Ch. 117 The Sealed Land

Inside the Root base, Danzo listened to his subordinate's report, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Just yesterday, he had completed a major surgery, successfully implanting both the Sharingan and cells from the First Hokage into his body, achieving a delicate balance.

This balance was fragile and needed to be constantly maintained with sealing techniques, which was troublesome, but his combat ability had undoubtedly been enhanced.

At this moment, upon hearing the news that both Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Shinji had left the village, his surprise was understandable.

"Hmph, Hiruzen must be getting old if he's letting Sasuke leave the village."

With a cold snort, Danzo began to formulate his own plan.

He had been observing Sasuke's growth closely, and he rated Sasuke no less highly than Shisui and Itachi. For this reason, he felt it was his responsibility to safeguard the Hidden Leaf from the shadows, and it was best to recruit Sasuke into Root as soon as possible.

As for Uchiha Shinji, that situation was even simpler.

In Danzo's eyes, any Leaf shinobi who dared defy him was no different from a traitor. Killing such a person was justified.

"I am the Root that protects the Hidden Leaf. If Hiruzen is too old for the task, then the burden of safeguarding the village will fall to me!"

Having made his decision, he ordered the subordinate in front of him, "Assemble an elite squad immediately. Secretly follow the group from the Land of Demons. Once they are outside the Land of Fire, seize Uchiha Sasuke and eliminate Uchiha Shinji."

The Root ninja hesitated slightly, then cautiously asked, "Sir, the team escorting the group from the Land of Demons includes Asuma's squad. Should we—"

Danzo impatiently tapped his cane on the ground. "Disguise yourselves as rogue shinobi from the Yellow Springs Sect and attack the priestess to draw Asuma away. Do I need to teach you something that basic?"

"Yes, sir!"

The Root ninja stiffened in fear and bowed.

Meanwhile, in the Land of Demons.

The leader of the Yellow Springs Sect sat cross-legged on a tatami mat, resting his chin on his hand, as he looked sideways at the two figures who had suddenly appeared before him. "What's your purpose here?"

The masked Obito spoke, "I represent the Akatsuki, and I'm here to invite you to join us."

"Akatsuki?" The Yellow Springs Sect leader chuckled, shaking his head. "Why should I join you?"

White Zetsu, standing beside Obito, cut in, "We know what you're searching for. If you agree to join us, we can help you."

"Oh? You really know what I'm looking for?"

The Yellow Springs Sect leader's interest piqued slightly.

Zetsu confidently replied, "Without our help, you could search for five years and still never find that place."

Hearing this, the Yellow Springs Sect leader's eyes narrowed. "Who are you people?"

Obito responded indifferently, "All you need to know is that I am someone who can help you. Make your choice: join us, or..."

Obito was not someone who offered choices lightly.

If the leader of the Yellow Springs Sect was wise enough to accept the invitation, it would be best. If not, Obito wouldn't hesitate to eliminate him.

After all, this recruitment was being done in secret, without Nagato's knowledge. To ensure secrecy, the target had no option to refuse.

The Yellow Springs Sect leader stared at Obito and Zetsu in silence, weighing his options.

These two had appeared before him without any of his guards noticing—a testament to their formidable abilities.

After a moment of thought, he nodded. "Fine, I'll join your organization. But you must agree to help me achieve my goal."

Zetsu smiled. "The sealed land you've been searching for—I've already found it."

The Yellow Springs Sect leader's eyes lit up with excitement, and he immediately stood from his tatami mat. "Tell me, where is it?"

Zetsu shrugged. "Even if I told you, it wouldn't matter. The place is protected by a powerful seal cast by the priestess. Ordinary people can't even get close."

The Yellow Springs Sect leader responded coldly, "That's none of your concern!"

Zetsu glanced at Obito, who nodded in approval. Zetsu then revealed the location of the sealed land that they had scouted.

Upon learning the exact location, the Yellow Springs Sect leader quickly gathered his subordinates, planning to break the seal while the priestess was away from the country.

As the members of the Yellow Springs Sect hurried off, Obito turned to Zetsu and asked, "What exactly is sealed there?"

Black Zetsu grinned. "Something very interesting."

Obito raised an eyebrow. "Interesting?"

Black Zetsu pretended to recall an ancient text, then began explaining the history of the priestess of the Land of Demons. "The Land of Demons once had a very powerful priestess. In time, even the priestess herself began to fear her own strength, realizing that if her power were misused, it could threaten the entire world."

Obito's eyes widened in surprise.

For someone to fear their own power to such an extent that they believed it could endanger the world—it implied that the priestess was at least at Kage-level strength, if not higher.

Obito hadn't expected such a small nation to produce such a formidable figure.

Black Zetsu continued, "To prevent the world from being destroyed by her power, the priestess ultimately chose to use sealing techniques to seal away her dark side."

Obito immediately understood. "So what's sealed there is the priestess's dark side?"

White Zetsu added, "No wonder my clones couldn't get near it."

Black Zetsu chuckled. "The sealing techniques of the priestesses of the Land of Demons are as renowned as those of the Uzumaki clan. I'm curious to see if that guy can really break the seal and release the priestess's dark side."

Obito wasn't joking, though, and asked, "What would happen if the dark side of the priestess were released?"

Black Zetsu explained, "The priestess's dark side eventually transformed into a creature called 'Moryo.' After being defeated by a subsequent priestess, Moryo was split into two: its body and its spirit. The only thing sealed in the Land of Demons is Moryo's spirit."

Obito clarified, "So even if that guy succeeds, it won't affect our plans?"

Black Zetsu nodded. "That's right, it shouldn't."

White Zetsu chimed in, "I'm actually curious to see what Moryo's spirit looks like!"

"Then let's go watch."

Obito, now intrigued by Moryo's supposed power, activated his Kamui and disappeared into a swirling vortex.

Zetsu's body sank into the ground, vanishing without a trace.

Outside the sealed land, four guards from the Land of Demons, holding torches, stood vigilant, scanning their surroundings carefully.

Though the sealed land was hidden in a remote valley, they dared not lower their guard. They knew that if the monster inside ever broke free, their homeland would be the first to suffer.

Suddenly, several kunai shot out from the darkness, hitting the guards with precision.

Three of the guards were killed instantly, while the fourth, mortally wounded, reached for the signal flare at his waist.

But just as he was about to launch the flare into the sky, a foot stomped down on his wrist, extinguishing the flare he'd just lit.