Excellent battle!
Orochimaru, leading several reanimated shinobi through his Edo Tensei technique, had indeed managed to create significant problems for Kakuzu, Hidan, and Deidara.
"Unfortunately, the rest of the Akatsuki organization will arrive soon."
Sitting cross-legged atop a white cloud, his Observation Haki covering the battle scene below, Shihouin Naraku watched the proceedings with considerable interest.
Although the combat between the shinobi was fierce, it hadn't lasted particularly long.
Moreover, all Akatsuki members were supremely confident and didn't believe Orochimaru could pose any real threat to them, so they hadn't rushed their journey.
This had delayed them somewhat, but they were finally arriving.
"Hold on—we can't let the pursuit team get too close just yet. The battle down there isn't finished and is still ongoing. If they become involved, it could become very troublesome."
Naraku glanced at the renewed fighting below, as well as the gradually approaching Akatsuki members and Jiraiya and Uzumaki Naruto, who remained hidden on the battlefield's outskirts.
Konoha's tracking team wasn't slow. If they continued at their current pace, they would arrive at the battle site simultaneously with the other Akatsuki members.
After all, they were traveling at maximum speed, unlike the leisurely pace maintained by the Akatsuki organization.
Since Shihouin Naraku, as their leader, had taken the initiative to reach the battlefield, his subordinates naturally didn't dare show any negligence. They had hurried the entire way and finally arrived.
But now wasn't the time for them to become involved!
Shaking his head, Naraku was about to order them to keep their distance when he suddenly changed his mind, deciding it would be acceptable for them to approach. "Let them proceed and reunite with Naruto.
It's the perfect opportunity to gather some information about Naruto from Jiraiya-sensei and report back to Tsunade upon their return."
"Move faster!"
Aburame Shihui's deep voice echoed through the forest, urging his teammates to increase their speed.
Naturally, they had all heard the distant explosions moments earlier. With such tremendous noise, the battle must have reached its most intense phase—they needed to reach the scene as quickly as possible.
Even though their primary specialty was reconnaissance, their combat abilities were far from lacking.
Because this mission involved Orochimaru, the tracking team led by Aburame Shihui consisted of three full jonin!
The main reason for such heavy staffing was Orochimaru's overwhelming power. Even for a tracking mission, ordinary shinobi weren't qualified to accept such a dangerous assignment.
Swish!
Just as the Konoha tracking team was racing through the forest, accelerating their journey, a figure appeared before them as if by instantaneous teleportation.
"Who's there?!"
"Naraku-sama!"
"Well, you made good time," Naraku said, standing on a large tree branch while observing the tracking team members. "The battle over there has already begun. We don't need you to get involved just yet."
"Naraku-sama, we—"
"Wait until I finish speaking." Naraku raised his hand to signal them not to interrupt, giving his orders directly: "I have a new mission for you now—protect Konoha's Nine-Tails jinchuriki, Uzumaki Naruto!"
What? Uzumaki Naruto is here?
When did he arrive?
Doesn't Konoha's Nine-Tails jinchuriki remain within the village?
The news that Jiraiya had taken Naruto away for external training hadn't spread widely. Except for a few high-ranking officials and people with special positions in Konoha, many villagers and shinobi still believed Naruto was growing up safely within the village.
Seeing the confused expressions on the faces of the shinobi before him, Naraku felt no need to explain further and stated directly: "Uzumaki Naruto and Jiraiya-sensei are currently positioned at the battle site's edge. With your sensory abilities, it should be easy to locate them both."
"Go quickly—you don't need to worry about me here."
"Yes, sir!"
Since Naraku, as their superior, had given such clear orders, Aburame Shihui had no choice but to comply and lead his team in the direction Naraku had indicated.
There was nothing problematic about this assignment. The Nine-Tails jinchuriki was indeed the individual requiring the most protection in all of Konoha Village.
If Orochimaru were to target Uzumaki Naruto, the consequences would be catastrophic.
So the perception team didn't hesitate for even a moment!
Watching his subordinates depart quickly, Naraku transformed into smoke with a poof and dissipated on the spot. This had been his shadow clone.
"Pervy Sage, what should we do now?"
Uzumaki Naruto suppressed his impatience, following Jiraiya's lead in concealing their position while watching the battle erupting in the distance.
According to his previous personality, he would have already leaped out to confront Orochimaru directly.
After all, Orochimaru had orchestrated Konoha's destruction and killed the Third Hokage. Uzumaki Naruto had long considered him a mortal enemy.
Fortunately, after extensive training under Jiraiya's guidance, Naruto had finally developed some self-control and learned to observe situations before acting.
"Stay quiet and let them continue fighting. We're not in any hurry."
Jiraiya pressed Naruto's head down to make him lower his profile. "People on both sides are dangerous—let them fight first, and we'll see what develops next."
This battle between Orochimaru and Akatsuki was revealing valuable information about both factions, and Jiraiya was thoroughly enjoying the intelligence-gathering opportunity.
To be honest, if he were left to deal with Orochimaru alone—even though their relationship had been clarified during their last confrontation—when it actually came to killing his former teammate, Jiraiya wasn't certain what choice he would make.
Now that the Akatsuki organization had appeared, letting them fight first would be beneficial regardless of which side suffered losses.
Orochimaru's nature went without saying. As for Akatsuki's methods, Jiraiya had gathered information during his travels throughout the ninja world. He knew they specialized in accepting cruel and dangerous war missions.
Looking at the Akatsuki members present, Jiraiya could tell without hesitation that this organization would be extremely difficult to deal with.
Therefore, whichever side lost would be an acceptable outcome for him.
"Jiraiya-sama!"
A whispered greeting sounded behind him, nearly startling the contemplative Jiraiya out of his skin. He spun around in alarm, only relaxing when he recognized familiar faces.
The perception team hadn't concealed their identities during this mission. With the entire world searching for Orochimaru, there was no need for them to operate in secret.
If other shinobi actually managed to capture or kill Orochimaru, they might even need to apply for bounty rewards from Konoha.
Of course, the chances of such an occurrence were minimal.
Precisely because they hadn't hidden their identities, Jiraiya immediately recognized them as Konoha shinobi.
He even knew several members of the team personally—some had previously served as his subordinates and accompanied him on missions.
This was why Jiraiya didn't doubt their authenticity.
"What brings you here?"
Jiraiya dispersed the Rasengan that had formed in his palm and gestured for Naruto to remain calm.
Why would Naruto be nervous? He wasn't nervous at all.
Having been away for so long without seeing any Konoha shinobi, he was actually quite excited.
If the timing weren't so inappropriate, Naruto would have had numerous questions for the people before him—such as the current status of his friends back in the village.
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