Chapter 67, Chapter Sixty-Five

-

According to Sasori's intelligence, he arranged to meet Kabuto at the Tenchi Bridge in the Land of Grass in ten days.

He then introduced her to Orochimaru, but since Sasori was now dead, she had to go to the appointment alone.

Xue was taking a short rest at the hot spring inn when she unexpectedly ran into a familiar face.

She was disguised, and from her appearance, she looked like a handsome young man.

"Hey, big brother! Do you know which way to the hot spring?"

Xue was stunned for a moment when a blond, blue-eyed boy with six whiskers appeared before her.

Looking around, why—out of so many people, did they choose her to ask for directions?

Xue still pointed him in the right direction, and looking at the pink-haired girl blushing beside him, Xue nodded slightly to her.

However, besides Tianzang, Xue also noticed a strange face she had never seen before.

His skin was as pale as a drawing sheet, and his handsome face always wore a fake smile.

The clothing he wore was somewhat similar to the equipment of the Root organization.

Yamato's gaze lingered briefly on the unfamiliar young man before Naruto quickly pulled him away.

Xue frowned slightly. It really was the keen senses of a Wood Release Anbu elite ninja.

-

Wearing a cloak, Xue stood high in the forest, concealing herself, and watched the fierce battle between the people on the bridge between heaven and earth.

Driven by rage, Naruto was completely enveloped in the red cloak of the Nine-Tails' chakra, lost his mind, and revealed his Four-Tails form.

Seeing that Tenzo used the chakra crystal necklace left behind by the First Hokage to restore Naruto to his original form, Yuki breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that she didn't need to intervene. To be honest, she wasn't proficient in the sealing techniques that the Uzumaki clan excelled at.

Moreover, her sudden appearance could very well result in her being captured and taken back to Konoha.

Yuki leaped from afar, crossing the river that blocked the road, and found Orochimaru's remains, which Naruto had knocked away. Orochimaru slowly emerged from his original mouth, and Yuki waited quietly in the crater created by the small Nine-Tails' Tailed Beast Ball. Orochimaru slowly got up from the ground, steadied himself, and waited until Orochimaru and Sai finished their conversation.

So his name was Sai, Yuki thought to herself, while giving him a quick glance. He was as pale as paper, handsome, but wore a very fake smile. Listening to their conversation, Yuki learned that he was the matchmaker between Danzo and Orochimaru.

Orochimaru's gaze fell upon the young woman he hadn't seen in a long time, who in a sense could be considered his disciple. She wore a black high-necked cloak, revealing only her smooth jawline.

"It's Uchiha Yuki, it's been a long time."

"I heard that after I left Akatsuki, you took my place in Akatsuki."

Xue paused slightly: "No, just like with the teacher. I am no longer a member of Akatsuki."

"Teacher—that's a title I haven't heard in a long time. The sealing technique on you is quite interesting."

Orochimaru had considered taking Uchiha Yuki's body as a vessel, but compared to Itachi and Sasuke, Sasuke was younger and had no complicated interpersonal relationships. In addition, he did not have Uchiha Yuki's mental state that fluctuated between good and bad, making him a more suitable vessel choice.

Do you want to break this seal?

"Then let's go, you'll get what you want."

During his journey, Sai noticed Yuki's gaze lingering on him.

His smile deepened, and Xue frowned slightly, looking away.

-

Orochimaru Base Experiment Log - Day 602

Sasuke showed obvious resistance when undergoing genjutsu training.

Through observation, it was discovered that illusions of Itachi and Yuki kept appearing in the training environment. These illusions severely interfered with Sasuke's concentration, making it impossible for him to complete the training smoothly.

They tried adjusting the genjutsu parameters to reduce the frequency of Itachi and Yuki's illusions appearing, but Sasuke's condition was already greatly affected.

His training results fell far short of expectations, with his improvement in illusion analysis and anti-interference abilities almost stagnating.

In particular, Itachi's illusions made it difficult for him to concentrate on his training tasks on several occasions.

He frequently interrupted his illusion training in an attempt to get rid of the illusions.

-

"You're back too late."

"Didn't you promise to help me practice the new technique this afternoon, Orochimaru?"

In the dimly lit stone chamber, Sasuke sat in the center.

His Sharingan eyes, gleaming with a cold light and adorned with three tomoe, were striking.

