Swish! Swish!
"This way."
Inuzuka Kiba led the way, his nose twitching as he quickly determined the direction the enemies had taken.
Shikamaru and the others quickly followed.
Naruto's face was grim.
He absolutely had to bring Sasuke back.
Bang! Bang!
On the way, it seemed the Otogakure Ninja ahead had realized they were being tracked.
They had set traps along the path.
However, all four of them had undergone Satoru's true battlefield training and had been 'killed' by traps countless times.
They quickly dealt with the traps and continued their pursuit.
Inuzuka Kiba only needed to twitch his nose to smell where something had been tampered with.
If not, Akamaru was there to assist.
Bang!
Another explosive tag trap was detonated by them.
"Heh, it seems my training wasn't entirely useless after all!"
Satoru watched how they dismantled the traps. The fluid, seamless way they did it showed that his training had indeed been effective.
From the way the Sound Four set their traps, it was clear they hadn't encountered Special Jonin like Shiranui Genma as in the original story.
Otherwise, the Sound Four would be in a weakened state and wouldn't have the energy to set so many traps.
But since the Sound Four hadn't encountered Shiranui Genma, their speed would be faster.
"They should be able to catch up and fight. After all, they are people I've trained. Their speed in dismantling traps is already much higher than other teams."
Whoosh!
Satoru removed all traces of his presence, including his scent, and continued to pursue.
His four clones followed closely.
Having a lot of Chakra is just that convenient...
Konoha.
Tsunade arrived at Lee's home.
She called him out.
"Hokage-sama."
Upon seeing Tsunade, Lee became solemn.
"There are no more problems with your body, are there?"
Tsunade asked.
It had been some time since Lee's surgery.
She had come personally this time to check Lee's body and see if he could provide support.
After all, support from Sunagakure might be a bit slow.
Lee replied, "Thanks to Hokage-sama's treatment, combined with Captain Satoru's assistance, my body has returned to its former state. Not only can I train, but I can even open the Eight Gates again without issue."
At this moment, his eyes shone.
It was the light of hope.
He was a miracle.
"Is that so? His technique, though costly, is quite effective!"
Tsunade praised.
After she completed Lee's surgery, he was supposed to rest for a period to recover.
But Satoru intervened, using Genjutsu to accelerate Lee's body's self-healing ability.
Unlike the normal treatment methods of medical Ninja that stimulate cell division, Satoru allowed Lee's body to undergo normal self-healing and division, which was not as aggressive as medical Ninjutsu. It only required a few secret medicines, each costing tens of thousands of ryo.
She had initially thought that even with this, Lee would need some time to recuperate, but it seemed he was already able to move.
"I have an urgent mission for you..."
Tsunade recounted the mission again.
Lee listened without hesitation, and after preparing the necessary Ninja tools, he vanished with a Body Flicker.
Only then did Tsunade feel relieved.
She would have been more at ease if a Jonin had gone to execute it.
But there was no other way.
Konoha indeed needed defensive power to deal with potential attacks.
Uchiha Sasuke was important, but Konoha's rear was even more important...
Orochimaru's secret base in the Land of Rice Fields.
This place was different from the main base of the Village Hidden in the Sound in the Land of Rice Fields. Orochimaru used a 'light under the lamp is dark' approach, successfully evading the pursuit of Shibi Aburame's forces.
"Kabuto, I have a bad feeling. I'm afraid you'll have to act."
Orochimaru didn't know why, but he had a feeling that the Sound Four's mission wouldn't go too smoothly, so he told Kabuto.
Kabuto, shaking the medicine in his hand, paused.
"Lord Orochimaru, you are too kind. But if I leave, your body..." Kabuto hesitated.
Everything concerning Orochimaru was currently being taken care of by him.
"Cough, cough, don't underestimate me too much, and your going there shouldn't take too much time either."
Orochimaru coughed a few times and said.
"I need to perform the reincarnation in half a day at the latest.
I won't feel at ease without you there."
Kabuto's eyes lit up upon hearing this. "In that case, I'll go now."
"Take Kimimaro with you."
"That's exactly what I was thinking."
Kabuto had already planned to take Kimimaro. For Lord Orochimaru's reincarnation vessel, failure was not an option.
Cough, cough!
After Kabuto left, Orochimaru's face again showed signs of pain.
"Is this body almost done for? Sasuke, hurry..."
...Thump! Thump!
Kabuto passed through numerous tunnels and arrived at a secret room.
A person was lying there.
His body was covered with instruments and Sealing Techniques, and he could be seen shirtless.
"Kabuto-sensei, is it Lord Orochimaru? Is something wrong?"
Kimimaro's peripheral vision fell on Kabuto.
"Yes, I'm sorry, Kimimaro. You have another mission this time.
It might also be your last mission." Kabuto said.
Kimimaro's face showed a gentle smile upon hearing this. "Is that so? Then let me use this broken body to do one last thing for Lord Orochimaru. I'll be very happy if Lord Orochimaru can obtain a better body."
"Heh heh, it's not just you; I'll be going on this mission with you too."
Kabuto hadn't expected Orochimaru to send him out at such a critical moment for his body's reincarnation.
Was it because of that Satoru again?
This was Kabuto's guess based on his many years of experience as a spy.
"Even Kabuto-sensei is being sent out. It seems this mission won't be easy."
Kimimaro was also a bit shocked to hear this.
Kabuto-sensei was Lord Orochimaru's favorite assistant, and to be sent out at this critical moment was surprising.
Kabuto went to a nearby computer and operated it for a while. Numerous screens appeared, showing many experimental subjects.
He spoke into the microphone above: "Fight among yourselves. I will release all the clan members of the last one remaining."
The experimental subjects in the footage paused for a moment upon hearing the voice.
Then, a bloodthirsty glint erupted in their eyes.
Kabuto didn't continue watching.
"Kimimaro, let's go."
Kabuto turned and said to Kimimaro, then walked out the door.
Kimimaro tore off the instruments on his body and followed him out.
"Kabuto-sensei, wouldn't wasting experimental subjects like this put a lot of pressure on you, even?"
Kimimaro remembered the scene just now.
Qualified experimental subjects were hard to find.
Kabuto pushed up his glasses upon hearing this. "Hmm, but to prevent any accidents, even if it's a bit wasteful, there's no other way. We can't be sure if we can bring Uchiha Sasuke back before Lord Orochimaru's reincarnation."
"Kabuto-sensei is very thoughtful." Kimimaro had no objection to this.
Lord Orochimaru was indeed in a difficult situation right now. What if they couldn't return?
Lord Orochimaru could still use a qualified reincarnation vessel.
"Adjust your mindset. Our enemies this time might be Konoha's elites."
Kabuto's lips curved into a smile.