bookbashuk Chapter 181 Who created the monster?
Chapter 181 Who created the monster?
Chapter 181 Who created the monster?
in the audience.
Hiruzen Sarutobi opened his eyes and found himself back in that familiar audience seat.
Sitting next to him were Akimichi Torifu and Mitokado Homura.
Hiruzen Sarutobi steadied himself, looked up at the large floating screen in front of him, and frowned slightly: "It's Danzo's dream again today?"
"Huh, Koharu isn't here this time?" Mitokado Homura looked around and muttered to himself, noticing that Koharu Utatane wasn't there.
Just then, the screen changed, showing a Root ninja kneeling on one knee, reporting information about Sakumo Hatake to Danzo.
Upon hearing this, Akimichi Torifu sighed, "What a pity about Sakumo Hatake!"
His gaze was complex, as if he were lamenting the fate of this former White Fang of Konoha.
"What a pity! He caused such great damage to the village, and the village didn't hold him accountable—" Mitokado Homura sneered.
His words were full of disapproval and old grudges.
The Konoha advisor still felt indignant when talking about what happened back then.
If Sakumo Hatake hadn't abandoned the mission to save his teammates, causing the mission to fail, Konoha wouldn't have suffered such a loss.
"Stop talking!" Hiruzen Sarutobi abruptly interrupted Homura Mitokado's complaint, letting out a soft sigh: "Respect for the dead!"
As they were talking, a low, hoarse laugh suddenly came from behind them: "Heh heh!! You old geezers are still so disgusting!"
The sudden sound, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, coldly burrowed into their ears from behind.
Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other two were startled and almost instinctively frowned: that hoarse voice belonged to Yi Yi!
The three of them immediately turned around alertly.
In the dark back of the screening room, a tall, thin figure was standing.
In the dim light, the person had long, jet-black hair, and golden vertical pupils that gleamed coldly in the dim light of the screen. Who else could it be but Orochimaru!
[Ding! An emotional fluctuation from Hiruzen Sarutobi has been detected! Emotional value +600!]
[Ding! A fluctuation in Akimichi Torifu's emotions has been detected! Emotional value +300!]
[Ding! Emotional fluctuations from Homura Mitokado have been detected! Emotional value +500!]
Upon seeing Orochimaru's sudden appearance, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others' expressions changed drastically, their anger flaring up instantly. Homura Mitokado abruptly stood up, glaring at Orochimaru, his voice trembling slightly with rage: "You traitor! How dare you show your face again!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at his beloved disciple, the traitorous ninja, a complex expression flashing across his face: "Orochimaru! You actually came too."
His voice was filled with disappointment, anger, and a hint of indescribable heartache.
However, Orochimaru ignored their angry glares, appearing relaxed and unperturbed.
He casually found a seat and sat down, a mocking smile playing on his lips: "Why can't I come?"
His voice was still hoarse and low, but it was full of malicious provocation, showing no regard for these former elders in front of him.
Orochimaru looked around the screening room with great interest, his golden eyes gleaming with excitement.
He surveyed the neatly arranged seats and the giant screen floating in the air, then suddenly gave a wicked smile: "Ha! This place really is real!"
Orochimaru's words made Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others feel a chill in their hearts.
He turned his gaze back to Hiruzen Sarutobi, pointed a long, thin, pale finger at the screen in front of him, and said mockingly, "Old man! All your intelligence probably comes from here, right?"
Orochimaru's narrow eyes narrowed slightly, his smile cold and mocking. "I knew it. Konoha is simply incapable of discerning my actions right now!"
"You—!" Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils contracted, and his face instantly turned ashen.
Upon hearing this, Mitokado Homura flew into a rage, leaping to his feet: "You traitorous ninja! What are you saying?!"
"Your every move has been thoroughly investigated by Konoha!"
Mitokado Homura waved his sleeves, "The village spared your life, and you're ungrateful, yet you dare to spout such nonsense!"
