Chapter 162: The Death of Orochimaru
The journey back to the Land of Sound was shrouded in a tense silence, broken only by Suigetsu's grumbling.
"Boss, we just left like that? It's infuriating! We save their hides, and this is how they treat us? I can't stand it!" he complained, his face a mask of displeasure.
Ren maintained his pace, not bothering to look back. "There's no need to concern ourselves with insignificant people. If you wish to settle the score, there will be opportunities in the future," he replied, his voice cold and dismissive.
The source of Suigetsu's frustration was the aftermath of the battle with the zombie duo. After Ren had killed Kakuzu and Asuma had succumbed to his wounds, the Konoha shinobi, in their grief and shock, had turned a wary eye on Ren and his team. Though they knew they were outmatched, the Special Jounin had warned Ren to stay away from Ino, a Konoha kunoichi, even ordering Ino herself to sever ties. The audacity had made Ren's blood boil. Only Ino's pleading, raw with the fresh pain of losing her sensei, had stayed his hand. He would not add to her suffering in that moment.
It was this uncharacteristic restraint that Suigetsu found so galling.
"That's exactly it! Since when does the Eagle team back down? We stormed one of the Five Great Villages! And today we let a few Konoha small-fries talk to us like that? Boss, you're going soft! This isn't like you at all!" Suigetsu pressed.
"Hmph. I think he's like this because of that Konoha kunoichi, Ino," Karin interjected, a rare moment of agreement with Suigetsu, her voice dripping with sarcastic venom.
Suigetsu's eyes widened in feigned revelation. "Ohhh... I see! So that's it! No wonder the boss was looking at that girl all... intently. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me!"
"Enough! Silence!" Ren's patience snapped. He spun around, his eyes shifting in an instant to the hypnotic pattern of the Mangekyo Sharingan, its malevolent gaze fixed squarely on Suigetsu.
"Sorry! Sorry! I'll shut up, I'll shut up!" Suigetsu immediately backpedaled, raising his hands in a placating gesture, his bravado evaporating under the weight of that terrifying gaze.
With a final cold snort, Ren deactivated his Sharingan and increased his pace, leaving the others to hurry after him in silence.
***
After days of travel, the four finally crossed into the Land of Sound and approached Otogakure. But something was immediately wrong. The village, usually buzzing with a sinister energy, was eerily quiet. The sky was overcast, casting a gloomy pall over the silent settlement. There were no guards at the gates.
"Huh? What's going on with the village?" Suigetsu muttered, his hand instinctively moving to the hilt of his sword. "It's like a ghost town."
"Something has happened while we were away," Ren stated, his brow furrowed. "Let's go in."
They entered the village cautiously. The streets were deserted. Eventually, they found a few shinobi, but they moved listlessly, their faces etched with despair and confusion, as if their entire world had collapsed.
"Suigetsu, bring one of them here. I want answers," Ren ordered.
"Understood!"
Suigetsu quickly dragged a dazed Sound-nin before Ren. The man initially seemed numb, but upon seeing Ren's face, he flinched in terror. "L-Lord Sasuke...!"
"Hey! That's not Sasuke, you idiot! This is Lord Ren! Get it right!" Suigetsu barked.
"L-Lord Ren?" The man's eyes widened further, a new layer of fear dawning as he clearly recognized the name and the stories attached to it—the destroyer of Kumogakure. He trembled violently.
"Report. What has happened here? And where is Orochimaru?" Ren's tone brooked no delay.
"My... my lord, you haven't heard?" the man stammered, shocked that the news hadn't reached them.
"My patience is limited. Speak. Now."
"Y-yes! Yes!" the Sound-nin quavered, bowing his head. "Lord Orochimaru... he... he is dead!"
The declaration hung in the silent air.
Ren's eyes narrowed slightly. He had suspected something was amiss, but the confirmation was still significant.
For the others, the news was a thunderclap. Suigetsu was the first to recover.
"WHAT?!" he roared, grabbing the terrified man by his collar and lifting him off the ground. "Orochimaru? Dead? You've got to be joking! How could a snake like him die? Are you lying to us?!"
"N-no! I'm not lying! Lord Orochimaru is truly dead!"
"Suigetsu, release him," Ren commanded calmly. "Under the gaze of my Sharingan, he does not dare to lie."
Suigetsu scoffed but dropped the man back onto the dusty ground.
The Sound-nin scrambled to his knees, gasping. The greatest pillar of their village was gone. The legendary Sannin, Orochimaru, had fallen. And the power vacuum he left behind was a yawning chasm of fear and uncertainty—a chasm that Uchiha Ren had just stepped into.
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