Orochimaru screamed frantically in the room, smashing everything within it, including years of his research data.
Kabuto happened to return from outside and, upon entering, witnessed Orochimaru's frenzy.
"Kabuto! Go find Ri Xing immediately! Bring me the woman by his side. You must find him!"
Upon seeing Kabuto, Orochimaru immediately issued a command. Even with Sasuke, he still wanted to understand the woman's body. The Uzumaki clan possessing Mangekyo Sharingan was simply too tempting.
"Yes!" Kabuto, sensing Orochimaru's fury, quickly agreed, though he felt a sense of bitterness. Setting aside the difficulty of finding Ri Xing, could he truly snatch someone from that monster even if he found him?
After leaving Orochimaru's base, Kabuto had only taken a few steps when the scenery around him transformed. The forest gradually disappeared, replaced by imposing and majestic stone statues.
Kabuto looked ahead. The person Orochimaru had ordered him to find, Ri Xing, was sitting on a throne, holding a red-haired woman in his arms. Stone statues stood beside him, guarding Ri Xing, who appeared like a king at this moment.
"Long time no see, Kabuto."
Kabuto was now sweating profusely. Ri Xing’s presence exerted even greater pressure on him than before, but he still had to maintain his composure.
"Ri Xing-kun, what do you want with me? I don't recall having any enmity with you, do I?"
Ri Xing gently stroked Karin's hair and said softly, "Kabuto, I admire you. I believe you possess more talent than Orochimaru. I hope you can surpass your Master Orochimaru."
"Impure World Reincarnation, you should be quite familiar with this jutsu, right? Oh, and what was Orochimaru's mission for you? To capture me or Karin?"
At this point, Kabuto fully understood Ri Xing's power. Arguing about capturing that young girl now would be suicidal. Kabuto could only lie to Ri Xing, "Master Orochimaru's mission is to search for a mineral in the sea bordering the Land of Lightning and the Land of Water. It is said this mineral can amplify chakra and lifespan."
Hearing about such a thing piqued Ri Xing's interest. He had been in this world for quite some time but had never been to sea. Naturally, he hadn't visited the Land of Lightning or the Land of Water either. This was a perfect opportunity to explore those regions and, incidentally, intercept whatever Orochimaru was after.
Knowing he couldn't complete Orochimaru's mission, Kabuto decided to simply have Ri Xing stay away from Orochimaru. Thus, he revealed the specific location to Ri Xing.
"Kabuto, then you don't need to do this mission. I'll go there for some fun. Remember what I said, surpass Orochimaru!"
As Ri Xing's voice faded completely, Kabuto's vision blurred, and in an instant, he was back in the small forest. Ri Xing and Karin were nowhere to be seen. Realizing the terrifying extent of Ri Xing's power, Kabuto immediately decided to abandon the mission. Then, recalling Ri Xing's words to him in the genjutsu world, Kabuto stood still, lost in thought for a long time.
Just as Ri Xing was about to set sail with Karin, Zetsu suddenly emerged from behind them. "Hey! Ri Xing, Karin, where are you going? What about Orochimaru's business?"
"Are you bothering me or not? Popping out of the ground all the time. What if my wife and I were in an intimate moment? If you saw it, killing you a thousand times wouldn't be enough. As for Orochimaru's business, we'll discuss it later. I have other matters to attend to. If you need anything, have Konan contact me through the ring. Now get lost!"
Immediately, Ri Xing raised his hand and swung his sword, but it only cut down a tree next to Zetsu. Black Zetsu had reached an agreement with Ri Xing, and this was not the time to break their alliance. He could only brainwash White Zetsu, as the mission had been conveyed, and whether Ri Xing carried it out was his concern.
...
"This should be the place Kabuto mentioned, right? I can sense a powerful barrier beneath the sea. Perhaps there are humans surviving underwater. What do you think, Karin?"
Above the sea bordering the Land of Lightning and the Land of Water, Ri Xing hovered in the air, holding Karin. His powerful sensory abilities indeed detected something secret in this sea region.
