Chapter 48: Visiting Orochimaru’s Base
Kado rummaged through the bookshelf piled with scrolls for a moment, pulled out several yellowed maps, and respectfully spread them out on the table in front of Menma.
“Lord, these are the national maps of several western countries. Please take a look.” Kado bowed slightly.
Menma picked up several maps from the table and opened them, examining them carefully with eyes like a hawk’s.
As a world-class company, Kado Company was spread across various countries. The simplest business method was to buy specialty products cheaply from one country and transport them to another country to sell at a high price.
For example, transporting tea from the Land of Tea to the capitals of various countries could fetch a very high price.
This kind of traveling merchant model naturally required familiarity with the geographical environment. Major merchant guilds, companies, and fleets all had their own drawn or purchased maps and sea charts, which were also a kind of rare resource.
However, it was difficult to draw highly precise maps; they were basically like ancient maps, requiring professional guides or experienced traveling merchants to use.
“Prepare some supplies to send to the Land of Bears. The organization plans to build a base here.” Menma’s finger tapped on a map of the Land of Bears.
Kakuzu also walked over and looked at the maps on the table.
The Land of Bears was located between the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind, and it bordered small and medium-sized countries such as the Land of Demons, the Land of Shadows, and the Land of Birds.
The entire country was long and narrow, with vast plains in the western region bordering the Land of Shadows and the Land of Demons, suitable for developing agriculture.
The central and eastern parts were vast forests and high mountains, and there was even a Hell Valley Chasm filled with poisonous gas in the east.
“Understood, Lord.” Kado bowed even lower.
“Do you need me to clean up Hoshigakure?” Kakuzu licked his lips.
“No need.” Menma shook his head: “You act together with Kado, responsible for escorting the supplies. As for the cleanup task in the Land of Bears, it will be handled by other teams.”
Although he had recruited Kakuzu and Kado, he couldn’t let these two guys handle everything, to avoid exposing the organization’s lack of manpower.
Hearing that the organization would send other teams ahead, Kakuzu’s cyan pupils contracted slightly, with some expectation.
Since joining the organization, he had only acted with Kado and hadn’t seen the other members of the organization yet. This time, he might have a chance to meet them.
What powerful ninjas would such a mysterious organization have?
——————
After issuing new orders to Kado and Kakuzu, Menma left the Capital City of the Land of Fire.
The organization was currently short on manpower, so Menma planned to recruit some rogue ninjas to join.
‘But at this point in time, Yakura is already dead, Zabuza and Kisame Hoshigaki probably haven’t defected yet, Deidara is still in the Stone Village, and Scorpion is hiding somewhere unknown…’ Counting them down, Menma found that there were very few capable rogue ninjas he could recruit.
After all, he didn’t want to recruit a killing maniac like Hidan.
‘Kurotsuchi Raiga and Ranmaru should be in the Land of Rivers now. They’re at least at jonin combat power, and Kurotsuchi Raiga seems to have defected from Kirigakure with his entire family.’
Although this Kurotsuchi Clan had no bloodline limit, it was still a ninja clan with some foundation.
‘Right, there are also Uzumaki Clan members scattered outside.’ Menma thought of the mother and daughter Karin Uzumaki in Kusanagi Village, and Hokina Uzumaki in the Land of the Sea.
“But for now, I can go to the Land of Fields to find Orochimaru first.”
In the forest under the night sky, Menma wearing a fox mask sped rapidly through the woods.
‘If I remember correctly, Otogakure should be in the central-northern part of the Land of Fields.’ Menma activated Kagura Shingan to sense the chakra within a radius of over a hundred kilometers around him.
This secret technique unique to the Uzumaki Clan was something Menma had learned from Kushina during the Limited Tsukuyomi World.
The sensing range of Kagura Shingan varies depending on the caster’s chakra amount, but even Karin could cover thirty or forty kilometers, and when Menma used it, it could cover over a hundred kilometers!
Within this range, all chakra changes would be detected by him.
During his last fight with Orochimaru, Menma had marked Orochimaru’s chakra signature.
Not long after entering the Land of Fields, Menma’s Kagura Shingan sensed several fluctuations carrying Orochimaru’s chakra, though very faint, and there was little other chakra around, probably just backup bases or warehouses.
Heading north, as he approached the capital city of the Land of Fields, Menma sensed a large amount of chakra aura appearing north of the capital city, very similar to Orochimaru’s chakra but with some differences.
“Already so impatient, Orochimaru?” Menma guessed that Orochimaru had already performed Impure World Reincarnation.
After all, that body of his was already over forty years old and had been severely injured by the Third Hokage. Although it could be repaired, the physical performance and reaction speed would definitely decline year by year.
Taking this opportunity to perform Impure World Reincarnation made sense.
“Found it!” Menma burst out of the forest, and the view suddenly opened up.
This was a small village at the edge of the forest, seemingly an ordinary rural area on the surface, but underground had been hollowed out by Orochimaru to build a secret base.
Under the night sky, Menma wearing the white three-eyed fox mask did not hide and walked straight into the village.
The bright moonlight gleamed coldly on the mask, and the black coat fluttered lightly in the wind. The appearance of this mysterious person immediately drew out Orochimaru’s subordinates.
Several ninjas jumped out from various places, standing on the rooftops of the village, staring sternly at the hostile mysterious person.
Menma used Kagura Shingan to sense the chakra of these three ninjas and found they were only at genin level.
That made sense; the ninja resources of various countries were monopolized by the ninja villages. After Orochimaru established his own force, he could only start training from children.
From defecting from Konoha to the Konoha Crush plan, in nine years, he had only trained the Sound Four. Besides Kimimaro having elite jonin strength, the others were only at chunin level, and at most special jonin level after activating the curse mark.
There was also the unstable Jugo, and Suigetsu Hōzuki who had been captured by Orochimaru.
“Kid, this isn’t a place you should be.” A ninja with his right eye wrapped in bandages seemed to be their captain, standing on a rooftop and issuing a warning.
“Is Orochimaru sending you small fries to die?” Menma frowned slightly, not knowing what Orochimaru was planning.
“You bastard! So you’re here to hunt Lord Orochimaru!” The ninja captain seemed triggered and ordered the other two: “Kill him!”
The two ninjas threw kunai, attacking Menma from left and right.
The ninja captain also tore off the bandages covering his right eye, revealing a scarlet two-tomoe Sharingan, and glared fiercely at the mysterious person on the ground.
“I see.” Seeing that two-tomoe Sharingan, Menma understood Orochimaru’s intention.
This was a gift for him.
