Root members insisted on wearing their masks even inside the base. Makiya removed his animal mask, revealing a plain, unremarkable face.
"Tsk, tsk. You're quite old," Makiya said with a curl of his lip. "You've probably done plenty of wicked deeds. There are likely many people waiting for you in the Pure Land. Watch out, or they'll beat you so badly your own mother won't recognize you. Besides, you might be disappointed—I doubt I'll ever see what the Pure Land looks like."
This man appeared to be a senior member of Root, so his mind surely held plenty of information. Makiya initially thought of ending him with a sword, but after some consideration, he chose to use a sealing technique to restrain him. He would wait until he deciphered the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal before finishing the job.
As for how to break that seal, he already had a few ideas.
With wave after wave of Shadow Clones launching surprise attacks, the base quickly fell under Makiya's control.
There were two small interludes during the takeover. Some ninjas reacted exceptionally fast, attempting to destroy the labs with ninjutsu and explosive tags the moment the alarm sounded before trying to flee. Fortunately, Makiya acted in time and cut them off at the entrance, ensuring no one escaped.
The damage caused by the explosions wasn't significant. Compared to what he had gained, it was a drop in the ocean; Makiya didn't feel a hint of regret.
The base's test subjects were all confined in a massive warehouse on the fourth level. Once the guards were neutralized, there was no movement inside the warehouse, despite the alarms blaring in the corridors.
Peering through the specialized observation window, he saw that the subjects had been injected with heavy doses of sedatives. They lay motionless in iron cages. Further in, there were civilians whom Orochimaru had kidnapped from parts unknown. Though not physically restrained, they were paralyzed with fear, huddling together and not daring to resist.
Makiya didn't show his face. He didn't plan on using these poor souls for experiments; many of Orochimaru's methods were far removed from Makiya's own morals. Once he finished emptying the base, he would destroy the seals and prison cells before leaving. What happened after that would no longer be his concern.
Taking a quick glance, he saw quite a few Konoha ninjas among the crowd, some of whom he even recognized.
He remembered when he returned to Konoha during the war and happened to witness Hiruzen Sarutobi performing a mass burial for fallen ninjas. The scene had been incredibly solemn. A white-haired Hiruzen stood at the front of the crowd on a podium, mourning the heroes who had inherited the Will of Fire and sacrificed themselves for the next generation.
Low sobs had broken out among the families and onlookers. People stepped forward one by one, gently placing flowers by the graves—white lilies and golden chrysanthemums—until they piled up into a brilliant yet sorrowful sea of petals.
It had been a touching scene, but whenever Makiya thought about those black-and-white funeral portraits of people who were actually still alive, a sense of black humor and absurdity washed over him. Especially since it was Konoha's own people who had done this to them.
These people had complex backgrounds. There were ninjas from various clans, but most were commoner ninjas. Makiya was very much looking forward to seeing what kind of storm they would stir up once they returned to Konoha.
Of course, there were also ninjas from other villages among the test subjects. Since they were still at war, there wasn't much to say. Makiya used genjutsu to control two of Orochimaru's subordinates, had them bring these foreign ninjas out, and after drawing their blood, he incinerated them with fire.
After finishing these chores, Makiya began his massive relocation project. He used sealing scrolls to pack away all sorts of expensive equipment one by one, then used the Flying Raijin Technique to transfer them to his own base.
The chakra required for the Flying Raijin was directly proportional to the transmission distance, with the consumption increasing exponentially. Therefore, Makiya first flew on his sword to leave multiple hidden marker anchors along the route.
Flying high in the sky, clouds whipped past him. The sun began to dip toward the west, the wind roared in his ears, and his clothes fluttered violently. Makiya finally spotted the mountain range he had found previously.
The exterior of the highest peak remained unchanged, but if Yugito had followed his orders and built it well, the interior would surely be transformed.
He arrived at the summit on his sword, taking in the sight of the rolling mountains. The flaming sword dissipated. Just as Makiya landed and steadied himself, he felt a commotion in the valley. A large flock of birds was startled into the air, their wings flapping frantically as they surged toward the sky. A giant, blue-and-black cat—looking like a complete goofball—started sprinting from the valley floor and scrambled up to the peak in a few bounds.
That was the Two-Tails. After a long period of genjutsu control, both the Two-Tails and Yugito were now very obedient and well-behaved.
Eerie blue flames spread outward as Matatabi's form quickly shrank, revealing Yugito dressed in a white yukata. She crossed her hands in front of her waist and bowed slowly to Makiya. "Welcome back to Meow Meow Mountain, Master."
