Chapter 62: Big Trouble!
In the Land of Fire, Konoha.
After Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered Uzuki Yūgure to retrieve the Reaper Mask,
He waited for half a day, but his subordinate never returned to report.
A faint sense of unease rose in his heart. He immediately ordered Kakashi to lead an ANBU squad to the former Uzumaki clan compound outside the village to investigate and confirm the situation.
Soon, Kakashi returned with his team to report.
"Lord Third, the Uzumaki clan's Mask Vault has been completely destroyed. There are clear signs of intense combat at the scene, and bloodstains were found at the center of the fighting."
"But we found no trace of Uzuki Yūgure."
Kakashi reported everything he had carefully examined at the site.
Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils contracted slightly.
The vague unease in his heart was instantly magnified.
But the next second, his expression darkened, and his gaze became extremely sharp:
"The Nine-Tails…"
"What about the Reaper Mask, Kakashi?"
The moment he regained his composure, this was the first thing Hiruzen thought of.
The Reaper Mask was far too important.
Wearing it supposedly allowed one to summon the Reaper.
Back then, Minato Namikaze had used the Reaper Death Seal to perish together with the Nine-Tails—sealing its soul and chakra inside the Reaper.
If the mask had been stolen…
"We conducted a thorough search. The Reaper Mask was not found."
"It should have been taken by the enemy…"
Kakashi answered truthfully.
In that instant, Hiruzen's mind roared as if the sky had collapsed.
The Reaper Mask stolen by a mysterious powerful enemy, Yūgure missing—this meant the Nine-Tails could very well fall into the enemy's hands!
This was truly a catastrophic development!
"Immediately summon the two advisors and Danzō for an emergency meeting!"
"Hurry!"
Hiruzen hurriedly gave the order.
Then he looked at Kakashi with utmost seriousness:
"Did you find any other clues at the scene?"
"Which direction did the enemy escape in?"
If they could confirm the direction the enemy fled,
They could immediately organize the village's elite forces to pursue and perhaps still have a chance to reclaim the Reaper Mask.
If they were too late… then it would truly be over.
However, the moment Hiruzen finished speaking, he saw Kakashi shake his head directly.
"We found no traces of infiltration or escape at the scene."
"The situation around the entire Uzumaki clan compound is almost identical to the night of the Nine-Tails attack…"
As soon as Kakashi said this, Hiruzen's heart jolted again.
On the night of the Nine-Tails disaster, the village's tight barrier had been breached.
All the ANBU guards directly under the Hokage had been killed by the mysterious enemy without any chance to resist—even his wife Biwako had been slain on the spot.
But the even stranger thing was that the enemy had come without a trace and left without a shadow.
Afterward, a meticulous investigation of the combat zone revealed only traces from the mysterious enemy's battle with Minato—nothing else.
In other words, the enemy had appeared out of thin air.
"So… the enemy who stole the Reaper Mask and abducted Yūgure is the same one who caused the Nine-Tails incident that night…"
In that moment, Hiruzen felt ice-cold all over.
A chilling sensation crawled up his spine.
If the Nine-Tails were to fall into the hands of that terrifying enemy again… did that mean Konoha would face another Nine-Tails attack?
…
After leaving Amegakure, Oborotsuki did not immediately go searching for Orochimaru's whereabouts.
In the original story, Orochimaru's defection from Akatsuki did not happen at this point—it occurred after he encountered Uchiha Itachi.
Now that it had happened earlier, Oborotsuki clearly understood: Orochimaru must have seen both Konan and himself leave the organization, causing him to waver and choose to defect as well.
Moreover, there really was nothing left in Akatsuki that Orochimaru needed.
Although this guy's combat strength wasn't particularly high, his survival skills were second to none in the entire ninja world—if he claimed second, no one would dare claim first.
Orochimaru deeply understood the principle of "a cunning rabbit has three burrows." He had hideouts scattered in hidden corners throughout the ninja world.
Finding him in a short period of time was basically impossible.
So rather than searching aimlessly, it was better to let things take their course.
After all, he already had the Reaper Mask in his possession—which meant the Nine-Tails was now effectively under his control.
He could revive the Nine-Tails later when the timing was right.
With that in mind, Oborotsuki returned to Kirigakure before dawn.
…
After returning to Kirigakure, Oborotsuki first went back home.
He had originally planned to check on the family's situation, make sure nothing had gone wrong, and then head to the ANBU prison to interrogate Uzuki Yūgure again.
However, upon returning to the house, he found everything dark and quiet.
All the women were sound asleep.
Oborotsuki glanced in the direction of Mei's room, feeling a little itchy with desire. He quietly crept over.
Just as his hand gently touched the door, a kunai suddenly flew out. Oborotsuki tilted his head and casually caught it with ease. His eyebrows immediately rose.
The force behind that kunai was no joke.
Feeling Mei's warning, Oborotsuki could only smile wryly and turn to leave.
He glanced toward Risa's room next, but this time he didn't act rashly. Shaking his head, he headed toward Konan's room instead.
His chakra had already sensed that Konan was still awake.
Entering the room, he indeed saw Konan lying in bed with her eyes open.
"You went back to Konoha again?"
Konan asked softly and calmly the moment she saw Oborotsuki enter.
"Yeah. I went to retrieve the Reaper Mask that seals the Nine-Tails. I even ran into that Uchiha Madara guy and fought him."
Oborotsuki nodded and answered honestly.
"What?!"
Konan's eyes widened in shock. She immediately sat up, full of tension and worry as she carefully examined Oborotsuki from head to toe.
"You… you're not hurt, are you?"
She stepped forward, anxiously checking him all over.
"I'm fine. What could happen to me?"
Oborotsuki spread his hands helplessly: "If anyone should be hurt, it's that Madara guy. He took one of my Lightning Release techniques—he probably won't be getting out of bed for at least ten days to half a month."
These words made Konan pause. She stared at Oborotsuki in complete disbelief, as if she were looking at some rare treasure.
Oborotsuki touched his own face:
"What's wrong?"
"You… really defeated Uchiha Madara?"
Konan still couldn't believe it.
But she had already checked—Oborotsuki really wasn't injured. This was simply too shocking!
"Madara isn't as powerful as we imagined."
"And besides—your husband is very strong!"
Oborotsuki said proudly with a laugh, pulling Konan into his arms.
"Yes… you're the strongest!"
Konan still felt a faint worry in her heart. In her understanding, Uchiha Madara was an existence that even Nagato might not be able to defeat.
But a smile unconsciously appeared on her face.
"I have something even stronger—want to experience it?"
Oborotsuki said with a cheeky grin.
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