"Guy, I'm heading back first. See you tomorrow!"
After three hours of intense training at the grounds, Ryūjin bid farewell to Might Guy and left, but he didn't return to the Uchiha Compound immediately. Using the cover of night, he teleported to the back mountain with the Flying Thunder God Technique, moving silently so no one noticed.
After a few precise movements using the Body Flicker Technique, he finally stopped. "System, sign in outside Orochimaru's laboratory."
Beneath him, underground, lay Orochimaru's secret experimental base. Ryūjin had discovered it by monitoring Orochimaru for a while, having obtained the Third Hokage's Telescope Technique through signing in. He was here purely for sign-in purposes, not intending to report Orochimaru to Konoha. Over the past six months, he had already signed in at nearly every location in the village, and new special sign-in points were always valuable. Orochimaru's lab was an ideal target.
"Ding! Congratulations, Host. Sign-in successful. Reward obtained: Forbidden Jutsu: Impure World Reincarnation!"
"Impure World Reincarnation? Not bad. That's an overpowered jutsu," Ryūjin muttered approvingly. If Hashirama Senju or Madara Uchiha were resurrected, who below the Six Paths level could contend with them? Entirely dominating the Ninja World of the Shippuden era would be effortless.
Just then, Ryūjin's expression sharpened. Without hesitation, he activated the Flying Thunder God Technique, vanishing from the area.
Swish! Swish!
Moments later, two figures appeared using the Body Flicker Technique. They were Root ninjas, one of whom was a sensor ninja. He carefully scanned the area, frowning immediately.
"Strange. I sensed someone here just now, but they vanished instantly. Yet there's chakra residue."
"Maybe they sensed us first and left?" the other ninja suggested.
"Doesn't make sense. Even with the Body Flicker Technique, I should be able to trace their chakra. But this person… their chakra hasn't moved outward. It's as if they simply vanished." The sensor ninja's brow furrowed in confusion.
"The Flying Thunder God is a space-time jutsu, not a simple instant-movement technique. How can one detect chakra movement from it?"
"Nevertheless… no other ninjas are here. Kimura, notify Lord Danzo immediately."
Kimura nodded and vanished with a flicker of movement, returning shortly with a man leaning on a cane—Danzo.
Before long, a cold, sinister presence appeared in the darkness. Orochimaru.
"Any progress with the experiment?" Danzo asked without preamble.
"Transplanting the First Hokage's cells is no simple matter," Orochimaru replied, his hoarse voice sending shivers.
"You must accelerate the process," Danzo urged.
"Understand this, without my protection, this laboratory would have been discovered long ago. Root must provide more support, and the cells can theoretically integrate with the Sharingan. I'll need Uchiha clan members to test compatibility," Orochimaru explained, licking his lips.
Danzo nodded silently, accepting a prepared list from Orochimaru, then left with his men, reminding him, "Be careful. Someone seemed to appear here earlier; exposure must be avoided."
"Oh? If I'm exposed, I can simply leave the village," Orochimaru chuckled.
What neither of them realized was that Ryūjin had been watching the entire meeting through the Telescope Technique.
"Looks like they didn't detect me," Ryūjin thought, ending the Telescope Technique. He wasn't curious about Orochimaru's experiments; he only needed to know whether he had been noticed.
Listening to their conversation, Ryūjin pieced together their scheme: Orochimaru was assisting Danzo in transplanting Sharingan eyes, likely targeting the integration with the First Hokage's cells.
"I hope they don't go after my family or friends," Ryūjin thought.
Though he had only recently developed ties to the Uchiha Compound, the care he had received over six months had forged genuine connections. Uchiha Haruo and his wife felt like real parents, and a handful of newly made friends had grown dear to him. Ryūjin would not let them be used in Orochimaru and Danzo's schemes.
For the other Uchiha clan members he wasn't familiar with, however, he remained indifferent. If they fell victim to Orochimaru's plans, Ryūjin simply considered it misfortune.
___
Look up "Zphyr" on Patreon to get access to chapters in advance.