Makiya's face contorted instantly. "Welcome to where?"
"Meow Meow Mountain," Yugito said with a blink of her large, innocent eyes. "You didn't give this mountain a name, Master. For the sake of convenience, I named it Meow Meow Mountain. Does it not sound good?"
"It sounds terrible!" Makiya said, his face darkening.
'Meow Meow Mountain? What kind of name is that?' He was planning to develop his Sage Mode here, and such a cute name didn't fit his style at all. It was inappropriate—completely inappropriate.
Yugito looked aggrieved. "Then please change the name, Master."
Makiya looked out over the horizon. The mountain range wound through the land like a dragon, the golden sunset tinting the mountain mist like a veil of gold thread. The lush forests were vibrant and green, following the terrain into deep valleys and dark ravines that crisscrossed the earth like jagged chasms, inspiring awe. Clear springs bubbled through the mountain streams, splashing against the rocks and playing a crisp, melodic tune.
"It shall be called... it'll be... well..." Makiya hummed for a long time. Countless names flashed through his mind, but none seemed quite right.
"Let me think about the name later. No rush, no rush," Makiya said awkwardly, waving his hand and gesturing for Yugito to lead him into the base.
Yugito: "..."
""
The entrance was located halfway up the mountain. Both were ninjas of exceptional skill, and scaling the walls was as easy as walking on level ground. Yugito manifested Matatabi's giant cat claws to run swiftly along the rock face, while Makiya followed closely behind on his sword. They soon reached the entrance.
Pushing aside some brush, Makiya saw the entrance hidden behind a massive boulder. On the smooth mountain wall, a stone carving of a giant cat demon appeared. Its ears were pricked up as if listening to every movement in the forest, and its eyes were deep and mysterious. One paw was raised high, revealing large pads and sharp claws.
At a glance, it was obvious that the sculptor had been meticulous and skilled, clearly putting a lot of heart into the work.
Yugito placed her hand on the cat statue's paw pad. As she channeled her chakra, eerie blue flames—unique to Matatabi—erupted from the tips of the claws.
RUMBLE!
The giant cat demon's mouth slowly opened, revealing a stone staircase leading inside.
Makiya's lip twitched. "You... you certainly have a lot of initiative..."
Yugito gave a proud smile. "Thank you for the praise, Master."
'Was I praising you? Can't you tell the difference between a compliment and a jab?' Makiya sighed as he looked at Yugito's back. He could only blame himself for not being clear enough when he gave the orders.
Inside the mountain, the massive central pillar remained unchanged. Yugito had partitioned the interior into many levels, using a spiral staircase built around the pillar for access.
On the rock walls close to the mountain, Makiya saw more giant cat demon carvings. Even the torches for lighting had been replaced by Yugito; they were now miniature versions of Matatabi curled up asleep, with flames burning on their tails to illuminate the surroundings.
The entire base was filled with cat elements. Although Yugito had completed everything Makiya asked for, she had insisted on leaving cat paw prints on everything, even the room plaques.
This girl was both distracted by hobbies and incredibly dedicated at the same time!
Makiya didn't bother to argue. The cat paws looked cute enough, so he let it be. The priority was transferring his assets. There were simply too many things in Orochimaru's base, and he would need to make many trips.
"Yugito, keep a close eye on these things. Don't touch them carelessly; they're very expensive!"
Makiya pulled out a sealing scroll and released a large amount of equipment, pulling Yugito aside to warn her repeatedly.
As the Jinchuriki of the Cloud Village—and a perfect one at that—Yugito held a certain level of influence in her village. Being well-traveled and knowledgeable, she recognized a small portion of the equipment Makiya brought and knew none of it was cheap.
Makiya gave a mysterious smile. "I just found it lying around."
Yugito: "Huh?"
Without explaining much, Makiya used the Flying Raijin to leave the mountain. After a series of teleports, he felt a bit lightheaded by the time he arrived back at Orochimaru's base.
Shaking his head, he continued the relocation project. Yugito watched in stunned silence as her master made countless trips back and forth, gradually filling the empty base with machinery and cultivation tanks.
There were innumerable miscellaneous items as well. The sheer volume of rare resources and medicinal herbs almost made dollar signs appear in Yugito's eyes.
Then, the vibe took a strange turn as ninjas were sent over one by one, turning the research base into a makeshift concentration camp.
"You must watch these people closely. I've placed seals on them, but it's better to be safe than sorry."
Makiya gave repeated instructions, and Yugito nodded again and again.
Next was Orochimaru's private vault on the fifth and final floor, the place Makiya looked forward to most.
