It's normal to get a kaleidoscope as a first deposit of six yuan, right?

Meanwhile, Orochimaru, whom Hiruzen Sarutobi was worried about, was already meeting with Kabuto Yakushi in a private room of a tavern in Konoha, where he had set up a soundproof barrier.

Using the technique of erasing faces, Orochimaru did not attract much attention as he walked, but when Kabuto looked at Orochimaru, a glint of light flashed behind his glasses.

"Lord Orochimaru, it seems that Konoha has become much more cautious about your actions lately."

"Hehehe, it's alright, it's just a small obstacle in the storm, and aren't you well prepared?"

Kabuto Yakushi nodded seriously after hearing what Orochimaru meant.

Although it only caused some chaos for the Konoha police force, it still cost a lot of money to summon so many explosive tags. However, the fact that he could come up with the idea of ​​controlling the daimyo of the Land of Rice Fields as a puppet shows that he is indeed worthy of Orochimaru.

Chapter 119, Iron Golem

"Time... error, machine... error, initiating error cleanup..."

"Boss, what is that?" A few dozen meters away, a rogue ninja pointed in surprise at the half-puppet emitting purple light in the sand in the distance, and asked his boss.

"Hiss... It looks like a puppet technique unique to the Land of Wind. However, it seems that some of the Earth Release chakra we used underground was absorbed by this antique, causing it to activate."

"Don't panic, it's not a big problem. It's just a broken little robot. And we might even get information about the treasure from this puppet, hehehe..." The scarred leader drew a chakra knife from his waist.

This is a special weapon designed to cut the puppet strings. Once the strings buried nearby are found, this big guy can do whatever they want to them.

"Go find the puppet strings around him. Once you cut them, everything will be fine." The leader handed the chakra blade to a henchman beside him and instructed him to go forward.

"Huh? This thing won't explode, will it?" The underling swallowed hard as he looked at the puppet that was flashing purple light.

"I told you to go, so go! Don't dawdle!" The boss kicked the underling in the butt, which finally made the cowardly guy slowly walk to the puppet with his chakra blades in both hands.

"May the Sage of Six Paths protect me, I hope this thing doesn't explode." The underling approached the puppet, sensing the unstable chakra, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and then dug around in the sand, but found no trace of the puppet strings.

However, just as the younger brother was digging and breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the puppet was safe, something grabbed him and threw him away.

A burst of purple sparks erupted from the puppet that had been buried motionless in the sand. Then, it raised its rusty iron hand and threw the guy next to it, who was still searching for puppet strings, away.

"This damn thing can actually move?" The leader of the rogue ninja organization looked at the puppet that seemed to have come to life, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

"Wrap it up with Earth Release ninjutsu, this thing will be very useful to us!"

"Yes!"

"Earth Escape·Earthquake Core!"

Because it's in the desert, Earth Release requires passing through thick layers of sand, making it quite difficult to execute. But what can they do when there are so many of them?

After being infused with chakra by several Earth Release ninjas, the sand beneath the puppet's feet sank, and a ring of earth spears rose up from all around, enveloping the rusty puppet like a cage.

Swish!

A steel saw popped out of the puppet robot's hand, and with a flash of cold light, it sliced ​​through the earthen spear blocking its path. Three purple missiles flew out from the gap in its back and struck the target.

"Hiss, it's a tough one."

On a distant high ground, Sasori, watching the puppets battle the rogue ninja, suddenly became interested.

"The puppet's strings seem to be under its own control, which is quite interesting. It's a pity that it can no longer be considered a work of art due to the wear and tear of time."

Zhi Xue looked at the rogue ninja still fighting the puppet below, sat down on the ground, and then abruptly pulled out a slice of red-fleshed watermelon that looked quite fresh from her clothes.

scorpion:……

Getting some steamed buns and milk tea from the desert is manageable, but what's with pulling out a watermelon?

Two minutes later... Scorpion, who had broken free from Hiruko, sat down next to Shiki, holding two slices of watermelon in his hands, with what appeared to be black watermelon seeds still stuck to the corners of his mouth.

“Although the human body is a tool that limits art and wastes time, it doesn’t seem impossible to do so in the desert for the sake of nutrient supply and normal functioning.” To prevent sand blown by the wind from splashing onto the melon, Sasori even had the Third Kazekage’s puppet use magnetism to isolate the surrounding sand, which surprised Shiki.

