76: Chapter 76 Infiltrating the Snake's Lair, The Silent HunterThe rocky mountain, like a giant venomous fang, stands alone, piercing the dusky sky.
The air smelled of sulfur so strong it was almost pungent, and dried snake skins and the bones of unknown animals were scattered everywhere on the ground.
This is Orochimaru's territory.
"The entrance is just ahead."
Yamato lowered his body, his fingers lightly touching the ground.
As a former ANBU member, he has an extremely keen sense of chakra flow.
The rock wall in front of them appeared to be a single, solid structure, but extremely faint fluctuations of Earth Release chakra remained in the crevices between the rocks.
"It's really well hidden." Yamato frowned."If Naruto hadn't pinpointed the general location, it would have taken a whole day just to find the entrance."
He formed a mudra with his hands and pressed his palms against the rock wall.
"Earth Release·Earth Release Cutting."
Rumble.
The hard rock wall, like a piece of tofu that has been cut open, slowly slid apart to both sides, revealing a deep and dark passageway.
A cold wind blew out from inside, carrying the smells of mildew and blood.
"Be careful," Yamato cautioned, turning back."Orochimaru's base is definitely full of traps and barriers.Every step must be taken with caution."
"This way."
Before Yamato could finish speaking, Naruto had already swaggered inside with his hands in his pockets.
He didn't even look at his feet or the walls, acting as casually as if he were in his own home.
"Naruto!Don't run around!" Sakura whispered anxiously, "There might be explosive tags or poison gas!"
Naruto stopped and looked back at the two who looked like they were facing a formidable enemy.A helpless smile appeared on his lips.
"Captain Yamato, don't be so stiff."
Naruto casually lifted his foot, the sole hovering a centimeter above the third stone slab, and turned back with a mischievous smile.
"There's carefully prepared nerve gas down here, and the left wall is stuffed with a series of explosive tags.Orochimaru's taste in interior design is really rough."
He withdrew his foot and stepped into the safe area beside him, his tone as dismissive as if he were commenting on roadside trash.
"To my eyes, these so-called traps are as noisy as cats with bells."
After saying that, he turned around and continued forward with light steps.
"Besides, I've already 'seen' it.That snake charmer is busy changing bodies right now and doesn't have time to deal with us.As for Sai."
Naruto's voice echoed in the dark passageway, carrying a reassuring—or rather, unsettling—certainty.
"He's right there, waiting for us to open the gifts."
Yamato and Sakura exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes.
Is this the sensory ability of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?
No, this is beyond the realm of perception; it's practically X-ray vision!
The underground stronghold was intricately complex, resembling a giant anthill.
But under Naruto's leadership, Team 7 moved through the area like ghosts.
"Turn left."
"Pause for three seconds and wait for the patrolling snake to pass."
"Go straight, and don't touch that vase."
Naruto's commands were concise and precise.
Along the way, they avoided seven infrared barriers, bypassed three teams of Sound Ninja patrols, and didn't even trigger a single alarm.
It felt like someone was paving the way for them with blueprints for a base.
On the system panel, a blue 3D map is updating in real time.
The red dot representing Sai is currently stationary in a secret room ahead.
[Distance to target: 15 meters.]
[Target state: stillness/emotional suppression.]
Naruto stopped in front of a heavy iron gate.
"arrive."
He stepped aside to make room for Yamato.
Yamato took a deep breath and nodded.
He didn't need to communicate verbally; his years of experience in the Anbu made him instantly understand Naruto's meaning.
A surprise attack.
Yamato's hands moved rapidly, forming hand seals, and his chakra surged wildly within his body.
"Wood Release: Silent Binding Technique!"
Bang!
The iron gate was violently blasted open by a Wood Release ninjutsu.
Several thick wooden strips darted into the house like nimble snakes, moving so fast that they left afterimages in the air.
inside the house.
Sai was sitting on a simple wooden bed, holding a paintbrush in his hand, seemingly tidying up a scroll.
The sudden turn of events caused his pupils to shrink, and he instinctively reached for the short knife on his back.
But it's too slow.
Under the full-force attack of an elite Jonin like Yamato, Sai, who had lost the initiative, had no chance to fight back.
Click!Click!
The wooden strips instantly wrapped around his limbs and torso, pinning him firmly to the wall.
The immense pressure caused his paintbrush to fall to the ground with a sharp crack.
"Ugh!" Sai groaned, his face turning pale.
"Don't move." Yamato walked in from outside, holding a kunai in his hand and pressing it against Sai's throat."Move again and I'll cut your neck."
Sakura followed closely behind, rushing into the house, her emerald green eyes filled with anger and confusion.
"Sai!" she shouted, "Why did you betray us?Why did you go with Orochimaru?Aren't you a Konoha ninja?"
Sai was trapped in the Wood Release technique and could not move.
Even when confronted by Sakura's questioning, the fake smile on his face didn't disappear.
"betray?"
Sai's voice was as calm as if he were reading an instruction manual.
"I never betrayed anyone.I was just carrying out a mission."
"A mission?" Yamato frowned.
"The Hokage gave you a mission to help us capture spies, not to deliver classified information to Orochimaru!"
