Chapter 167: Clear Distinctions

Having mastered the Freedom Sage Arts, Naruto returned to the temple of Ryūchi Cave to bid farewell to the White Snake Sage.

With millennia of wisdom, the White Snake Sage was deeply moved and gave Naruto high praise.

"Truly, the younger generation is formidable. This generation's Asura once again surpasses Indra, as if it's destiny."

"If not for the sage's guidance, I would not have reached this point," Naruto expressed his gratitude without arrogance.

The White Snake Sage praised, "Yes, the younger generation is indeed formidable."

Naruto casually asked, "By the way, on our way here, we saw an ancient bloodstain on the mountain wall that hasn't disappeared in a thousand years. I'm curious about its origin."

The White Snake Sage explained, "Oh, you noticed that? It was from nearly a thousand years ago when Indra visited Ryūchi Cave and battled my old rival, the Hydra Sage."

"The blood of the Hydra Sage contains the sage power of Ryūchi Cave, and in this environment filled with sage power, it doesn't disappear, hence it has remained for so long."

Naruto was amazed, "Someone who even gave you a headache was dealt with by Indra alone?"

The White Snake Sage replied, "Back then, my powers were still shallow. If it were now, I wouldn't even regard the Hydra Sage as a threat. Although Indra won, he was also seriously injured. That bloodstain might even contain Indra's blood."

The speaker was unintentional, but the listener was attentive.

Naruto's heart stirred, "Indra's blood, could it be..."

The White Snake Sage saw through him, "I've heard you ninjas have a technique called Edo Tensei. You wouldn't be thinking of using Indra's blood, would you?"

Naruto quickly said, "Of course not, I would never have such an evil thought."

The White Snake Sage continued, "I believe you wouldn't, but that doesn't mean others wouldn't, right?"

Saying this, the sage's vertical pupils turned towards Orochimaru behind Naruto.

Orochimaru, startled, said, "I was indeed tempted, which is why I asked Naruto to seek your opinion!"

The White Snake Sage firmly refused, "That won't do. Indra is an old acquaintance of mine. If his blood were to leak from Ryūchi Cave, it would put me in a difficult position. You can pursue Indra's blood elsewhere, but not here!"

Orochimaru respectfully replied, "Yes, I understand."

The White Snake Sage's eyes narrowed slightly, "Also, every three years, I travel the human world. In half a year, it will be time for my next journey. Don't think you can sneak in while I'm away and scrape off some blood scabs from the mountain wall, thinking I won't notice. Such tricks are useless against me."

Orochimaru's eyes flickered, "Of course. I am upright and would never do such sneaky things!"

The White Snake Sage remarked meaningfully, "Hmph, as long as you're aware. If you harm the interests of Ryūchi Cave, I won't spare you, even to the ends of the earth!"

With that, Naruto and Orochimaru bid farewell to the White Snake Sage and left Ryūchi Cave, returning to Amegakure.

Mito and Konan came to welcome them.

Looking at the transformed Naruto, Mito remarked, "Before this journey, excluding battle experience, your power was on par with Hashirama at his peak. Now, there's truly a gap."

To this, Naruto responded with a modest smile.

Konan asked with concern, "Are you tired? Do you want to soak in a hot spring and eat something first?"

"Maybe later tonight," Naruto replied, "While I was away, was there any unrest in the ninja world?"

Konan said, "The Hokage sent a letter."

Naruto replied, "Let me see."

Tsunade had written about the battle in Konoha, also mentioning Hinata.

"I see," Naruto felt relieved, "As expected, Kabuto and Sasuke acted. Thank goodness for Hinata, otherwise, things could have gone bad."

Konan's eyes deepened, "It's as if Kabuto knew you weren't in the ninja world. Our Amegakure must have been infiltrated by spies, and their rank isn't low."

Kabuto had once served Danzo, and it wasn't surprising for him to plant spies in various countries. However, obtaining intel on Naruto's whereabouts indicated someone of significant status.

Naruto said thoughtfully, "I check for malice around me using the Tailed Beast Chakra Mode every half hour, but haven't detected any sources of malice. At the very least, none of the people I've interacted with in the past half month are spies."

Konan lowered her gaze, "Then the targets with certain status who haven't met us face-to-face in the past half month are few."

Naruto's expression darkened, "It's too early to draw conclusions. Let me confirm it myself."

At night.

Naruto and Konan arrived at the Amegakure Anbu headquarters, in front of the southern residence.

This was the dwelling of the Amegakure Anbu squad leaders, Ryukō and Setsuna.

Naruto asked, "Do those two live together?"

Konan replied, "Yes, they specifically requested it. Since it's a personal matter, I didn't delve into it."

Naruto's gaze was solemn. Initially, he thought the issue might lie with one of them, but since they shared a room, the other wouldn't be spared either.

"Let's hope our suspicions are wrong!"

Whoosh!

Naruto used the Dustless Bewildering Cover to conceal his chakra and form, silently infiltrating the residence.

Ryukō! Setsuna!

Some unusual noises reached Naruto's ears, causing him to frown, "What are these two up to in the middle of the night?"

"Never mind, I'll use this to find out!"

Naruto formed a seal with two fingers.

Wood Release: Wooden Door!

Sizzle!

An eye opened on the wooden floor inside the room, and what Naruto saw nearly took his breath away!!

When he left their home and returned to Konan, he was visibly shaken!

Konan asked with a serious look, "As expected, do those two have issues?"

Boom!

Naruto punched a utility pole, "Yes, big issues!!"

Konan frowned, "Should we arrest them immediately for questioning?"

Naruto sighed, "No, I think they must be under a lot of pressure too. As the one who discovered their ninja talents, I failed to see through their relationship. My skills are still lacking."

Konan was puzzled, "What exactly happened? What did you see?"

Naruto sighed deeply, filled with admiration, "I don't know how to describe it, but their relationship has surpassed the friendship between men and reached a realm beyond our understanding. Honestly, even at my closest with Sasuke, we couldn't do that."

Konan, after pondering, was shocked, "This, could it be..."

Naruto chuckled and sighed, "That's exactly it. They're not the spies. I confirmed it with the Tailed Beast Chakra Mode."

Konan murmured, "Then who could it be? Who's the attacker, who's the receiver, and who's the spy?"

Naruto's gaze deepened, "I might have a guess. If there's someone with a connection to Kabuto and outside our view, it's only her. But for now, let's wait and see. Kabuto is cunning and not easy to handle. Perhaps in the future, when acquiring the left eye of the mirror, she might help us turn the tables."

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