilets. Out in the wilderness, Ye Zi didn't even need to gather firewood, he could simply summon it with a flick of his hand.

In a place like Matsutake Mountain, where no plants existed, obtaining a wooden torch was otherwise impossible. But with Ye Zi's Wood Release, it took mere seconds.

"If the First Hokage saw how you're using his abilities, I wonder what he'd think," Orochimaru mused slyly.

Ye Zi ignored the comment, raising his torch as the two ventured deeper into the cave.

The Konoha leadership had once been obsessed with artificially creating a ninja capable of using Wood Release. Yet, they could never have imagined that Ye Zi, who had mastered this ability, would use it in such unconventional ways.

The dim torchlight illuminated the cave, revealing what appeared to be a naturally formed cavern. There were no signs of artificial excavation, no carved surfaces or tools marks suggesting the cave had remained largely untouched by human hands.

After exploring the cave thoroughly, Ye Zi and Orochimaru failed to find any ruins. However, in the deepest section of the cave, they once again sensed that subtle, almost imperceptible energy fluctuation.

The feeling was exactly the same as the one they had encountered at Five Bamboo Grove. This confirmed one thing, it was the same type of energy.

"This is the place," Orochimaru remarked, his serpent-like eyes sweeping across the surroundings. "But once again, no useful information has been left behind."

There were no man-made structures or remnants in the cave, only the stone wall at the entrance, which resembled a plaque and bore a faint inscription. Though most of the characters were illegible, one symbol could still be deciphered: "Water".

At Five Bamboo Grove, there had at least been remnants of buildings, although they were heavily eroded by the passage of time. Here, however, there were no such structures at all.

Orochimaru's expression betrayed a faint hint of disappointment. In a sealed environment like this cave, any ruins or artifacts should have been better preserved, if they existed. What a pity.

Ye Zi, meanwhile, silently focused on the faint energy fluctuations emanating from deep beneath the ground. He committed this location to memory.

For a brief moment, he considered summoning Shokui, his contracted beast, to see if it could devour the energy and test its properties. Shokui would likely be eager to try, but Ye Zi wasn't willing to take the risk.

Once it was clear that nothing of value could be found, the two of them left the cave.

Over the long passage of time, this cave, like Five Bamboo Grove, had been visited by others. Yet none of those who came had ever sensed the energy hidden deep below.

The reason for this was simple: one needed an enormous amount of chakra to detect the energy.

Both Orochimaru and Ye Zi possessed ample chakra reserves, which allowed them to sense the subtle fluctuations.

Including this cave, they had now discovered three such locations, each containing traces of this mysterious energy yet they had uncovered no meaningful clues as to its origins or purpose.

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Currently on Chapter 416 - The Invasion of Konoha