Escape From Konoha

"You bastards, get out of here and get to work, don't even think about being lazy!"

In the empty stone hall, the man's impatient command voice came.

Probably because he was fed up with his subordinates who always liked to fight against him, he decided to give these people a lesson.

Sure enough, as he yelled and cursed, although most people followed the orders to deal with the debris, there were still a few people who narrowed their eyes and showed unkind looks at the man.

The light in his eyes kept flickering, as if he was thinking about how to get rid of the man in front of him without anyone noticing and replace him with a more obedient branch stronghold manager.

"Ah."

Seemingly aware of some people's malicious glances, the man - that is, Mizuki - had a rather ferocious smile on his handsome face, ruining the handsomeness and beauty on his face.

"What, are you planning on secretly discussing how to kill me secretly? Who do you think is here to feed you, give you drinks, and even help you get benefits from Lord Orochimaru?"

Sure enough, as he spoke these words, the ill intentions in some people's eyes dissipated a lot, and they acquiesced in the correctness of Mizuki's words.

As combatants and handymen, they are undoubtedly qualified.

But as management, not only do they not understand, but they often make a mess of things.

The manager who originally guided them had always managed the branch stronghold in a mess, so he merged it with other strongholds as a last resort, and then handed it over to Mizuki, who seemed to only rely on Orochimaru's reputation to fake the power of the tiger.

Although the opponent is not strong, they can definitely easily defeat the opponent if they are swarmed, but in that case, they will lose their stable living environment, and they will be completely abandoned by Orochimaru, whom they respect.

For them, who regard Orochimaru as a god, this is something more cruel than death.

"Okay, if there's no problem, go over and work. Look at the mess you've made here. As expected, you can't do anything without me."

Mizuki began to sneer lightly without mercy.

What responded to him was the silence of a group of people. They silently picked up the tools in their hands and started to work.

Mizuki was already used to this kind of scene. Not only were these people not smart, they were also fearless of death. Only with the help of Orochimaru's name could he completely shock them and make them behave obediently.

Although Mizuki didn't think Orochimaru was a wise and powerful leader, and his uncontrolled human experiments also proved that the opponent's bottom line was very low, the cohesion he gathered by using people's hearts should not be underestimated.

Many people here know that he is a more terrifying figure than the devil, but in this world where even survival is difficult, they can only guarantee their survival by working with the devil.

Over time, they began to believe in the devil, and continued to hypnotize themselves, allowing people like Orochimaru to become their belief in living.

Over the years, Mizuki has seen countless such things. And every time, Orochimaru succeeded.

It can only be said that compared to the lords of some countries who prey on the bottom, even guys like Orochimaru can be called perfect 'saints'.

If you want stability, you must either rely on a powerful person like the Great Power in troubled times, or risk your own life.

And the people who took refuge in Orochimaru had an element of gambling on their lives.

"Well, these guys are lucky to have branch management like me."

Mizuki smoothed his hair from his forehead and smiled narcissistically.

After many selections, he finally got his wish under Orochimaru, and obtained the manager's authority from a branch stronghold manager who was attacked by the Kumogakure Anbu. He arrived at the new branch stronghold and assumed the position of manager. There are hundreds of people in charge.

Among these hundreds of people, most of them are ordinary people, and there are even many old, young, women and children. There is also a small half who were cursed by Orochimaru and were thrown here, unfortunately but also luckily, experimental subjects.

The reason why they are called unfortunate or lucky experimental subjects is because once they are selected and engraved with a curse mark, their life and death are extremely unpredictable. Judging from the information Mizuki obtained, the survival rate of a curse seal experimental subject is about one in ten.

In other words, out of every ten normal experimental subjects, only one can survive successfully.

In this turbulent era, there are a lot of people moving between small countries. It is often possible to see wanderers who are forced to migrate and leave their homeland. Orochimaru only needs a little inducement to continuously obtain fresh experimental subjects with a trivial amount of food.

The branch base is the base that was allowed to be established based on this environment.

But unlike the other branch strongholds, this stronghold managed by Watergate is a very standard "nursing home" and a concentration camp for the abandoned.

The old, young, women and children who could not be called an excellent labor force, as well as a group of cursed experimental subjects who were abandoned here to fend for themselves, and who dreamed of returning to work under Orochimaru all day long... In order to manage this place well, Mizuki put a lot of thought into it.

Just by gagging hundreds of people with food, he almost became bald.