"Hmph!" Orochimaru chuckled, looking at the furious Hokage advisor with disdain.
"With your level of skill," he said dismissively, crossing his arms lazily, "you think you're qualified to capture me if I hadn't surrendered?"
One sentence directly stung Mitokado Enoki's pride.
"You—!!" Mitomon En was so angry that his face turned ashen, and the veins on his forehead throbbed.
[Ding! Emotional fluctuations from Homura Mitokado have been detected! Emotional value +500!]
On the screen, Danzo is sitting in his office, flipping through documents, trying to figure out the current point in time in this dream world.
As he quickly browsed through the documents, he thought to himself, "Strange, if Hatake Sakumo is still alive, this place should be shortly after the end of the Second Shinobi World War."
Danzo originally thought that since even Sakumo Hatake was still alive, this dream probably depicted the era right after World War II, before Sakumo Hatake committed suicide.
However, after carefully reviewing several records of dates and events, he was shocked to discover that the timeline of the One-Eyed World was already close to the eve of the Third Shinobi World War!
Danzo put down the scroll in his hand, his brows furrowed, and he was greatly shocked.
How is that possible?
It's one thing that White Fang didn't die, but has the course of history been greatly accelerated?
Moreover, what Danzo found even more unexpected was that the documents clearly stated that Sakumo Hatake not only did not die, but also established an organization—a powerful force whose strength was enough to rival Root!
"An organization? It can even rival 'Root'?!" Danzo almost thought he was seeing things when he saw this.
He quickly examined the details and confirmed that the report stated in black and white: Hatake Sakumo has many followers in Konoha Village, forming a White Fang faction whose influence has even penetrated the high-ranking officials of the Land of Fire, and has repeatedly dictated the course of major battles. This was simply unbelievable to Danzo!
His lips twitched involuntarily, and he had only one thought in his mind: When did Hatake Sakumo become so capable?
Danzo was a little confused.
He instinctively closed the file, his breath catching in his throat. For a moment, he found it hard to accept this unexpected situation. The White Fang who had committed suicide years ago was not only alive and well, but was also secretly cultivating a force capable of rivaling his own Root organization?!
Thinking about the tricks he had played in that matter.
At this moment, even the usually shrewd and calculating Danzo Shimura couldn't help but feel somewhat uneasy.
Including reality, he has already messed up three worlds.
Could it be that he can't handle this world either?
[Ding! Emotional fluctuations from Shimura Danzo have been detected! Emotional value +300!]
However, Guo Ying, a veteran of countless battles, was no ordinary man, and he quickly forced himself to calm down.
After all, Kakashi would write a report and submit it to the Hokage's office every time he entered the dream world, and Danzo had seen quite a few of them.
I have some understanding of the specifics of several dreams.
This world is clearly Kakashi's dream.
Thinking of this, Danzo narrowed his eyes and snorted: Hatake Sakumo, humph! Just a defeated opponent!
Danzo Shimura didn't take it to heart!
However, he still felt indignant: Sakumo Hatake was able to establish a force that was on par with his own Root organization.
Danzo sneered, a shadow flashing in his eyes.
Suddenly, the entire base began to shake violently!
A series of rumbling sounds came from beneath the floor, as if some giant beast was rampaging underground.
Immediately afterwards, a series of ear-piercing "crunching" sounds, like trees being uprooted, echoed from beneath our feet!
"W-What's going on?!"
Danzo spread his wings, grabbed the edge of the table to steady himself, and scanned his surroundings warily with his one eye.
Several scrolls on the desk fell to the floor with a "thud," and dust fell from the paintings on the wall.
The next instant, the center of the floor exploded with a "boom"!
Several incredibly thick tree branches suddenly sprouted wildly from the ground, piercing through the earth and twisting and coiling throughout the room!
The originally sturdy floor was forced open, creating a huge crack!
Danzo retreated hastily, dodging a flying paving stone, and looked up at the horrifying sight before him, his brows furrowing deeply: "Could this be an experiment with Hashirama cells?"
