On the outskirts of the Land of Fire, Kai stopped outside a public restroom.
Don’t misunderstand.
With Hashirama’s cells, Kai didn’t need to eat, so naturally he didn’t need to use the bathroom either.
He was here because the nearest black-market exchange station happened to be built inside this particular restroom.
“You wait here.”
Kai said to Yūhi Yūyū.
He dragged Kitake’s corpse into the restroom.
Splash!
The moment he entered, Spiral Zetsu—Spiral Zetsu—peeled himself away from Kai’s body.
“What?”
Kai asked.
“It’s not every day I get to visit a human restroom.”
“I want to study the sensation of having to poop…”
Spiral Zetsu remained as obsessed with bowel movements as ever.
“Just don’t get anything disgusting on yourself.”
Everyone had their own interests.
Kai couldn’t be bothered to stop him.
He simply gave Spiral Zetsu a warning before walking toward the wall.
He placed his hand against it and gently pushed.
Clang!
A hidden door dropped open.
Kai stepped inside.
The black-market exchange station was dimly lit.
A row of refrigerated cabinets lined the walls, used for storing corpses.
Clang!
Kai casually dropped Kitake’s body onto the floor.
“Exchange it for money.”
The person in charge of the exchange station was a burly, bearded man.
He leaned against a table with a cigarette hanging from his mouth as he examined the corpse.
Spiral Zetsu had restored Kitake’s face enough to make identification possible.
But even so, the body had been damaged to such an extent that the bearded man had never seen anything quite like it.
He raised his head and carefully studied the young man standing before him.
He couldn’t help feeling startled.
The boy’s age was completely inconsistent with the quality of the corpse he’d brought in.
But in the shinobi world, judging someone by their appearance was an exceptionally foolish thing to do.
Especially during wartime.
There were plenty of young shinobi who possessed extraordinary strength at an absurdly young age.
The boy standing before him was probably one of them.
The bearded man removed his cigarette from his mouth.
He walked over, placed Kitake’s corpse inside a storage cabinet, then opened the Bingo Book.
He marked Kitake’s page with a red X.
Then he retrieved a cash box and placed it in front of Kai.
The black market had its own rules.
Neither side asked unnecessary questions.
One handed over the corpse.
The other handed over the money.
Kai didn’t count the money like Kakuzu would have.
He simply picked up the cash box and turned to leave.
“You’re here for the first time, aren’t you?”
“Don’t you want to count it?”
After the transaction was complete, the bearded man lit another cigarette and couldn’t help asking.
Kai stopped but didn’t turn around.
“No need.”
The bearded man’s expression became thoughtful.
“In this world, trusting people that easily isn’t a good habit.”
“Aren’t you worried I shortchanged you?”
“Or that some of the money is counterfeit?”
Kai turned around.
His expression was indifferent.
“Wouldn’t that be even better?”
“Then I’d have a reason to kill all of you and take all your money for myself.”
His casual tone contained absolute confidence in his own strength.
The cigarette in the bearded man’s hand froze halfway to his mouth.
Even a man who had spent years dealing with corpses felt a chill run down his spine.
He’s serious.
The bearded man quickly composed himself.
“Little brother, surely you’re joking.”
“Our organization only makes money from the dead.”
“We’ve never cheated the living.”
“I look forward to doing business with you again.”
Kai withdrew his gaze and walked out.
He probably wouldn’t be visiting again anytime soon.
He didn’t actually need that much money.
When Kai stepped outside, the sight before him left him speechless.
Spiral Zetsu was squatting beside the latrine, poking a dried lump of feces with a wooden stick.
“Can you stop using Wood Release for this kind of hobby…?”
Kai said.
Plop!
Spiral Zetsu dropped the stick and clapped his hands.
“I’ve just invented a technique that’s even stronger than Wood Release!”
“What technique?”
“Secret Technique: Poop Release!”
Spiral Zetsu formed hand seals.
Nothing happened.
The air fell completely silent.
“Eh?”
“Did it fail?!”
Spiral Zetsu awkwardly scratched his head.
The cramped space was filled with an overwhelming aura of stupidity.
Kai suddenly felt that even the air itself had become more stupid.
“What a…”
“Very fragrant technique.”
Kai coldly remarked before walking away.
Spiral Zetsu spread his hands and prepared to merge back into Kai’s body.
Kai immediately rejected him.
“Forget it.”
“You smell like shit.”
Kai opened the cash box.
He threw a stack of money onto the ground.
Then he gave Spiral Zetsu a look before walking away.
“Well, whatever…”
Spiral Zetsu shrugged, picked up the money, and sank into the ground.
Yūhi Yūyū, who had been waiting outside, finally saw Kai’s true face.
He’s this young?!
Yūyū didn’t know Obito.
All she could feel was shock.
Someone possessing such terrifying strength was actually a young man who looked even younger than her.
“Where are we going next?”
After composing herself, Yūyū asked.
“A hundred li away.”
“My home.”
Kai answered.
