Fire Country, Hidden Leaf Village.
Orochimaru, back in the Hidden Leaf, was uncharacteristically not in his laboratory. Dressed in a loose kimono, he strolled through the commercial district, watching the civilians passing by, a sense of unreality washing over him.
Ninjas and civilians, truly two different worlds.
The outside world was engulfed in war, yet it had no bearing on the lives of the Hidden Leaf villagers. At most, leaving the village was restricted, but shops still operated as usual.
Was this what they, as ninjas, were fighting to protect?
"Heavenly Hot Springs Grand Opening! First-time customers receive a 70% discount! Our hot springs utilize natural... effective in healing injuries... and come with beautiful masseuses..."
Orochimaru's ears twitched at the mention of healing injuries. His body hadn't fully recovered yet, though it wouldn't take long.
Orochimaru stood on the street for a long time, exhaling. Forget it, he'd go take a look. Occasional relaxation was beneficial for scientific research!
On the other side of the Hidden Leaf street, a uniquely designed bathhouse stood, its golden "Heavenly Hot Springs" sign catching the eye.
For some reason, not many customers visited. Orochimaru glanced up at the sign at the entrance, then without lingering, his figure gradually disappeared through the large doors of Heavenly Hot Springs...
...
Lin Yu had been feeling a bit bored these past few days. He hadn't even encountered the Third Tsuchikage Onoki, let alone the Ay-Bee combination. This Land of Grass wasn't that big, why was it so hard to find them!
Onoki aside, given his personality, he was surely still hiding in the Land of Earth. But Ay and Killer Bee had no intention of hiding their movements; their fame echoed from battlefields across the Land of Grass.
Yet, by the time Lin Yu arrived, the battles were already over, and there wasn't a trace of them. Was he really relying on plot progression?
Hmm! Sometimes, you just can't be too stubborn. If there's a ready-made bait, you have to use it.
"Senior Lin Yu, where are we going?"
The young blond, Minato Namikaze, followed behind Lin Yu. They had been wandering for half the day without seeing a single enemy ninja. He had thought Lin Yu was taking him to raid an Iwagakure camp or intercept supply carts.
He hadn't expected Lin Yu to lead him on a wild goose chase through the forest. Why was it a wild goose chase? Because he had clearly marked this tree, but fifteen minutes later, they passed it again.
What else could this be but aimless wandering?!
"Cough, cough, I just finished eating and decided to take a stroll, and scout for some intel!"
Lin Yu also felt a bit embarrassed, but he truly had no other options. It seemed fate was not on his side; he simply couldn't run into the Ay-Bee combination.
So, he could only bring Minato Namikaze out to try his luck. After all, Minato Namikaze's fame first truly emerged from fighting these two brothers!
"Uh... I see."
Minato Namikaze hadn't expected his guess to be right. Senior Lin Yu was really just looking for trouble!
Sigh, if only he hadn't followed. He had wanted to earn more war merits.
However, since it was Senior Lin Yu's request, he would accompany him for the day. It wasn't a big deal.
Lin Yu was unaware of Minato Namikaze's thoughts. If Minato had voiced them, Lin Yu would have misinterpreted them. Right now, Lin Yu was scanning with Kagura Shingan like a radar.
He had to admit, Kagura Shingan consumed a lot of mental energy! His chakra reserves were full, but his mind was already a bit tired.
If he used a large amount of mental energy, his combat power would likely drop by half. But... he had been using Kagura Shingan for two hours, how could he not have seen even a stray cat or dog!
Could he have taken a wrong turn? Never mind, it didn't matter. Even if he charged into the Iwagakure main base, there wouldn't be any danger.
Lin Yu continued to charge through the forest with Minato Namikaze, completely unconcerned about ambushes.
With Lin Yu's current strength, unless he encountered Madara Uchiha allied with Kawaki, he wouldn't be defeated. And the current Madara Uchiha and Kawaki were Isshiki Otsutsuki, one practically on his last legs, the other half-dead, only concerned with finding a suitable "vessel."
Speaking of "vessels," those who were implanted with Karma by the Otsutsuki clan to become a container for their revival. This seemed to be a form of immortality. No wonder the Otsutsuki clan called themselves celestial beings. It seemed he would have to capture an Otsutsuki to keep as a pet in the future.
Karma... would it be the key to my Eternal Organization achieving immortality?
However, this seemed to be exclusive to the Otsutsuki clan. He wondered if he could research some variations. It seemed he would still have to rely on Orochimaru!
Although the Eternal Organization hadn't appeared in the ninja world for some years, Lin Yu hadn't forgotten that he also held the title of the Lord of Immortality. And he had already chosen the core members. The Eternal Organization could make its reappearance soon.
"Eh?"
Just as Lin Yu was lost in thought, fluctuations of chakra appeared within his sensory range. There seemed to be quite a few of them.
"Senior Lin Yu, did you find something?" Minato Namikaze, who was constantly observing Lin Yu, leaned in and asked.
Lin Yu closed his eyes and sensed for a moment before smiling, "Interesting. It seems we've stumbled upon one of their important strongholds!"
"Important stronghold? Is it the Iwagakure main base?"
"It's hard to say for sure. Let's go, follow me!"
Lin Yu used tree branches as footholds, changing his posture and leaping in another direction.
...
Land of Grass, an important Iwagakure granary. Two guards were idly chatting.
Iwa-Ninja A: "Hey! Did you hear? The Cloud Village's dynamic duo is wreaking havoc in the Land of Rice, they say they even crippled Orochimaru, one of the Sannin!"
Iwa-Ninja B: "Pfft! What kind of old news is that! Let me tell you, Orochimaru died on the way to the Hidden Leaf for treatment!"
Iwa-Ninja B secretly leaned closer and whispered, "I heard that the Third Hokage of the Hidden Leaf was furious about it and awakened the legendary cheat bloodline limit!"
Iwa-Ninja A was shocked: "Really? Cheat bloodline limit? Just hearing the name tells me it's incredible!"
Iwa-Ninja B grinned smugly: "Of course! They say the Third Raikage was beaten to a pulp by the Third Hokage, his head was scrambled!"
Iwa-Ninja A exclaimed: "No way! That strong! What exactly is the ability of this cheat bloodline limit?"
Iwa-Ninja B sighed: "Alas, such profound secrets are not for us to know."
"Want to know? Shall I tell you?"
"Who is it?"
Iwa-Ninja A and B suddenly turned around, only to meet a pair of bewitching blood-red eyes. Three black tomoe slowly rotated. Before they could react, their gazes went blank, and they slowly collapsed to the side.
Iwa-Ninja A & B: Didn't you say you'd tell us? Why did you knock us out!
"Heh heh, I didn't expect that just a casual foreshadowing would make Hiruzen Sarutobi so famous. Even the Land of Grass knows about his cheat bloodline limit. He should thank me properly!"
Lin Yu had heard their conversation. Much of it was exaggerated. Orochimaru being killed? That was pure fantasy. Go ask Jiraiya if he'd agree, and you might get punched into a pulp with Sage Mode!
However, Lin Yu truly didn't expect that Hiruzen Sarutobi's cheat bloodline limit had spread to the Land of Grass. The propagation speed was too fast. Hadn't Hiruzen only arrived in the Land of Rice a few days ago?
Did he fight the Third Raikage as soon as he arrived in the Land of Rice? That was plausible.
Lin Yu didn't think further. At most, after the Third Great Ninja War, the Hidden Leaf would have a new title: Cheat Hiruzen Sarutobi! How magnificent that would be!