In the Land of Rice Fields, inside an underground laboratory.
Orochimaru stared at the scroll in his hand, his expression tinged with a peculiar mix of amusement and disdain.
"More Wood Release materials, along with some Sharingan specimens, in exchange for investigating Hanzo of the Salamander?"
Others might not know the truth, but having once been a part of the Akatsuki, Orochimaru understood all too well.
The kind of monsters hidden within the Land of Rain were no secret to him.
Back then, he had even harbored ambitions of seizing those Rinnegan eyes, only to be instantly countered and forced to retreat.
It was that very encounter that had led him to join the Akatsuki!
Even so, it hadn't been long after Itachi Uchiha joined that Orochimaru was unceremoniously expelled.
"With such terrifying individuals around, could Hanzo of the Salamander even still be alive?"
Orochimaru casually tossed the scroll aside. To him, it was obvious that the old man couldn't possibly still be breathing—especially considering he had personally been inside Amegakure before.
"Danzō really is handing me free gifts on a silver platter, isn't he?"
Knowing this information gave Orochimaru the upper hand. With Danzō footing the bill, he wasn't about to let this opportunity slip by.
Especially now, when he was short on funds after setting up his own Sound Village!
While betraying an ally might seem underhanded, Orochimaru knew Danzō was a moral black hole.
And besides, Orochimaru himself wasn't exactly brimming with ethics either.
"I'll have to squeeze more money out of him. Information on Hanzo doesn't come cheap."
The title of "Sannin," strictly speaking, wasn't exactly an honor.
Years ago, when he, Jiraiya, and Tsunade had fought Hanzo of the Salamander, they had been utterly outmatched.
It was only because Hanzo had hesitated to kill them—due to their identities and the political implications of slaughtering them after the Land of Rain had already been invaded—that they had survived.
Thus, the "Sannin" title was born, and Konohagakure and Amegakure reached a truce.
To Orochimaru, however, the title was more of a warning, a reminder of his failure—a lesson to never forget and to strive to change and make amends.
But he had never forgotten Hanzo.
Cough, cough!
As Orochimaru pondered, a sudden coughing sound from behind him caused him to frown slightly.
"Kimimaro, didn't I tell you to rest properly and stop wandering around?"
"Orochimaru-sama, I'm fine now."
Kimimaro slowly approached Orochimaru and bowed slightly.
"I want to take on more missions. Staying idle like this won't help me become a suitable vessel for you."
"..."
Hearing this, Orochimaru couldn't help but shake his head.
In Kimimaro's current condition, how could he possibly become a vessel?
Their recent encounter with Jiraiya had left Kimimaro in even worse shape after he used the Dance of the Seedling Fern.
And according to Jūgo, that kid they had faced wasn't just strong in combat—
"He's also incredibly clever?"
Kimimaro had been outmaneuvered when the opponent carved his own face onto an Earth Style Wall, leaving Kimimaro with no way to attack effectively. The kid had then taken the opportunity to launch a sneak attack!
Even Orochimaru didn't know whether to laugh or be angry when he heard this.
"But this can't go on."
Looking at Kimimaro's calm yet resolute expression, Orochimaru frowned, deep in thought.
Kabuto Yakushi's medical skills were commendable, but he was currently in Konohagakure and couldn't solve Kimimaro's condition anyway.
While Orochimaru himself was conducting research, he was no closer to a solution.
The stronger Kimimaro became, the more his Shikotsumyaku drained his life force.
At this rate, Kimimaro would likely succumb to his own abilities within a few years.
"Perhaps... there really is someone who can do something about this?"
Suddenly, an idea struck Orochimaru. He stroked his chin, pondering seriously for a moment.
After a while, he made a decision. Turning to Kimimaro, he smiled.
"It seems you and I need to make a move. Perhaps your condition can still be improved..."
"Oh? Orochimaru-sama has agreed?"
Meanwhile, back in Konohagakure, inside the Root base.
Danzō Shimura was anxiously awaiting Orochimaru's reply. He had even gone so far as to preemptively leak some information.
In order to gain enough prestige, he was willing to take risks!
Of course, leaking information wasn't too big of an issue; only a select few were privy to it.
If Orochimaru refused, he could always send Jiraiya to deal with him...
"But this time, he's asking for too much."
Danzō frowned as he looked at the documents in his hand. Sometimes he wondered if Orochimaru was a "funds thief."
Over the years of their collaboration, Danzō had funneled countless resources into Orochimaru's research, yet many of these experiments had yielded no results.
It was frustrating, to say the least.
"At least not all of his research has been fruitless..."
Glancing at his right hand, Danzō sighed. Orochimaru was undeniably talented.
The uncontrollable power of Wood Release was something Danzō had witnessed firsthand. Otherwise, only "Subject Zero" would have survived the experiments, while all the others perished.
Yet Orochimaru had found a way to suppress the wild nature of Wood Release using the Sharingan. The combination of these two powers had given Danzō a significant edge.
Perhaps that was why he continued to support Orochimaru's bottomless pit of research.
