NOVEL NEXT Chapter 63: The Arrogant Cloud Village!
Orochimaru's rapid breathing betrayed his inner unrest.
Eternal life…
Who in the ninja world wouldn't want it?
Even figures like Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara were nothing more than dust a hundred years later.
"Kaede-kun, you never stop surprising me," Orochimaru said, licking his lips, madness flickering in his eyes.
If not for knowing he was no match for Kaede, he might have already tried to capture him and extract every secret.
At this point, there was no need for further pretense.
Kaede's tone turned cold. "Submit to me, and I will grant you the method of immortality."
"?!"
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed, agitation flashing within them.
He was, after all, a renowned figure — the feared Sannin Orochimaru.
And this younger man dared to demand his submission?
Seeing Orochimaru's dark expression, Kaede chuckled.
"Oh? Judging by your face, you seem… unwilling."
Orochimaru replied icily, "To demand my submission the moment we meet — have you just woken from a dream?"
"Arrogant?" Kaede shook his head.
"In the ninja world, the one with the bigger fist makes the rules."
"Or are you saying you have the strength to overpower me?"
Orochimaru's face was ashen. He knew well he was no match for Kaede.
"You're a valuable researcher," Kaede continued casually. "Perhaps you'll be useful in the future, so I'll let you keep your life… for now."
"But you are not irreplaceable. If you disobey, I won't hesitate to remove you."
Opening his hand, Kaede went on,
"This world hides many secrets. There are plenty stronger than Hashirama or Madara — they're simply lurking in the shadows for now."
"Follow me, and you'll gain the immortality you crave… and reach heights you've never imagined."
With the Divine Tree, Kaede could devour and achieve eternity himself.
But he wasn't alone — he had his clansmen, companions of over a decade.
To use the Divine Tree to grant them immortality as well… that required a researcher like Orochimaru.
That was why Kaede valued him.
"Stronger than the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara…" Orochimaru's skepticism lingered, though Kaede's certainty gave him pause.
He remembered ancient rumors he had uncovered in his search for immortality — outlandish myths that, disturbingly, had some evidence in the ninja world.
"Well? State your decision."
With a single glance, Kaede drew Orochimaru into genjutsu.
Inside the illusion, Orochimaru saw fragments of another reality. After a flicker of fear, excitement swelled uncontrollably within him…
Outside, Kabuto looked at Orochimaru's closed eyes in alarm.
"Orochimaru-sama?!"
He turned a wary gaze on Kaede, ready for an attack.
"What did you do?"
Kaede replied coolly, "Showed him a fragment of the world's truth."
Within the illusion, Orochimaru opened his eyes, staring at Kaede with blazing intensity.
"Is it real?"
Without waiting for an answer, he said eagerly, "I'll go with you! Please, take me to witness those secrets!"
Kabuto was stunned. What had Orochimaru seen?
But no one would explain it to a mere subordinate.
"Once your arm is reattached, come to the Hidden Waterfall Village," Kaede instructed.
With that, he vanished from the cave.
Orochimaru closed his eyes, recalling the vision from the genjutsu.
Sensing Kabuto's burning curiosity, he grinned wickedly.
"Prepare yourself… a new era will emerge from Kaede's hands."
…
Leaving Orochimaru's base, Kaede leapt toward the border of the Land of Sound.
In searching for Orochimaru, he had scoured the country… and stumbled across a Cloud Village unit.
It seemed the Hidden Cloud had already subdued other small nations and now set their sights on the Land of Sound.
But Kaede already considered the Land of Sound his. No one else would touch it.
More importantly, he sensed the chakra of a tailed beast among them.
"If you want my land, you can pay with your beast," Kaede thought coldly.
Soon, the Cloud Village forces came into view.
Against Orochimaru's yet-unformed Sound Village, they moved as if unopposed.
In the short time Kaede had spoken to Orochimaru, they had already seized half the country's cities.
As Kaede approached, the Two-Tails inside Yugito suddenly cried out in alarm:
"Yugito! Someone terrifying is coming!"
"He's coming for you!"
It had sensed the chakra of the Seven-Tails, the Nine-Tails… and the Divine Tree in Kaede.
"What?!" Yugito's heart skipped.
Someone who could inspire fear in the Two-Tails?
She shouted to her troops, "Everyone on alert! A powerful enemy approaches!"
In an instant, the Cloud shinobi were on guard, hundreds moving to intercept.
Within her, the Two-Tails fumed:
"Damn it, how could a Divine Tree exist now? Has he already sacrificed Chōmei and Kurama?"
As tension gripped the air, Kaede descended from above.
Scanning the Cloud forces, he said, "Ready? Once you're here, leaving won't be easy."
Yugito stepped forward warily. "Who are you?"
Kaede's gaze fixed on her. "So you're the Two-Tails. Since you've invaded my Land of Sound, I'll take you as payment."
Yugito ground her teeth.
"Arrogant fool! Since when was this your land?"
"My Cloud Village took it first — it's ours by right!"
Kaede smirked.
"By that logic, if I defeat you, the Land of Sound is mine."
Her mouth twitched — she'd never met someone so brazen.
She raised her hand. "Kill him!"
Dozens of Cloud shinobi rushed at Kaede.
The rest crossed their arms, watching — certain that one man couldn't threaten them.
Yugito didn't stop them; she wanted to see what he could do.
"Only this many? You really are underestimating me."
Kaede brought his hand to his mouth.
"Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
A rolling inferno surged forward, engulfing dozens of meters in flame.
"Such powerful Fire Release!"
Some Cloud shinobi, adept in Water Release, dodged instinctively — leaping into the air or scattering beyond the flames.
They barely had time to feel relief before—
"Roar!"
From the sea of fire, dozens of blazing dragons erupted, each locking onto a target before surging forward.
"Impossible!"
Wide-eyed, the Cloud ninja had no chance to react before the dragons swallowed them whole.
(End of Chapter)
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