Karin, nestled in Ri Xing's arms, felt bewildered. She didn't sense anything unusual.
"Ri Xing-kun, I can't sense anything. Why don't we rent a boat first? You must be tired from carrying me like this all the time."
"I'm not tired. There's no need for a boat. If you want to fly yourself, I can let you experience it." With that, Ri Xing lightly tapped Karin, and her body instantly became lighter.
Karin felt a change in her body and tried to let go of Ri Xing. Discovering she could fly, Karin became as happy as a child and soared into the sky, soaring with the seabirds.
This was merely Ri Xing using Onoki's Dustless Realm technique, completely different from his own Six Paths Senjutsu body that allowed him to fly.
Of course, the real reason Ri Xing insisted on not using a boat was seasickness. Ri Xing didn't want to show such an embarrassing side to Karin.
"Don't fly too high. The air is thin up there, and the temperature is very low!" Ri Xing instructed before continuing to enhance his perception of the seabed. Ri Xing was very cautious when heading towards dangerous places.
"Li Yun, have you found anything? This is a plot point not present in the original work. I have no memory of this."
"Reply: At a depth of 15,000 meters underwater, there is special energy, similar to a star's infinite domain. Shall we go down and take a look? I don't think there are any creatures underwater that can threaten you."
Ri Xing stroked his chin and pondered for a moment before deciding to go down. If there were any dangers, he could simply begin the reincarnation process.
"Karin, come down quickly, we're going on an underwater tour!"
Hearing Ri Xing's call, Karin rapidly descended and dove into Ri Xing's embrace, her cheeks flushed red, pressing tightly against Ri Xing's chest.
Ri Xing patted Karin's head, "Silly girl, I told you not to fly too high, and now you're cold, aren't you! Your face is all red."
Karin showed no signs of regret. Instead, she kept rubbing her face against Ri Xing's chest.
"It's my first time flying on my own, so I had to fly high. Besides, with Ri Xing-kun here, I'm not afraid of anything."
"You're not afraid, but I am. I'm afraid you might get hurt even slightly. Don't think you can be reckless just because you have the power of the Rakshasa. Alright, hold on tight, we're going into the water."
Immediately, Ri Xing cast a protective barrier on Karin, and holding her, they plummeted down, entering the water like a falling meteor, creating a huge splash on the calm sea surface.
...
A while later, Ri Xing and Karin descended to a depth of 15,000 meters. The immense water pressure caused Ri Xing's body to contort slightly. Fortunately, 15,000 meters was the deepest point. If it were any deeper, Ri Xing would have had to create a barrier for himself.
"Li Yun, I've sensed the barrier below. Can we go in directly? Perhaps the One Piece is hidden here."
In the dark depths of the ocean, Ri Xing sensed the barrier. This barrier was similar to a sealing jutsu, so Ri Xing hesitated whether to enter. What if he was sealed upon entering? The only weakness Ri Xing had was sealing jutsu. Of course, sealing jutsu below the level of Six Paths would pose no threat to him.
"We've come this far, are you scared? You never showed fear when killing demons before."
Hearing Li Yun's taunt, Ri Xing suddenly realized. That's right, why should he be afraid? He immediately charged into the barrier, and Ri Xing and Karin disappeared together.
"I'm not scared. I just don't want to experience such partings again. Just like my name, the first two planets I lived on were inevitably stars of separation where life and death were present. One day, I will meet them again."
Ri Xing found an excuse for himself, an excuse to motivate himself. Li Yun no longer taunted him, only silently called him a silly star.
The moment Ri Xing and Karin entered the barrier, Nagato and Konan, far away in the Hidden Rain Village, lost contact with Ri Xing. Losing contact meant the owner of the ring had died. Konan felt some disappointment. Someone who could extract tailed beasts without relying on the Outer Path Samsara could not exist in the organization for more than a few days.
(Since no one is reading this, I'll continue to let my imagination run wild. I'm writing Naruto based on my memory. If anything is wrong, then it's wrong. I'm too lazy to edit it.)