During the most difficult period of land reclamation, he, the manager, ate wild vegetables together.

Compared with other branch stronghold managers, in order to ensure sufficient food in the branch stronghold, he deliberately reduced the population of the stronghold and only allowed the strong to eat. He treated everyone equally.

Because of this, coupled with Orochimaru's prestige, he was able to accumulate enough prestige here to command hundreds of people to act.

After all, the food problem is a top priority. The food allocated to the branch every year is simply not enough for consumption. Otogakure, headed by Orochimaru, is after all a small village that no one cares about. In addition, Orochimaru has spent all his resources uncontrollably on a certain The descendants of Uchiha were hit hard, and the lives of the rest were quite difficult.

Thinking of this, Mizuki couldn't help but sigh that people are really different.

Sometimes, if you don’t work hard while you are young, you won’t know what true despair is.

Working under Orochimaru, if you don't have an excellent bloodline, you will have no future at all. Mizuki has long seen this.

"I thought you couldn't control the people here, but it seems I thought too much."

A voice suddenly came from behind, sounding quite emotional.

"Um?"

Mizuki turned around and looked at the person who appeared behind him. He had silver hair and a breathable mask that could cover most of his face. The person was leaning against the wall leisurely, holding the latest version of a book in his hand. "Make-out Paradise."

"It's you, Kakashi. Why do you have time to come to my place?"

Mizuki felt slightly relieved when he saw that it was Kakashi coming.

"It's already the end of May, why do you think I came here?"

"Huh? Is it already this time? Sorry, I have been here all day clearing land, and I almost lost track of time."

After hearing Kakashi's words, Mizuki couldn't help but scratch his head.

He is a spy planted by the Kingdom of Ghosts here in Orochimaru, so he naturally knows what day will come next.

"However, for this kind of thing, can't you just ask the people under you to come over? There is no need for you to come over in person."

As he spoke, Mizuki took out a relatively thick book from his ninja tool bag and handed it to Kakashi.

Kakashi put down the book "Intimate Love in Heaven" in his hand, which turned out to be a heavy book with some damage to the corners.

After opening it and filtering it quickly, pages of resume information were flipped through Kakashi's fingers.

This is, without a doubt, a roster of characters.

"Nothing missing?"

Kakashi looked up at Mizuki.

"Of course, in order to get this roster, I risked my life a lot and was almost killed."

Kakashi was not convinced by Mizuki's words.

Mizuki must have spent a lot of effort to get this kind of roster, but to say there was any risk to his life would be a bit exaggerated.

"In a few days, someone will take over this stronghold. Please prepare in the past few days so that no accidents occur."

Kakashi nodded, put the roster away, carefully put it into his ninja bag, and said to Mizuki.

"Are you leaving now? I still want to entertain you."

"Don't go to such trouble. There will be many days of working together in the future. Then, I'll leave it to you."

Kakashi formed a seal with his hands, and with a whoosh, the figure disappeared from the wall.

"He really comes and goes without a trace. This guy's strength has become stronger again."

Mizuki sighed.

With his strength close to that of a jounin, he was not aware of this, which showed that the opponent's strength had reached a level that ordinary jounin could hardly defend against in the first place.

If indiscriminate assassination is carried out...

Just thinking about it made Mizuki shudder.

If the target of Kakashi's assassination was him, he would probably be wiped out silently in his sleep.

Fortunately, this is one of our own. If we were to stand on the opposite side, we would have a headache.

"Uchiha Sasuke, I hope there won't be any accidents over there. If there is an accident, all my investment will be in vain..."

Mizuki sighed. Although he looked calm on the outside, he was still a little uneasy inside.

In any case, a ninja of Orochimaru's level is quite a deterrent to him.

His reputation as a Sannin had been ingrained in him since he was very young.

Among the three ninjas, the most dangerous one is undoubtedly Orochimaru. Once the opponent actually takes action, it means that he is fully prepared.

In contrast, placing all your bets on junior ninjas like Uchiha Sasuke is undoubtedly a huge gamble.

If he wins, he will have a better foothold in the Kingdom of Ghosts and can be promoted to a position quickly.

If you fail, you won't be punished, but if you want to go further, with your talent, the road to promotion will be a bit difficult. And in a new environment, it is difficult to go far without someone supporting each other.

◎

boom!

"ah!"

As the human body that hit the wall began to vomit blood and scream, the battle in the corridor of the stronghold finally came to an end.