"That was the Fifth Hokage's mission." Sai looked at Yamato, his eyes vacant.
"My mission comes from the 'root,' from Lord Danzo."
Upon hearing the name "Danzo," Yamato's hand trembled slightly.
Sai continued, his tone flat: "Lord Danzo believed that Konoha's current weakness stemmed from the Fifth Hokage's misplaced compassion.He argued that Orochimaru's power was necessary to destroy the current Konoha and rebuild a stronger village from the ruins."The village.
"A madman." Sakura took a half step back in disbelief, "Would you really invite a wolf into the house for such a reason?"
"This is only part of the mission."
Sai turned his head, his gaze passing over Yamato, and looked at the blond boy who had walked in last.
"The other part of the mission is.to kill Uchiha Sasuke when we see him."
The air froze.
Sakura suddenly covered her mouth, tears welling up instantly: "Kill.Sasuke?"
"Yes," Sai said calmly.
"Uchiha Sasuke is a threat to Konoha and also a vessel for Orochimaru's reincarnation.Killing him will both eliminate the threat and weaken Orochimaru.This is the optimal solution."
"Optimal solution?Don't be ridiculous!" Sakura shouted angrily, "He's a teammate!"
"companion?"
Sai tilted his head, seemingly confused by the word.
"In the 'roots,' there are no companions, no names, no past, and no future.There is only the mission."
"Emotions would only hinder the completion of the mission.Therefore, I have no emotions."
He spoke as if it were a matter of course, as if it were a truth.
Snap.
A soft sound.
Naruto kicked the paintbrush off the ground, bent down, and picked up the black cloth bag that had fallen to the ground.
He took the thick picture book out of his bag.
"No feelings?"
Naruto, holding the sketchbook, walked step by step towards Sai.
Every step felt like stepping on Sai's heartbeat.
He didn't get angry, and his eyes didn't even show a flicker of emotion.
That calmness was even more chilling than Sakura's hysteria.
"What an obedient and good dog."
Naruto chuckled and roughly flipped the page to the middle of the book as if he wanted to pierce the paper.
Splash!
The blank pages were laid out in front of the two of them.
"You say you have no feelings, then why do you carry this with you all the time?"
Naruto held the picture book up to Sai's eyes and pointed to the blank space.
"Is this your brother?"
Sai's pupils contracted sharply, and a crack finally appeared in the mask of his fake smile.
"This is just.to practice my drawing skills."
Stop pretending.
Naruto interrupted him, his tone dismissive, as if he were exposing a clumsy magic trick.
"This picture book was drawn from both ends.One side is you, and the other side is your brother.You are fighting, growing, and moving closer to the middle."
Naruto's fingers traced across the drawing paper, his voice deep and magnetic, possessing a captivating power.
"You want to paint the reunion, you want to paint those hands clasped together."
Naruto's voice was deep, carrying a cruel quality akin to dissecting a wound.
"But your pen won't move.Not because you've forgotten, but because you're a coward."
He moved closer to Sai's stiff face, his blue pupils flashing with malice.
"Because once you draw it, you have to admit that he has died in a corner like garbage, and you, the living 'root,' can do nothing but forget him."
Sai's breathing became rapid, and his chest heaved violently.
Those memories that he had sealed deep in his heart began to violently crash against the dam he had built, following Naruto's words.
"You say you have no feelings because you are afraid."
Naruto leaned close to Sai's ear and whispered something like a devil's whisper.
"You're afraid that once you acknowledge your feelings, you'll be reminded of the pain of losing him.You're afraid that the heart-wrenching feeling will turn you into a weak, useless person."
So you chose to forget.You left this page blank and told yourself, 'I can't remember.'
"Actually, you remember it very clearly."
Naruto slammed the picture book shut with a sharp "snap".
The sound was like a thunderclap in the deathly silent room.
Sai shuddered, and his eyes instantly reddened.
"Shut up…" Sai gritted his teeth, his voice trembling, "Mission…my mission…"
"A boring excuse."
Naruto slammed the picture book down hard on Sai's chest, so hard that Sai groaned.
"You rely on erasing your memories to maintain your own existence; what right do you, an empty shell, have to talk about missions?"
He looked down at Sai with the same gaze he would give a defective product.
"If you want to be a tool, at least be a sharp knife.Right now, you're just a piece of rusty scrap metal."
"Look at it."
Naruto's voice turned stern, carrying an unquestionable command.
"Look at this blank space."
Naruto's voice suddenly softened, but within that softness lay a deadly lure.
"Danzo gave you a mission, but not a soul.This blank space is your epitaph."
"Tell me, Sai.Do you want to continue being a nameless ghost, or do you want to… finish this painting and prove that your brother once lived?"
Sai lowered his head and looked at the picture book in his arms.
In that instant, countless scenes from day and night flashed through his mind.
His brother's smiling face, his brother's sick appearance, the scene of his brother dying in front of him.
And that sentence that I didn't get to say.
Tears fell without warning onto the black cover.
That layer of ice, which had lasted for more than a decade and was called "ruthless," shattered.
"I..."
Sai's voice choked with sobs, like a lost child who had finally found his way home.
"I just.wanted him to see."
"I want to finish this painting."
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