So puppets can be used like this?

The battle between the puppet and the rogue ninja below has ended. After all, there is only one puppet, while there are hundreds or even thousands of people. Moreover, they are not all just wandering samurai and rogue ninjas. For example, their leader is a Jonin from Kirigakure who established this organization outside because he could not bear the torment of the village's policies.

"Boss, this puppet is really tough. It almost broke my arm."

"Alright, quickly secure this iron thing so we can see if there's any secret we're looking for inside." The leader of the rogue ninjas drew a kunai from his waist, intending to open the iron golem's shell, but he sensed the danger beforehand and quickly used the Body Flicker Technique to appear more than ten meters away.

boom!

The spot where the leader had originally stood was dented by a black cube, and the shockwave of flying sand made several ninjas around cough.

"Who? Who's ruining my plans?"

"Puppets are for appreciation and use, not for you to do whatever you want with. I'll take this iron thing for you for now, and of course, I'll make sure you have a complete corpse in return."

At that moment, a shadow flew over the iron golem's head. After the dust settled, the many rogue ninjas could finally see the short, stocky golem dressed in a black robe—Hiruko.

"You ugly freak, do you think you can take on our army-sized group all by yourself? Pfft, hahaha!" At this moment, a rogue ninja looked at the ugly and short Hiruko standing on the iron golem's head and laughed.

As this rogue ninja burst into laughter, the other rogue ninjas joined in. However, the laughter abruptly ceased when a steel sand suddenly emerged from the ground and pierced the chest of the laughing rogue ninja like a skewer of candied hawthorns.

"You guy!"

"Ugly freaks, are you treating us like we don't exist?"

At this moment, Zhi Xue, who was still lying on the high ground watching the show, also heard the timer for the "Slacking Off" mission starting. Although most of the rewards were useless, there was still a chance to get good stuff, such as a certain arrogant fox that ate orange dumplings every day inside her body.

Even with numerous puppets and a knack for group combat, Scorpion fought a force of nearly a thousand men for almost two hours. Some tried to escape after being intimidated by Scorpion, but due to the poison, only a very few survived.

Some of those who tried to escape towards Zhixue were also eliminated by Zhixue.

Ding! Daily slacking-off task completed (30/30). Rewards: 1 beautiful girl comic book, 1 advanced puppet making technique knowledge.

After selecting a dozen or so puppets from the battlefield to use as replacements, Scorpion returned to Zhixue's side carrying their leader's head.

"Alright, the mission is complete. We can now head to the rest area on the border of the Wind Kingdom to hand over the mission to the merchant."

"Wait, did you retrieve that iron golem?" Scorpion raised an eyebrow when Zhixue mentioned the iron golem.

"What, you've also become interested in puppets?"

Chapter 120, Clearing the Snake Swarm

"I can give you the puppet, but only after I've thoroughly studied it."

As they walked through the desert, Scorpion spoke to Zhixue.

The craftsmanship of this type of puppet is very unique. Although it has been worn down over the years and can no longer be displayed as an art piece, it has given Scorpion a lot of inspiration.

"Okay, but are we going to hand over the mission next?" Zhixue asked curiously, looking at the location marked on the map.

“Yes, our client is waiting for us at the entrance on the other side of this desert so we can complete the mission and transport the goods over a long distance.” As he spoke, Scorpion took the map from Shiyuki’s hand and pointed to several small red dots in the territory of the River Country.

“If they don’t pay the agreed-upon reward, this will be our second attack location.” Zhi Xue became interested after hearing what Scorpion said.

The merchants' encampment... there must be a lot of money there, right? She seemed to be secretly hoping these caravans would break their promises...

……

Konoha...

While Hiruzen Sarutobi's ANBU were still secretly and painstakingly clearing out the scrolls and small snakes lurking in various corners of Konoha, Orochimaru had already hidden in a basement. After forming hand seals, a dark blue chakra appeared in an unknown magic circle beneath his feet.

"Although my goal is not to attack Konoha, creating a little disturbance will give me an opportunity to make my move." Orochimaru slammed his hand on the ground, and a pattern resembling a summoning rune covered the magic circle.

Meanwhile, in an area of ​​Konoha that had not yet been cleared by the Anbu, a plume of white smoke rose, and several ferocious and terrifying long snakes poked their heads out from it.

