(T/N: Please consider reviewing this Fanfic, Thanks and appreciate all who support me)
(T/N: Enjoy!!)
<><><><><><>
In the Hidden Mist, Jūzō Biwa could no longer stay. Or rather, his faith in the Mizukage had already begun to waver.
In addition, with Black Zetsu and Obito manipulating the Mizukage, they only needed to orchestrate a little persecution to force Jūzō out of the village.
Only after he left did Black Zetsu approach and invite him to join the Akatsuki. Everything had fallen into place naturally.
By now, Jūzō Biwa was already a member of the Akatsuki. "You might've heard of this person… no, actually, you should all be quite familiar with him."
Pein glanced at Kakuzu, who showed no interest in speaking, before continuing.
"The person is Konoha's rogue ninja—Orochimaru."
"Orochimaru?!"
"What? It's him?"
Orochimaru's name was known far and wide. Among these powerful shinobi, not a single one was unfamiliar with him.
For Sasori and Jūzō especially, his name struck a chord.
Sasori had always held animosity toward Konoha shinobi, particularly since his parents were killed by none other than Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang of the Leaf!
The last time he intercepted Konoha's forces, he'd even caught a glimpse of Kakashi but had no chance to engage.
As for Orochimaru, Sasori despised him from the bottom of his heart.
Even if Orochimaru hadn't been the main force, he had contributed significantly during the war.
Jūzō Biwa, on the other hand, didn't exactly hate Orochimaru—but he was terrified of him.
During the Third Great Ninja War, Orochimaru commanded the Konoha forces stationed in the Land of Whirlpools against the Hidden Mist.
That experience had left a scar that Jūzō would never forget. And now, this same man was about to become his comrade?
"Orochimaru, huh?" Black Zetsu was surprised too, but nodded soon after.
"If it's him, then he's an excellent choice. He's powerful and deeply familiar with Konoha. With him, many future tasks may become significantly easier."
"But we do face one issue—this man is elusive. Tracking him down won't be easy. Even Konoha seems to have limited intel. So, how exactly are we supposed to find him?"
"Don't worry. That problem's already been solved." Pein showed no concern. He turned to the ever-silent Kakuzu.
"Kakuzu provided us with intel. According to him, Orochimaru was recently spotted near Iwagakure."
"He might have his own reasons for being there, but that doesn't matter to us. What matters is we now have a lead, so we can act."
Pein paused for a moment before continuing. "However, this mission will be handled by you all. I've got other matters to attend to."
"But I'll send 'Angel' with you as support. With this lineup, I'm sure the mission is well within your abilities."
In truth, Pein also wanted to go to Iwagakure personally. His involvement would have made Capturing Orochimaru much easier.
But he had other pressing matters to deal with—like the intel on Hanzō!
Although he didn't fully trust Black Zetsu and the others, the information about Hanzō had been thoroughly verified, and Pein had decided to take action soon.
Still, Hanzō was extremely dangerous, and Pein never intended for Konan to be involved. He planned to take care of it himself, then explain later.
Now that Orochimaru had suddenly entered the picture, it gave him the perfect excuse to send Konan elsewhere.
He had been waiting a long time for an opportunity like this. With that, Pein turned his gaze back to Kakuzu.
"Then, Kakuzu, you'll lead this operation. You've got the intel, so if there are no issues, begin preparations."
With that, Pein was ready to end the transmission.
Everyone present seemed deep in thought—recruiting Orochimaru was no simple task. Kakuzu, meanwhile, felt a cold sweat trickle down his forehead.
"Intel, my ass," he thought.
He was just reading from a script! Taking the money felt great, but panic was setting in now that action was required.
"Shuuzawa, please don't get me killed…"
....
"Hey, Shuuzawa, where's your informant? Shouldn't we meet him first? That's the only way we'll get clearer intel on Orochimaru, right?"
In the Land of Fire, Jiraiya was leading Shuuzawa and the rest of the team on a rapid advance.
Still, he was curious about Shuuzawa's supposed intel. It had been vague, and moving out based on such scant information was already a show of serious trust.
But they needed something more concrete. Otherwise, what if they'd come all this way for nothing?
"Honestly, instead of worrying about that, we should focus on which route we'll take to Iwagakure," Shuuzawa replied, glancing at Jiraiya.
Inwardly, he could only groan. This entire story had been fabricated. All he knew was that someone might show up—beyond that, he had nothing.
But he had his reasons and excuses. Otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to lead them out like this.
"Besides, Jiraiya-sama, you know how informants are—they're not going to meet up so easily. If they're exposed, it's game over."
"Tch, seriously…" Jiraiya sighed and shook his head, but didn't push the matter.
Shuuzawa was part of the Anbu—Jiraiya didn't believe he'd risk lying about something this serious.