"Whatever. As long as he's willing to go, that's what matters."
Shaking his head, Danzō decided not to dwell on his "missing funds."
The money was already spent—what else could he do?
Besides, Orochimaru's willingness to act was a definite win for him.
Orochimaru could investigate Hanzo's situation, lure Jiraiya into the mix, and still escape unscathed—Danzō had absolute confidence in his abilities.
"This way, I'll secure intelligence, learn about Hanzo's status, and cause Jiraiya to fail.
A three-pronged win!"
Danzō was convinced this was the most reliable plan.
At worst, he could leak some information to Orochimaru, such as "Konohagakure has detected his whereabouts."
He still needed Orochimaru for future research—he couldn't let Jiraiya capture him entirely.
"After all, that kid following Kakashi and Jiraiya knows the Flying Thunder God Technique."
The thought of Kitagawa Minamoto made Danzō uneasy. Why hadn't he discovered such a talent earlier?
If he had known about the boy's potential, he would have brought him into Root long ago!
But now, it was too late. There was nothing he could do.
"Ultimately, it's because I'm not the Hokage..."
"This time, I must stop Jiraiya. This is my only chance!"
While Danzō schemed in the shadows and Orochimaru prepared to act, Kitagawa Minamoto found himself reluctantly standing at the village gates, watching a certain blond troublemaker leave.
"Kitagawa Minamoto! You'd better remember this—I'll definitely be back!"
Deidara stood atop a giant white clay bird, waving dramatically at Minamoto.
Only after Kitsuchi hurried him along did he finally take off, flying away from Konohagakure.
"Finally, he's gone."
Minamoto muttered softly as he watched the bird disappear into the distance.
Beside him, Jiraiya chuckled.
"Thanks to that kid, a lot of things have become simpler. We've also confirmed quite a bit."
"True, but unfortunately, Iwagakure doesn't seem to know much about the Akatsuki. The information we've gained is limited."
Kakashi nodded in agreement. At least now they knew the mysterious organization they were tracking was called the Akatsuki.
An organization that operated near Iwagakure's borders, taking on war-related and black-market missions.
Its members were incredibly powerful and shrouded in mystery.
"Still, at least they've lost one client, haven't they?"
Minamoto chimed in thoughtfully.
"And with what happened involving Deidara, Iwagakure probably won't let them off the hook."
"That's true. We've also identified some of their general activity areas."
Jiraiya rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought.
"They're likely operating in the surrounding smaller nations, but there are so many near Iwagakure. It's hard to pinpoint them."
"Exactly. The Land of Hot Water, the Land of Grass, the Land of Rain, the Land of Birds, the Land of Bears, and even the Land of Demons—the range is just too broad."
Kakashi furrowed his brow.
"But the Land of Rain has Hanzo of the Salamander, and the Land of Waterfalls has the Seven-Tails. They probably wouldn't dare act recklessly in those places, right?"
You just ruled out the correct answer...
Minamoto forced a smile but understood that Kakashi's reasoning was sound.
The Akatsuki had remained hidden for so long largely because of Hanzo's formidable reputation.
The "Demi-God" title wasn't just for show. With Amegakure being so isolated, it was nearly impossible for outsiders to investigate.
"Forget it. Let's not dwell on them for now."
Jiraiya slapped his cheeks lightly, trying to shake off his concerns.
Though he was anxious, he knew the importance of intelligence. It was better to act after gathering more information.
"First, let's focus on our current task. The old man agrees that bringing Tsunade back is necessary.
She probably won't agree easily, but it's worth a try. Besides, we've been on edge for so long—we need to relax a bit.
So, let's treat this mission as a vacation! I'll take you guys on a proper trip!"
"Really?!"
Minamoto's eyes lit up, his face breaking into a wide grin.
While he had no ulterior motives, he couldn't resist the idea of soaking in a hot spring. Surely, they wouldn't deny him that, right?
"Of course. But whether they let you in or not isn't my problem."
Jiraiya smirked mischievously, glancing at Kakashi, whose eyes were already rolling in exasperation.
"If they don't let you in, well, rules are rules."
"Got it, got it."
Minamoto nodded eagerly, then turned his gaze to Kakashi.
"Don't worry, Kakashi-sensei. My Transformation Jutsu is pretty good. Even Obito Uchiha didn't notice it. I'll just transform into you!"
"...?!"
"If that doesn't work, I'll transform into the Fourth Hokage. After all, I can use the Flying Thunder God Technique too."
"..."
Minamoto's words left both Jiraiya and Kakashi speechless.
They exchanged a glance, each silently blaming the other for failing to properly educate this kid.
After a long pause, Jiraiya suddenly spoke, his tone laced with mischief.
"Minamoto, here's a suggestion. Why not transform into the old man?"
"...?!"
Both Minamoto and Kakashi stared at Jiraiya in disbelief.
But Jiraiya remained calm, adding slowly,
"After all, he wouldn't know. And he wouldn't blame you, right?"
"..."
(End of Chapter)
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