"Tracking them down... there's a good chance they're hiding somewhere within the Land of Earth or the Land of Lightning."
Orochimaru shook his head, clearly not optimistic about Ning Feng's pursuit.
"Still... this is a good opportunity to uproot the spies inside the Land of Rain."
Ning Feng nodded.
He also didn't believe that Madara and Kabuto would be bold enough to establish a base right under his nose within the Land of Rain itself.
However, the country hadn't conducted a major purge of infiltrators in a long time. If they started cleaning house now, a lot of hidden problems would probably surface.
Buzz... Buzz...
Suddenly, while the two were talking, spatial distortions appeared behind Ning Feng.
"Hm?"
Orochimaru's expression immediately turned vigilant.
His snake-like pupils gleamed dangerously.
Something writhed beneath his sleeves, indicating that his Hidden Shadow Snake Hands were already prepared.
"Relax, Orochimaru."
Seeing his reaction, Ning Feng couldn't help but laugh.
"It's Uchiha Obito."
As soon as Ning Feng finished speaking, a figure wearing a white three-tomoe mask gradually emerged.
"Uchiha... Obito?"
The caution on Orochimaru's face slowly faded.
"A member of the Uchiha clan? Was that space-time ninjutsu just now?"
"It was."
Ning Feng nodded.
It was obvious that Orochimaru had become interested in Obito.
"The investigation results are in. There really are quite a few informants hidden within the Land of Rain."
Obito approached and reported to Ning Feng.
He had been the primary person responsible for tracking down spies and conducting the purge.
"I had a feeling the Land of Rain had been infiltrated this badly."
Ning Feng gave a bitter smile.
Obito had once been a master infiltrator himself, so identifying hidden agents came naturally to him.
"Furthermore, the White Zetsu have planted quite a few Spore Techniques throughout the country."
Obito shook his head.
It seemed White Zetsu had prepared extensively within the Land of Rain long ago.
And yet Madara and Black Zetsu had never told him any of this.
Apparently those two had been wary of him for a very long time.
While he had still been daydreaming about someday creating a world where Rin existed...
Madara would probably have stripped him clean down to the bone before then.
"Looks like Madara had plans for the Land of Rain as well."
A faint smile appeared on Ning Feng's lips.
He hadn't expected Madara to prepare methods of bypassing him and infiltrating his rear lines.
The Land of Rain was indeed one of Ning Feng's greatest strategic foundations.
"Fortunately, we discovered it in time."
Ning Feng then gestured toward Orochimaru.
"Obito, this is Orochimaru."
"You can coordinate with each other if anything comes up in the future."
"..."
Obito naturally knew of the infamous S-rank missing-nin from Konoha.
He simply nodded toward Orochimaru.
He had once considered recruiting Orochimaru into the Moon's Eye Plan.
Before he could act on that thought, however, Orochimaru had vanished from the shinobi world.
Now it seemed the man had joined Ning Feng instead.
Honestly, it was a wise decision.
A place where one could quietly conduct experiments, enjoy a constant supply of test subjects, and serve under a leader with exceptional tolerance for scientific research—
The Land of Rain was practically paradise for Orochimaru.
Ning Feng had no outdated notions about sparing prisoners.
As long as Orochimaru could turn captives into useful assets, Ning Feng was happy to leave them in his hands.
Under such a system, both men benefited.
It was a true win-win situation.
"There will still be plenty of work ahead. I'll leave it to you, Obito."
Ning Feng patted Obito's shoulder and smiled.
"When you have time, you should visit the clan as well."
"Alright."
Obito responded quietly.
His figure gradually faded until he disappeared from sight.
Only after Obito had completely vanished did Orochimaru point toward the spot where he had been standing.
"He's already gone."
Ning Feng immediately understood what Orochimaru meant.
According to his sensory perception, Obito was already far away.
"That man... I have a feeling his motives are far from pure."
Orochimaru chuckled lightly.
A dangerous gleam flickered in his eyes as he stared at the place Obito had occupied moments earlier.
Against someone who specialized in space-time ninjutsu, even Orochimaru's survival abilities felt somewhat lacking.
And more importantly...
He could instinctively sense that Obito wasn't genuinely standing on Ning Feng's side.
"I know."
Ning Feng spread his hands helplessly.
"But right now, I don't have anyone more useful."
Most of the capable personnel had already been sent to support Konoha.
There weren't many skilled operatives remaining in the Land of Rain.
Besides, Obito had previously worked under Madara.
Even if Madara and Black Zetsu had guarded themselves against him, Obito had still participated in many infiltration operations within the Land of Rain.
That experience made him especially valuable when rooting out hidden agents.
"But what exactly is his ultimate goal?"
Orochimaru was an extremely cautious person.
His instincts told him there was something fundamentally wrong about Obito.
"It's fine."
Ning Feng shrugged.
"No matter what schemes he's plotting, he won't be able to cause trouble under my watch."
Obito had already witnessed Ning Feng's strength firsthand.
If he still harbored ambitions after seeing that power...
He certainly wouldn't dare reveal them anytime soon.
There was no way Obito could surpass Ning Feng's strength overnight.
"As long as you're aware of it, Lord Feng."
Orochimaru nodded before changing the subject.
"Then I'll return to my research on the Curse Mark. If this project succeeds..."
"The strength of the vast majority of shinobi in the Land of Rain will rise by an entire level."
"Go ahead."
Ning Feng waved him off.
Truthfully, he wasn't particularly optimistic about Orochimaru's Curse Mark research.
The Curse Mark in the original story had certainly been powerful.
But receiving Orochimaru's Curse Mark essentially meant placing oneself under Orochimaru's control.
Its stability was also questionable, and the survival rate among recipients was notoriously low.
For those reasons, Ning Feng didn't hold especially high expectations for the project.
"Obito... I should start thinking about how to deal with him."
Though Ning Feng had outwardly claimed not to care, he remained highly wary of Obito.
Someone like him—
A stubborn fanatic willing to overturn the entire shinobi world for the sake of a single person—
Wasn't someone Ning Feng intended to rely on for the long term.
Obito's actions in the original timeline were more than enough reason for caution.
He had started as part of Konoha.
Then, after witnessing the girl he loved die at the hands of his best friend—without even seeking the full truth—he plunged into darkness and sided with Madara.
Later, after serving Madara for years, he was persuaded by Naruto during the Fourth Great Ninja War and switched sides once again.
Someone so fickle, so lacking in stable principles...
How could Ning Feng ever truly entrust him with anything important?
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