Swish, swish, swish.
While Mei Terumī was leading the ANBU in their investigation of the battlefield, Ryūjin had already left the area with the Kaguya Clan Patriarch.
Their destination was the Kaguya Clan compound.
Ryūjin's earlier guess had been correct. The Kaguya Patriarch indeed possessed a way to contact the remaining members of his clan. Through that method, he had already sent word to Kimimaro, ordering him to return to the clan compound and meet him there.
"Kimimaro will be back soon."
Inside the Kaguya Clan compound, the Patriarch spoke while staring at Ryūjin. A bloodthirsty glint flickered within his eyes.
"Kimimaro is the most perfect user of our clan's Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai. Kill him, or... be killed by him..."
Crack.
Before the Patriarch could even finish speaking, his voice abruptly stopped.
Ryūjin raised his head slightly.
Using long range Kamui, he had already severed the man's head.
The headless corpse collapsed to the ground beside him.
Since Ryūjin had already located Kimimaro, there was no reason to keep a lunatic like the Kaguya Patriarch alive any longer.
After waiting for a short time within the compound courtyard, a small figure finally appeared at the entrance.
It was a young boy with white hair and two small red dots on his forehead.
Kimimaro.
Kimimaro's gaze first landed on Ryūjin, then shifted to the corpse of the Kaguya Patriarch lying nearby.
Without hesitation, he pulled a bone blade from his own body and gripped it tightly.
Then he charged straight toward Ryūjin.
"Wait."
Ryūjin spoke calmly.
Surprisingly, Kimimaro actually stopped.
The young boy blinked his large eyes and stared directly at Ryūjin.
"Why do you want to kill me?" Ryūjin asked.
"The Patriarch said I must kill every Hidden Mist shinobi I see," Kimimaro replied subconsciously.
"Do you want to do that?" Ryūjin continued.
Kimimaro froze.
"I... don't know."
As long as Kimimaro could remember, he had lived inside a dark cell belonging to the Kaguya Clan.
Every day, a hand would extend through the small opening in the door to deliver food. That brief moment was the only interaction he had with the outside world.
Kimimaro had never understood why he existed.
He never understood the meaning of his life.
Even though he belonged to the Kaguya Clan, he had never seen other clan members until the day the clan began its rebellion against the Hidden Mist Village.
To Kimimaro, both the Kaguya Clan members and the Hidden Mist shinobi were strangers.
The reason he followed the Patriarch's order and fought against the Hidden Mist was not only because it was a command.
More importantly, if he did not fight, Kimimaro would not know what else he was supposed to do.
"If you stop killing the Hidden Mist shinobi, you won't know what to do next, right?"
"You don't know why you're alive, and you don't know what you're supposed to do with your life."
Ryūjin spoke calmly, his eyes fixed on the boy.
Kimimaro's pupils shrank slightly.
The bone blade slipped from his hand and fell onto the ground.
Ryūjin had struck directly at the truth.
"Kimimaro," Ryūjin continued quietly, "do you think life has meaning?"
Kimimaro froze again.
He did not know how to answer.
Because he truly did not know the meaning of his own existence.
"There is no meaning to life."
Ryūjin shamelessly repeated the same words that Orochimaru had once used to deceive Kimimaro.
"But by continuing to live, you might discover something interesting."
Ryūjin paused briefly before finishing his sentence.
"For example, I discovered you."
Kimimaro stared at him silently.
"Kimimaro, are you willing to leave this place with me?"
After a moment of hesitation, Kimimaro nodded.
For the first time in his life, he felt that his existence might actually have a reason.
"Kimimaro, I still have some things to deal with in the Hidden Mist Village. Taking you along right now would be inconvenient."
Ryūjin spoke plainly.
"I have access to another dimension. You can stay there for now."
The Kaguya Clan had already been branded as traitors by the Hidden Mist Village. If the village discovered Kimimaro's existence, they would definitely try to capture him.
Ryūjin was not afraid of the Hidden Mist's forces.
However, there was no need to clash with the entire village right now.
After all, Ryūjin had not come here to start a large scale conflict.
Kimimaro nodded once more.
Ryūjin placed his hand on the boy's shoulder.
His Mangekyō Sharingan activated.
Using the Kamui dōjutsu, Ryūjin instantly pulled Kimimaro into the Kamui Dimension.
After finishing everything, Ryūjin entered Sage Mode again.
His perception expanded outward, quickly covering the entire Hidden Mist Village.
He was searching for someone.
Orochimaru.
Yes, Orochimaru.
Not Yagura Karatachi.
According to Ryūjin's memory, Orochimaru had been active within the Hidden Mist Village around the time of the Kaguya Clan's rebellion.
This made it the perfect opportunity.
Ryūjin intended to deal with Orochimaru.
First, Orochimaru had attacked him a year ago. From that moment onward, the two of them had already become enemies.
Second, Ryūjin wanted to eventually visit Ryūchi Cave and sign in to obtain the Senjutsu there.
Third, Orochimaru was extremely useful in terms of ability.
In fact, he would make an excellent subordinate.
Of course, convincing Orochimaru to willingly follow him was practically impossible.
Therefore, Ryūjin planned to use the Mangekyō Sharingan technique Kotoamatsukami to alter Orochimaru's will.
Normally, Ryūjin disliked using such an overwhelming ability.
After all, a technique like Kotoamatsukami was basically a cheat. Using something like that made things far less interesting.
Fourth, Ryūjin intended to gather capable subordinates in preparation for larger plans in the future. For that, he would also need a hidden base.
Orochimaru excelled at building secret laboratories and underground bases.
Not to mention that Orochimaru would later go on to establish his own hidden village.
In other words, he was exactly the kind of person Ryūjin needed.
"Found you."
A faint smile appeared on Ryūjin's face.
Through Sage Mode, he had already located Orochimaru's chakra.
Since the two had fought a year earlier, Ryūjin was very familiar with Orochimaru's chakra signature.
Finding him was easy.
A swirling Kamui vortex appeared in the air.
Ryūjin's body was quickly pulled into it, disappearing from the Kaguya Clan compound.
Moments later, he appeared near the outskirts of the Hidden Mist Village.
Not far away, a tall figure was slowly walking along a forest path.
His posture was relaxed, as if he were casually strolling through his own garden.
It was Orochimaru.
"The Kaguya Clan... a race that finds pleasure in slaughter."
Orochimaru spoke quietly while observing the mist covered scenery.
"They simply shouldn't exist."
His voice carried a hint of amusement.
However, another thought soon crossed his mind.
"Still... that child was quite interesting."
The image of a young boy with white hair briefly appeared in his thoughts.
Unlike the rest of the Kaguya Clan, that boy did not possess the same twisted bloodlust.
In Orochimaru's eyes, the child would make an excellent vessel.
"Orochimaru."
Suddenly, a calm voice sounded from behind him.
"We meet again."
Orochimaru's pupils instantly shrank.