Bang!
Throwing away the corpse in his hand, the corner of Orochimaru's mouth twitched slightly: "How much longer must we absorb chakra like this?"
Ichirō Fūma, hidden within Orochimaru's spiritual world, said: "We have no other choice!"
As time passed, the impact of the Barrier Project on the shinobi world grew larger and larger. Even those who were not shinobi, but merely ordinary country folk, gradually felt the changes in their surroundings. Because of the mobilization of massive resources, the movement of various personnel, and the countless underground shelters under construction simultaneously across various regions, the lives of everyone in the shinobi world were being changed.
Under such a general environment, Orochimaru's hiding became more and more difficult, let alone collecting chakra everywhere. Just like now, when all the collectible chakra had been gathered, he could only take action against individual stray shinobi.
But the chakra of a single shinobi, for Orochimaru's current chakra gap, was undoubtedly a drop in the bucket.
Just as Orochimaru was preparing to ambush the next target, Ichirō Fūma suddenly said: "There's no more time!"
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow: "No more time for what?"
Ichirō Fūma said with some anxiety: "Do you not feel the changes in the shinobi world? There isn't much time left for us!"
Orochimaru said: "Are you referring to those shelters being built everywhere? Those are preparations he made to deal with the Hegemon, they have nothing to do with us!"
Now, Shinji's Barrier Project had entered its final stage. Because the personnel and resources mobilized were too immense, the Research Institute used the large-scale construction of underground shelters to cover the Barrier Project.
In any case, when the decisive battle truly arrived, these shelters would definitely be put to use; there was no need to worry about wasting manpower and resources.
Ichirō Fūma said in a deep voice: "No, it is not these shelters!"
Orochimaru realized something, and his face also darkened: "Damn it, are you hiding something from me again?"
Ichirō Fūma said disdainfully: "It's your own failure to perceive it, it has nothing to do with me!"
Orochimaru asked: "Stop the nonsense, what exactly is going on?"
Ichirō Fūma voiced his perception.
It turned out that when the Research Institute was fine-tuning the defense barrier earlier, it was sensed by him. And such a powerful barrier completely exceeded his expectations, so he suspected the Research Institute had created this barrier likely specifically to target him.
Orochimaru's eyes flickered.
Regardless of who the Research Institute created this barrier to target, there was one thing he could confirm: Ichirō Fūma's perception surpassed his own.
This was clearly abnormal, because Ichirō Fūma's strength was at most equivalent to his, and he was only residing in his body temporarily by relying on Shinjutsu, so logically Ichirō Fūma's perception should be synchronized with his.
Ichirō Fūma suggested: "Let's go. We'll go to the Research Institute and seize the Shinjutsu from Eida and Daemon! As long as we seize their Shinjutsu, we should be able to crush Shinji Uchiha!"
Orochimaru at this time instead calmed down: "Are you mad?"
Ichirō Fūma said urgently: "Fool, do you want to be caught like an insect and then crushed at will?"
Orochimaru smiled: "I now master four types of Shinjutsu. Who can crush me at will?"
Ichirō Fūma was very certain: "Shinji Uchiha can!"
Orochimaru remained unmoved: "I might not be able to win against him, but I can still manage self-preservation!"
"Fool, a fool like an ant!" Ichirō Fūma cursed loudly, and while cursing, he also said: "If we fall into Shinji Uchiha's hands now, we will surely die!"
Orochimaru continued to smile lightly: "Oh? How can you be so certain?"
Ichirō Fūma seemed unwilling to act anymore and said directly: "You don't need to fish for my words. You only need to know that not much time is left for us. If we truly wait until the Research Institute completes the arrangement of the barrier, we will have nowhere to hide!"
...
"Heh!"
Orochimaru directly gave a cold laugh.
Seeing this, Ichirō Fūma could only say: "Trust me, as long as we absorb the Shinjutsu from Eida, Daemon, and the others, we will have the power of self-preservation. At that time, whether to fight or reconcile, we will be able to advance or retreat freely. But if we miss this last chance now, we won't have the bargaining chips to negotiate with Shinji Uchiha!"
Orochimaru pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "We cannot go to the Research Institute. Eida and Daemon are not weak, and there are also the two brats, Sasuke and Naruto; our chances of success are too low. Once entangled, it will be difficult for us to escape!"
"Damn it!"
Ichirō Fūma cursed in a low voice.
He also knew that rashly breaking into the Research Institute was not a good idea, it's just that the situation was getting increasingly severe, and their work of collecting chakra was not proceeding smoothly at all, so he had conceived the crazy idea of a desperate gamble to rush into the Research Institute and absorb the Shinjutsu from Eida and Daemon.
Rumble
Just then, a sudden roar came from the distance!
Orochimaru quickly followed the sound with his gaze, and then his pupils shrank, as if he had seen some incredible sight.
In his field of vision, a towering giant tree that pierced the clouds suddenly grew from the extremely far horizon. Compared to this giant tree, let alone other trees, even the mountain ranges appeared small, like a small mound beneath the giant tree.
"God Tree?"
"God Tree!"
Almost simultaneously, Orochimaru and Ichirō Fūma judged the identity of this giant tree, though the former's tone was somewhat uncertain, while the latter's tone was full of surprise.
While the two were surprised and astonished, a figure leaped to the top of the God Tree.
"Shinji Uchiha!"
Orochimaru and Ichirō Fūma recognized that figure, their tones certain.
Although due to the distance, Orochimaru and Ichirō Fūma could not see the appearance of that figure clearly, from the terrifying chakra on the other party, they firmly believed it was Shinji Uchiha.
Orochimaru's face was full of confusion: "Why would he summon the God Tree?"
Even though Shinji Uchiha was a Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, given the other party's current strength, he could not think of anyone who could force Shinji to summon the Ten-Tails to assist in battle.
"Oh no!"
Ichirō Fūma was somewhat despondent.
Orochimaru asked: "What happened?"
Ichirō Fūma said: "I should have thought of it sooner. That kind of barrier that can cover the entire shinobi world can only be achieved with the help of the power of the God Tree!"
A jolt went through Orochimaru's heart: "Are you saying they are already about to complete the barrier?"
Ichirō Fūma's expression was panicked: "Damn it, his movements are too fast. We lost, we have no more chances..."
Listening to Ichirō Fūma muttering in his ear like a defeated dog, Orochimaru's face also turned gloomy.
This was the first time he had seen Ichirō Fūma so panicked and helpless, so no matter what hidden intentions the other party had, he knew the current situation was indeed very unfavorable for him.
But just then, he suddenly sensed something, and his heart was shocked: "Owl? He's still alive!"