He gasped softly, the thought flashing through his mind.
He couldn't think of any other possibility besides the uncontrolled cell experiment of the First Hokage, Hashirama, that could cause the trees to grow wildly and suddenly!
Sure enough, before Danzo could think further, a figure suddenly flipped out of the gap and landed steadily in front of him.
The newcomer had long, flowing hair, gleaming golden vertical pupils, and wore a Konoha headband on his forehead—it was none other than the young Orochimaru!
Orochimaru was emanating a strong smell of medicine and earth, clearly having rushed up from the underground laboratory. His expression was extremely unpleasant, with a tight mouth and an indescribable gloom and frustration on his face.
Orochimaru leaped to Danzo's side in two quick steps, his voice filled with bewilderment and resentment: "Lord Danzo, the experiment failed!"
Danzo sized up the Orochimaru in his dream: his young face had lost some of its arrogance and gained more anger and sharpness, making him somewhat different from the cold and experienced guy in reality.
Seeing him eat like this, Danzo felt no anger, but rather a surge of excitement and anticipation. Orochimaru in reality had yet to reply to his secret message, while the Orochimaru in his dream was right before him.
This is a golden opportunity!
He might try to get the information he wants from Orochimaru in his dream!
Danzo's eyes flickered as he thought of this, and he took a half-step forward without making a sound.
However, just as he opened his mouth to speak, a concern flashed through his mind, causing him to hesitate for a moment.
He suddenly realized that Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others in the audience outside must be watching this scene on the screen right now!
If I were to ask Orochimaru any questions in my dream, those old guys would overhear every single conversation.
If you accidentally uncover any secrets, it could leave you with something to hold against you!
Danzo's Adam's apple bobbed, and he almost swallowed the question that was on the tip of his tongue.
However, upon further reflection, didn't Hiruzen Sarutobi have seen all the information in his dream last time?
Whatever the blame is, it belongs to Orochimaru; there's no way to pin it on him.
He can't take the blame for this!
Danzo felt much more at ease after thinking about this, and the anxiety he had been feeling was greatly relieved.
Having made up his mind, Danzo quickly regained his usual calm and profound demeanor.
He coughed lightly, put his hands behind his back, and casually asked, "Orochimaru, I happen to have something to ask you—"
He paused slightly, then narrowed his one eye.
Danzo casually described the characteristics of "White Zetsu," his words revealing the White Zetsu's strange regenerative abilities and unique form.
While observing Orochimaru's changing expression, he slowly posed questions as bait.
After asking the question, Danzo held his breath, waiting for Orochimaru's reaction.
To everyone's surprise, Orochimaru's expression turned to disbelief, his pupils dilating slightly: "There are actually such creatures in the ninja world?"
He gasped softly, his voice filled with surprise and excitement.
Clearly, even he had never heard of such a bizarre white monster before!
However, the surprise only lingered on Orochimaru's face for a brief moment, and then his golden snake eyes shone with a fanatical light.
"Wouldn't it be much more efficient to use this creature as a test subject?"
Orochimaru licked his lips, suddenly becoming excited and focused.
His mind was already rapidly sketching out all sorts of possibilities. How many crazy experimental ideas could be realized with a living material that had no rejection reaction and amazing resilience!
Orochimaru became more and more excited as he thought about it.
He suddenly stepped forward towards Danzo, his attitude unusually respectful and urgent: "Lord Danzo!"
Orochimaru humbly inquired, his barely suppressed thirst for knowledge evident, "Where did you obtain information about this creature?"
He stared intently at Danzo, his eyes wide, eager to hear more about this wondrous creature.
Seeing Orochimaru's burning gaze, Danzo chuckled inwardly: Where else could he have gotten it from?
He muttered something to himself, but his face remained expressionless.
But of course, he couldn't say this outright—Danzo kept a straight face, gave a reserved "hmm," and chuckled vaguely, saying, "As for the source of the information—I have my own channels."
