Naruto: Echoes of a Distant Home

The silver moonlight cascaded over the ruins, exuding a faint sense of coldness and desolation.

Half-buried stone pillars jutted from the ground, their exposed surfaces overgrown with moss and mushrooms, weathered by time untold.

Aside from the stone pillars, only broken tiles and scattered debris remained.

Orochimaru wordlessly walked to the center of the ruins. Stopping before a stone pillar, he crouched down and wiped away the moss and mushrooms with his hand, revealing the uneven, worn surface of the pillar.

At first glance, it was clear the pillars had once been carved with intricate patterns, now destroyed by the passage of time.

After clearing all the visible pillars of moss, they turned out to be utterly ordinary, nothing remarkable remained.

Brushing the mossy residue from his palms, Orochimaru remarked with slight disappointment, "It seems nothing useful was left behind."

Ye Zi, however, walked to the center of the ruins, his brow furrowing slightly as he felt an almost imperceptible energy fluctuation beneath his feet.

Closing his eyes, he extended his sensory abilities. The source of the energy… was underground.

As Orochimaru had mentioned, it didn't feel like chakra, it was different. Subtle and faint, the energy was nearly impossible to detect unless one actively sought it.

And yet… unlike chakra extracted from the body, this energy gave Ye Zi a sense of danger, almost as if facing an adversary's malevolent chakra.

"Is this why Orochimaru sensed danger and chose not to approach this energy?"

Ye Zi slowly opened his eyes, a flicker of surprise passing through them.

"You felt it, didn't you?" Orochimaru asked, glancing at Ye Zi.

Ye Zi nodded slightly.

"Well?" Orochimaru sneered faintly.

Ye Zi was silent for a moment before responding, "As you said, it's… unsettling. It feels dangerous."

The Five Bamboo Grove had once been the dwelling place of the Two-Tails, though neither Orochimaru nor Ye Zi knew this fact.

What was certain was that this location, like the ruins Orochimaru discovered in the Land of Wind, contained an almost imperceptible energy fluctuation deep underground.

"We can't recklessly approach it without understanding it," Orochimaru said, a faint smirk curling his lips as he stared at the ground where the energy emanated. "It's intriguing, isn't it? I'm sure it could have countless uses."

Ye Zi said nothing, silently staring at the desolate ground as well. It was precisely because the energy was unknown that they dared not act rashly. Had they not sensed any danger, he and Orochimaru would likely have dug through the earth already, eager to investigate.

If such energy existed, it could certainly be understood.

Orochimaru's objective was to find a way to uncover its secrets.

Memorizing the location, the two did not linger long in the Five Bamboo Grove and quickly departed.

Their next destination was the Land of Earth.

It had taken nearly a month to comb through the Land of Lightning, and the Land of Earth, being similarly vast, would not be an easy undertaking.

Leaving the Land of the Moon, the two set off for the Land of Earth.

At the same time.

The old stronghold built by Ye Zi was suddenly visited by a group of uninvited guests—nearly forty shinobi moving swiftly and silently through the forest, advancing in coordinated formations.

Before long, the group dispersed around the hidden entrance of the stronghold, each one perched high in the surrounding trees.

Every shinobi carried standard long blades and wore identical uniforms with varying styles of masks, attire unmistakably associated with Konoha's ANBU.

These men, however, were members of Root, sent by Danzo.

Half a month earlier, they had located the stronghold. After ensuring that no sentries guarded the perimeter, they carefully scouted all possible entrances, concluding that there was only one way in.

What they didn't know was that Ye Zi, for the sake of convenience, had sealed off the extra entrances and covered all traces, leaving behind only a single, inconspicuous entry point.

He had also removed the perimeter sentries, intentionally lowering the vigilance of Root's operatives.

After thoroughly surveying the area, Root's task force began monitoring the stronghold.

They didn't act immediately, wary of the possibility that Ye Zi might still be inside.

For the past twenty days, they had kept a close watch, and the entrance had remained firmly sealed, with no signs of movement.

As the final orders were given, the Root captain decided to proceed with the attack on the stronghold. The team formed an encirclement around the base.

"Send shadow clones in first to probe for traps," ordered the captain, his green-patterned dog mask concealing his expression.

At his command, ten shinobi each produced a shadow clone.

The ten shadow clones leaped down from the trees, broke through the heavy wooden entrance of the stronghold, and advanced in a crane formation into the interior.

Beyond the entrance was a wide downward corridor with sturdy wooden floors. The surface felt firm beneath their feet.

The lead Root operative moved cautiously, followed closely by the rest.

Just then, as the lead operative stepped forward, the wooden floor sank slightly beneath his weight. Instantly, the smooth wooden walls on both sides split open, revealing countless square openings from which volleys of shuriken were fired.

The rear four clones were caught off guard and riddled with shuriken, dissipating into white smoke.

The remaining clones pressed on without hesitation, continuing deeper into the stronghold. Along the way, they encountered several triggered traps, and two more clones were lost.

The deeper they ventured, the corridor split into a complex network of paths. The remaining four clones began to map out the layout mentally as they explored further.

The stronghold itself was large, shaped like a square when viewed from above.

After exploring most of the rooms, the clones found a thin layer of dust settled across the floors, it was clear evidence that no one had been there recently. Even stored food supplies remained untouched.

With most rooms thoroughly checked, they found nothing... No people or no useful information except for one large room in the center of the map.

This room had four large doors, each reinforced with barrier seals.

The clones attempted to break the barriers, but they regenerated instantly. After exhausting their options, they eliminated traps and retreated to the surface.

Upon dispelling the shadow clones, their memories and observations became valuable intel for the team.

The traps had been neutralized, but the presence of dust throughout the stronghold left the captain uneasy.

Still, the barrier-sealed room remained unexplored. All four doors had identical barriers that likely needed to be deactivated simultaneously.

What exactly lay behind those doors?

After deliberating for a while, the captain resolved to open the barriers and investigate. They had been sent here under orders, and even if they found nothing, they couldn't leave a single corner unchecked.

"Split into five teams. One team will remain outside," the captain ordered.

The forty shinobi quickly divided into five squads, with four entering the stronghold and one remaining on standby outside.

Guided by the shadow clones' findings, the four squads swiftly reached the doors.

The doors were covered in intricate black seal markings, radiating faint chakra pulses.

Using their coordinated communication system, the four squads simultaneously deactivated the barriers.

As the black seal markings faded from the doors, the ground beneath them suddenly shook violently.

"A trap?"

Every operative's heart skipped a beat.

"Retreat! Quickly!" the captain shouted, his face contorting in alarm as he bolted toward the entrance.

Before they could react, the wooden ceiling overhead cracked open. Massive boulders plummeted down, crushing the fleeing operatives into bloody pulp.

The team left outside looked up sharply at the sound of the collapse. Shock and fear froze their expressions.

In mere seconds, the portion of the mountainside that jutted slightly above ground imploded, caving in with a thunderous roar and sending clouds of dust billowing into the air.

Check out the patreon and get 55 chapters in advance -> SaintXI

Currently on Chapter 415 - The Call to Attack Konoha