Chapter 37 Otogakure of the Land of Rice Fields
The doors of the Mizukage's office closed once more.
With Yuri and Utakata gone, the office returned to silence.
Seeing the faint worry on Terumi Mei's face, Yuto smiled lightly.
"If it's the jinchuriki you're worried about, you can relax. Since Utakata has decided to stay, with his personality, he won't attempt to defect again."
Stretching his neck, he rose from his seat, gave a lazy stretch, and spoke calmly.
"Now that they've set out, it's time for me to move as well."
Terumi Mei blinked, momentarily stunned.
"How many of Orochimaru's hideouts have been found?" Yuto suddenly asked.
"Not many, and none with Orochimaru himself." She shook her head, curiosity flickering in her eyes, puzzled why he asked this so suddenly.
"Give me the locations of those hideouts. I'll treat it as a greeting gift for Orochimaru."
Yuto chuckled casually. Of course Orochimaru would never hide in such small bases, but if any of his research remained, it would be an unexpected gain.
Others might not know Orochimaru's true whereabouts, but Yuto certainly did.
"And what about Mokunoshita Jirou?"
As Yuto prepared to leave, Terumi Mei quickly brought it up.
Since the incident, Jirou had been locked in prison. Without Yuto's orders, no one dared touch him.
But keeping him imprisoned left the Mokunoshita clan in a bind. With Jirou still alive, they couldn't appoint a new clan head.
"Heh, since the Mokunoshita clan hasn't made any moves, why should we be in a rush? Best to give them some pressure first."
Yuto grinned, clearly plotting something.
A gleam flashed in Terumi Mei's eyes. For now, Jirou was like a blade hanging over his clan.
Because of Yuto, Jirou couldn't dare to die, and the clan didn't dare let him die.
It was obvious Yuto intended to use the clan for something.
For a moment, Terumi Mei even pitied Jirou. If he were just a lone man, like Tsuchida Masamitsu, perhaps he could have chosen a quicker death.
But by hiding Utakata's defection alongside Masamitsu, he had been chosen by Elder Genji as a stepping stone for her own rise.
Politics had no right or wrong—only winners and losers. And Jirou was clearly the loser.
—
Boom!
A loud explosion shook a dense forest.
Dust clung to Yuto's robes as he brushed it off, glancing down at the scroll and drawing a large cross over the marked spot.
That was the last of Orochimaru's bases he had destroyed. All were abandoned, long since emptied after Kirigakure began searching.
Finding nothing useful was disappointing, though hardly unexpected.
"Otogakure, is it?"
A faint smile tugged at his lips. With a low murmur, his figure vanished into thin air.
—
Land of Rice Fields.
Bordering the Land of Fire, at the crossroads of the Lands of Earth, Lightning, and Fire.
Because of its unique location, shinobi from the great villages rarely set foot on its soil.
No one could say for sure when the Land of Rice Fields suddenly gained a hidden village called Otogakure.
Perhaps some of the great villages knew, but none paid much attention.
None of them could have imagined that this small hidden village was founded by Orochimaru, and that the entire Land of Rice Fields was already under his complete control.
High on the thick branch of a tree nearly eight meters tall, Yuto sat leisurely, studying with interest the village Orochimaru had built.
Otogakure was not large. From his vantage point, he could see its edges clearly. Its scattered buildings gave the whole place a desolate, cold atmosphere.
It was no wonder the great villages ignored it. Judging from appearances alone, it hardly deserved discussion.
Unlike a normal shinobi village, Otogakure held almost no civilians. Those who did exist were nothing more than Orochimaru's test subjects.
To Yuto, it wasn't truly a hidden village at all—just one of Orochimaru's larger bases.
Whoosh!
As Yuto was observing the village, the sound of something cutting the air suddenly came from his side.
A kunai shot from a hidden spot, aimed straight at his heart.
Yuto glanced at it casually and flicked his finger. At the instant it touched the blade's edge, the kunai shattered midair.
The man hidden in the grass stiffened, his face shifting to shock.
A kunai, shattered so easily? Who was this intruder who dared trespass in Otogakure?
The man's eyes flickered. Realizing he was outmatched, he shouted, "Dosu Kinuta, now!"
Boom!
A wave of invisible sound burst forward, sweeping toward Yuto.
At the same time, the man leapt from the grass, his hands weaving seals as he shouted: "Decapitating Airwave!"
A formless strike of chakra cleaved toward Yuto.
Still seated on the branch, Yuto's face carried only a faint smile. His eyes lingered on the two figures who had revealed themselves.
One had a wild, gray-black mane and wore a yellow-brown coat with the kanji for "death" written across it.
The other was even more unusual, his face wrapped in bandages leaving only his left eye visible, his arms encased in a multi-holed device like armor.
The first alone might not have been enough for Yuto to remember. But seeing the second, he instantly recognized the pair.
Dosu Kinuta and Zaku Abumi.
Two of the trio who had represented Otogakure in the Chūnin Exams in the original story.
Though mere minor characters, they were still among the rare few who could thrash Konoha's genin. Impossible to forget entirely.
As their combined sonic wave and Decapitating Airwave struck, both shinobi's faces lit with anticipation.
But in the next moment, their expressions froze.
There was no scream, no explosion. Their attacks vanished upon touching their target—as if swallowed into nothing.
(End of Chapter)
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