Chapter 0099: The Sudden Appearance of a Black Hole

Centipede arrived at the drink shop with an air of pride and smug satisfaction.

So long as he bragged about killing those two people, the more gruesome he made it sound, the more frightened anyone who heard him would become.

He had already sensed something.

“There’s some kind of secret hidden in me.”

Though he did not know what that secret was, he might as well use it to lord over others. That was not bad at all.

Once he obtained the Dragon Vein, he would uncover that secret.

Orochimaru and Kimimaro were drinking. When Centipede saw them, he strode over, plopped himself down beside them without ceremony, and swept his gaze across the table.

“Why is there nothing for me?”

He made no attempt to hide his swagger or familiarity, wearing an unmistakably self-important expression.

Orochimaru sipped his drink calmly, making no move at all. Kimimaro, however, frowned.

“Your true body?”

Centipede was a puppeteer; before, he had relied on puppet bodies to swindle and deceive. And now he dared to act so brazenly while showing his true self?

In truth, under ordinary circumstances, whenever Centipede moved in his real body, he would be extremely cautious.

But now he believed he had discovered some extraordinary secret within himself, something formidable beyond words. Add to that the fact that he was about to obtain the Dragon Vein, and he had completely let himself go.

“It really is my true body. You recognized me? That’s right, I’m the puppet master from the bounty hall.”

He snatched the drink from the table in front of Kimimaro, took a couple of loud sips, then leaned back and said, “It’s too late to recognize me now. To be honest, I never intended to let either of you keep your lives.”

Kimimaro suddenly laughed. He shook his head, inwardly admitting that he could never match Orochimaru’s level. Why was he even bothering to argue with this idiot?

“Lord Orochimaru, I think I understand you a little better now,” Kimimaro said.

Orochimaru remained composed and smiled faintly. “When you step outside the matter itself and look back at it, you’ll find the feeling is different.”

Kimimaro drew a deep breath. Looking at Centipede again, he only saw a clown. It was not worth getting angry over a clown.

“I understand,” Kimimaro said.

At that moment, Centipede was trembling inside. His hands and feet turned cold. His eyes widened, and his mouth opened into a perfect O.

What had he just heard?

The one with the two red marks on his forehead was actually calling the other one Lord Orochimaru?

No way.

He suspected his hearing had failed him. He must have misheard it. It should have been something like Lord Sage or Lord Shark, or some other title.

He took another sharp breath, a bad feeling rising in his chest. He faintly realized why his bluff had been so frightening to others. If what he had guessed was true, then he had indeed bragged himself into disaster.

Centipede became cautious at once. A strained smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

“Um, I still haven’t asked for your names…”

Until now, Centipede still did not know the names of Lord Orochimaru and Kimimaro.

Kimimaro first glanced at Orochimaru. Seeing that he had no intention of speaking, he looked back at Centipede.

“He is Lord Orochimaru. I am Kimimaro.”

As he spoke, for reasons even he did not quite understand, Kimimaro lightly tapped the tabletop with a finger to draw Centipede’s attention, and then five bone claws appeared on his hand before quietly withdrawing again.

Clatter!

Centipede toppled straight out of his seat and fell under the table. His face went deathly pale, his eyes rolled upward, and foam bubbled from his mouth.

He was scared senseless.

He had frightened himself with his own boasting. He had actually said he was going to make trouble for Orochimaru and Kimimaro?

It was confirmed.

Who else but Kimimaro could freely grow and manipulate bones?

A man’s fame casts a tree’s shadow; if Orochimaru and Kimimaro had seemed impossibly distant, then even knowing he had offended them would not have hit him this hard.

But now they were right in front of him, and all he felt was suffocation, as if he could no longer breathe. It was over. Finished.

He convulsed, nearly fainting, but then suddenly remembered that he might lose his life if he did not act quickly to make amends. Somehow, he forced himself back into awareness.

“L-Lord Orochimaru, Lord Kimimaro, I, I, I, I…”

His whole body shook so badly he could barely speak.

