It was negotiated with Uchiha Chizuru, and the remaining question was how to deal with Orochimaru.
As the supreme commander of the front line, without Orochimaru's permission, Chao Yanqian could not leave the camp to find the Red Sand Scorpion.
But because Hae Chin was working under Orochimaru, and Orochimaru held him in high regard, for such a trivial request, Hae Chin believed Orochimaru would definitely agree.
But what excuse should be used to convince Orochimaru still needed careful planning.
The information obtained by Chao Yanqian was that the Red Sand Scorpion had recently appeared near the Land of Iron. The Scorpion of the Red Sand was a puppet master who had defected from Sunagakure. If he wanted to gather large amounts of puppet materials, it was very possible he would appear in the Land of Iron.
If he wanted to go to the Land of Iron, he definitely couldn't use the excuse of "going out to gather medicinal herbs." Not only would it arouse Orochimaru's suspicion, but it would also displease him.
And Chao Yanqian wasn't sure whether Orochimaru already knew he was searching for the trace of the Red Sand Scorpion.
In order to find the Red Sand Scorpion, Chao Yanqian had asked a lot of ninja for help. Some of those people might have leaked the information. On the other hand, since Orochimaru was the commander of the camp, it would be easy for him to find out.
As Chao Yanqian thought about it, he walked toward Orochimaru's camp. After passing through the checkpoint, Chao Yanqian entered Orochimaru's tent.
"Lord Orochimaru!" Chao Yanqian said respectfully.
"It's Chao Yanqian. What is it?" Orochimaru glanced at him and said indifferently.
"I want to go out and handle something, and I hope Lord Orochimaru can grant permission," said Chao Yanqian.
"Oh? What are you going to do?" Orochimaru's hoarse voice revealed a hint of curiosity.
Hearing Orochimaru's tone, Chao Yanqian felt a jolt in his heart. He had followed Orochimaru for over a year and had read the original Naruto manga. Chao Yanqian had a good understanding of Orochimaru's character. Aside from his obsession with ninjutsu, Orochimaru had little interest in anything else.
"I'm going to find the Scorpion of the Red Sand," Chao Yanqian admitted honestly.
When it came to pretending, ever since arriving in this world, Chao Yanqian had always worn a mask. After nearly ten years of experience, he had become very sensitive to others' tone and attitude. Especially when dealing with Orochimaru, he remained extremely cautious.
Sensing curiosity in Orochimaru's tone, Chao Yanqian immediately realized something was wrong and dared not lie. He could only tell the truth.
After all, looking for the Scorpion of the Red Sand wasn't a big secret. At most, people might be curious why Chao Yanqian wanted to find him.
"Why are you looking for him?" Orochimaru continued.
"It's a personal matter. I hope Lord Orochimaru will allow it," said Chao Yanqian, bowing.
"Fine." Orochimaru licked his lips and said in his hoarse, eerie voice, "But Uchiha Chizuru's pair of Sharingan I hope you'll give them to me as a gift when you return."
"Damn it, Orochimaru knew I was going to find the Red Sand Scorpion, and even knows about my cooperation with Uchiha Chizuru," Chao Yanqian cursed silently.
But thinking back, he realized that when he guaranteed Chizuru's safety and left camp with him, he had deliberately made sure many people saw them. So it wasn't surprising that Orochimaru had guessed.
Thinking of this, Chao Yanqian felt a bit relieved, but also realized he should start cultivating a few trusted subordinates. Searching for the Red Sand Scorpion if it could be handled by loyal followers would greatly reduce the risk of exposure.
Today's matter was minor. If an important secret were leaked in the future, the consequences could be serious.
"Lord Orochimaru, Uchiha Chizuru has the strength of a Jonin and possesses the Three-Tomoe Sharingan. With my strength, I may not be his match," said Chao Yanqian.
"After he fights the Red Sand Scorpion, you'll have a chance to strike," Orochimaru said darkly. "I believe you can do it."
"Yes." Seeing that he couldn't talk his way out of it, Chao Yanqian could only agree.
"Tomorrow, I'll assign you both separate missions. Go to the meeting point you agreed on," said Orochimaru.
"Yes."
Leaving Orochimaru's camp, Chao Yanqian felt uneasy. Once the Red Sand Scorpion matter was resolved, the village would likely reward him, and then he could seize the opportunity to ask the Third Hokage to allow him to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Since the last mission to the Land of Wind with Minato Namikaze, Minato had always treated Chao Yanqian kindly. So once he obtained the technique, Chao Yanqian could go to Minato for guidance. Given Minato's gentle personality, he would likely not refuse.
Once he mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique, Chao Yanqian would be much more confident in dealing with Orochimaru.
As his strength grew, Chao Yanqian's self-awareness became clearer. He and Orochimaru were fundamentally different. Aside from the First Hokage's cells and summoning contracts, Chao Yanqian no longer hoped to gain anything else from Orochimaru.
A break with Orochimaru was inevitable. But until he gained the strength to confront him, Chao Yanqian could only remain low-key.
"How did it go?" Uchiha Chizuru asked as he walked up to Chao Yanqian.
"Lord Orochimaru agreed. Tomorrow he'll assign us separate missions, but they're irrelevant. We'll meet ten miles south of the camp at the rendezvous point. There's a dango shop there," said Chao Yanqian.
"Lord Orochimaru really agreed?" Uchiha Chizuru still found it hard to believe that Chao Yanqian had convinced him so quickly.
Looking at the eleven-year-old Chao Yanqian in front of him, Chizuru shuddered. The more he interacted with him, the more mysterious and unsettling Chizuru found him.
Though it sounded absurd, to be able to mediate between Tsunade and Orochimaru, and even be accepted as Tsunade's disciple there was likely no one else like Chao Yanqian.
"Yeah." Chao Yanqian nodded. "I'll keep my promise. As long as you can push the Red Sand Scorpion to go all out and help me retreat safely, I'll tell you the secret to unlocking the Mangekyō Sharingan."
"Hmph." Uchiha Chizuru snorted, putting away his shock, and turned to leave.
To Uchiha Chizuru, no matter how clever Chao Yanqian's schemes were, he was still a weakling he could toy with at will.