Having said that, Danzo gazed at the younger version of Orochimaru before him, and couldn't help but sigh softly in his heart: "It seems this Orochimaru is still too young; he hasn't yet developed that monster—"
in the audience.
In reality, Orochimaru was listening intently to the conversation between Danzo and "himself" in his dream.
The more he listened, the brighter his eyes shone, and his excitement became barely contained.
"There are things like this in the ninja world?"
Orochimaru couldn't help but sigh softly, his voice filled with fervor.
Clearly, he himself was very interested in the strange creature Danzo had mentioned.
"Indeed—" Orochimaru licked his lips, staring at the screen and muttering to himself, "This kind of creature is simply a natural experimental subject. No rejection reaction, incredible regenerative abilities—even if you cut it in half, it's fine!"
[Ding! Orochimaru's emotional fluctuations have been detected! Emotional value +500!!]
His eyes burned with excitement as he spoke, almost trembling with anticipation, completely absorbed in his desire for new experimental material.
Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others listened to Orochimaru's self-talk, and their anger only grew stronger.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face turned ashen. Finally, unable to contain his anger and regret, he let out a deep sigh.
Immediately afterward, he whirled around, staring intently at Orochimaru behind him, his eyes practically spitting fire: "Orochimaru! What are you pretending for?!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi practically forced those words out of his throat, his voice trembling with rage.
He couldn't stand it any longer and looked at Orochimaru's excited expression. This guy had no remorse at all and was even envious of that terrifying monster!
"Developing a forbidden technique like the Unbound Reincarnation is one thing," Hiruzen Sarutobi glared angrily, demanding in a sharp voice, "but since this humanoid monster has a human form, it must have been created by you using living people!"
The thought of his once exceptionally talented disciple now reduced to this state filled Hiruzen Sarutobi with unbearable pain, his heart breaking with a mixture of regret and rage that caused him to lose control of his voice.
"Orochimaru!" Akimichi Torifu couldn't hold back any longer, standing up to rebuke him, a hint of pity appearing on his face. "Are you even human after doing something like this?!"
Unlike Hiruzen Sarutobi's fury, Akimichi Torifu felt more sadness and regret.
He recalled those scenes from many years ago, closed his eyes briefly, and said with heartache, "After you defected back then..."
When we rescued those horribly mutilated test subjects from your experimental base, did you realize what you were doing?!
"Very few of them can still maintain their human form!"
Akimichi Tokifumi's voice trembled, and his eyes were slightly red.
The sight of those dilapidated, dying, and incomplete experimental subjects still haunts the old ninja.
Akimichi Torifu's words caused Orochimaru's expression to change drastically.
His initial excitement about discussing White Zetsu froze on his face, replaced by deep confusion and bewilderment.
"What nonsense are you two old geezers spouting?!" Orochimaru stared incredulously at Hiruzen Sarutobi and Akimichi Torifu, his voice suddenly rising, "I've never heard of this before either!"
[Ding! An emotional fluctuation from Hiruzen Sarutobi has been detected! Emotional value +500!]
Hiruzen Sarutobi trembled with rage, his shoulders shaking with fury: "Shut up! Still trying to argue!"
He roared angrily, refusing to listen to Orochimaru's explanations.
Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly stepped forward, pointing angrily at Orochimaru, his voice booming like thunder: "In the entire ninja world! Who else besides you has such ability?!"
His question was forceful and resolute.
"That's right!" Mitokado Homura sneered from the side, staring intently into Orochimaru's eyes, and pressed him for an answer word by word, "Besides you, only those guys from Kumogakure like to do human experiments."
As he spoke, he suddenly turned disdainful, his tone laced with sarcasm, "If it wasn't you, could it be those big, dumb idiots from Kumogakure who can't even figure out a seal?"
The Hidden Cloud Village in the Land of Lightning also engaged in human experimentation with living people.
