Perhaps every Death God Mask on this wall had once been used by members of the Uzumaki clan. Each use of a Death God Mask meant an Uzumaki clansman had offered their soul to the Death God. The sheer number of masks on the wall spoke volumes about the sacrifices the Uzumaki clan made for this technique.
"Maybe that's why the storage hall was built near the Hidden Leaf, far from the Land of Whirlpools," Karin thought to herself.
She didn't know what the true Uzumaki clan was like. She could only piece together fragments from others' words, imagining and speculating! To her, the Uzumaki clan was both foreign and familiar.
Nearby, Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi exchanged uncertain glances. They couldn't fathom how 'B' had singled out the correct Death God Mask from so many. This led the ever-suspicious Orochimaru to suspect that the Akatsuki must also be researching Shiki Fujin (Corpse Demon Sealing).
Soon, Kabuto cautiously retrieved the Death God Mask Karin had pointed to. After confirming it was safe, he handed it to Orochimaru.
Karin asked, "What's next?"
Orochimaru toyed with the Death God Mask in his hands. "Now that we've found the corresponding mask, the rest is straightforward. We just need to prepare a bit, and we can begin summoning the Fourth."
Karin grew impatient. "What preparations?"
Orochimaru smiled as he explained, "To steal something from the Death God's stomach, a price must be paid. We'll need to prepare some sacrifices in advance!"
Karin's brow furrowed tighter at his words.
The 'sacrifices' Orochimaru mentioned were likely living people, just like before, which made her stomach churn. But to complete the deal, she had no choice but to watch coldly from the sidelines.
Orochimaru turned to Kabuto. "This time, the sacrifices can't be ordinary people. They need to be at least chunin-level young shinobi."
Kabuto nodded. "Understood. I'll handle it!"
Orochimaru added, "I'll head to Northern Base Three first. We'll rendezvous there!"
"Yes!"
Kabuto responded, then used the Body Flicker Technique to vanish, off to find suitable sacrifices for Orochimaru.
Only then did Orochimaru turn to Karin. "Let's go. It's time to complete the final step of our deal."
Karin gave a slight nod.
Some time later, Orochimaru led Karin to Northern Base Three, located at the border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Fields.
Entering the underground complex, Karin realized this must be one of Orochimaru's laboratories. The area was filled with various instruments and equipment, tinged with a faint smell of blood, evidence of numerous human experiments conducted here.
Passing through the experimental zone, Orochimaru brought Karin to the deepest part of the base—the living storage area.
As soon as they entered, Karin froze. Before her eyes were not objects but people, each sealed inside large nutrient tanks! Men and women, none older than twenty, some as young as ten, floated naked in the tanks, eyes closed, with only oxygen tubes connected to their mouths.
Standing before the row of nutrient tanks, Orochimaru explained, "These are living specimens I created through research on Upper Moon and Cursed Seal powers. They may be few, but they cost me a fortune to produce!"
Karin's expression darkened.
She never imagined Orochimaru had been researching Upper Moon Demons and had apparently achieved some results.
Feeling uneasy, she strengthened her resolve to eliminate Orochimaru.
Orochimaru seemed oblivious to Karin's discomfort—or perhaps he didn't care. He continued, "These specimens possess unimaginable physical strength. They're both the perfect sacrifices and the perfect vessels!"
Karin said coldly, "I'm not interested in this. Stop wasting time and finish the deal!"
Orochimaru nodded and began operating the equipment.
Soon, he extracted four experimental subjects from the nutrient tanks and brought them to an open testing area in the laboratory.
Karin's instincts screamed that something was off. She questioned, "Why four?"
Orochimaru chuckled. "I'm not confident in succeeding on the first try, so I prepared extras!"
Karin said nothing more.
She knew Orochimaru was scheming. For instance, Kabuto, who was supposedly sent to find sacrifices, hadn't actually gone. Instead, he had been tailing them, clearly checking if other Akatsuki members were nearby to back Karin up.
But they didn't know about Karin's Kagura Mind's Eye. Their every move was within her perception, so they failed to detect Ryuzetsu and Chino, who were assigned to support her.
Undoubtedly, Orochimaru and Kabuto were preparing to double-cross her.
This aligned perfectly with Karin's own plans, so she remained calm, focused on completing the deal, securing the Nine-Tails, and then turning on Orochimaru and Kabuto.
Since both sides harbored similar intentions, despite their ulterior motives, the deal proceeded smoothly.
Moments later, Kabuto returned, feigning exhaustion. "Lord Orochimaru, I'm sorry, I couldn't find suitable sacrifices."
A single glance, and Orochimaru understood Kabuto's message. Reassured, he said, "No matter. The base happens to have spare living sacrifices."
Karin interjected, "Can we start now?"
Orochimaru nodded.
Kabuto, watching Karin warily, retreated to a distance, his eyes fixed on her with suspicion.
Karin knew the moment of betrayal was near. She stepped back as well, her fists clenching slightly under her long sleeves.
Though confident, she was still somewhat nervous facing Orochimaru, one of the legendary Three Shinobi.
With everything ready, Orochimaru slowly donned the Death God Mask retrieved from the Uzumaki clan's storage hall.
"Aaah!"
The moment he put on the mask, Orochimaru let out a strange sound. His body swayed, as if stumbling or dancing.
Then, a chilling wave of chakra surged from him.
Kabuto frowned slightly at the icy chakra, while Karin, sensitive to chakra, felt a twinge of unease.
In the next moment, Orochimaru raised his arms, and a massive, dagger-wielding Death God apparition appeared behind him! Karin's heart jolted. "Is this the Death God?"