A few days later, Orochimaru left Konoha and headed to Sunagakure to begin preparations.
Nighttime.
Gaara sat alone on the rooftop, gazing at the full moon in the sky.
His expression twisted into something feral as he muttered, "Every full moon... that beast's blood stirs inside me..."
Massive amounts of sand surged over Gaara's body, forming spindly tendrils that tore through the rooftop.
Suddenly—
The tendrils scattered into loose grains, cascading onto the roof surface like falling dust.
Gaara struggled to catch his breath.
Chinya and Baki stood side by side, watching as Gaara gradually regained control atop the rooftop.
Chinya sneered, "Your Sunagakure sealing techniques are pathetic. The jinchuriki loses control every time he sleeps, possessed by the tailed beast within."
Baki bristled but replied, "Indeed, compared to Konoha's sealing techniques, ours do fall short a bit."
As Chinya and Baki spoke, Hayate Gekko—the first supplementary exam proctor and also a tokubetsu jonin—crouched in the shadows, listening intently.
Hayate furrowed his brows. How did Aranori, the Otogakure team leader, know Baki so well? And they were even standing together so casually.
And there was a jinchuriki too...
Was that red-haired boy the jinchuriki from Sunagakure?
Baki asked, "Has Otogakure completed its preparations? Our village is already set to move into the Land of Fire. We only have about twenty days left before the plan starts. I hope nothing unexpected happens."
Chinya glanced at Gaara's retreating figure and said, "Of course we're ready—we sought you out for this alliance. Naturally, we'll handle our end. But you'd better not falter when it matters most."
Baki grunted, "Sunagakure won't disappoint. Choosing such an exposed place for secret talks—if anything leaks out, the entire plan to destroy Konoha will collapse."
Nearby, hidden in the dark, Hayate's face went rigid.
Destroy Konoha plan?!
Baki narrowed his eyes at the man beside him. "Still... it's hard to believe. Both you and Orochimaru come from Konoha. The Crimson-Eyed Asura and one of the Sannin plotting Konoha's downfall..."
Chinya smiled coldly. "This Konoha has grown rotten to its core. Isn't toppling it only natural? Even if it weren't us, someone else would eventually tear it down. Perhaps one day, even your Sunagakure will reach this same fate."
A look of horror crossed Hayate's face.
Crimson-Eyed Asura... Orochimaru's master?
Chinya and Orochimaru?!
Hayate's heart pounded violently, his muscles coiled tight with tension.
Otogakure's team leader, Aranori, was Chinya. Then who was the other team leader, Yagidatsu? Was he really Orochimaru?
Baki spoke confidently, "Sunagakure won't follow Konoha's path. But what about those two Otogakure ninjas whose identities you've taken over—are they still alive? If so, they might cause unforeseen problems."
Chinya turned his gaze toward the moonlit sky. "What a foolish question. Obviously, they're long dead—there's no way they could've survived."
Maki said carefully, "This whole thing's risky for Sunagakure, so naturally we need to be careful. There's one more thing I have to make clear with you—if the plan runs into trouble, we pull out immediately. This was your plan with Orochimaru from the start, and Sunagakure will only step in once we confirm everything's going smoothly. That's Kazekage-sama's order."
Gekko Hayate now wore a deeply grim expression.
He never imagined that Wind Country, as an allied nation, would secretly collude with two major missing-nins from Konoha—Chinya and Orochimaru—and even take over the identities of Otogakure team leaders, both Jonin.
He had to report this to Hokage-sama—immediately.
Chinya glanced sideways at Maki and said, "So that's how it is. That's why your Sunagakure will never surpass Konoha. You're always hesitating and backing down, achieving nothing. True, Konoha also hesitates plenty—but look at their resources. Even while hesitating, they keep growing stronger.
Anyway, the plan will go off without a hitch. No need to worry. And these little pests here? I'll handle them myself. After all, you're being extra cautious, right?"
Maki stepped forward. "No. Let me do it. Sand ninja aren't cowards who hesitate and back down like you described. Since we're working together now, I can't just stand by while my partner takes action alone. Besides, there are only two tiny rats. Easy job!"
"That smaller rat isn't yours to deal with. Leave it to me."
Hayate instantly realized he'd been discovered and used the Body Flicker Technique to escape.
Maki immediately pursued using the same technique.
Chinya turned his gaze toward the moonlit sky with a sigh. "Actually, tonight's moon looks pretty good. A shame though… Come out now. You've watched long enough."
Sasuke Uchiha emerged from behind a pillar.
Sasuke glared at Chinya. "You really are… Chinya."
Chinya lowered his eyes toward Sasuke, sending chills down Sasuke's spine.
Chinya gave a faint smirk. "You say 'really'? So you suspected it already? How did you figure it out?"
Sasuke forced himself to stay calm as he spoke. "You're not just impersonating an Otogakure Jonin—you're actually a member of Otogakure yourself…"
Sasuke told Chinya about the suspicions he'd formed back in the Land of Waves.
Chinya clapped slowly. "Not bad for a brat. You've got some sense. Just from noticing Kakashi's Thunder Breathing and Naruto's Wind Breathing, you figured it all out. Everything you guessed—spot on. But still…"
Chinya activated his triple tomoe Sharingan, locking eyes with Sasuke. His heart pounded, and Sasuke stumbled back unconsciously.
Chinya's icy stare sharpened. "Are you really so confident standing right here before me? Thinking I won't kill you? You know far too many secrets. Where did you get the courage to confront me like this?"
Sasuke's skin prickled with dread, his body trembling uncontrollably as death loomed near.
Sasuke Uchiha spoke with a trembling voice, "I—I wrote down everything I suspected on a scroll. If I don't come back in an hour... it'll end up right in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi! You said you were a Jonin from Otogakure to Sunagakure... which means you're trying to hide your ties to them—because if Konoha finds out about this, they'll go straight for Otogakure!"
A snake coiled around Chinya's hand and spat out a scroll. Chinya smiled and asked, "You mean this one?"
Sasuke Uchiha stared at the scroll in Chinya's hand in disbelief, his eyes narrowing into pinpricks.
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