Ye Liang was momentarily stunned.
He hadn't expected Hanzo, the Ninja God, to be so self-aware—he completely disregarded his own dignity and actually just ran away!
He ran off so fast it was unreal—like some kind of ninja super sprint!
It was already dusk.
Although Ye Liang could have continued chasing the fleeing Hanzo, the night had grown too thick. He didn't want to risk a misstep, so he simply stayed behind.
At this moment,
Yahiko and the others, who had been watching the fight from the sidelines, immediately walked over.
"Lord Sir, thank you so much for saving us! Without you, our group would've been finished for sure!" Yahiko quickly expressed his gratitude to Ye Liang.
His two teammates also cast admiring glances toward Ye Liang.
One was named Nagato, with red hair.
The other was Konan, a purple-haired beauty. At fifteen years old, she looked especially fresh and elegant—delightfully charming.
Ye Liang smiled.
These were future superpower elites; forging friendships with them meant brighter days lay ahead!
After a while,
the group arrived at a remote cave. They grabbed whatever wild stuff they could find and threw it on the fire.
In times like this, there weren't any real towns or villages nearby.
Having a small outdoor feast like this in the wilderness was already an extravagant luxury!
Yahiko and the others often went to sleep hungry.
Ye Liang set up the campfire.
He placed several hunted pheasants onto it, and immediately Konan leaned over, drawn by the scent.
"Oh wow! This food smells amazing!" She inhaled deeply as Ye Liang quickly handed her one.
With just a bite, her mouth filled with flavor!
Konan instantly felt as if her entire body was floating!
Seeing her reaction, the others moved closer as well.
"Mmm, it really is good," Yahiko murmured after taking a bite, giving his praise. Meanwhile, the usually quiet Nagato gave Ye Liang a thumbs-up.
So fragrant!
Ye Liang himself ate some too.
After such a satisfying meal and a good rest, Ye Liang lay back on a flat rock and relaxed.
Suddenly, an old map appeared in Ye Liang's hand.
It had that classic yellowed look, aged to perfection.
He gently unfolded it.
The map detailed the whole of the Naruto world—from the farthest reaches of Sunagakure to the bustling heart of Konoha. Every ninja village was carefully charted out.
"Big Brother Ye Liang! What are these red Xs on the map?" Konan asked lazily, still chewing, as she stretched her head closer.
There were many markings across the map, but the most numerous were large red Xs drawn in ink.
"Not much, just some places I've traveled to."
"Oh," Konan replied softly, though her face fell slightly.
"I really envy you, Big Brother Ye Liang. You get to travel all over the place, but we're stuck around Amegakure," Konan said slowly.
Ye Liang was briefly taken aback.
He naturally understood how Konan felt. These people were orphans from Amegakure, growing up amidst war and chaos. Simply surviving until now was already a miracle.
As for traveling?
They couldn't even dream of it!
"Cheer up, Konan. When you grow up, you'll naturally be able to leave Amegakure," Ye Liang offered, hoping to comfort her.
After noticing Konan's mood had improved slightly, Ye Liang returned his focus to the map.
Of course, this wasn't just any ordinary map!
Each red X marked a spot where Ye Liang had eliminated a White Zetsu. They were densely packed, covering the entire map.
There were easily over a hundred of them!
"Never thought so many White Zetsus would appear in just five years. It seems the Naruto world is truly getting weirder!" Ye Liang sighed.
This time, coming to Amegakure was specifically to search for clues about the master of the White Zetsu.
From his investigation along the way, the closer he got to Amegakure, the stronger the White Zetsus became. In fact, Ye Liang had already noticed this issue even before receiving the assassination mission against Hanzo.
Certainly, killing Hanzo was just some extra pocket money—these two tasks didn't conflict at all.
He pulled out another map—one clearly marking the routes within Amegakure itself. Rubbing his chin, Ye Liang realized he'd be burning the midnight oil over this...
A few days later.
Inside a secret meeting room in Amegakure,
The Ninja God, Sanshouo Hanzo, knelt respectfully before a black-and-white clad strange figure.
"Lord Zetsu, I've already prepared the one thousand war orphan children as you commanded. But may I ask if the reward can be given earlier?"
"Hmph! When has Master ever deceived you? Don't worry, once your sacrifice succeeds, I'll deliver what you want," the black-and-white creature called Zetsu calmly nodded, then twisted his body and dove straight into the ground.
Hanzo narrowed his eyes, then stood upright again.
"Hmph! Such a difficult master to please! If it weren't for needing your stuff, I'd have crushed your skull long ago, believe me!" He grumbled, then gently flipped open the floor beneath his feet and jumped down.
Underneath lay a massive hidden cave!
Extremely deep!
As soon as Hanzo entered, he closed the ceiling hatch tightly.
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Amegakure, three little figures had appeared.
It was none other than Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan.
Ye Liang had already launched his attack against the White Zetsu. He hadn't expected the entire Amegakure to be overrun by them. He fought hard for a long time before finally wiping out all those weaklings!
After a while.
"Teacher Ye Liang, were those guys just now the White Zetsu you mentioned? They don't seem all that impressive," Yahiko was searching through Hanzo's room, seemingly not finding any of the clues Ye Liang had mentioned.
"These are just the weakest grunts. I've encountered ones much stronger—strong enough to crush a Jonin with one hand," Ye Liang replied without looking up.
"Seriously? Crush a Jonin? Those things?" Nagato showed clear disbelief but Ye Liang ignored him.
While continuing his search, Ye Liang suddenly paused at a certain spot—his steps felt soft, as if the floor wasn't solid beneath him. He gave it a light kick, and a clear hollow sound echoed back.
"It's empty in here!"
Instantly, Ye Liang ripped open the floorboards beneath his feet!
At the very moment they discovered the secret chamber, Hanzo had already reached the deepest part of the underground cavern.
It felt like an old wartime guerrilla tunnel—winding, twisting, and packed with intersections. Most areas were too dark to see the ground.
Pitch black!
Hanzo pushed aside a pitch-black wall, revealing a massive altar beneath.
"Hanzo-sama!"
A dozen White Zetsu snapped to attention at his arrival, standing motionless by the entrance—as if guarding the place itself.
"Hmm, how's everything progressing?" Hanzo nodded and gave a slight hand signal. The wall behind him slid shut as if on command.
"Reporting, Hanzo-sama! The altar is complete. We've been waiting for your arrival to begin the ritual."
"Good. Then start immediately!"
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