After crossing the beach and moving through the forest, the trio emerged onto a lush green meadow.
Waves of grass swayed gently in the wind, creating ripples of green that stretched into the distance.
Beyond the meadow stood a mountain, and over the mountain lay faint remnants of a long-gone era.
The ruins were barely recognizable mainly being a scattered array of crumbled structures, buried among the grass, weathered by time, wind, and rain, silently telling the cruel story of history.
As they arrived, their gaze swept over the ruins of the once-thriving Uzushio Village. Nothing remained intact.
No building stood tall here anymore.
"How should we search?" Ye Zi asked, surveying the overgrown ruins of the Land of Whirlpools, more specifically, Uzushio Village.
"We'll search every inch of it," Orochimaru replied coolly. "Leave no stone unturned. There might be a hidden basement."
Uzushio Village had been razed to the ground years ago, nearly leveled. Yet, there was a chance something had been overlooked, like a hidden underground chamber.
As Orochimaru hoped, a hidden basement might contain what he was looking for.
Thus, the trio began their search the old-fashioned way, carefully combing the area step by step, hoping to uncover an entrance to the underground.
While searching, Ye Zi extended his sensory abilities, though his efforts yielded nothing.
If something could have been found using sensory techniques, it would have been discovered by earlier visitors to the ruins, leaving nothing for them to find.
Orochimaru's reliance on Ye Zi's sensory abilities proved futile. In this case, having more people to search manually was actually more beneficial.
The method was slow but thorough.
Perhaps luck was on their side; it wasn't long before Kotoe discovered a hidden entrance to a basement.
Her discovery immediately lifted Ye Zi and Orochimaru's spirits. They rushed to where she stood, to a stone slab embedded in the ground, fitted with a rusty iron ring.
However, their excitement waned upon seeing the conspicuous entrance.
Such an obvious feature… It was hard to believe it hadn't already been explored.
Still, since they had found it, they decided to investigate.
Orochimaru grabbed the ring and lifted the stone slab, releasing a cloud of choking dust.
Beneath the slab was a staircase leading downward.
In such a place, there was no need to send a shadow clone ahead. The three of them lit torches and descended directly.
The staircase descended the equivalent of two stories, placing the basement at a depth of about two levels below ground.
At the bottom, they found a stone chamber.
Illuminated by torchlight, the walls were charred black indicating a clear sign of fire damage.
The floor was littered with burnt debris, further evidence of a fire.
It was impossible to tell whether the blaze had been set by the villagers themselves or by their invaders.
Regardless of its origin, the scorched ruins hinted at futility.
But Orochimaru wasn't one to give up so easily.
"Check the walls, floors, and ceiling for hidden compartments," he instructed. Most people would have left in disappointment at this point, but Orochimaru suspected there might be a secret hiding place.
"Hidden compartments?" Ye Zi raised an eyebrow. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility.
The three of them began their meticulous search, leaving no corner untouched.
Ye Zi tapped his hand against the stone bricks on the walls, unbothered by the layer of black ash that clung to his palms.
Their detailed search paid off when Ye Zi noticed something unusual.
When he tapped one particular brick, it echoed hollowly.
Ye Zi's eyes gleamed with interest. Without alerting Orochimaru or Kotoe, he left a small piece of wood on the brick as a marker and continued searching the rest of the room.
When they had finished, no other hidden compartments were found.
"Looks like that's the only one," Ye Zi said, gesturing to the marked brick.
"Finding one is good enough. Let's see what's inside," Orochimaru said calmly.
"Hopefully, it's something useful," Ye Zi replied, drawing his blade. With brute force, he wedged the blade into the seam around the brick and pried it loose, revealing a hollow space within.
Inside, a black-and-red scroll lay quietly in the rectangular cavity.
The sight of the scroll brought a spark of joy to both Ye Zi and Orochimaru.
Ye Zi reached in and retrieved the scroll, but instead of opening it immediately, he said, "Let's head outside first."
The three of them climbed the stairs and exited the burnt-out basement.
Even outside, Ye Zi didn't open the scroll right away. Cautious as always, he treated it as if it might be a trap. After some careful inspection, he confirmed it was an ordinary scroll.
Neither Orochimaru nor Kotoe found Ye Zi's caution unnecessary. Despite the scroll's concealed location, there was no guarantee it wasn't a trap.
Finally, Ye Zi began to unroll the scroll, hoping it would reveal the secrets of Uzushio's legendary sealing techniques.
"Contract Seal, Five Elements Seal, Double Binding Seal…"
The scroll indeed contained the sealing techniques of Uzushio Village.
"Three sealing techniques, huh?" Orochimaru didn't appear particularly pleased. This wasn't what he was looking for.
Ye Zi quickly skimmed through the scroll. It was a good thing they had found a sealing technique scroll, but it didn't need to be reviewed now, so he put it away for safekeeping.
"Let's keep searching. There might be more," Orochimaru said, immediately resuming his search. What he wanted was foundational knowledge about sealing techniques, not just specific methods.
The three of them returned to their methodical approach. The discovery of one scroll suggested that other overlooked items might still be hidden here.
They found several more basements in succession, but all of them had already been ransacked, leaving nothing of value.
Some hours later, Kotoha discovered another basement entrance, partially obscured by several collapsed stone pillars.
Despite the obstruction, it was impossible to determine whether this basement had already been visited. The previous basements they had found were all empty or burnt out, with no hidden compartments to be found.
After opening the entrance, the trio descended into the basement. To their delight, this one was intact.
The basement was small, containing a single red wooden three-tiered bookshelf. The shelves were laden with scrolls, all coated in a thick layer of dust.
At the sight of the red bookshelf, Orochimaru's expression lit up. He approached eagerly, grabbed a scroll, and brushed off the heavy dust before inspecting its contents.
After reading for a moment, a slight smirk appeared on his lips. This was what he had been looking for. The trip had been worthwhile after all.
"How is it?" Ye Zi didn't open any of the scrolls but, judging by Orochimaru's reaction, there had clearly been a significant discovery. Even so, he still asked for confirmation.
"This is exactly what I've been searching for. Let's collect them all and seal them in a storage scroll," Orochimaru replied, setting down the scroll in his hands.
Ye Zi nodded in agreement. "But we should still check for hidden compartments."
Even though they had found something valuable, their principle of leaving no stone unturned remained unchanged.
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Currently on Chapter 438 - An Execution