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Although Shuuzawa was set up by Kabuto, regardless of the reasons behind it, she just couldn't let it go. She had to do something for those two children!
"The time is almost up. Stay focused." Glancing at the clock, Nonō Yakushi quickly composed herself. This was her most critical moment.
Especially now—she had already spotted someone below. That person had to be her target.
Though it was dark, judging by the size, it looked like a kid around fifteen or sixteen.
"So this is the fate of a shinobi…" Nonō sighed quietly and calmed herself, patiently waiting.
She needed a better opportunity to strike, because for her… This was the only chance she would get.
What she didn't know, however, was that her every move was being watched. "Looks like it's the two of them," Orochimaru said, standing with arms crossed, quietly observing.
What Danzō had stirred up wasn't very interesting to him, but he had to admit, things like this could completely shatter someone's spirit.
And when that happens… he'd have the perfect subordinate. It didn't matter who survived—either way, it worked out for him.
"It's cruel, sure… but following Danzō always ends like this," Orochimaru muttered,
But just as he was enjoying the show, something suddenly felt wrong.
He swiftly turned around—and in that moment, his pupils widened slightly. "Tch, Iwagakure really is a damn mess."
Within the village, Jiraiya moved stealthily through the streets, and a few small toads accompanied him to monitor the situation.
He had successfully infiltrated Iwagakure, but as he watched the nightly curfew begin, the sight of silent Iwa shinobi made his skin crawl.
The entire place was deserted. Wandering around like this made him feel like a sitting duck. If he slipped up even once, he might be captured and interrogated.
"I'm just here to find Orochimaru! No one said this mission would be such a pain!"
Jiraiya shook off the thought before it dragged him down—he couldn't afford to lose focus now.
Complaining was useless. What mattered most was completing the mission. "Hopefully this leads to something useful… and let's pray Ōnoki doesn't have such a sharp nose."
He muttered under his breath and crept forward. Jiraiya also debated how to proceed—should he sneak into Ōnoki's office to find intel, or grab a shinobi to interrogate instead?
"Forget it. I'll scout around first. Worst case, I'll just bring that brat Shuuzawa back myself."
He shook his head in frustration. Now, he could finally understand how his teacher felt.
Shuuzawa was brilliant, but his brilliance came with unease—no one knew what tricks he might pull.
Suddenly, Jiraiya stopped in his tracks, scanning his surroundings as a precaution. He whispered to the toads nearby, "You guys feel anything?"
"There's a weird chakra nearby," one small toad said quietly, landing on his shoulder.
"It's unfamiliar but powerful. Definitely not someone ordinary—it might be dangerous."
"Dangerous, huh?" Jiraiya smirked. "Seems like we're the ones in danger right now."
The ominous chakra bothered him, so he asked again, "Can you identify who it is?"
"How could we? It's no one you know, that's for sure."
"Fine." Jiraiya sighed, rubbing his temple. He thought for a moment and finally decided to follow it.
He didn't like meddling, but he had no leads in Iwagakure anyway—might as well check it out. With that, he rushed toward the chakra's source.
"Here he comes." Not far away, Shuuzawa watched as Jiraiya followed the subtle chakra trail—he sighed in relief.
He hadn't dared release it from too far away. If Ōnoki noticed it too soon, things would go south.
Plus, he was using chakra from the Dragon Vein. Only that brat Kabuto had ever encountered it, so Shuuzawa wasn't too worried about being exposed.
After convincing Kakashi and the others, they'd entered the village with him, but unlike Jiraiya's infiltration, their method was much smoother.
Shuuzawa had Shisui use genjutsu to control an Iwa shinobi and placed a Flying Thunder God kunai on him.
Once inside, Shuuzawa picked a secluded spot, and the others teleported using the seal.
"Seriously, sometimes Jiraiya overcomplicates things. With me around, was that even necessary?"
They had already split into teams, and Shuuzawa acted as a mobile unit to locate Jiraiya.
Yuugao and Shisui covered one area, while Kakashi and Tenzo were also ready. They were just waiting on Shuuzawa's signal to begin the operation.
As for Shuuzawa, he had plenty to do. "First, I'll bring Jiraiya to the target."