Xue recalled Sasuke's former appearance and felt that the changes between now and then were too great. Only one thing remained unchanged—he had always followed in Itachi's footsteps, never stopping. The slender yet sharp-looking boy before her was completely different from the childish boy at the dinner table she remembered who loved tomatoes. His expression was full of wariness and indifference; the collar of his white robe was slit up to his waist, revealing the curves of his body and outlining his agile and powerful physique. He had handsome features, sharp angles, and eyebrows like distant mountains, long and slender yet cold. Beneath his high, straight nose, his lips were slightly pursed, exuding a cold and aloof air that kept people at a distance.

Kabuto frowned and said, "Why are you speaking to Lord Orochimaru with such an attitude again?"

"Don't be so angry. Although we're a bit late," Orochimaru sneered, "we've received a pretty good 'gift' today."

His gaze fell on Sai: "This is a ninja from Konoha, just like you. And—"

Then, Xue, who was standing behind the three, took a step forward, disappearing into the darkness. She removed her hood, revealing her face. A young woman wearing a black high-necked robe, with long, slightly wavy hair flowing down her back. She had delicate features and a slender figure.

She is Uchiha Yuki, who is on par with Uchiha Itachi, an S-rank rogue ninja from Konoha.

"Your long-lost aunt, Sasuke," Orochimaru hissed, flicking his tongue.

The atmosphere in the stone chamber was eerie and oppressive; even Kabuto could vaguely sense Sasuke's barely suppressed, overflowing killing intent.

Sai was the first to break the silence.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Sai."

"You must be Sasuke."

"Get out of here."

"Even when I put on a smiling face, it seems I still easily become disliked."

"Naruto also hates me, but I think we might get along better than Naruto."

Sai, who had barely uttered two words, quickly fell into the genjutsu of Sasuke's three-tomoe Sharingan.

Sai unconsciously took a few steps back, cold sweat pouring down his face.

"I advise you not to provoke Sasuke anymore; he's even more difficult to deal with than I am," Orochimaru advised.

Xue's expression remained unchanged; she didn't know what to say.

She didn't have any thoughts about reuniting with her clansmen for the time being.

"Naruto has always treated you like a brother."

Sasuke, who had gotten up to leave, turned his head slightly to the side.

His scarlet eyes moved from Sai to Yuki and locked on her tightly, while Yuki remained silent.

He said, "I only have one brother, and he is the one I want to kill with my own hands."

Despite Sai's constant provocations, Sasuke didn't pay much attention and simply had Orochimaru train with him.

Then, he disappeared into the stone chamber.

Xue breathed a sigh of relief and turned around to follow Dou.

"Kabuto, create a hunting file for all of these members except for Uchiha Yuki."

Before leaving, Orochimaru handed the file Sai had given him to Kabuto. Yuki saw her information about her time in the Anbu in the file.

It seems that Danzo wants to absorb all the Anbu members and only allow the Root organization to grow stronger in Konoha.

This is truly a typical approach of the militant faction.

After taking Sai to his room, Yuki and Kabuto prepared to leave.

"Senior Yuki and Sasuke are from the same clan, right?" Sai chuckled. "This is the first time I've met such an unfamiliar aunt and nephew."

Xue looked at him coldly: "What do you want to say, you brat from the Root?"

Sai was slightly taken aback when he was addressed in this way by a woman who looked to be around the same age as him.

However, he quickly put on a fake smile: "I just wanted to learn a little about the bond between Xue-senpai and Sasuke."

Xue frowned; she had no intention of explaining anything.

Kabuto led Yuki to Orochimaru's location. Halfway there, he said, "I accidentally left the file with Sai. Yuki-senpai, just keep going straight and you'll find it."

Yuki met Orochimaru and asked him about Sai's true purpose in coming here.

Besides handing over the files of the Anbu members, did he also have the intention of killing Sasuke?

"Hehehe—Snow is still as smart as ever, but Sasuke is not that weak, he won't die at the hands of a Root member."

Orochimaru's golden eyes narrowed: "He is my most perfect reincarnation body—"

"Only after I am reincarnated can I completely remove the seal on you."

Xue clenched her fists and looked away.

“Someone’s coming…” Yuki’s ability to detect things was much stronger than that of an ordinary ninja. Orochimaru was not surprised that Yuki did not answer Sasuke’s question, and just smiled: “Probably that test subject and the Nine-Tails again.”

"Speaking of which, according to the news that came back, didn't you take care of the Nine-Tailed Boy for a while?"

Snow:"......"

"Go to another base first. It seems you don't want to run into that Nine-Tails brat." Orochimaru sent her the coordinates, and Uchiha Yuki took them and left.