Naruto: Echoes of a Distant Home

The intel being leaked to Danzō weighed heavily on Ye Zi's mind like an inescapable shadow. He ordered White Zetsu to keep an eye out for any other "mice" that might be lurking nearby. Then, regrouping with Kotoe and Shin, they proceeded toward the underground cavern where the Gedo Statue was located.

The journey remained uneventful.

The four arrived at the underground cavern and notified Nagato, who appeared shortly afterward using the Projection Technique. He also summoned the other members.

One by one, twisted black silhouettes flickered into the cavern. Seeing Han lying on the ground, the gathered members were visibly surprised.

They all recognized the Five-Tails Jinchūriki, but Nagato hadn't informed them about the capture. From the looks of things, it seemed Ye Zi had captured the Five-Tails quietly on his own.

"Begin the sealing."

Nagato wasted no time, proceeding straight to business.

The group moved to the designated positions on the Gedo Statue's fingers.

Under the soft green light, their individual code names illuminated beneath them. The Gedo Statue loosened its jaw, releasing a scroll from its mouth. As it opened, a Chakra Dragon emerged, coiling around Han's body and lifting him into the air to begin absorbing the Tailed Beast's chakra.

The sealing process, which would take three days, began.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. The sealing was complete.

With the Tailed Beast fully extracted, Han's lifeless body dropped to the ground.

Afterward, Nagato temporarily paused the plan to capture the remaining Tailed Beasts. He instructed everyone to search for suitable recruits across the nations, anyone with significant strength could be brought into the organization.

With his orders issued, Nagato withdrew the Projection Technique.

Now, with five Tailed Beasts captured, the chakra stored within the Gedo Statue had reached a terrifying level. Properly harnessed, this power could accomplish many things.

Once the projections disappeared, only Ye Zi, White Zetsu, Yan Ye, Uchiha Jin, and Han's corpse remained in the cavern.

Ye Zi extracted a sample of DNA from Han's body before burning the corpse to ashes.

Rather than immediately returning to their base, they rested in the cavern for half a day before heading toward the Earth Country stronghold.

During the journey, Ye Zi informed Kotoe and Shin that their base's location had likely been compromised. Upon returning, they were to immediately prepare for relocation, handling all necessary arrangements.

Both Kotoe and Shin were visibly surprised but nodded in understanding.

Relocating a base wasn't an easy task. While Ye Zi could use Wood Release to construct a new framework quickly, transferring internal equipment and research data would be far more cumbersome.

The relocation of personnel was another concern. If the movement was too conspicuous, it could easily attract the attention of ninja from other villages.

Nevertheless, relocation was unavoidable.

After a long trek, Ye Zi and his group finally returned to their Earth Country base. The first thing they did was inform everyone of the impending relocation.

The news was met with little resistance. At most, some people expressed mild reluctance to leave.

While Kotoe and Shin were tasked with preparing the essential items for the move, Ye Zi went to Nanako's laboratory.

To his surprise, Sakana who was often stationed outside the base was also present. Her involvement would help streamline the relocation process.

Upon seeing Ye Zi, Nanako smiled faintly and asked, "Why are we relocating the base all of a sudden? Was our location compromised?"

Ye Zi nodded. "You could say that. For safety's sake, we need to move quickly."

Sakana glanced at Ye Zi and asked, "With so much to transfer, we'll need multiple trips. Have you decided on the location for the new base?"

Ye Zi replied calmly, "Only the essential items need to be moved. Everything else can be left behind. The new base will be located in the Land of Stone."

Sakana's eyes flashed with contemplation. As the one responsible for external supplies, she understood the implications of this choice. The Land of Stone was barren, poor, and underdeveloped. However, with enough resources, obtaining supplies wouldn't be an issue.

"The Land of Stone, huh?" Sakana murmured thoughtfully.

"Yes. If you're free, go help Kotoe and Shin prepare," Ye Zi instructed.

"Understood." Sakana nodded and promptly left the lab.

Once Sakana departed, Nanako glanced around the room with a resigned look. "Moving all of this equipment won't be easy."

"Don't worry. We have enough storage scrolls to transfer the equipment and data," Ye Zi assured her, his gaze sweeping across the massive lab filled with critical devices and documents.

These resources were far too important to leave behind.

"Alright." Nanako nodded with a faint smile.

Ye Zi took out a scroll, unrolling it to summon three small glass bottles containing Byakugan.

Seeing the Byakugan inside the bottles, Nanako's eyes widened in surprise. "These are Byakugan, aren't they?"

"That's right." Ye Zi pushed the small glass bottles toward Nanako and said, "I want you to see if the Byakugan can be transplanted into the clones and whether they can manifest the Byakugan's abilities."

"Hmm…" Nanako pondered for a moment before replying, "The clone bodies have a significantly different structure compared to humans. Without experimentation, I can't guarantee if it will work."

"That's fine. Keep the Byakugan safe for now. Once the base relocation is complete, you can start experimenting," Ye Zi instructed.

"Understood." Nanako carefully picked up the glass bottles and placed them with other important materials.

"If it works, I'll find a way to get you a pair of Sharingan," Ye Zi added once Nanako had stored the bottles.

Compared to the Byakugan, Ye Zi valued the Sharingan's abilities more. If this method proved viable, acquiring enough Sharingan could allow him to assemble an elite clone army.

Nanako looked at him, smiling confidently. "Even if it doesn't work, I'll find a way to make it possible."

Seeing the self-assured smile on her face, Ye Zi couldn't help but smile as well. "I'll go check how the others are doing. I'll leave this place to you for now."

"Alright." Nanako nodded in acknowledgment.

As Ye Zi left the lab, Nanako busied herself sorting and categorizing her research materials.

The base's training equipment didn't need to be dismantled, but all ninja tools had to be taken.

With White Zetsu monitoring the situation to ensure the relocation went unnoticed, the personnel could move all at once.

The next priority was securing essential supplies like food and basic living necessities. Everything else could be left behind. Finally, the most critical items to transfer were Nanako's research materials and equipment.

As for the clones, they would be handled by White Zetsu.

Once everything was ready, Ye Zi and Yu returned to the lab. Under Nanako's supervision, they used storage scrolls to pack the equipment and materials in batches. In a short time, everything was safely stored.

With all necessary items collected, Ye Zi led everyone from the base, traveling as quickly as possible toward the Land of Stone.

A day later, the group arrived in the Land of Stone.

Ye Zi selected a location surrounded by mountains. Under the astonished and admiring gazes of the others, he used Wood Release to pry open the solid rock and construct a massive underground base.

Having done this once before, building the new base using Wood Release was much easier this time.

Once the framework of the base was complete, everyone flooded inside and began dividing up the work.

Ye Zi's Wood Release only created the basic structure; many details still needed further refinement.

Ye Zi entrusted these tasks to Sakana while he prepared to return to the old base in the Land of Earth.

By devouring Ryō's soul, Ye Zi had learned what intelligence Danzō had obtained. He now saw an opportunity to exploit this knowledge, starting with the old base.

Since the location of the old base had been exposed, Danzō would undoubtedly send people to investigate. Ye Zi planned to leave a "gift" waiting for him there.

Danzō had no way of knowing that Ye Zi was already aware of what intelligence he possessed. He wouldn't expect Ye Zi to relocate so quickly, nor that Ye Zi would lay a trap for him at the old base.

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Currently on Chapter 410 - The Vengeful Son Has Returned