"Orochimaru?"
Shisui muttered softly, a flicker of interest appearing in his usually calm eyes.
Orochimaru — one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha.
Along with Jiraiya and Tsunade, he was a student of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage. All three of them were among the strongest ninja in the village.
Shisui even believed their strength had likely surpassed Hiruzen's. Even if not, they were definitely on the same level.
That's why...
He was curious to meet this man — a powerful rogue ninja who defected from Konoha.
A man whose experiments were going well until Hiruzen shut them down. Orochimaru ended up taking all the blame.
He must really hold a grudge against the Third Hokage.
"With how simple-minded Hayashi is, even after traveling the ninja world for over a year, there's no way he can outsmart Orochimaru," Genya murmured with a faint smile.
If Hayashi hadn't been clever enough to realize something was off about the deal with Orochimaru — and hadn't warned the merchant guild to notify him — he probably would've walked right into the trap.
Even if Hayashi used his full strength, he might not have escaped. Orochimaru might not even give him a chance to fight seriously.
"In Konoha's records, Orochimaru is described as cunning and treacherous. When it comes to schemes, Hayashi is no match for him," Shisui said, nodding thoughtfully.
Ever since joining the Anbu, Shisui had been told time and again by the Third Hokage how dangerous and deceitful Orochimaru was — how he eventually betrayed the village.
So it was second nature for him to assume the worst of Orochimaru.
"Heh... compared to Orochimaru, the Third might be even more calculating," Genya added under his breath.
After all, those experiments were originally done by Hiruzen, Danzo, and Orochimaru together... yet in the end, only Orochimaru was punished.
"Maybe so."
Uchiha Shisui nodded, then caught up to Genya.
Orochimaru's base.
"You're pretty punctual, Wood Ox."
Orochimaru stood at the entrance of his base, watching as the slowly approaching figure came into view. A faint smile curled at the corner of his lips.
Wood Ox had arrived on time, just as promised.
Standing beside Orochimaru were several others. In the front were Jūgo and Kimimaro, while behind them stood two men in long black cloaks, their expressions solemn.
One of them looked especially serious—his eyes even had traces of tears beneath them.
He wore a completely composed and serious expression.
Next to him stood someone rather unique—his face had rough, grayish-blue skin like a shark, complete with the same kind of ridges.
Even his teeth were jagged and sharp, like a saw. When he saw Wood Ox appear, he grinned, flashing a mouthful of lethal-looking fangs that glinted coldly in the light, making him look truly fierce.
On his back was a large sword wrapped tightly in white cloth—it looked unusual and deadly.
These two were none other than Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki of the Akatsuki, brought here as Orochimaru's hidden trump card.
With three Akatsuki members acting together, even someone as strong as Wood Ox wouldn't be able to escape.
"I've heard from Itachi that Wood Release is the strongest jutsu in the ninja world. I've been dying to see it for myself." Kisame licked his dry lips, eager and restless as he stared at Wood Ox.
The thirst for battle was practically pouring out of him.
Right now, with Samehada on his back, Kisame was like a tailless Tailed Beast. Unless his opponent had insanely strong physical power, they wouldn't stand a chance.
Even capturing actual Tailed Beasts wasn't beyond him.
{Kisame once fought Killer Bee and even held the upper hand!}
"This isn't your fight to start, Kisame." Orochimaru noticed the excitement in Kisame and gave a quick warning.
These two were his reinforcements—if Kisame acted on his own and Wood Ox escaped, it would ruin everything.
"I know." Kisame muttered quietly, falling silent again.
Step. Step. Step.
Footsteps echoed closer. All eyes locked firmly on Wood Ox.
"Orochimaru, does our bet still count?"
As soon as Hayashi arrived, he noticed everyone present—especially Uchiha Itachi. The moment he saw Itachi, his expression grew more serious.
Uchiha Itachi—the traitor who slaughtered the Uchiha Clan that night. He never expected to see him here, standing by Orochimaru's side.
Hayashi narrowed his eyes.
It looked like Orochimaru had no intention of honoring the bet. Even if Hayashi won, Orochimaru wouldn't let him go that easily.
"Of course. If you can defeat Kimimaro and Jugo, they're free to leave with you," Orochimaru said with a smile, locking eyes with Hayashi.
He'd only promised that Kimimaro and Jugo could go with him—not that Hayashi himself could leave. If he couldn't get out of here, then the others wouldn't leave either.
"Fine. Then let's begin. I don't have much time," Hayashi said, eyes locked with Orochimaru's, staying alert.
If any of them made a move against him, he'd escape immediately.
Off to the side, Itachi stared quietly at Kimimaro. His Sharingan eyes were searching—
Is that really Senju Hayashi?
He looked familiar.
But Itachi hadn't interacted much with Genya before, so it was just a guess.
Senju Hayashi...
Meanwhile,
While everyone was focused on the bet—Orochimaru, Itachi, and the rest staring at Hayashi—no one noticed two figures hiding behind a rock a kilometer away.
One wore a monkey mask.
The other, a tiger mask.
It was Genya and Shisui, arriving a bit late.
They were still a kilometer out, but with their Sharingan, they could clearly see everything going on.
Genya didn't even need to activate his Dual Pupil.
"Looks like we got here just in time to enjoy the show," Genya said casually, a faint smile on his face as he looked at the group in the distance.
He even felt like testing how strong Hayashi had become.
After being away for a year, he wasn't sure how strong Hayashi was now. Had he improved?
The people on the other side didn't look easy to deal with.
"...Itachi?" Uchiha Shisui's eyes widened as he noticed the figure standing across from him.
He couldn't stay calm. Itachi was here too.
At that moment, Shisui's heart was filled with complicated emotions.
Before seeing Itachi, he had always told himself—if he ever saw him again, he'd demand answers.
Why did he attack their clan?
Why did he betray the Uchiha?
But now that they were face to face, he didn't know what to do anymore.
Should he rush over and confront him?
Or...
A thought stirred in Shisui's heart, urging him to make a decision.
"Just sit back and watch. You'll have plenty of time to talk to him later," Genya said casually, clearly sensing the turmoil in Shisui's heart.
He leaned lazily against a boulder nearby, calmly watching what would happen next.
Shisui took a deep breath after hearing Genya's words and settled his emotions.
Right... they had a mission to complete first. He'd have time to talk to Itachi later.
Although, now that he thought about it, maybe it didn't matter anymore.
He already had a good idea of what Itachi would say.
Still... he wanted to hear it from Itachi himself.
****
Support me on my patreon and read upto 15 early chapters.
https://www.patreon.com/AniScout