NOVEL WEB Chapter 38: CHAPTER 38
"It's okay, I just wanted to see you," Sasuke said with a faint, rare smile.
Sai was overjoyed, thinking that the method he had read in the book before was truly effective. Being sincere to a friend could indeed gain trust and affection. Even someone as cold and distant as Sasuke-kun had now begun to want to see him—this must be a breakthrough.
The couple walking behind them didn't quite understand the exchange between Sasuke and Sai and followed quietly. The woman clutched the man's arm, her expression tense and cautious.
After walking for a while, Itachi finally found a hotel.
The hotel looked aged and worn. An elderly woman sat behind the front counter, nodding off in her chair.
"Excuse me, we'd like two rooms," Itachi said calmly.
The old woman stirred awake at the sound of his voice.
"That'll be 200 ryō," she said slowly.
Itachi handed her the payment without question. She reached into the drawer, pulled out two brass keys, and tossed them toward him with practiced ease.
"The rooms are available until noon tomorrow. Return the keys by then. And one more thing—don't go out at night," she warned them flatly.
Itachi's brows twitched slightly. There didn't appear to be any posted rule against going out at night.
"May I ask why?" Itachi inquired politely.
The woman squinted at them.
"You're not locals, are you?"
Itachi gave a small nod.
"In recent months, people who go out after dark—especially outsiders—have gone missing. Sometimes at night, strange noises can be heard, not quite human, not quite beast. Just my advice—stay inside."
She added in a slightly sharper tone, "And those of you wearing forehead protectors? You're the easiest to vanish. Just a few days ago, four shinobi with headbands went missing overnight at a hotel in the east part of town. Their forehead protectors had a down-pointing arrow, with the lower half split off."
After hearing the description, Sasuke furrowed his brow. He couldn't immediately recall which village used a symbol like that, but he could make an educated guess. It sounded like the old woman was talking about the shinobi from the Hidden Sound Village—or more accurately, experimental subjects from Orochimaru's human trials. The eerie cries at night likely belonged to unstable cursed seal creations or failed test subjects.
This boldness was characteristic of Orochimaru. It was as though he had claimed the entire Land of Rice Fields as his private testing ground.
"Understood. We won't go out at night," Itachi replied after a moment of thought, bowing his head slightly.
The old woman didn't respond. She simply leaned her head back onto her hand and resumed her nap.
In a world full of chaos and inexplicable phenomena, older people like her had long grown numb to the abnormal.
The five of them followed the key numbers up the creaky wooden stairs and located their rooms. As it turned out, the two rooms were adjacent.
The couple entered one room and quickly shut the door behind them to rest. Sasuke, Sai, and Itachi entered the second room together.
"It seems this Land of Rice Fields is not as simple as it appears," Itachi said seriously after closing the door. "The forehead protector the old woman described likely belongs to Otogakure—Hidden Sound. While it's technically not a major shinobi village, it's arguably the most dangerous among the smaller ones. It even harbors a Tailed Beast, according to some rumors."
"For a full squad of Sound-nin to disappear without a trace, the threat must be substantial—comparable in strength to our own team."
Sai's carefree expression vanished as he asked, "Then should we abandon the mission? Given the risks, we can withdraw."
Sasuke was slightly surprised by this. He'd originally assumed this mission was another manipulation from Danzo, and that Sai would be in on it. He hadn't expected Sai to suggest backing down.
"What do you think, Sasuke?" Itachi turned to ask.
Sasuke considered carefully before replying, "I think it's worth investigating. The couple's story might be genuine, but they could be hiding certain details. We're not saints, but targeting innocent children—even we can't turn a blind eye to that."
He added, "If we run into enemy shinobi, that proves the mission client lied, and we'd have just cause to withdraw. But until then, investigating and possibly rescuing the children—if they are alive—would be an act of merit, wouldn't it?"
What Sasuke said was true, though it was only part of his reasoning.
The truth was, he had other motives. First, there was the rogue faction supposedly led by Uchiha Setsuna. Five missing shinobi were still unaccounted for in the Land of Rice Fields. This mission could provide clues.
Second, Sasuke wanted to confront Orochimaru. The system had granted him knowledge of a prosthetic skeletal technique he couldn't fully understand. But if he could obtain a suitable prosthetic frame—preferably developed by Orochimaru—it could serve as a vessel for his soul even if his body perished.
With the help of Zanpakutō: Ryujin Jakka, he could theoretically achieve a form of immortality—as long as his soul remained intact.
As for the potential danger they might face—Sasuke wasn't worried. There were more than just a few Konoha shinobi scattered in the Land of Rice Fields. There was even Kage-level combat strength hidden among them.
"Sasuke is right. Let's proceed with caution. To minimize risk, the three of us will take shifts during the night. I'll take first watch, and you two will cover the second half. Understood?" Itachi ordered.
"Understood," the two replied in unison.
Sasuke had no doubts. Sai, however, remained oblivious to the true scale and danger of the mission.
With the plan in place, Itachi leapt silently out the window and landed on the rooftop. There, he kept silent vigil under the starlit sky.
He summoned a messenger crow, which took off into the night toward an undisclosed direction...
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In an underground lab deep beneath Otogakure, Orochimaru unfurled a scroll using his serpent-like tongue, eyes scanning the contents with delight.
"Heh heh heh... Uchiha Itachi? How fascinating. There's diversity even within the same bloodline limit. The Sharingan I acquired from this vessel barely improved my dynamic visual acuity, and the illusionary amplification was minimal. Hopefully, your eyes will offer more... excitement."
Orochimaru murmured to himself, his voice raspy. His yellow snake-like pupils began to morph—shifting into the familiar tomoe pattern of the three-tomoe Sharingan.
Just then, a dark figure barged into the chamber—a man with a brooding aura and icy gaze.
"Orochimaru," Uchiha Setsuna said coldly, "when exactly are you starting the plan you promised? I've already delivered the few clansmen I managed to extract. If you delay again, I won't hold back."
Orochimaru didn't even flinch. Closing his transformed eye, a trace of scorn flickered across his features, though he kept his tone civil.
"Patience, Setsuna-kun. As I told you, the plan will commence with the Chūnin Exams. As for those few Uchiha you brought me... that was the price of your evolution. You already possess the power I gifted you, do you not?"
Orochimaru turned, eyes gleaming with twisted amusement as he faced Setsuna Uchiha.