NABC Chapter 201, codenamed "Empty"
Chapter 201, codenamed "Empty"
At the other end of Orochimaru's base, Boruto suddenly heard a faint rustling sound. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that the sound was coming from a snake, which was slowly crawling towards him along the ground.
Boruto then crouched down and let the snake slowly crawl up his arm. Feeling the slight vibrations on the snake's body, and receiving the message from Orochimaru, he gently put the snake down and let it go freely.
Boruto then quickly disappeared from his spot and arrived at Naruto and Sakura's location, where he told them the important information he had just received.
Boruto soon brought Naruto and Sakura to the bottom of the rock wall and explained the latest situation to them: "As we expected, Sai has made contact with Orochimaru, and the entrance to Orochimaru's base is hidden under this rock wall."
Before they left Konoha, Boruto had already noticed that Sai had made contact with the Root organization of the Anbu once again.
As Sakura prepared to see Sasuke, she gripped her hand tightly, a complex mix of emotions flashing in her eyes. She whispered, "Sasuke... he's down here..."
"Okay, let's go."
Boruto responded and then made a hand seal. As he did so, the rock wall in front of them was touched and began to slowly part to the sides, revealing a hidden passage.
Boruto led the way, with Naruto and Sakura close behind, as they ventured deeper into the rock face below.
Kabuto Yakushi emerged from the dark passage with a smile on his face. He politely gestured to Boruto and his group, saying, "Please follow me. Lord Orochimaru has been waiting for a long time."
In the dimly lit passageway flickering with candlelight, they followed the apothecary through a winding and circuitous route for quite some time.
Finally, they arrived at a spacious cave hall, in the center of which was a huge stone table surrounded by several stone seats, and Orochimaru was sitting in one of the chairs.
Orochimaru's gaze passed through Kabuto Yakushi and landed on Boruto. He grinned and said, "It's been a long time, Boruto."
Boruto shifted his gaze from Orochimaru to the orange-haired man beside him and asked, "Who is this?"
Orochimaru explained, "His name is Jugo. He was brought back from our northern base when Sasuke moved here while he was tracking Itachi Uchiha." Orochimaru then instructed Jugo, "Jugo, go and bring that kid over here."
Upon hearing Orochimaru's instructions, Jugo gave a brief reply and then turned to walk towards the door of the cave hall to carry out Orochimaru's orders.
At this moment, Sakura, who was following behind Boruto, finally couldn't help but ask, "Sasuke...where is Sasuke now?"
After hearing Sakura's question, Kabuto turned around, pointed to the passage outside the cave hall, and calmly replied, "As for Sasuke, he should have finished his training for today and is resting in a room further inside. That's Sasuke's room. If you want to see him now, just go that way."
"Thank you."
Sakura quietly thanked Kabuto Yakushi, and then followed the direction he pointed out, walking towards the door.
While Jugo was bringing Sai over, Kabuto Yakushi broke the silence, saying thoughtfully, "Judging by the time, it's a few days until the day I'm supposed to meet Sasori of the Red Sand. But looking at me like this, it's really a headache."
After all, Kabuto Yakushi had successfully mastered the Sage Mode of Ryuchi Cave, and his appearance and temperament had undergone significant changes, making him completely different from before.
Sasori of the Red Sand is a naturally suspicious character who may be suspicious of any slight change, let alone now that he has changed so much.
After hearing Kabuto's words, Boruto turned around and asked him, "So, you had some deep contact and interaction with Sasori of the Akatsuki?"
Orochimaru added, "Several years ago, when I joined Akatsuki, my codename was 'Void.' At that time, I was partners with Sasori of the Red Sand. But as time went on, I had a disagreement with the organization's ideology, and I eventually chose to leave Akatsuki. However, the organization was not willing to let me go easily. They assigned Sasori of the Red Sand to hunt me down in order to end my mission."
“Actually, Kabuto Yakushi was once manipulated by Sasori of the Red Sand using a technique and planted next to me as an informant. But what Sasori didn’t know was that I had already noticed and successfully broken the technique that controlled Kabuto Yakushi many years ago,” Orochimaru said coldly.
Boruto nodded slightly after hearing Orochimaru's words. He never expected that Kabuto, as Orochimaru's capable spy, could always reveal new identities in unexpected ways. He was truly unpredictable.
Boruto then continued, "As for Sasori of the Red Sand, he will no longer keep his promise to you, because he has now returned to the Pure Land."
Boruto then briefly recounted to Kabuto and Orochimaru his previous trip to the Land of Sand and the ultimate fate of Sasori of the Red Sand.
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow slightly, somewhat surprised by the information Boruto revealed, but his expression quickly returned to its usual calm. Since Sasori of the Red Sand, who was hunting him down in the Akatsuki, was no longer there, one of his opponents in this world had also disappeared.
......
Following the direction Kabuto pointed, Sakura passed through a quiet passage and finally arrived at a door.
Sakura then noticed that the door was not closed tightly, but rather left a crack, half-closed.
She gently knocked on the door, then softly called out, "Sasuke? Are you in there?" Her voice held a hint of cautious anticipation.
Despite Sakura's shouts echoing in the room, there was no response.
So Sakura gently pushed open the half-closed door, saying softly as she did so, "Sasuke, I'm coming in..."
Sakura stepped into the room, her gaze slowly sweeping over the surroundings. She noticed that the bedding on the bed was slightly raised, indicating that someone was lying there resting.
Sasuke's training life here must be full of hardships, right? The simplicity of the room surprised her. Apart from the basic bed and a few candles, there were almost no extra decorations or items, making it seem unusually plain and quiet.
Sakura sniffed, however, she smelled a scent in the air that she subconsciously thought shouldn't be in Sasuke's room, but she didn't pay too much attention to it, and instead focused her attention back on the bed.
......