The walls and floor were stained with a lot of blood, and the experimental body that entered the cursed form looked like a corpse lying on the ground, motionless.

They looked like dead people, but the people who did it were not ruthless. They left these people breathing and made the experimental subjects unable to move.

"The number of riots has become more frequent these days. If this continues, it will be endless. Is there no way to solve it once and for all?"

The hot-tempered Sakon seemed to be fed up with this life of suppressing riots. He sat on an experimental subject lying on the ground as a rest. He looked at the other three people in the group, hoping that they could come up with an effective suggestion. come out.

"There is no way. Not all ninjas who are cursed can control the power of the curse like we can. Most of them still passively explode their curses and fall into madness."

Kidomaru, who had six hands, smiled and threw the 'corpse' aside, ignoring it.

"So, if we execute them all, wouldn't there be no more trouble?"

Sakon exhaled, looking extremely agitated.

Of course, this is just a talk, and it is impossible to actually do it.

Although there are many experimental subjects in Otogakure Village, they are not enough to squander them casually.

Especially experimental subjects that have been successfully planted with curse seals are extremely valuable materials.

Unless they are really useless or have reached their end, generally speaking, experimental subjects with cursed seals can still survive.

On the other side, Jirobo, who was the weakest among the four, did not join in the exchange between Sakon and Kidomaru. He just silently obeyed his position as the last among the four and began to deal with the experimental subjects lying in the corridor, sending them away one by one. Settled into a new cell.

"Tayuya, you seem a little dull lately. Are you feeling unwell? Could this be the reason?"

Sakon looked at Tayuya, who was standing against the wall and was the only woman among the four, and spoke unabashedly.

"Do you want to die for once, Sakon?"

Although he was the strongest among the four, Tayuya did not intend to give the other party a good look and glanced at Sakon coldly.

"It seems that you are very confident in your own growth. Do you think you can challenge me? Huh?"

Sakon chuckled, with evil intentions in his eyes.

In the past, the four people had always respected his orders, and no one dared to resist his orders.

But all this changed with the arrival of a certain bastard.

Whether it was Orochimaru's love or the respect of the other four members, they seemed to be surrounding that person and taking away everything that originally belonged to him.

Hateful Uchiha Sasuke! A coldness flashed in Sakon's eyes.

Listening to Sakon's almost provocative words, Tayuya, who didn't want to get into more trouble with Sakon, silently took out the flute and prepared to take action.

"Sakon, please stop saying a few words." Kidomaru couldn't stand it anymore, and then looked at Tayuya: "You are the same, Tayuya. Don't be provoked by him. It's not like you don't know what Sakon is like."

As the calm member of the four, Kidomaru has always had a neutral attitude.

"Huh, I just don't like this guy."

Tayuya put down the flute in his hand, but did not restrain the murderous look in his eyes.

"Is that guy who shows off his power here based on his bloodline really that good? Anyway, I can't understand that guy. I don't know what is worth looking forward to in that kind of person. Why do people here treat him with respect?" After all, he is just a lost dog being chased by Konoha, and to be so arrogant here is really unbearable."

Sakon spread out his hands and put on a very disdainful face, somewhat mocking Tayuya's hostility.

Ever since Uchiha Sasuke came to Otogakure, everything revolved around him.

The same goes for the four of them. Although nominally they are still the guards of Orochimaru, the leader of Otogakure, in fact, in the past few years, they have been led by Uchiha Sasuke, a latecomer.

Among them, Tayuya and Jirobo are the closest to each other.

Kidomaru is a centrist and is always on the inside.

He is a hostile faction and wants to regain the authority to lead the four people.

"However, that guy's good days have come to an end. There are only a few days left before Lord Orochimaru's 'rebirth'. Here, no one can resist Lord Orochimaru. If you don't want to win from the four people by then, If you want to be removed from the list, it’s best to obey my command now. Or do you want to go against Orochimaru-sama’s will?”

Sakon glanced at Kidomaru, Tayuya, and Jirobo, who had just returned from throwing the experimental subject into the cell, as if he wanted them to decide their stance now.

As Orochimaru's close confidants, they knew something about the so-called reincarnation.

He also knew that Orochimaru's 'rebirth' was not far away.

However, after he finished these words, Tayuya turned and left without saying a word, as if to distance himself from the other party.

Seeing Tayuya not giving him face like this, Sakon's face darkened.

"Women are always long-haired and short-sighted. After that guy is devoured by Orochimaru-sama, I will repair her and then throw her into prison to be tortured. So, what about you two?"