So instead, he followed Shuuzawa's lead and rubbed his chin. "There are three main routes to Iwagakure."
"The path through the Land of Grass is the most convenient, but also the most troublesome. They had some negotiations with Iwa not long ago, so…"
Konoha had taken a bite from the Land of Grass and stationed plenty of forces in their controlled zone.
Taking that route would be fast, but those past negotiations had only worsened tensions with Iwagakure.
Going that way might lead to serious trouble. "We could probably sneak through without being noticed."
"I doubt the Iwa-nin stationed there would detect us," Shuuzawa replied, tilting his head with a hint of nonchalance.
"Besides, that route takes us past the Kannabi Bridge. That's where Uchiha Obito supposedly died. Maybe we'll find other clues along the way."
"..." Kakashi tilted his head and eyed Shuuzawa. Every time the Land of Grass was mentioned, it felt like this guy was picking a fight with him.
Still, the thought of reencountering Obito made Kakashi clench his fists.
"Wouldn't going through the Land of Rain be better?" Yamato spoke up, sensing Kakashi's unease. As a teammate, he quickly stepped in.
"The Land of Rain is constantly drenched and the roads are muddy, but at least outsiders rarely go that way."
"I once saw intel from Lord Danzō—the Land of Rain is highly xenophobic, but their strength is respectable. It shouldn't be an issue as long as we disguise ourselves."
"The Land of Rain, huh?" Shuuzawa raised an eyebrow. Danzō had never liked that place—after all, much of his elite Root unit had perished there.
As for travelling through it? Shuuzawa couldn't help but wonder if Yamato wanted to send Jiraiya to his death early.
At this point, Hanzō might still be alive, not to mention Nagato.
"Great idea!" Shuuzawa smiled and looked at a somewhat troubled Jiraiya.
"I heard Captain Jiraiya once had a connection with the demigod Hanzō of the Rain. Maybe that'll make things easier for us!"
"..." Jiraiya awkwardly rubbed his white hair. This brat was messing with him! A connection? More like he'd gotten his butt kicked!
"The Land of Rain's out. Hanzō isn't someone you just deal with. Besides, none of you understand that territory. He won't welcome us there—if we go, we're likely asking for trouble."
"Then I guess the only route left is through the Land of Rivers," Shisui said, having been quietly listening. At last, he knew which way they should go.
"It's more neutral, has its own shinobi village, and houses the Seven-Tails. The place is chaotic, but that makes it easier for us to move."
"Agreed. It's decided—we'll go through the Land of Rivers!"
Jiraiya nodded and ended the discussion. Kami helped him; Shuuzawa was giving him a headache. Even choosing a travel route turned into this much chaos.
Shuuzawa had already messed with Kakashi's emotions, and now he'd turned around and come for Jiraiya too. This kid…
"Huh? Weren't we supposed to be figuring out how to get better intel?" Jiraiya suddenly blinked.
He realised that they hadn't started off discussing travel routes at all.
Somehow, Shuuzawa had completely derailed the conversation—and even though Jiraiya had gone along with it, now he didn't even feel like talking anymore.
"This is bad. I get the feeling these kids will be a handful this time." Jiraiya sighed, rubbing his temples in frustration.
He was already trying to figure out how to deal with this group. But Shigenari Shuuzawa wasn't concerned with Jiraiya's troubles.
After settling the matter with Kakuzu, he quietly returned to Yuugao's side.
Yuugao was almost seventeen now and had grown into a graceful young woman. She had a fresh vibrance about her, full of youthful energy.
But throughout the journey, she had remained oddly quiet.
Of course, Shuuzawa understood why, and he felt like he should try to make it up to her somehow.
"Senpai, you don't seem very happy."
"There's nothing wrong." Yuugao huffed lightly, but the next moment, she realised her hand had been taken. Shuuzawa kept talking casually.
"Are you feeling unwell? Do you want me to—"
"Don't mess around! Jiraiya-sama is still here!" Yuugao couldn't hold it in anymore.
Didn't this guy know how to read the room? But when she glanced around, she realised Kakashi and Shisui weren't fazed.
Jiraiya walked a distance ahead, clearly lost in thought. She could only sigh—why were all her teammates like this?
"I'm not feeling unwell. Don't jump to conclusions." She tried to shake her hand free, but couldn't.
In the end, she just gave a slight shake of her head. She had grown used to it.
After a moment of hesitation, she deliberately put on her senior demeanour and looked at Shuuzawa.
"I'm just upset. You're still young, yet you've already started picking up bad habits. What's going on with you, Shuuzawa?"
"Eh?" Shuuzawa blinked, puzzled. "What bad habits, senpai?"
"Don't play dumb! Earlier, when you were talking to Jiraiya-sama—you jerk!"
Yuugao couldn't even say it out loud.
She let out another huff and turned away, avoiding his eyes.
