WEEKLY POWER GOALS 💎🔥 30→2ch | 60→5ch | 100→8ch | 200→15ch | 400→25ch⏰ Resets Monday!
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Following the scroll's guidance, Sasuke's group arrived deep within the Land of Wind's great desert—the supposed location of the treasure vault.
But all that lay before them was endless sand and rocky outcrops. No structure that could be called a 'vault'.
Kabuto adjusted his glasses, voicing a reasonable suspicion. "We weren't tricked, were we?"
Orochimaru considered it seriously. "Unlikely. It's probably hidden by a clever mechanism. Karin, confirm it."
Karin closed her eyes, raising two fingers before her chest.
—Mind's Eye of the Kagura!
Whoosh!
"I can sense a subtle… 'jutsu' fluctuation," she said, opening her eyes to stare at the sand beneath their feet. "But it's deep under us. That's… probably not something human hands can reach."
Orochimaru smiled. "It's fine. Where there's existence, there's a way."
He produced a blank talisman paper, bit his thumb, and began drawing on it with his blood.
Sasuke watched the forming pattern closely. "A talisman I've never seen. Another new technique of yours?"
"Indeed. This is the 'Hundred Solutions Talisman.'"
Once finished, he knelt and pressed it onto the sand.
Everyone wisely backed away.
Orochimaru stood amidst the whirling sand, his hands moving through seals with sharp, practiced ease.
"The techniques of this world are countless. Even I dare not claim to know them all. So, I developed this. To dismantle those arts I have not yet encountered. All tricks and deceptions, so long as they exist below the level of the Six Paths… shall unravel before this seal!"
—Secret Technique: Hundred Solutions Talisman!
Whoosh!
The talisman ignited. And with it, the unknown jutsu Kakuzu had used to hide the vault… shattered.
BOOOOOOM…!
The earth trembled. The yellow sands parted. Rising from the desert's depths, a massive, slate-gray structure emerged onto the surface.
It was huge, but not majestic. 'Vault' didn't quite fit. 'Storage Shed: Max Edition' was more accurate.
Kabuto walked up and patted the wall. The solid, packed feel told him everything. "Pure concrete, sand, and stone. Durable. High pressure resistance. And dirt cheap to make."
The most expensive part was the door—a single slab of pressed alloy steel. No carvings, no flair. Utilitarianism taken to its extreme.
Orochimaru stepped forward and peeled the sealing tag from the door.
It swung open. After letting the stale air circulate for a moment, Orochimaru entered first. His low voice echoed out a moment later.
"Come in, everyone. But… prepare yourselves."
Sasuke, Kabuto, and Karin stepped inside.
Kabuto and Karin's jaws hit the floor simultaneously. "No… no way…"
"..." Even Sasuke, who cared little for money, felt his pulse quicken at the sight. The sheer spectacle of it all… had an overwhelming, physical impact.
Across nearly ten thousand square meters of open floor, gold ingots were stacked. Layer upon dense layer. From the floor to the ceiling, leaving almost no space to walk.
Kabuto rushed forward, hefting one brick. The dense, heavy weight in his hand… was unmistakable. The highest purity gold.
"He stored gold bars," Kabuto muttered, shocked and curious. "Not the currency of the Five Great Nations. Why go to such lengths?"
Orochimaru had a theory. "The currency circulating in the shinobi world is issued by the 'Gold Exchange,' backed by the Five Great Nations. Its value is tied to their rule. In Kakuzu's eyes, perhaps… nothing in this world is permanent. Not even the reign of the Five Nations."
"If those nations were to fall, their currency would be worthless paper. So, he converted all the money he acquired into its equivalent value in 'gold.' A hedge against a risk that may never materialize."
"It's no exaggeration to say… this fortune could buy one of the Great Nations itself."
Kabuto pushed up his glasses, now reflecting a golden sheen. "To be this obsessed with wealth… Kakuzu was truly one of a kind."
Sasuke's mind:With this much money… Sakura could punch a house every day and it wouldn't be a problem.
Karin's mind:With this much money… you'd have to be on guard constantly against thieves. Worry about inheritance for your descendants. Even family might turn on each other for it. What a headache…
The number of ingots was staggering, but for scrolls capable of holding oceans of weaponry, it was manageable.
Within half an hour, Orochimaru had gathered the nation-buying fortune, sealed it into a scroll, and… swallowed the scroll whole. Locking the wealth away for good.
"And so, the Akatsuki's financial gains are ours," he said. "Search the room carefully. See if anything was left behind."
Sasuke, Kabuto, and Karin began combing the now-empty space.
Tap.
Karin was the one who found something. Her foot stepped on a floor tile, and the sound was off. Hollow.
She got down, pressed her ear to the tile, and tapped it with her knuckle.
Tap-tap-tap.
The hollow echo was clear. Something was hidden beneath. She started to pry it up.
"Karin, wait." Sasuke stepped forward. "There might be a trap. Let me."
He took up his Kusanagi sword and pried the tile loose. No trap sprung… but Sasuke's thoughtfulness warmed Karin's heart.
Beneath the tile was a box. Inside the box, a scroll.
Sasuke handed it to Orochimaru, whose eyes lit up with pleasant surprise. "An unexpected prize. The highest secret Kakuzu took from Takigakure Village—the Earth Grudge Fear technique!"
He glanced sideways. "Interested, Sasuke-kun?"
Sasuke recalled Kakuzu's body, modified by the Earth Grudge Fear. Those stitches. That sickly feeling. Frankly, it didn't align with his combat aesthetics at all. He would probably never fight that way. He had no need to.
But a technique was not the same as its user. Any jutsu's application and power depended on the one wielding it.
After a moment of thought, Sasuke took the scroll from Orochimaru's hand.
"I'll study it when I have time. Can't hurt to have more skills…"
Orochimaru chuckled. "It seems we can proceed to the next destination."
BOOOOM…!
With a great rumble, the abandoned structure sank back into the desert's embrace.
Standing in the wind and sand, Orochimaru's vertical-slitted eyes gazed toward the horizon.
"This place lies in the deep desert of the Land of Wind. Quite close to the legendary… Ancient Kingdom of Loulan."
Sasuke recalled. "Loulan… I remember. A kingdom that fell into ruin long ago."
Orochimaru: "Sasuke-kun… do you know of the Dragon Vein?"
[The concept of the Dragon Vein is not original to this author. It originates from the movie Naruto Shippūden: The Lost Tower.]
Sasuke: "The Dragon Vein. I've heard of it. The lifeline of the earth, containing chakra that surpasses all other places. If misused, it could potentially destroy the entire land. But… by the time I learned of it, the Dragon Vein had already been sealed for many years."
Orochimaru: "After all, you didn't personally participate in that history, Sasuke-kun. Speaking of the Dragon Vein… your dear friend is closely connected to it."
Sasuke was taken aback. "Naruto? I've never heard him mention it."
Orochimaru revealed the hidden truth. "Due to certain circumstances… his memories of participating in the Dragon Vein's sealing were themselves sealed. The purpose was the same as when you sealed the memories of Jiraiya and Naruto long ago. And the location of the Dragon Vein… is the ruins of Loulan. As for that seal… it's no obstacle."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "So we're going to Loulan. But… what do you intend to do with the Dragon Vein?"
Orochimaru smiled. "Sasuke-kun, you've been asking me to find a way to extend the lifespan of those Mangekyō Sharingan of yours, haven't you? I'll be honest. The method… is right before us."
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