Led by the Otokage, the three of them arrived in the cave where Orochimaru resided.
Although the cave was filled with experimental equipment and several severed human limbs...
...no matter where they looked throughout the entire cavern, they found no trace of anyone else.
Ryōsuke cast an unfriendly gaze at the Otokage standing before him.
"Are you trying to trick me? Do you have a death wish?"
The Otokage began to panic, losing his composure.
"My Lord, I truly am not lying to you. This is Orochimaru's research facility—it's the only one in the Sound Village."
"Perhaps he just went out. He might be back shortly."
Ryōsuke looked at the tools on the laboratory tables; it was obvious someone had been using them only moments ago.
A bad feeling bubbled up in his chest. 'Did that snake, Orochimaru, realize I was coming and decide to slip away early?'
That was quite a pity. It was a hard-won opportunity, yet the man had managed to flee in advance.
This was something he hadn't expected. Was the man truly that much of a coward?
In the original story, when Deva Path Pain went to recruit Orochimaru, the latter had immediately wanted to pluck out those Rinnegan eyes the moment he saw them.
Why was it that when faced with him, the man ran away before they even met? Was the name of Uchiha Madara really that influential?
As for the Otokage's suggestion that Orochimaru might return, Ryōsuke believed the possibility was slim to none.
In the original story, Orochimaru abandoned countless bases.
Every time he extracted all the research value he could from a location, he would simply discard it.
The man was far too cautious; he likely wouldn't be coming back here ever again.
Ryōsuke wasn't foolish enough to wait around for him indefinitely.
He turned to Haku and Zabuza.
"Let's go. We're leaving."
As soon as the words left his lips, he headed toward the exit.
Hearing this, Haku and Zabuza followed him out.
Left behind, the Otokage didn't dare make a sound. He was shocked that the visitors had simply walked away like that.
It wasn't until they had completely vanished from the cave that he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had been lucky enough to keep his life.
However, the thought of his betrayal of Orochimaru began to weigh on him.
He fell back into a state of worry.
'Did Uchiha Madara leave because he thinks Orochimaru isn't coming back?'
If that were the case, it offered him some small measure of peace.
Elsewhere, three figures dressed in black cloaks with red cloud patterns set out from the Land of Rain, heading northeast toward the Land of Waterfall.
These three were the members of the Akatsuki recruited by Pain.
One had short black hair with red stripes painted on the lower half of his face. Carrying a massive blade, this was Biwa Jūzō.
As they traveled, he couldn't help but grumble.
"Do you guys really believe that Uchiha Madara is still alive?"
Half an hour ago, the Akatsuki leader, Pain, had summoned the three of them for a meeting, ordering them to head to Takigakure to begin collecting Tailed Beasts.
Afterward, they were to head north to the Land of Earth to secure the two Tailed Beasts there.
Takigakure was merely a minor hidden village.
Beside him was a man wearing a headpiece with green eyes named Kakuzu. Takigakure was his former village.
One could tell by the scratched Takigakure symbol on his forehead protector.
A scratched protector symbolized betrayal.
This man was a rogue ninja of the Hidden Waterfall.
With him leading the way, things would naturally be very convenient.
Additionally, since the two Jinchūriki of the Land of Earth had left Iwagakure, an opportunity had arisen to harvest the Tailed Beasts from within them.
Leader Pain had not only given them these orders but also informed them that an impostor claiming to be Uchiha Madara was also collecting Tailed Beasts.
This news was quite shocking.
For someone to dare impersonate Uchiha Madara... they certainly had nerves of steel. Didn't they know how many people would lose sleep knowing that man was alive?
As they hurried along, Kisame spoke up.
"Lord Pain said it, didn't he? That man is a fake."
Naturally, Kisame didn't believe the claim, because he had seen the real Madara.
After he had personally slain his superior, Suikazan Fuguki, he had become a rogue ninja of the Mist Village.
Later, he met Uchiha Madara and was successfully recruited into the Akatsuki to help realize that man's grand design.
A plan that would bring true peace to the shinobi world—one that even Deva Path Pain was unaware of.
In truth, Madara was the real mastermind behind the Akatsuki.
Of course, he would never tell the others.
Biwa Jūzō, however, felt a bit speechless.
"Even if the Leader says so, I still find it hard to believe."
"The Leader also mentioned that the guy can use the Mangekyō Sharingan to manifest a Colossal Susanoo and use massive Fire Style jutsu."
"If the three of us run into him, it's not just a matter of failing the Leader's mission—we might not even keep our lives."
Who else in the shinobi world could do such things?
Even the man currently hailed as the strongest in the Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Ryōsuke, probably couldn't manage that.
Even if he had defeated the Cloud Village, a victor like that was still far too weak compared to the man known as the Ghost of the Uchiha, Uchiha Madara.
Even if he wasn't actually Uchiha Madara, he had to be some legendary old monster hiding in the shinobi world.
Otherwise, the Leader wouldn't have sent the three of them together.
With the three of them as a team, they were confident they could capture any Tailed Beast except perhaps the Nine-Tails in Konoha.
Hearing these words, Kisame fell silent.
In reality, Jūzō's speculation wasn't entirely baseless.
It was just that he truly had seen the real Madara.
If this other person could use Madara's abilities, it meant they were equally powerful.
He wasn't worried about losing his life; he only worried about failing to collect the Tailed Beasts and complete the mission.
Without realizing Lord Madara's true plan, the shinobi world would never find genuine peace.
In this world filled with betrayal and deception, only the Eye of the Moon Plan could offer true salvation.
Back then, his superior, Suikazan Fuguki, had ordered him to eliminate traitors, only for Kisame to discover that Fuguki himself was the greatest traitor of all.
As a high-ranking official of the village, he had not only sold out the village's interests but also its ninja, sending them to their deaths.
And he had actually been aiding such a villain.
Once he learned the truth, he hadn't hesitated to strike the man down.
He spoke slowly.
"Actually, it's not certain that we'll encounter that guy on this trip."
Biwa Jūzō was still a little worried.
After all, his luck had never been very good.
He had nearly died at the hands of a Konoha Genin once, and now he was a rogue ninja and a member of the Akatsuki.
"It's hard to say."
On the other side, Kakuzu, listening to their conversation, grew impatient.
"Both of you, shut up. You're annoying me."
He was starting to feel a surge of killing intent.
If it weren't for the fact that both of these men were rogue ninja from the Mist who might team up against him, he would have made his move already.
The guy with the big sword was just an average ninja—a weakling.
But the shark-like fellow was actually quite strong.
He was likely a monster just like himself; otherwise, the Leader wouldn't have recruited him.
Hearing this, Biwa Jūzō was highly dissatisfied.
"What kind of attitude is that?"
"Are you not even a little worried about running into Uchiha Madara?"
Though he sensed this man was unusual—perhaps some old monster who had lived for many years.
But no matter how unusual he was, could he really be compared to someone like Uchiha Madara?