"Oh, you mean that?" Shuuzawa looked like he'd just realised something, which made Yuugao panic.
She was terrified he'd say something embarrassing. But Shuuzawa only smiled and pointed at Kakashi.
"One time, I saw Kakashi-senpai reading a book called Make-Out Paradise. Out of curiosity, I secretly bought a copy myself."
"I found out Jiraiya-sama wrote it, and honestly, it was pretty interesting. A lot of what I—"
"Cough! Cough! Cough!" Kakashi finally lost his composure. How had he ended up dragged into this? Even Jiraiya, walking ahead, nearly stumbled.
He hadn't been paying attention to the conversation, but when he heard his book mentioned, he couldn't help but listen in.
And as expected, the moment he heard more, he realised a dark cloud was forming over his head.
"Make-Out Paradise? Jiraiya-sama's book?" Yuugao was still confused but not clueless.
She'd heard Tsunade mention some of Jiraiya's escapades before. Her face, hidden under her mask, turned red.
"Don't read that kind of book anymore!"
"But I already finished it." Shuuzawa blinked again, then leaned close to whisper in her ear.
"Actually, I was hoping to learn something... to find a way to make you smile more. But in the end... I still prefer the way you are."
"Enough! Don't say another word!" Yuugao bumped him lightly with her shoulder and let out another soft huff.
"You may not be at fault, but I am telling Lady Tsunade about this book! This is too much!"
Yuugao felt seriously upset. Shuuzawa was such a pure-hearted person, yet a book had corrupted him. She had to tell Tsunade no matter what.
Hearing that last part, Jiraiya went completely pale. Now he truly understood—there really was a dark cloud falling on him.
.....
In Iwagakure, Kabuto Yakushi was still doing his duties like any loyal ninja in the village.
But his mood hadn't been great since his secret meeting with Shuuzawa.
Even though he understood Shuuzawa's intentions now, he still thought it was all too risky.
"At the very least, this can't guarantee the director's safety..." Kabuto was truly at a loss. And in his heart, he hated Danzo more than anything.
He trusted Shuuzawa—he believed in his judgment—but no matter how much trust there was, a sliver of hope still clung to him.
That was only human. No matter how bleak things were, people always tried to comfort themselves with a little false hope.
But after he finally found the director in Iwagakure—only to discover the man didn't even recognize him—despair fully settled in.
Everything had been a lie. Just like Shuuzawa had warned him, fate had already decided everything.
"I'm not on Shuuzawa's level. I was such a fool." Kabuto burned with frustration. But there was nothing more he could do now.
All he could do was follow the plan, stay undercover, and avoid detection. All the while, quietly waiting for Shuuzawa to make his move.
"Please hurry, Shuuzawa... Even if I get beaten to a pulp again once you're back."
He shivered at the memory of his training days in Root—specifically, how Shuuzawa used to lay into him with heavy punches.
But there was still one thing he couldn't figure out.
"Could it be... Shuuzawa already knew Danzo was a bad person? Is that why he refused to join Root from the start?"
Kabuto shook his head with a bitter smile. He knew now—he had caused Shuuzawa so much trouble. But there was no turning back anymore.
"Sigh... I just hope he doesn't hold a grudge. And I really hope he gets here soon."
Pushing open the door, Kabuto returned to his residence in Iwagakure.
He had taken on the identity of a real Iwa-nin, so he naturally lived in that man's house. But the moment he stepped inside, something felt off.
"Someone's been here." Kabuto had set traps and markers throughout the place as a top-level spy.
Now, he could tell that some of them had been disturbed. And on the table, there was a scroll.
Without showing any reaction, he approached it and quickly scanned the area.
Once he confirmed no one was around, he picked up the scroll and opened it.
"Damn it..." Though his expression remained calm, a storm brewed in his heart.
The scroll instructed him to meet another operative for a handoff at midnight three days from now.
Usually, this wouldn't seem strange. But given the timing—and the fact that the contact had already been arranged—it was clear what this meant.
As Shuuzawa would say, this was the setup before the strike.
"Shimura Danzo... You really deserve to die!"
Elsewhere, near the outskirts of Iwagakure, Orochimaru flicked out his tongue and slowly licked his lips.
He wasn't interested in the mission Danzo had given him, but the payment was too good to ignore.
Even so, Orochimaru had his plans. He was already growing tired of Danzo trying to control him.
"Kabuto Yakushi. Nonou Yakushi. Tch..." Focusing again, his figure slowly vanished into the shadows.
"Such pitiful creatures... That's why—Whichever of you survives... gets to follow me."
If you want to support me, join my patr**on. Have 20 advanced Chapters for you guys.
patr**n.com/saitamablast > NTS NOVEL TIER (PLEASE DONT SUBS THROUGH IOS PLATFORM)