A couple was playing an intimate game in Konoha Park. Before they could even get started, a long snake crawled down their pants and, rather adorably, flicked its tongue between them. The couple's faces turned deathly pale instantly, and they screamed in alarm.

Similar incidents have occurred throughout Konoha's streets and alleys, leaving everyone puzzled as to why so many snakes had suddenly appeared in the usually peaceful village.

Although most of the snakes summoned by Orochimaru are harmless and non-toxic, they are still just as frightening to ordinary people as ninjas.

Even if the ninjas from other villages are incredibly powerful, can they really invade Konoha? And even if the ninjas in the village are incredibly powerful, would they dare to actually kill civilians? Obviously not.

However, a snake is different from a ninja. You might glare at it at home and it will bite you a couple of times to show you how dangerous the world is, without considering the consequences at all.

The snake infestation in Konoha Village was quickly reported to Hiruzen Sarutobi by the Anbu, but the Anbu were stunned to see a small snake that Hiruzen Sarutobi had crushed to death on a table in the Hokage Building.

Who would dare to be so audacious as to place a sign in the Hokage's office?

Hiruzen Sarutobi devised a plan with just a glance at the Anbu, ordering the guards and Konoha ninjas to work together to catch the snake, while he himself took a piece of paper from the snake's mouth.

Sarutobi-sensei, you didn't expect this, did you? I'm back again. Of course, this is just a little interlude, just to give the dull and decaying Konoha a little surprise. I'm only back for what I was supposed to take with me. When I return with successful research, you will regret and even feel guilty for losing a disciple who is both technically skilled and talented.

Orochimaru

Upon seeing what was written on the note, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face darkened, and he slammed his fist on the table.

"That bastard actually has the nerve to come back? He made me go easy on him and let him go back then, but I won't give him another chance this time!" In a fit of rage, Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned several Anbu members and dispatched many ninjas to guard Konoha's data archives and research facilities to prevent Orochimaru's attacks. Hiruzen Sarutobi himself donned his convenient combat suit and led the Sensory Team ninjas out.

In the noisy village of Konoha, Shisui and Itachi were using their summoning crows to capture snakes in the homes of ordinary people. After catching two small snakes coiled on the roof beams and putting them into a sack, the two of them put two fingers together and used the Body Flicker Technique to move on to the next area.

During Shisui and Itachi's mission, many villagers praised Shisui.

"Is this our Konoha hero, Uchiha Shisui? He's so handsome! I think I'm in love." A young girl on the street saw Shisui's smile by chance and said shyly with her cheeks flushed.

"Mom, Uchiha Shisui is so powerful, will he become Hokage in the future?" a child asked his mother with curious eyes.

Ignoring the villagers' praise, the two continued with their task. Feeling the heavy sack, Itachi asked Shisui with some concern.

"With so many snakes appearing in Konoha, something's probably going to happen."

"No, we need to be optimistic. One against seven, Konoha isn't at the point where just anyone can invade. Besides, didn't the Nine-Tails survive a few months ago?"

Itachi:......

Hearing Shisui's answer, Itachi was speechless. Although he didn't know the specifics of the plan, he had a general idea of ​​it, and Shisui might even be the mastermind behind the Nine-Tails incident.

But it feels really strange to hear someone behind the scenes say something like that.

Seeing Itachi's strange expression, Shisui scratched his head awkwardly.

"Don't look at me like that. That was just a choice I had to make for the sake of peace between the Uchiha clan and Konoha. Just forget about what happened in the past."

Besides, isn't the Uchiha clan doing quite well now? I believe this matter will be resolved quickly. Life doesn't stay stuck in one phase for long; we need to look at things from a new perspective.

Seeing Shisui's gentle smile, Itachi, who was worried, also nodded with a slight smile.

"Even though Shisui is gone, Shisui is still so gentle..." Itachi sighed to himself before focusing on clearing the snakes, unaware that he was about to be drawn into a whirlpool of trouble.

"Uchiha...one against seven..." Orochimaru, disguised as a passerby, stood near the telephone pole, watching Uchiha Itachi enter someone's home to capture a group of snakes, and excitedly licked his lips.

"He's actually hanging out with Uchiha Shisui? Even if this hero of Konoha has lost his Sharingan, we should still be careful."

Orochimaru glanced warily at the glossy black crow perched on the power line, then turned and disappeared into the street.