“A hundred li?”
“Even if we travel without sleeping and move at full speed, that would still take two days and two nights.”
Yūyū said.
“No need.”
“It’ll only take a blink.”
Kai placed a hand on Yūyū’s shoulder.
His three-tomoe Sharingan transformed into the Mangekyō.
Whoosh!
A Kamui vortex appeared.
“This is…”
“A space-time dōjutsu?!”
Yūyū exclaimed in amazement as Kamui swallowed her.
Kai followed immediately afterward.
The vortex vanished.
A hundred li away.
Underground Base.
Yūyū stared at the unfamiliar surroundings.
White Zetsu were scattered everywhere.
The mysterious Gedo Statue stood in the distance.
Her mind struggled to process what she was seeing.
About a minute later—
Gurgle!
Spiral Zetsu’s head emerged from the ground.
“You’re too slow.”
Kai said.
“Unlike you, I can’t ignore the limitations of space.”
Spiral Zetsu’s answer was painfully honest.
“Did you prepare everything?”
Kai asked.
Spiral Zetsu emerged completely from the ground and placed a box on the floor.
Kai turned to Yūyū.
“Your room is ready.”
“It’s right next to mine.”
“There are also some changes of clothes in this box, along with several ninja meals.”
“Make do with those for now.”
“I’ll probably build a hot spring soon, specifically for you to bathe in.”
After giving her these instructions, Kai ignored Yūyū’s astonished expression.
He picked up the cash box and headed toward his bedroom.
Yūyū stood there for a moment.
Then she followed him.
At his bedroom door, Kai stopped.
“At night, stay in your room.”
“Don’t wander around the base.”
“If you need anything, call Zetsu.”
“Those white things.”
With that, Kai opened the door and entered his room.
Late that night.
The door of the room beside Kai’s quietly opened.
Under the dim lighting, Yūyū stepped into the corridor.
She stopped outside Kai’s room.
For a moment, she considered rushing inside and attacking him.
But she quickly shook her head.
She knew she wouldn’t have an easy time killing him.
“At the very least…”
“I should first find out what secrets are hidden here.”
Yūyū looked toward the end of the corridor.
A heavy iron door was tightly shut.
The other rooms along the corridor had wooden doors.
Only this one was blocked by a thick iron door.
Yūyū guessed that something extremely important must be hidden inside.
She quietly moved toward it.
After confirming that there were no traps outside the door, she looked up at the skylight above.
She released chakra through the soles of her feet and climbed the wall.
Once she reached the skylight, she took out a small mirror and carefully extended it inside.
Using the reflection, she finally saw what was inside the stone chamber.
Large experimental equipment filled the room.
The most eye-catching object was a cylindrical container filled with green liquid.
There was a person inside.
The surface of the container was too blurry for her to make out the person’s appearance.
All she could tell was that numerous tubes were connected to their body.
Drip…
Drip…
At the end of the equipment was an outlet.
At regular intervals, a single drop of golden blood fell into a glass tube.
The tube was already nearly one-third full.
Standing in front of the equipment was a tall, slender man.
He wore a white robe.
His long hair accentuated his almost androgynous appearance.
A rope was tied around his waist in an unusual fashion.
His back radiated a mysterious aura.
He was completely focused on the experimental equipment.
For some reason, Yūyū found his silhouette strangely familiar.
It looked incredibly similar to a man the Konoha ANBU had been monitoring.
A man they considered extremely dangerous.
Extremely terrifying.
“Hm?”
The man suddenly stopped what he was doing.
Slowly…
He turned around.
Yūyū suddenly felt as though an invisible hand had seized her heart.
She couldn’t breathe.
Hiss!
The vertical pupils of the snake-like eyes stared directly at her.
An overwhelming killing intent filled the room.
“AH!”
Yūyū cried out.
Her footing gave way, and she fell from the skylight.
She landed heavily on the ground.
Her heart pounded violently as she gasped for breath.
No mistake.
Absolutely no mistake.
That was Orochimaru.
One of Konoha’s Legendary Three Ninja.
Why…
Why is he here?!
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Footsteps sounded behind her.
They stopped.
“Didn’t I tell you to stay in your room?”
“And not wander around the base?”
Kai looked at Yūyū, who was still shaken.
“I…”
“Go back to bed.”
Kai said.
Inside the stone chamber.
“Lord Orochimaru…”
Kabuto looked toward Orochimaru, silently asking what he should do.
“No need to worry about her.”
“Let her be.”
Orochimaru’s hoarse voice sounded.
“Yes.”
Kabuto withdrew.
“Heh heh…”
Orochimaru stared at the drops of golden blood accumulating inside the glass tube.
“Who would’ve thought…”
“Kai-kun may be incredibly powerful, but he’s also such a deeply emotional young Uchiha.”
A faint, almost intoxicated smile appeared on Orochimaru’s face.
“I wonder…”
“Can my most perfect creation produce a miracle when used on Kai-kun?”
“How fascinating…”