With that in mind, Shuuzawa carefully controlled the Dragon Vein chakra, moving quickly toward the Flying Thunder God marker on Kabuto.
At the same time, he spread his sensory perception wide, scanning the area for Orochimaru.
He couldn't help but complain internally—Kabuto and the others had picked a spot that was way too far.
"What is this chakra supposed to mean?" Trailing behind, Jiraiya frowned, not understanding what this unfamiliar energy was.
But he wasn't an idiot—he could tell it was intentionally leading him somewhere.
"It's getting more remote. Are they planning to fight here?" Jiraiya mentally prepared for battle as he moved forward.
"Hey, Jiraiya. There's someone up ahead." A small toad spoke up. "No kidding. Otherwise, what's this chakra all about?"
He rolled his eyes but kept moving. The moment he stepped into a stone forest, his body froze.
That white-clad back—it was unmistakable. Jiraiya instantly knew who it was. The person seemed to sense him as well and quickly turned.
As their eyes met, silence fell between them. "Orochimaru… So you really are here." After a long pause, Jiraiya finally spoke. His expression grew stern.
"This time, there's no escape. Come back with me to Konoha. I will bring you home."
"Jiraiya…" Orochimaru's smirk vanished. Seeing him here left Orochimaru visibly rattled.
What's he doing here? This is Iwagakure! Did Danzō sell me out? How else would my location be compromised?
Orochimaru's first thought was of that unreliable partner—after all, it wouldn't be the first time Danzō betrayed him.
When Minato was still alive, Orochimaru believed himself the rightful choice for Fourth Hokage.
No one took Minato seriously back then, not even Danzō. But Danzō got greedy—he leaked information about Orochimaru's human experiments.
That single move cost Orochimaru the chance to become Hokage. The Hokage must be spotless—or at least, appear so beforehand.
Danzō thought that he'd be the best candidate if Orochimaru were disqualified.
But in the end, everything had been handed to Minato. Neither Orochimaru nor Danzō ever got another shot.
It was too late, even after ROOT was wiped out, and Danzō started backing Orochimaru again.
Orochimaru hadn't forgotten any of it. So even if Danzō made another move now, he wouldn't be surprised. He'd have killed Danzō long ago without the research materials and funding.
"…What are you doing here?" Orochimaru shook his head, regaining his composure as he stared Jiraiya down.
"Your nose is sharp as ever. Like a damn bloodhound."
"Cut the nonsense, Orochimaru!" Jiraiya glared at him, momentarily pushing aside the guiding chakra—his entire focus was now on Orochimaru. "Come back with me. You're out of chances."
"Back to that rotting village?" Orochimaru sneered. "You don't understand how far Konoha has fallen. Why would I return just to suffer?"
"Even in a decaying tree, new buds can sprout. And those buds…can bring life back to the whole tree."
Jiraiya stood his ground, chakra surging through his entire body. "This time, no matter what you say, I will take you back!"
Orochimaru let out a faint sigh. "I see." Then, without the slightest hesitation, he made his move. "Let's see if you've got what it takes!"
In an instant, countless venomous snakes slithered out from every direction, lunging toward Jiraiya with terrifying speed. "Fire Style: Giant Flame Bullet!"
Having known Orochimaru for years, Jiraiya reacted when he made his move.
He leapt back while forming hand seals at lightning speed.
A wave of blazing flames surged toward the approaching snakes, and fire crackling echoed through the air, mixing with the scent of burning flesh.
"Childish."
At that moment, Orochimaru suddenly lunged forward, a sharp blade slicing straight through the wall of flame.
With his other hand, he reached toward Jiraiya, and countless snakes burst from his arm. "Ninja Art: Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
"Disgusting freak. Why are you always playing with stuff like that?" Jiraiya grimaced at the mass of snakes but didn't slow down for a second.
"Ninja Art: Needle Jizō!" His long white hair rapidly expanded, wrapping around his entire body.
Infused with chakra, the strands hardened like steel. The snakes bit down, only to be stopped cold—many had their heads skewered by the sharp hair.
"Now's my chance!" Seeing Orochimaru at such close range, Jiraiya didn't hesitate.
From beneath the hair, his hands formed another seal.
"Ninja Art: Wild Lion's Mane Technique!"