Sakon looked at Kidomaru and Jirobo.

Jirobo glanced at Tayuya's leaving figure, hesitated for a moment, and said, "I'm going back to my room first. If you need anything, you can call me."

After finishing speaking, Jirobo quickly left without waiting for Sakon to speak. The depressing atmosphere here made him feel suffocated.

Sakon's face became even colder.

Kidomaru saw this and spread his hands helplessly, but he did not leave. He just said: "I think it's better not to judge this kind of thing too early. I always feel that the aura of Sasuke-sama is more unfathomable than Orochimaru-sama." .Maybe Sasuke-sama will be the final winner."

Unexpectedly, Sakon burst out laughing when he heard Kidomaru's words, and even burst into tears.

"Kidomaru, I didn't expect you to tell jokes. Are you crazy? You actually think that Orochimaru-sama will lose. Orochimaru-sama is an omnipotent being and will definitely be the final winner! In such a future, I have already Saw it clearly!”

Sakon's confident words echoed in the corridor.

Kidomaru knew that Sakon didn't listen to his words, so he wasn't angry. He just folded his six arms in front of his chest and sighed.

There is no doubt that Otogakure Village is now broken.

◎

As the alarm clock rang, Kabuto opened his eyes on the bed and woke up from his sleep.

He turned his head and glanced at the time on the alarm clock. It was four in the morning.

"It's almost time to go."

Kabuto murmured and got up from the bed. All the luggage had been prepared the day before, so there was no need to pack it again.

The data used for the experiment, including important intelligence documents, were also stored in the backpack without any omissions.

He has always been a very disciplined ninja, and this kind of self-discipline has been his behavior since childhood.

He was born in a turbulent war. At that time, if you wanted to survive in the cruel world, you had to work hard to learn and grow, so that you have a skill and no time to waste.

Because of this kind of self-discipline and his considerable talent, he stood out from many orphans very early and became the deputy to the director of the orphanage at that time.

Although he entered an extremely dark world, became a multi-faceted spy, and was used and manipulated by many people, it was also because of this that the time without intrigues became so precious.

After getting dressed, Kabuto looked at himself in the mirror.

"Who will I be today?"

After saying that, Kabuto smiled mockingly.

It is really ironic that I am used to wearing various masks, but gradually forget my original appearance.

Without being immersed in such a loss for too long, Kabuto quickly sorted out his emotions and washed his face with water in the basin to wake himself up.

"Let's go quickly. I'm afraid Orochimaru-sama can't wait any longer."

The stronghold of the reincarnation ceremony is not here, but is located at the junction of the Land of Fields and the Kingdom of Iron. It is a large hidden stronghold with a complete defense system and numerous Otogakure ninjas, making it a' Arcadia'.

If you want to break through the defense system there, you will need to dispatch at least a thousand elite ninja troops.

Because of this, Orochimaru wanted to hold the reincarnation ceremony there in order to avoid being disturbed during the ceremony.

Because this reincarnation ceremony is extremely important, unlike previous reincarnation ceremonies, it is an important step for Orochimaru to enter immortality, and he will never allow any accidents to happen.

But in this way, the defensive capabilities of the other strongholds will be reduced.

According to the information Kabuto received, the recent movements in the other strongholds were somewhat strange.

And these strange actions have the faint hint that the powerful country in the far west of the continent is behind the scenes.

Thinking of this, Kabuto couldn't help but feel heavy in his heart.

The current Otogakure does not have the power to confront the Demon Country head-on.

In addition, the relationship between Otogakure and Akatsuki has become much estranged recently. If Akatsuki did not contain the Demon Country, Otogakure would undoubtedly be a piece of fat exposed in the eyes of the Demon Country.

What's more, after Yiwei's actions, Oni Country and Akatsuki have officially broken up. There is no longer a so-called period of ambiguity between the two parties, and it is normal to target each other.

However, he also knew that Orochimaru had no interest in these things.

For Orochimaru now, except Sasuke, there is nothing that cannot be given up.

If the plan succeeds, it will be foolproof, but if it fails...

Kabuto shook his head and tried not to think about the consequences of this matter. He put on his backpack, opened the door, glanced around the corridor, and walked towards the exit.

Just as Kabuto's figure disappeared at the end of the corridor, a woman wearing a red and white miko uniform and a mask slowly walked out of the shadows of the corridor.

She stared straight in the direction Kabuto left and remained silent.