Temporary Return to the Village

"Huh?"

Hermit Purple rarely gave a full-face photo, but it didn't capture Orochimaru, but rather Yakushi Kabuto wearing a mask.

Lin Ke studied the photo and found something strange—

He couldn't mistake the person in the photo, it was definitely Yakushi Kabuto, but the shadow was very interesting. Whether it was a trick of the light or something else, it was long-haired, somewhat resembling Orochimaru.

If it were a normal photo, such an error might occur unintentionally, but a photo taken by Hermit Purple must have a strong meaning.

And there's no reason for him to look for Orochimaru and end up photographing Yakushi Kabuto.

Which means…

[Did Orochimaru use Living Corpse Reincarnation to take over Yakushi Kabuto's body?]

Lin Ke pondered. Through the photo, he vaguely guessed some things. The plot had a huge difference from the manga, and there must be a variable.

Moreover, Yakushi Kabuto had clearly been hit with the Five Elements Sealing. At least this body couldn't use Ninjutsu that required hand seals. Why would Orochimaru insist on taking such a body?

Was it out of necessity, or was Orochimaru after the Five Elements Sealing? Was the Original Body Orochimaru's body that had been hit with the Five Elements Sealing?

Lin Ke took another photo. Looking at the barren rocks, the continuous rocky mountains, and the characteristic Stone Rain composed of fine gravel in the air, he could basically determine that Orochimaru (?) was squatting in the Land of Earth.

This was a bit troublesome.

Unlike small countries, the ninjas of the five great nations were very active and often ran around the country performing tasks. They could encounter him if he wasn't careful.

He could ride the Earth Dragon around the Land of Fire because he was a Special Jonin of Konoha Village. Even if they discovered his tracks, they wouldn't follow or call for a siege. Even if they reported it to the Anbu or the Hokage's desk, no one would bother him.

Going to the Land of Wind might also work, but the Land of Earth was very troublesome.

The Earth Dragon could become invisible, but these ninjas couldn't become invisible with the Earth Dragon. Flying too high would negate the purpose of finding Orochimaru's Base, and flying too low would risk being discovered.

The ninjas of the Land of Earth were quite united. If they really fought, he would probably have to think about how to deal with the Hidden Stone Village.

[Sneak in on foot, and then find a chance to let the Earth Dragon scout.]

Lin Ke put away the photo. He knew very little about the Land of Earth. Even allied countries didn't allow ninjas to cross borders with each other, let alone Konoha Village, which didn't have a good relationship with the Land of Earth. So most Konoha ninjas were very vague about where the Land of Earth actually was.

How could he be an exception?

Should he go back to the village first to retrieve information about the Land of Earth?

He was thinking when his thoughts were interrupted by a sudden wave of fatigue. He gasped for breath and a relaxed smile appeared on his face.

With the experience cheat of Shadow Clone, his Wind Release nature transformation was progressing rapidly. It shouldn't be long before he could successfully cultivate it, and he would soon be able to put a lot of Wind Release to use.

[Go back to the village first and ask the Third Hokage for information about the Land of Earth, and then go find Orochimaru.]

Lin Ke calmed his mental fatigue slightly, got up, and went to find Sasuke.

This kid had disregarded the mission and chased after Itachi's Crow to the battlefield during the mission, and had been out of contact for several days. He would probably be lectured by the two Advisors when he returned to the village.

...

Afternoon, Konoha Village, Hokage Office.

"Itachi, is dead?"

The Third Hokage was a little discomposed in front of the two younger generations, and his expression was distracted for a moment.

He thought of the child who had endured too much because of him.

"Since he wanted to kill you, it proves that he has betrayed us and is no longer a spy for the village," Utatane Koharu said with a kind expression. "He deserved to die."

Uchiha Sasuke clenched his fists. His mood was very complicated even now.

He hated his brother for killing the entire clan without saying a word, and he couldn't accept that his brother wanted to attack his friends.

But Itachi had indeed done some things for him, and there was still the filter of childhood. He could scold and kill him, but he couldn't bear the old guys in the village abandoning Itachi so lightly.

Mitokado Homura stared closely at Sasuke, whose Sharingan had appeared because of his emotional agitation, and said, "Koharu."

"What's wrong?" Utatane Koharu looked at Sasuke with a cold smile on her face and said, "Uchiha Sasuke, are you going to attack the Advisor?"

She had long disliked the Uchiha. The clan that decided to betray should all be killed. The little devil left behind by Uchiha Itachi kept shouting about revenge and revitalizing the Uchiha, which made her feel even more disgusted.

There were many ways to control the power of the Tailed Beast, and there was no need to use Sharingan.

She didn't intend to swallow her anger, but continued to provoke, "Next, we will immediately announce the death of the rogue ninja Uchiha Itachi to the outside world, in view of your killing of the wanted criminal Uchiha Itachi—"

"Koharu." The Third Hokage interrupted his old friend, his expression turning serious. "Sasuke, about Itachi..." He paused, sighing.

What should he say at this moment?

Actually, after Sasuke learned the truth, he had been considering ending Itachi's mission, allowing him to return to the village in anonymity. However, the messages he sent had not received a reply.

