Meanwhile,
On the other side of the Land of Rice Fields.
On a green mountain peak, by the cliff edge.
Kyo had changed back into Akatsuki's red cloud black robe and was sitting on the cliff edge, his legs dangling.
In his hand was a detailed map of the Land of Rice Fields.
It clearly marked various geographical locations, scenic spots, and the positions of various administrative institutions throughout the entire Land of Rice Fields.
Kyo was carefully examining it.
After a moment, his gaze shifted slightly, and he murmured to himself:
"On this latest map,"
"There's no mention of 'Otogakure' at all."
"It seems Orochimaru hasn't made his move yet?"
The reason Kyo came here was, of course, to track down Orochimaru's whereabouts.
After all, in the original work,
After defecting from Akatsuki, he came to the Land of Rice Fields, bribed the Daimyo, and then established his own Shinobi Village here.
But now, the map had no markings at all.
That left only two possibilities.
Either Orochimaru hadn't come here yet, or he had only just begun his plan, and the map hadn't been updated.
"Well... anyway, as long as I find the Daimyo of the Land of Rice Fields, I'll get the answer."
Kyo casually raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
Snap.
Thump!
The instant the sound fell, Spiritual Pressure surged out instantly, shattering space and revealing a black fissure.
After glancing at the location of the Daimyo's mansion on the map, Kyo leaped into the Garganta and vanished from the spot.
...
A moment later,
In front of the Daimyo's mansion, a spatial fissure opened.
Kyo, wearing the Akatsuki uniform and holding a map, stepped out from within.
When he saw the building before him,
Kyo's eyes immediately lit up, and the corners of his mouth raised.
'This was the place.'
Kyo put away the map while quickly sweeping his Spiritual Pressure Perception across the entire Daimyo's mansion!
Thump!
In an instant, the situation inside the entire mansion, like a transparent three-dimensional diagram, was instantly displayed in Kyo's mind.
Inside this mansion, a thin, old man sat in a room in a high position, listening to reports from various subordinates below.
He was clearly the owner of this mansion, the Daimyo of the Land of Rice Fields.
Kyo chuckled softly, and without hesitation, leaped up and vanished from the spot.
At that moment.
Inside the mansion's meeting room.
A dozen or so people were sitting upright on cushions, respectfully reporting recent daily administrative work to the Daimyo above.
The Daimyo leaned lazily against the back of his chair, occasionally uttering an "mm" as a response.
Behind him stood two individuals who appeared to be Shinobi, standing majestically.
They were the Land of Rice Fields' Daimyo's guardian Shinobi.
However,
Just then,
Both of them suddenly sensed an aura approaching at high speed!
Their expressions changed slightly, and they immediately clenched their teeth and said in a low voice:
"Not good, my lord!"
"It seems... an enemy is approaching the mansion!"
As soon as these words were spoken,
Everyone present changed expression instantly.
'What!?'
The Daimyo of the Land of Rice Fields was also momentarily shaken.
He was about to say something, but before he could speak,
Suddenly, a terrifying oppressive force descended from the sky!
Boom!!
Like an invisible giant hand appearing, it instantly and roughly pressed everyone present directly to the floor!!
The wooden tables and teacups beside them were instantly crushed by the pressure, shattering completely!
Thud!!!
"?!"
At this moment, including the two Shinobi, everyone was dumbfounded!
'Wh...at?!'
'What... what kind of terrifying pressure is this...?!'
However,
Before they could think further,
Suddenly, outside the hall, a light footstep sounded.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The sound was very rhythmic, very leisurely.
Yet, it was as if it stepped on each of their hearts; every step filled them with terror!
At that moment, under that dangerous sense of oppression, they didn't even have the strength to lift their heads and look at the enemy!
Everyone's faces were pale, sweat pouring down like rain,
Many couldn't help but start trembling.
The meeting room was filled with a deadly, murderous atmosphere!
Just then,
The footsteps stopped.
Then,
A clear youth's voice suddenly came through, breaking the silence.
He spoke in a lighthearted tone:
"My apologies, it seems I've been a bit presumptuous."
"But now, please answer my questions quickly, without any hesitation. Otherwise―"
"Your bones might get crushed, you know."