His hair transformed again, extending like ropes toward Orochimaru. "You're one to talk. Aren't your techniques just as disgusting?" Orochimaru sneered.
With a simple motion, he raised his hand, summoning sharp winds that danced around him. "Wind Style: Wind Cutter Technique!"
The slicing gales tore into Jiraiya's extended hair, shredding it instantly. White strands were scattered across the ground.
"Dammit."
Jiraiya grimaced as his hair was ripped apart, forcing him to cancel the technique.
"Looks like you're out of tricks," Orochimaru mocked, leaping backwards and glancing at Jiraiya with a smug expression.
"Or maybe... You just don't dare cause a scene here. After all, attracting Iwagakure's attention would be quite the disaster."
"You bastard... Why won't you just come back to Konoha with me?!" Agitated by Orochimaru's provocation, Jiraiya was visibly shaken.
He hated to admit it, but Orochimaru had hit a sore spot. Jiraiya had many techniques, but against someone like Orochimaru, the best option was summoning.
But using a summoning technique near Iwagakure? That would announce his presence.
"I've already told you my reasons. If you still don't get it, there's nothing I can do," Orochimaru said coldly, a twisted smile forming on his lips.
"But just because you're too scared to use summoning... doesn't mean I am."
With those words, he formed hand seals. "Summoning Jutsu!"
A loud burst of smoke filled the area—and with it, the giant serpent Manda appeared in a flash.
"Shit..." Jiraiya's expression turned grim. Orochimaru had no restraint whatsoever, and now it was clear—he was probably working for Ōnoki!
"If you're going to hold back, then I won't." Standing atop Manda's head, Orochimaru looked down at Jiraiya.
"Let's just settle this once and for all." With Orochimaru's command, Manda surged forward, crashing toward Jiraiya like a tidal wave of destruction.
"You just keep getting in my way!" A deafening roar split the night sky as Manda's massive body barreled through the stone forest.
Boulders shattered, debris tumbled down the mountainside, and dust clouds blanketed the skies over Iwagakure.
"What the... is going on?!" Kabuto stumbled through the forest, frantically dodging falling rocks.
He had no idea what had just erupted here. He'd arrived exactly as instructed—but no one else had shown up.
That alone had made him uneasy. Now this chaos had erupted, and it only made him more anxious.
"With that much noise, Iwagakure will definitely send someone to investigate! Dammit!"
Kabuto cursed under his breath. He had no time to waste. He had to decide: flee now, or stay and wait.
Part of him wanted to stay because this might be his only chance to meet the director and resolve things.
But logic screamed that Iwagakure's shinobi would arrive any moment if he didn't leave soon.
"What the hell should I do..." He clenched his teeth—but then, a wave of cold killing intent washed over him.
Snapping his head up, Kabuto saw a shadow descending through the moonlight, speeding toward him along with falling stones.
That bone-chilling intent was unmistakably coming from the figure above!
"No way—!"
Years of experience as a spy kicked in. Kabuto instantly took a defensive stance, forming a chakra scalpel.
But just as he raised it, something struck him. He couldn't attack. What if this was the director?!
The shadow closed in, a kunai flashing under the moonlight, and Kabuto saw the face.
"The director... It's really you. Shuuzawa was completely right..."
He stared at the emotionless, icy eyes, frozen by the sheer pressure of that killing intent. In that moment, Kabuto's hatred for Danzō reached its peak.
He desperately tried to twist his body out of the way—he had to avoid hurting the director.
But just then, another figure appeared before him, shielding him.
With one hand raised, the figure triggered a jutsu—
Suddenly, thick vines burst from the earth, wrapping around the falling figure and trapping them in midair!
"Wood Style... No way!"
Yakushi Nono stared in disbelief as the Wood Style vines bound her tightly.
She couldn't tear her eyes away from the one who had just appeared.
The figure stood silently, wearing an ANBU uniform and a mask that hid their face.
But Nono understood all too well—this was ANBU. Her expression turned ashen.
Why would an Iwagakure ANBU possess Wood Style...? She didn't know—but she knew she couldn't escape, nor complete her mission.
Then, as despair washed over her, the masked shinobi removed the mask, revealing a clean, handsome face.
"Long time no see, Director."
"...Huh?"
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