Now, hearing the news of Itachi's death, he suddenly realized that perhaps that child had long ago decided to die at his younger brother's hands, making his brother a 'hero' of Konoha Village.

"It's my fault." The Third Hokage removed his hat, his already aged appearance now looking even more ancient.

He seemed like he had one foot in the grave.

"Do you have any requests?" He didn't plan to announce Itachi's death, nor could he publicly reveal Itachi's identity as a spy. Giving Sasuke some preferential treatment was all he could do.

Mitokado Homura didn't speak, knowing the Monkey's personality and having already guessed the outcome.

After being interrupted, Utatane Koharu didn't plan to speak again, letting the Monkey make the final decision. The two advisors had many things to do on a daily basis, but in reality, they still deferred to the Hokage.

Uchiha Sasuke stood there, silent. He didn't want anything. If he could, he would open his eyes right now and kill that foul-mouthed old hag across from him. Suddenly, a hand rested on his shoulder.

"I recommend Chunin Uchiha Sasuke to be promoted to Jonin."

Lin Ke opened his mouth with a smile, he didn't want his own people to suffer losses, he definitely had to get the benefits first.

"I think Kakashi wouldn't refuse to recommend his own disciple either, right?" He pulled in the Hokage candidate Kakashi, adding weight.

Mitokado Homura frowned. He didn't want Sasuke, who was full of hatred and had just abandoned his mission, to become a Jonin at this moment, but he put things on the table.

Lin Ke represented the Ino-Shika-Cho, and Kakashi had many connections in the elite Jonin and Anbu. Itachi, after all, was a spy who had sacrificed a lot for the village, and it wouldn't be right to give him nothing.

But becoming a Jonin meant he was no longer an easily manipulated subordinate, and then Danzo...

"No, I disagree." Utatane Koharu's attitude was even clearer.

An evil Uchiha brat who may or may not be enveloped by the Will of Fire, and who was full of hostility towards her, had this and that opinion about the village's arrangements.

Political considerations didn't matter; she just didn't want the last of the Uchiha to enter the higher echelons of Konoha Village so quickly.

It seems like Sasuke's revenge will be very troublesome...

Lin Ke observed the attitudes of the Hokage and the two advisors, thinking silently.

Danzo had now completely lost power and was basically under constant surveillance to prevent him from doing anything again. Root had also been disbanded, but he was still a veteran, and the Shimura Clan had sacrificed a lot for the village and was extremely loyal. The militant faction abandoning their leader didn't mean they would be willing to accept the village directly dealing with Danzo.

To kill Danzo, he would probably have to be prepared to break with the village. Sasuke would never give up on his hatred; it was a dead end.

His expression didn't change as he smiled, feeling very troubled. Was he going to break with the village for Sasuke's sake? Abandon the path to the Hokage that he had spent so long paving?

His subconscious wanted to refuse. Lin Ke only wanted to hide behind the scenes, quietly obtain some benefits, fool Obito, fool Black Zetsu, and completely destroy the Eye of the Moon Plan after plucking the Tailed Beasts' wool.

To put it coldly, apart from Naruto, Gaara, and Utakata, he didn't care about the lives of the other Jinchuriki. He would randomly kill a Tailed Beast every few years, delaying the plan, and so on, until he was satisfied.

By then, the invincible him wouldn't need to take action personally. He could safely hide in Konoha, build up his qualifications, become the Hokage, and reach his peak adulthood, where he could do whatever he wanted.

But was Sasuke willing to wait? If it were him, Sasuke should be willing, but he...

Lin Ke lowered his eyelids, letting his gaze fall to the ground. He really hated taking sides.

"I agree." The Third Hokage unexpectedly agreed, completely ignoring the gazes of his two old friends, and said, "What else do you want?"

These were not only for Sasuke, but also to buy the life of his old friend Danzo.

"Ninjutsu!" Lin Ke continued, "We want to freely learn all the Ninjutsu mastered by the village."

The Third Hokage gave a helpless look, You brat, don't take advantage of Sasuke's compensation to make requests for yourself.

Lin Ke returned a smiling, mischievous expression.

"I want to be able to learn all the Ninjutsu, including Forbidden Techniques." Uchiha Sasuke said more directly.

He knew that Lin Ke had always wanted to learn many techniques, so he might as well take this opportunity to get some things for his friend.

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu didn't object. They both knew that the Monkey had secretly opened up the learning of Forbidden Techniques to Lin Ke. Hearing this, they knew it was a benefit for that little ghost, so they didn't bother to refuse.

"Sasuke's promotion may take a few days." The Third Hokage defaulted to the previous request and said, "Tell me, what brings you back this time?"

Lin Ke saw that he was being serious, restrained his smile, and threw the photo over, saying, "I found Orochimaru's trail. He is now lurking in the Land of Earth, hoping to get support from the village."

Since he was going to ask the village for help, he might as well directly ask for intelligence, legitimacy, and manpower.

After Orochimaru carried out the Konoha Crush Plan, he was constantly being tracked by the Anbu, and two of his snake dens within the Land of Fire were destroyed.

The current Konoha Village is different from what's depicted in the manga; it hasn't fallen into a state of weakness at all, so how could they possibly abandon their hatred?

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