Kimimaro glanced at him expressionlessly. “You call him Lord Orochimaru, and then you call me Lord as well? I would never dare place myself on the same level as Lord Orochimaru.”

Centipede was frantic. “Then should I call him Lord Orochimaru-sama?”

“Heh, heh, heh…”

Orochimaru suddenly laughed.

At that laugh, Centipede hurriedly gave an awkward, ingratiating smile. Whether he lived or died now depended entirely on Orochimaru.

“No, that’s not it either.”

Centipede thought desperately, “As long as I can get to the ancient kingdom of Loulan and obtain the Dragon Vein, I’ll turn the tables and take charge. By then I’ll make Orochimaru pour my tea, and Kimimaro fan me!”

Just then, noisy commotion arose outside. Everyone in the shop looked up, as if something had happened.

“Look at the sky!”

The cry carried in from outside.

The people in the drink shop all rushed out to see what was going on.

Centipede let out a breath of relief. The timing could not have been better; it gave him a chance to recover.

He was still wondering whether he should go out and look when Orochimaru lifted his gaze toward the roof above them. The ceiling rippled with waves of space, and then the scene outside appeared.

Centipede quickly lowered his eyes and steadied his mind. Even if he had been spared for the moment, he could not relax and behave carelessly. He had to stay obedient and quiet, like a well-behaved child. Orochimaru’s methods were simply too terrifying; he had to curry favor with him at all costs.

At that moment, a huge black hole appeared in the sky, and within it was a star field.

“What is that?”

someone asked.

“Is it some kind of spatial passage?”

someone guessed.

“Who made it? What is it for? Could it be Orochimaru?”

someone thought of Orochimaru.

The most familiar name in the world right now was Orochimaru. His name was not only famous throughout the ninja world, but had also spread widely among common folk.

After the God of the Ninja World, Hashirama Senju, and the Uchiha clan leader, Madara Uchiha, he was the third ninja whose fame had become this far-reaching.

Orochimaru’s expression remained faint. He showed no surprise at the black hole, no ripple at all. His eyes then slid slightly to the side, toward the empty space beside the black hole.

In that empty space, the Great Toad Sage, the White Snake Sage, and the Slug Sage were working hard to maintain the black hole.

They could feel Orochimaru’s gaze.

The Great Toad Sage gave a hopeless smile. “This is our only chance.”

The White Snake Sage nodded. “Yes. Orochimaru is our creator. We cannot act against him, so we can only lure in outside enemies.”

At this, the Slug Sage said, “Will this really work? We’ve already alerted Orochimaru. If he comes directly after us, then we…”

The Great Toad Sage said, “At this point, we can only fight with everything we have. If we do nothing, we can only let Orochimaru butcher us at will.

“We should also think positively. Earlier, I sensed the aura of the Otsutsuki Clan in this star field. Perhaps some of them are still here, and may discover this passage.”

“…”

A black hole suddenly appeared in the sky, and everyone talked about it at length. But after a while, when nothing seemed to happen, they all returned to their own business.

Orochimaru also withdrew his gaze. He already understood.

As his eyes moved away, the image on the ceiling vanished as well, and Kimimaro and Centipede came back to themselves.

Kimimaro looked at Orochimaru. He was not Kabuto, and could not guess Orochimaru’s thoughts, but he would do his duty. He waited quietly for Orochimaru’s orders.

If Orochimaru told him to investigate, he would go and investigate.

Centipede sat with his eyes lowered, his mind and nose and heart aligned in obedient stillness. This unexpected event had interrupted Kimimaro’s questioning of him. Had he escaped disaster?

Perhaps he could still keep his life.

Just then, Orochimaru looked at Centipede and said, “Let us continue that topic. You called me Lord, then you called Kimimaro Lord, and now you have changed it to Lord-sama? Though I am not particularly fond of that form of address…”

“What?” Centipede felt as though his hopes had been far too optimistic.