Chapter 183: The Confused Yakushi Kabuto
The Sound Village was located within the borders of the Land of Rice Fields, with the ocean to its north and the Fire Country, the most powerful nation in the world, to its south.
Orochimaru had established a ninja village right at Konoha's doorstep, and later even became allies with them. No one seemed to notice anything amiss, which could only mean that the Yamanaka clan, under Danzo's orders, had concealed this information.
The Land of Rice Fields – the name itself suggested a country primarily focused on agriculture. While perhaps not entirely flat, it certainly wasn't a region of deep ravines and towering mountains.
News of Orochimaru's death and Danzo leading an elite force to subjugate the Sound Village spread rapidly, with rumors flying in every direction.
Kidomaru and Tayuya appeared formidable, but in reality, they were only fourteen years old. While they might excel at fierce fighting, they were completely out of their depth when it came to maintaining morale and stability.
The two of them already had their own conflicts. As part of the Sound Four, they could keep each other in check, but now that only the two of them remained, neither was willing to submit to the other.
By the time Yakushi Kabuto managed to break through the layers of Konoha's defenses and return to the Sound Village, their side had already descended into complete chaos.
A ninja named Gengyomaru stepped forward to lead the village. With a large clan and a strong personality, coupled with a certain degree of ability, he quickly gathered a significant following. Had Kabuto not arrived in time, the newly empowered Gengyomaru might have even set Orochimaru's corpse ablaze in a celebratory act.
Of the Sound Four, only Kidomaru and Tayuya remained. Adding the gravely ill Kimimaro and his close friend Jugo, they barely numbered four.
Gengyomaru, using his own clan as the backbone, occupied the Sound Village, preparing to clash with Danzo.
Kabuto quietly entered the village, retrieved Orochimaru's body, and decided against waiting there to die. He immediately fled with the others. Being the oldest, he became the de facto leader. Kidomaru and Tayuya continued as their combat force, while Jugo carried the critically ill Kimimaro and also bore Orochimaru's corpse. The five of them quietly left the Sound Village.
Their numbers were too few, and their departure was rushed, leading to the loss of many important documents and experimental subjects. Kabuto included, they all seemed somewhat panicked. Orochimaru's death had a profound impact on them.
There was no time to worry about that now; they had to escape first!
The five of them, like stray dogs, fled to Orochimaru's southern hideout for temporary refuge.
Throughout their journey, they held onto a certain expectation.
Jugo's relationship with Orochimaru was lukewarm. It was due to Kimimaro's persuasion that he allowed Orochimaru to study his body. He had already decided that as soon as Kimimaro passed away, he would go to Orochimaru's northern prison, find the deepest cell, lock the door, and end his own life there.
He didn't care about Orochimaru's life or death.
The other four, however, believed that Orochimaru was not truly dead. They thought that perhaps at any moment, the corpse's mouth would open, and a brand-new Orochimaru would shed his skin and be reborn.
But expectations often fail to materialize. They waited anxiously for over ten days, and Orochimaru's corpse was beginning to decompose, yet there was no sign of awakening.
Kabuto tried every method he could think of but couldn't figure out how to revive Orochimaru. He was too far from the battlefield, and the Reaper Death Seal had been performed too quickly. He didn't even know what had happened to Orochimaru.
"Awaken Lord Orochimaru, or I'll kill you!" Kimimaro, disregarding his own critical condition, extended a bone spur from his wrist, pressing it against Kabuto's throat. If Kabuto uttered a single word of disagreement, he would undoubtedly stab him.
Kabuto was five or six years older, but Kimimaro wasn't afraid of this somewhat gloomy doctor in the slightest. Within ten steps, no one could stop him! At least, that's what he believed.
Kabuto extended two fingers and calmly pushed away the bone spur.
In reality, he was also very lost right now.
He had originally found his reason for existence through Orochimaru, but now this spiritual guide was suddenly gone. What should he do? What meaning did his existence still hold?
The only reason Kabuto hadn't gone completely insane was because Kimimaro was even more unhinged. Many times, Kabuto could derive a twisted sense of satisfaction from him, thinking, "I'm unlucky, but this guy is even more unlucky than me."
But now, looking at Orochimaru's lifeless body, he was starting to feel overwhelmed and could only force himself to think.
The Reaper Death Seal was a top-secret ninjutsu in Konoha. The Shinigami appeared and vanished without a trace. He had no idea about the twists and turns that had occurred. No matter how high his intelligence, he couldn't figure out the reason behind it.
He gestured for Kimimaro to step aside. "Let me see your Earth Curse Mark. Use the Curse Mark Level Two state."
Nearly depleted of chakra and suffering from his bloodline disease, Kimimaro didn't hesitate. He immediately channeled his chakra and entered Curse Mark Level Two.
Ten minutes later, Kabuto shook his head. Both the Heaven Curse Mark and the Earth Curse Mark contained Orochimaru's chakra, or rather, Orochimaru's will. This was a primary reason why Kimimaro often said, "Lord Orochimaru and I are one."
The foundation of the Curse Marks was Sage Art, that much was certain. However, the technique that allowed Orochimaru to imprint his personal mark on the Curse Marks was a high-level Clone Technique.
The Shadow Clone Technique had the ability to replicate one's consciousness. Shadow clones could think and make judgments based on the original body's situation. Orochimaru had taken the path of Shadow Clones even further, making it more bizarre and intricate.
Theoretically, as long as there was enough life energy, the consciousness of the clone within the Curse Mark could be drawn out, allowing Orochimaru to be reborn in a replicated form.
But how to do it? For the moment, Kabuto was truly clueless.
"Perhaps we could try Lord Orochimaru's Impure World Reincarnation?" Tayuya, the female ninja specializing in genjutsu, said softly.
Before her words even finished, Kimimaro became frenzied, his bone sword stabbing out straight. "Lord Orochimaru is not dead!"
Seeing his intense killing intent, Jugo, who was nearby, swung his fist, knocking Kimimaro's bone sword off course.
"Calm down!" Jugo said in a low voice, restraining him.
Kabuto didn't participate in their conflict. Instead, he concentrated on his thoughts. He sat motionless in place, saying nothing, and pondered throughout the night.
He felt that the Impure World Reincarnation might be a solution, but he didn't know the technique. Orochimaru was already dead and certainly wouldn't jump out to teach him.
Even if he were to reincarnate Orochimaru using the Impure World Reincarnation, what then? Revive him with the Sage's Eyes? Or some other forbidden jutsu?
Kabuto unconsciously thought of his "deputy director" miss and secretly rejoiced. Fortunately, that connection hadn't been severed yet. He could still go back and manipulate her, preferably obtaining the scroll for learning the Impure World Reincarnation.
At that time, he could revive Orochimaru and then revive his foster mother... The Kabuto before his transformation wasn't as mad as he would become in the future. He still mostly employed a spy-like way of thinking.
The conviction in Kabuto's heart suddenly solidified. What he feared most was having no direction. Having a general direction made things much easier.
He looked at Kimimaro. "Whether you admit it or not, Lord Orochimaru is indeed dead. I'm going back to Konoha to search for information on the Impure World Reincarnation and also to check on the wielder of the Heaven Curse Mark. You guys stay here for now."