But compared to Orochimaru's level, those crude people in Kumogakure are not worth mentioning at all—they don't even have a rudimentary understanding of sealing techniques, so how could they possibly create such an exquisite and terrifying monster!
Faced with a barrage of questions and angry rebukes from three high-ranking Konoha officials, Orochimaru was speechless for a moment, unable to find a single word to refute them.
His Adam's apple bobbed, as if he wanted to say something, but he found that no matter how you looked at it, what the other person said seemed to make sense.
Indeed, when it comes to scientific research ability, he is confident that he is the best in the entire ninja world.
He was the number one scientist in the ninja world. If even he had never heard of this creature, then it was even less likely that other forces could have created it.
He also absolutely did not believe that the Hidden Cloud Village had the capability to create such a creature.
Those uncouth people, humph, they probably can't even solve the most basic problem of rejection, let alone create such a perfect creature.
But... Orochimaru's eyes flickered.
But this creature has absolutely nothing to do with him!
This is the first time he's ever heard of this!
That's right, whether others believe it or not, he himself has never come into contact with this kind of monster!
Before the dream, he had never heard of "White Zetsu" and had no concept of it whatsoever! What exactly happened?
Orochimaru pursed his lips, his expression shifting between light and dark.
He pondered quickly for a moment, then suddenly his eyes lit up, and he whispered a speculation: "Perhaps—this kind of monster exists naturally?"
Given that he is the only one in the entire ninja world who is most skilled in life research, if this white humanoid monster was not created by him, could it have been a natural creature that was secretly born somewhere?
He couldn't think of any other explanation at the moment.
However, Hiruzen Sarutobi ignored Orochimaru's speculations and paid no attention to them.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's clenched fist trembled slightly from the force of his grip. He slowly shook his head, closed his eyes in anguish, and said in a low, regretful voice, "I shouldn't have been so soft-hearted back then and let you, this menace, out of Konoha!"
He opened his eyes and looked at Orochimaru, his gaze filled with regret and self-blame, "If only I had killed you on the spot back then!"
How could such a thing happen! I never imagined you'd fallen so low!
With each word Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke, the pain in his eyes deepened.
He recalled the night he released Orochimaru in the secret passage—the biggest mistake of his life!
"Tell me! Just how many lives have you taken to create this inhuman monster?!"
[Ding! An emotional fluctuation from Hiruzen Sarutobi has been detected! Emotional value +500!]
He practically screamed the last few words.
His voice shook the hall and echoed for a long time. Hiruzen Sarutobi's chest heaved violently, clearly indicating that he was extremely angry.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's thunderous and furious shout completely stunned Orochimaru.
Orochimaru stared wide-eyed at his former mentor's face, which was contorted with rage, and was speechless for a moment.
Orochimaru opened his mouth, a hoarse sound escaping his throat: "This is truly the first time I've ever heard of this—"
"What are you pretending for at a time like this?!"
Seeing this, Mitokado Homura snorted coldly, unmoved in the slightest.
"We all saw it in Danzo's dream the day before yesterday," he accused, his gaze sharp as knives, his voice stern and accusatory. "You personally traded this monster with Danzo! Who else could it be but you?!"
Homura Tomon bluntly recounted what he had witnessed during the movie screening the day before yesterday—right last night in Danzo's territory.
Ding Li's Orochimaru personally led a White Zetsu to make a shady deal with Danzo.
Furthermore, Orochimaru gave Danzo a detailed explanation of White Zetsu's abilities!
All the viewers saw this scene clearly.
"What?!"
Asahi's mind was in complete chaos, feeling that things were developing in a way that was far beyond his imagination.
[Ding! A fluctuation of emotional perception from Orochimaru has been detected! Emotional perception value +1000!]
Asahi-maru was plunged into deep self-doubt.
Could it be that somewhere, at some unknown time, he really created that white monster?
Could this really be his research findings?
impossible!
How could someone as powerful as Jabami be completely unaware of the "research findings" of the Jabami?!