"?!"
As the words fell, like a declaration of death, everyone instantly felt enveloped by a chill!
Even the two guardian Shinobi, who had some strength, suddenly felt a chill run down their spines!
At that moment,
The old Daimyo of the Land of Rice Fields suddenly raised a trembling hand and spoke out in fear, stuttering:
"I... I am the Daimyo of the Land of Rice Fields!"
"No matter... no matter what you want, I can give it to you! I can answer any question... Please... please, I beg you, don't kill us!"
"I... I implore you!"
As the words fell, Kyo slightly raised the corners of his mouth and smiled:
"Very good."
"Then, answer me truthfully."
"Not long ago, did a pale-skinned, effeminate Shinobi come here, bribe you with a fortune, and try to establish a Shinobi Village in this small country?"
"...?!"
Kyo's words left all the officials of the Land of Rice Fields present completely stunned.
They had never heard of this matter...
However, this Daimyo suddenly felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, breaking out in a cold sweat from fear!
'Wh-what's going on...?!'
'How does he know?!'
'This matter... I'm sure I haven't told anyone yet...'
The Daimyo's mind went almost completely blank.
But then,
The oppressive force on him suddenly intensified again!
Thud!
The Daimyo's face changed dramatically. Feeling that his old bones were truly about to be crushed, he was scared out of his wits and shouted in panic:
"Ah! Yes... yes!"
"It was a Missing-nin from Konoha... Orochimaru! He gave me a sum of money to purchase part of the Land of Rice Fields' land as the territory for a new Shinobi Village!!"
"The location is... it's on the southern Rikyuu Plain!!!"
"..."
As the words fell,
The Daimyo's old face was flushed red, he was almost out of breath, and his clothes were completely soaked through with cold sweat.
In his entire life, he had never been so embarrassed.
However,
After his words fell, he waited for a long time... but there was no response.
The entire meeting room was silent.
The next moment,
They suddenly realized that, unnoticed, the oppressive force on them had simply disappeared...
But even so, no one dared to look up.
After another long while,
They only then dared to cautiously, slowly raise their eyes to look, and only then did they realize,
Unnoticed,
That youth had already vanished.
And from start to finish,
Not a single person had seen his face.
...
Meanwhile.
Outside, in the sky above.
A black figure stood against the sky.
It was Kyo.
At that moment, his face held a satisfied smile.
Just as he expected, Orochimaru had indeed come here to establish Otogakure.
It was just that because his plan had only just begun, the location wasn't marked on the map yet.
With this in mind,
Kyo didn't hesitate. He directly opened a Garganta and headed for the southern Rikyuu Plain.
Since the range was basically locked down, finding Orochimaru next would naturally be a very simple matter.
…
At that moment, on the other side.
Green hills surrounded an expansive green plain, stretching endlessly.
Two figures were leisurely walking near a dilapidated village on this plain.
It was Orochimaru and Kabuto.
Kabuto, seeing this location, couldn't help but smile and remark with admiration:
"As expected of the place you chose, Orochimaru-sama."
"Establishing our Shinobi Village here is indeed a perfect location."
"Hehe..."
Orochimaru chuckled softly, then said:
"This place was originally abandoned by the Land of Rice Fields, so it has always been sparsely populated."
"I doubt even Akatsuki could possibly know about a place like this, right?"
"As long as we act cautiously and develop steadily,"
"We won't have to worry about being noticed by other forces."
"This way..."
"The future plan to overthrow Konoha can proceed smoothly."
Orochimaru's eyes flickered slightly, his smile chilling.
Kabuto beside him pushed up his glasses, revealing a similar smile.
However,
Just then, something unexpected happened.
Suddenly, behind the two, a light, laughing voice rang out abruptly.
"Yo, long time no see... Orochimaru-san."
"!!"
As the words fell, Orochimaru and Kabuto's expressions changed simultaneously, their pupils instantly constricting!
Almost instantly, they quickly turned around to look!
And before them was Kyo, dressed in his Akatsuki robe, standing calmly!
At that moment, he grinned slightly, his golden eyes flickering, and he smiled gently as he said:
"I'm here on behalf of Akatsuki... to hunt you down."