Naruto: Echoes of a Distant Home

Could this be considered an unexpected surprise?

The chakra emanating from the cave wasn't from something inanimate, it was from a person.

The chakra felt abnormal, distinctly different from anything else.

The two walked side by side to the cave's entrance, peering into its depths. The cave was dark and silent, and the closer they got, the more pronounced the chakra felt.

The light from outside was partially blocked by Ye Zi and Orochimaru's silhouettes, but some still managed to push its way into the cave.

In the faint light, they could see that the cave was supported by oddly shaped stone pillars, most of which looked like apples gnawed down to their cores.

At that moment, a deep growl emerged from the cave's darkness. It sounded like a restrained beast's roar, low and threatening.

Even in such a faint and unclear sound, one could sense an intense and chilling killing intent. It seemed to emanate unconsciously, without specific direction.

Ye Zi and Orochimaru exchanged glances before striding deeper into the cave.

As if hearing their movements, the source of the growl seemed to focus its killing intent. It now had a clear target.

After advancing a short distance, they entered an area beyond the reach of the light. The dimness allowed only vague outlines to be seen.

Suddenly, a figure lunged out of the darkness, radiating bone-chilling killing intent as it charged toward Ye Zi and Orochimaru.

Being closer, Ye Zi became the primary target of the attack.

In the faint light, the shadowy figure's outline could barely be discerned as it leaped at Ye Zi.

Ye Zi extended his hand, and several wooden pillars sprouted from his palm, effortlessly restraining the shadowy figure in mid-air.

"Roar!" The figure thrashed violently. In the darkness, a single yellow eye full of rage and killing intent glared out.

Despite its ferocious struggles, the wooden restraints held firm, rendering its resistance futile.

"Let's take this outside," Orochimaru suggested.

Ye Zi nodded slightly, controlling the restrained figure as they made their way out of the cave.

Once outside, the light revealed the figure to be a half-human, half-monster boy.

The boy had short orange hair and one side of his face was covered in gray, birthmark-like patches. His eyes were strikingly different: the one on the birthmarked side was pure yellow, while the other appeared relatively normal. Despite this difference, both eyes radiated the same emotions—pure killing intent and uncontrollable rage.

It wasn't just his face and eyes that made him look monstrous.

The boy's right arm was entirely gray, unnaturally large and muscular, with sharp, stone-like spikes protruding from it. His knuckles were oversized, and his fingers were tipped with long, razor-sharp nails.

This grotesque arm was what truly classified him as part-monster.

Additionally, black, irregular markings spread across his otherwise normal side, concentrated on his arm and thigh.

"Haha! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!" The boy screamed as he thrashed against the wooden restraints. His murderous gaze locked onto Ye Zi as if he wanted to tear him apart.

Standing so close, with the boy restrained in front of them, the mysterious energy they had felt in the cave was even more palpable.

Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with interest as he examined the black markings on the boy's body.

"What's your name?" Orochimaru asked, attempting to communicate.

"Haha! I'll kill you! Kill you! Kill you!" The boy responded with meaningless screams.

"Has he lost his mind?" Ye Zi frowned, tightening the wooden restraints.

"Control the force, don't hurt him," Orochimaru reminded.

Ye Zi said nothing.

As the restraints grew tighter, the boy's screams abruptly stopped. His eyes widened, and his mouth opened, emitting only muffled grunts.

Ye Zi's gaze turned cold as the sound of the wooden pillars pressing against the boy's body grew louder.

Finally, the boy's eyes rolled back, and he passed out.

Seeing this, Ye Zi halted his actions and released the restraints.

The wooden pillars retracted into his palm, and the boy fell to the ground, kicking up a small cloud of dust.

Before their eyes, the monstrous arm reverted to a normal human arm at a speed visible to the naked eye. The black markings on his body receded like a tide, disappearing completely.

Watching this transformation, Orochimaru's interest was fully piqued. In that moment, he realized the boy held immense research value.

"We've found something good," Orochimaru said with a cold smile.

"It's gone," Ye Zi said, his expression shifting slightly as he looked at the unconscious boy. "That sensation…"

When the boy returned to his human form, the mysterious energy wave that matched what they had felt at the ruins also vanished.

Hearing Ye Zi's observation, Orochimaru noticed it too and was momentarily stunned.

"It seems this mysterious energy causes transformations like these and might even affect rationality," Orochimaru said thoughtfully, though he couldn't help but entertain a disappointing possibility.

Could this boy simply be a victim of the mysterious energy? It was likely that the cave contained the energy, and the boy had just been unlucky enough to encounter it.

If that were the case, the boy might not hold as much research value as Orochimaru had hoped.

However, in Aoki Forest, Ye Zi's wood clone hadn't undergone a transformation like this—it had simply turned back into wood without any feedback.

Was it a difference between human bodies and clones?

Orochimaru's thoughts mirrored Ye Zi's, and the latter said, "I'll go check the cave again."

Orochimaru nodded without comment. If their guess was correct, it would indeed be a disappointment.

If so, Orochimaru planned to conduct experiments with human subjects to confirm the hypothesis. However, the outcome would likely mirror the transformation they had just witnessed in the boy.

Ye Zi wandered through the cave but found no trace of the energy fluctuation. He returned and informed Orochimaru of his findings.

"Let's take him back to the base first," Orochimaru said after a moment of thought.

"Hopefully, we can get some useful information," Ye Zi replied calmly.

Orochimaru glanced at the boy lying on the ground, said nothing, and hoisted him up. Together with Ye Zi, they left the area, heading toward the Land of Stone.

About an hour into their journey, Orochimaru sensed that the boy was regaining consciousness and dropped him unceremoniously to the ground.

Although Ye Zi no longer felt any trace of the mysterious energy, he remained ready to restrain the boy again if necessary.

The boy groaned softly as he woke, gradually opening his eyes. He quickly scrambled to his feet, looking timidly at Ye Zi and Orochimaru. His gaze lingered on Ye Zi.

"It's a good thing you restrained me," the boy said, his tone tinged with relief and fear.

His current demeanor was a stark contrast to his previous violent and feral behavior.

His words indicated that he retained memories from his out-of-control state.

What was going on?

Ye Zi and Orochimaru were puzzled.

"What's your name?" Ye Zi asked, studying the timid boy and hoping to glean some information.

"Jūgo," the boy replied softly.

"Jūgo…" Ye Zi repeated, glancing at Orochimaru before turning his attention back to the boy.

"Can you tell me what happened to you?" he asked.

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Currently on Chapter 427 - The Three Join Forces