The massive, specialized iron door was incredibly difficult to breach. Makiya gave it two kicks with all his might, making the entire underground base tremble, but the door didn't budge.
Even when he sprayed golden flames onto the surface, the sealing formulas kept the door from doing more than turning a faint red, far from being breached.
Makiya crouched down, looking thoughtfully at the rubble on the floor. These were the stones shaken loose from the wall when he kicked the door—the very rock the iron door was embedded in.
Slapping his forehead, Makiya summoned his flying sword and pierced the rock wall. As expected, it carved out a large hole with no effort at all.
To avoid damaging the items inside, Makiya waved his hand to dispel the flaming sword, pulled out the Kusanagi sword he had taken from Orochimaru, and began digging with all his strength.
It was the perfect way of fighting fire with fire.
The Kusanagi sword, which could cut through iron like butter, was indeed sharp. The blade quickly excavated a tunnel. Makiya continued digging along the side of the iron door until he finally saw the stairs leading to the fifth floor.
The fifth floor was quite small, roughly a hundred square meters. The layout consisted of three rooms and a hall, which Orochimaru used to store a vast collection of scrolls and personal notes.
"Jackpot! I'm rich!" Makiya laughed heartily. He carried the scrolls back to Meow Meow Mountain and found a room on the top floor to store them. He applied seals and left a Flying Raijin marker, forbidding Yugito from approaching.
Yugito pouted pitifully.
Given that Orochimaru knew the Reanimation Jutsu and the Eight Branches Technique, he had certainly seen many of the forbidden techniques left by the Second Hokage. The items in his collection were all top-tier goods.
There were also Orochimaru's records on human research, files on his cooperation with Root, experiments on Hashirama Cells, records of the Cursed Seals of Heaven and Earth, the locations of other sub-bases, and more. The indirect value of these scrolls far exceeded the total value of the equipment he had moved earlier.
It would be enough for Makiya to digest for a long time.
Returning to Orochimaru's base, Makiya did one last sweep to ensure he hadn't missed anything, then began destroying the base's structure to erase all traces of his presence.
Thunderous rumbles echoed into the test subject warehouse. Since no ninjas were there to administer sedatives on time, the Konoha ninjas in the warehouse gradually regained consciousness, stumbling as they climbed to their feet.
Dust rained down from the ceiling continuously. The imprisoned civilians began to panic. Children cried out for their mothers, only to be held tight by women whose hands had already begun to mutate.
The Konoha ninjas also grew restless. They deduced that the base was under attack and that this was their best chance to escape. If those evil ninjas managed to recover, they would never have another chance at freedom.
However, their chakra had been completely drained by drugs; they were currently no different from ordinary people. How could they possibly break out?
BOOM!
A corner of the ceiling collapsed. A massive stone smashed right into the iron cages below, buckling them until a door frame went flying.
The ninjas inside crawled out shakily. They ran to the door, hesitated, then turned back to pick up a broken iron bar, using every ounce of strength they had to pry open their comrades' cages one by one.
Eventually, even the doors holding the civilians were broken. A crowd of people rushed out of their prisons, racing upward through the vibrating corridors. Just as the last person reached the surface, a series of violent tremors struck. The base collapsed completely, leaving a massive circular scar in the center of the vast prairie.
Having survived the disaster, the civilians felt only extreme relief and joy, bowing and thanking the ninja lords around them. But the Konoha ninjas looked at one another, seeing only the raging fire of fury in each other's eyes.
"Orochimaru! Danzo!"
"We must report this to the Hokage immediately! Those two have betrayed the village!"
"Yes! Back to the village now! Find the Hokage!"
"Kill Orochimaru! Kill Danzo!"
In that moment, ninjas from the Sarutobi, Aburame, Inuzuka, and Uchiha clans, along with commoner ninjas, cast aside all prejudice, united by a common hatred.
After the civilians finished their thanks, they grouped together and left in a chosen direction. As locals, they were relatively familiar with the surrounding terrain.
Makiya, hiding in the shadows, smiled to himself. If he just killed Danzo, it would be too easy on him. The many evils Danzo committed would vanish with his death, which was no fun at all.
He had to drag all the filthy things Danzo had done into the light while the man was still alive. He would air them out in the sun so everyone could smell the stench and see what this man—who claimed everything he did was for Konoha—had actually been up to.
Makiya was eager to see how the rest of the village would react. He himself was the final guarantee. Once Danzo's reputation was utterly ruined, and if Hiruzen still intended to let him off, Makiya would step in and end Danzo's life with absolute force.
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