"The spy I had placed beside Guren was also killed by Takumi, and couldn't help me find Guren and Yukimaru, who had gotten separated."
"By the time I found Guren and Yukimaru, Takumi had already found them before me."
"To avoid exposing myself, I could only stay away."
He paused again, and the smile on his face widened.
"It seems you saw something interesting."
Orochimaru looked at him, his eyes full of interest.
He didn't urge him; he wasn't an impatient person.
As a researcher, he knew well the importance of patience.
"That's right, Orochimaru-sama."
Kabuto's face held an exaggerated smile. "I saw someone from the Akatsuki, a masked Akatsuki's member with a Sharingan."
He looked directly at Orochimaru, his smile unchanged. "And I'm certain that person is definitely not Uchiha Itachi."
"An Akatsuki's member with a Sharingan, and not Uchiha Itachi?"
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed.
He sensed some kind of deeply hidden conspiracy.
But lacking key information, he naturally couldn't know who this mysteriously emerging person was.
But regardless, Kabuto's discovery this time was also very important.
A person with a Sharingan, wearing a mask.
And he hadn't seen him during his time in the Akatsuki.
Who was this person?
What were his intentions?
"That person has a very bizarre ability."
Kabuto composed his smile a bit, pushed up his glasses, and continued. "He seems able to switch between physical form and intangible form."
"Intangible form?"
Orochimaru frowned. "You mean his body can become illusory?"
"It was a very strange feeling."
If Kabuto hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed the scene he witnessed. "All of Takumi's attacks passed through his body without causing any damage."
"I speculate that this bizarre ability is likely related to his Mangekyo's Dojutsu."
This was the conclusion Kabuto had reached thinking about it on the way back.
Having been by Orochimaru's side, he had witnessed numerous secret and forbidden techniques.
But he had never seen the Kamui that Obito displayed.
After eliminating all other options, he could only attribute it to the still very mysterious Mangekyo Sharingan.
If before the Mangekyo was still a very mysterious existence,
Now, with the awakening of Sasuke's Mangekyo in Konoha, this Dojutsu had spread throughout the Shinobi World.
The fame of the Mangekyo's Dojutsu had spread across the entire Shinobi World.
But its mystery was still not understood by people.
After all, Mangekyo's Dojutsu were ever-changing.
It wasn't that there were no identical Dojutsu, but ever-changing was the nature of the Mangekyo.
So it was rare to find Mangekyo with the same abilities.
Perhaps only blood relatives could have the same Mangekyo's Dojutsu.
For example, Itachi and Sasuke's Amaterasu.
"Very possible."
Orochimaru nodded slightly, confirming Kabuto's guess.
Back then, when he was easily defeated by the newly joined Itachi using his Mangekyo, he became deeply obsessed with these eyes.
Those eyes were simply too powerful.
Although compared to the legendary Rinnegan, there might still be a gap,
He still couldn't help but be deeply captivated by the Mangekyo Sharingan.
If not for encountering the even more extraordinary Takumi during the Chunin Exams back then, his target would have been Sasuke, who also possessed the Sharingan.
Unfortunately, after witnessing Takumi's astonishingly god-like physical abilities, even the Sharingan, which had once amazed him, was relegated to the back of his mind.
"Afterwards, Takumi engaged in close combat with that mysterious person. They were evenly matched, but that mysterious person killed Yukimaru."
Kabuto continued, his expression having returned to normal by now.
After all, he wasn't the type to show too much emotion on his face.
As a double agent, he always hid his emotions well.
This was the reason he had survived until now.
"What about Guren?"
Orochimaru didn't care upon hearing the news of Yukimaru's death.
The intelligence he had heard before was enough. Although he hadn't been able to use Yukimaru to control the Three-Tails, it was just one experiment.
He didn't absolutely need to secure Yukimaru.
"I'm sorry, I don't know."
Kabuto lowered his head. "With Yukimaru lost, I took the liberty of judging that I couldn't have too much contact with Takumi, so..."
Orochimaru silently looked at him.
The atmosphere immediately became heavy.
Kimimaro's gaze towards Kabuto also became sharp.
With just one command from Orochimaru, he would immediately kill Kabuto on the spot.
"A good judgment."
After a long silence, Orochimaru finally spoke in a hoarse voice. "Although Guren's strength is passable, her aptitude is ultimately somewhat lacking."
"You are my important right-hand man. If you died, I would be very troubled."
Orochimaru's words made Kabuto breathe a sigh of relief.
Although he had been by Orochimaru's side for many years,
He always found Orochimaru's unpredictable temperament difficult to fathom.
"Orochimaru-sama, what should we do next?"
Kimimaro suddenly asked. "Guren's fate is unknown. Takumi might not necessarily kill her. If she is left out there, Orochimaru-sama's secrets could very likely be exposed."
"Secrets?"
Orochimaru let out a light laugh. "She knows nothing."
Guren was just a casually placed pawn by Orochimaru. Although she managed one of his bases, her knowledge of Orochimaru was very limited.
So, even if Guren was alive, Orochimaru didn't care.
Because Guren simply couldn't reveal anything detrimental to him.
"For now, don't make too many moves. We need to lie low now."
Orochimaru's weak face was full of a malicious smile. "A huge conspiracy is sweeping across the Shinobi World. We just need to observe from the shadows."
"When the time comes, there will definitely be an opportunity for us."
Across from him were Kabuto, having the same smile, and the expressionless Kimimaro.
Orochimaru and Kabuto were like venomous snakes lurking in a cave, waiting for their prey to appear on its own.
…
Having left Guren and Yukimaru, Takumi didn't relax his vigilance.
His Observation Haki was fully activated, paying attention to everything around him.
Only after confirming the area was completely safe, with no Kabuto or other possible enemies, did he approach the place where Hinata and the others were hiding.
Swish!
The moment Takumi approached, several sharp kunai flew through the air.
Takumi dodged sideways and said softly, "It's me."
"You scared us."
Kiba walked out from hiding, idly chewing on a twig. "By the way, why were you gone for so long? The mist cleared up this morning."
"Something came up."
Takumi smiled, looking at Shino and Hinata, who emerged from behind Kiba.
Hinata was currently looking down, her face very flushed.
Takumi narrowed his eyes, thought about the distance between the two places, and immediately understood.
He shot Hinata a mischievous smile, making her face even redder.
Undoubtedly, Hinata must have used her Byakugan to search for him.
And then, she saw some scenes that someone her age shouldn't see.
So now, seeing Takumi, she felt very embarrassed.
This was probably also the reason the village prohibited the Hyuga Clan from using the Byakugan inside the village.
After all, accidentally using clairvoyance and seeing things you shouldn't,
How awkward would that be between neighbors?
However, if Jiraiya had the Byakugan, he would probably be grinning from ear to ear, his mouth twisted with joy.