"As expected, Uncle Snake looks forward to such things." Amane's gaze became subtle, but she immediately sighed and explained.
"In the past, I heard a story from a high-ranking official in the Hidden Mist Village. It's about a thief who stole a book from the place where people go after they die, titled [Chapter of Black]."
As Amane narrated, this so-called [Chapter of Black] recorded every cruel evil and sin of humanity since its birth. There was nothing it didn't contain, only things one couldn't imagine. It made anyone who read it think that humans were trash.
In the story, the thief used this book to show to young children whose minds were still developing, instilling these thoughts in them to manipulate them.
One of the children, after being deluded, encountered danger while attempting an evil deed, yet the victim risked their life to save him, regardless of past grievances.
Ultimately, the child understood that this darkness was just one side of humanity; taking a part for the whole and condemning everything was wrong.
"In the end, he helped the protagonist's side, leading them to the thief and destroying him."
The story ended there. Orochimaru understood he was being satirized. His actions toward Amane were remarkably similar to those of the villain in the story.
Orochimaru even suspected that Amane had made up the story on the spot.
*Swoosh!*
A Bone Spikes was pressed against Amane's neck.
However, Amane acted as if she couldn't see it at all. She didn't feel in the least bit like she would die even though Kimimaro only needed to move a tiny bit closer.
"You are actually foolish enough to be disrespectful to Lord Orochimaru."
Seeing Amane's attitude of complete indifference to his threat, Kimimaro was infuriated!
He truly wanted to move the Bone Spikes a few inches closer, but he knew in his heart that he absolutely could not kill Amane here.
This impulsive act was nothing more than asking for humiliation.
"Alright, alright. I plan to assign a team mission to the two of you next, so don't argue over such trivial matters."
Orochimaru instantly stepped in as a peacemaker, and Kimimaro could only snort and retract his Bone Blade.
Amane didn't continue to provoke anyone with words, but the curve at the corner of her mouth was visible to everyone.
[This child is becoming harder and harder to deal with, but she's showing more of a girl's cute side, even throwing a little tantrum.]
She had actually started using satire to strike back at Orochimaru, yet she was indeed excellent when it came to serious business.
He couldn't help but recall the disciple he once liked very much, Anko Mitarashi.
Back then, he had asked her if she wanted to go with him, but unfortunately, Anko didn't have the courage or the desire to step into the darkness, so he erased her memories.
Never mind that.
"Now, let me explain the mission details. Do you remember the Grass Shadow you captured alive two years ago, Amane?"
"Of course. That was a long-awaited life-and-death battle; I couldn't forget it if I tried."
The battle with the Grass Shadow was a true clash of trump cards; normal Ninjutsu was simply not enough in that fight. In the end, victory was achieved by relying on a hidden card to trade injuries.
Although the entire battle was very short, it was precisely because of its brevity and the sudden surge in intensity that it better reflected the reality of most combat.
One wrong step meant death.
"Through the intelligence Yakushi Kabuto obtained from the Hidden Grass Village, I have finally found the place where they discovered that white snake."
A map appeared on the table with a thud, showing an area circled by a large ring.
[A search? How troublesome. But the two small circles inside this large one point to very clear locations.]
One location had a small house icon, which looked like a symbol for a Village. The other was near the coast, by a river, but surrounded mostly by mountains.
Amane calculated the current time and roughly understood why Orochimaru would dispatch two key personnel like her and Kimimaro at a time like this.
Juice , Ryūchi Cave .
[Considering these two circles are quite close to each other, Orochimaru must be fairly certain that Ryūchi Cave is within the range of this large circle.]
"Amane, Kimimaro. You have two mission objectives: investigate the places pointed to by these two circles."
"As you command, Lord Orochimaru."
Kimimaro didn't hesitate for a second; he would obey any order from Orochimaru without a second thought.
"Yes, I guarantee the mission will be completed. But Uncle Snake, in that case, wouldn't it be best to bring that white snake along this time?"
Amane was referring to the thing previously sealed inside the Grass Shadow.
It was very strong, with power close to the Jonin level, and possessed human-level intelligence. Since the Grass Shadow had lost its experimental value, Amane had rescued it from the seal and used her own constitution to heal it.
Because Amane was both the one who defeated its sealer and the one who healed it, the white snake was quite close to her.
"That's why I came to you; otherwise, I would be reluctant to send you out."
Amane was momentarily speechless.
After the mission to rescue Karin and her mother was completed, Orochimaru not only obtained three rare specimens but also used the intelligence from Yakushi Kabuto to quickly gain considerable fame for the Sound Village in the Ninja World.
With that fame came spies, which was one of the reasons Amane had been called to the Sound Village.
Once Kagura Minds Eye was activated, as long as someone in the Ninja World was using Chakra for intelligence gathering, it would be impossible for them to escape Amane's detection.
Furthermore, because the Village's reputation was established, someone had to complete the high-difficulty commissions from various nations to maintain that reputation.
But the Sound Village was just starting out, and Orochimaru's high-end combat power was completely insufficient. If he relied solely on Kimimaro and the very busy Yakushi Kabuto, it would be difficult to handle everything at once.
But as long as Amane used Shadow Clone or Wood Clone, within a certain range, there wouldn't be just three high-level combatants on par with standard Great Nation Jonin.
So, over the past two years, besides training, Amane often went on missions that weren't too far away. At times like these, Amane would lament how well Orochimaru knew how to work people.
But the benefits were truly good.
Orochimaru had no intention of withholding pay, and he never refused anything Amane wanted or asked for guidance on.
If things had stopped there, it could still be considered a normal relationship between a conscientious boss and an employee.
But he would actively point out flaws in Amane's combat and occasionally send her small gifts. For instance, rare pastries and desserts from the Ninja World, or even fashion magazines, which gave Amane a truly strange feeling when she looked at Orochimaru.
Sometimes Amane wondered how she should define her current relationship with Orochimaru after all her hard work.
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