"Master User of the Sealing Arts, I have failed you!"
Tonbee fell to his knees with a heavy thud, wailing in grief. "I could not protect the forbidden technique — I have destroyed the Tsuchigumo clan's only hope of rising again!"
Aoi felt a twinge of exasperation. The Tsuchigumo clan had already degenerated into little more than a den of thieves; even Hotaru's own uncle had handed his niece over to bandits without a second thought.
Did a clan like that really deserve to be restored to glory?
More importantly… Who said this orb was useless?
Aoi grinned inwardly. Why not ask the greatest master of forbidden techniques — Orochimaru‑san?
With the combined knowledge and wisdom of every version of Orochimaru across countless timelines, he was confident.
Restoring it would be trivial. Even crafting several brand‑new ones would be no great challenge!
Just then, Hotaru slowly opened her eyes. She looked at Aoi warily and asked, "Who are you? And what have you done to Master Utakata?"
"Who am I?"
Aoi smiled coldly. "I am the foremost disciple under Uchiha Sasuke. As for Utakata — he will contribute his very last strength to Lord Sasuke's grand ambitions…"
"…Until his dying breath!"
"Death?" Hotaru stood frozen, stunned and confused. Only after Aoi had left did she slowly come to her senses, breaking down in tears of sorrow.
Several hours later… "What on earth happened here to the Tsuchigumo clan?"
Team 7, led by Yamato, arrived at the User of the Sealing Arts' stronghold just as they had in the original story, having received orders from Tsunade.
But what puzzled them was that the two people they had been sent to protect were standing before them, unharmed — though their expressions…
Were impossible to describe.
They looked as though their souls had been drained right out of their bodies.
After a long silence, Hotaru suddenly gritted her teeth and screamed toward the sky: "Uchiha Sasuke! One day, I will take your life to avenge Master Utakata!"
"What?!"
The Konoha group stood completely dumbfounded. What did she mean? Why was she acting as if Sasuke had murdered her own father? What exactly had he done?
"Sasuke?!"
Naruto rushed forward eagerly. "Did you just say Sasuke?!"
"Yes!"
Tears streamed down Hotaru's face as she told them everything.
"That monster wore a black cloak embroidered with red clouds and claimed to be Sasuke's most trusted disciple!"
"He also said that Lord Sasuke is currently in the Hidden Cloud Village, hunting the Eight‑Tails!"
"The Eight‑Tails?!"
These two shocking revelations left Naruto and his companions reeling.
Connecting the dots, they quickly pieced together a picture: After killing his own brother, Sasuke had joined the Akatsuki…
He then sent his strongest subordinate to seize the Six‑Tails jinchūriki, while he himself traveled to the Hidden Cloud to capture Killer Bee, the host of the Eight‑Tails!
"This is a major crisis!"
Yamato turned to Sai with a grave expression. "Send word back to Konoha immediately. Inform Lady Tsunade and request additional reinforcements!"
"Damn it, Sasuke — what has become of you?!"
Naruto's eyes burned with anguish, his pupils turning crimson and glowing eerily in the night. "This time, I will find you and get to the bottom of everything!"
Beside him, Sakura looked miserable as always, clutching her fists and whispering, "Sasuke…"
From deep within the ruins, Zetsu slowly emerged from the ground, watching the scene unfold in silence.
"How very interesting… what was that newcomer's true motive in doing all this?"
As the greatest observer in the entire ninja world, Zetsu had already decided: I will watch this drama play out from beginning to end!
Meanwhile, Aoi had already returned to the Hidden Cloud Village.
With nothing more than a few silver notes and some simple tricks, he had quickly won the trust and friendship of nearly all the local children.
"If you see a foolish ninja with blond hair, release this paper crane," he instructed as he handed out sweets. Soon, nearly every child in the village had become his eyes and ears.
"Now, all we have to do is wait for the curtain to rise."
Aoi smiled toward the horizon. This grand performance would test every theory and plan he had been forming in his mind.
If it succeeded, he would have far more room to maneuver in future trials and missions… And the things he could achieve would be limitless!
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