Late at night, still at that bridge, still wearing the face of that samurai.
Orochimaru had been waiting for a long time.
Finally, the disguised Masahiko emerged from the water.
Orochimaru spoke with a half-smile, "Masahiko-kun, framing someone... isn't something collaborators should do, is it?"
"Orochimaru-sama, you have so many troubles that one more shouldn't bother you."
Masahiko replied with a smile.
"I'm not afraid, but I don't like being used. Of course..."
Orochimaru sneered, "If Masahiko-kun can satisfy my curiosity, I'll help with this for free."
"It's actually quite simple. I've read your Body Softening Technique notes and researched some soft-body techniques. I've had some success recently."
Masahiko answered.
As he spoke, he gave a brief demonstration.
Seeing this, Orochimaru said thoughtfully, "Training body flexibility... but even so, this should be very difficult to achieve, right?"
"It is difficult, so it requires some body activation techniques."
Masahiko didn't "hide" anything.
Orochimaru had clearly researched this as well; upon hearing this, he immediately understood how it was done.
Using Lightning Release to stimulate body activity.
He couldn't help but sigh, "After I found out about this news, I suspected you immediately. I didn't expect you to frame someone in such a way..."
"You really are a genius."
Orochimaru shook his head slightly, with a hint of regret, "You refuse to come with me, otherwise I could make you grow even faster."
"I'm already very satisfied with how things are now."
Masahiko's smile made it impossible to tell if he was being genuine.
Orochimaru didn't linger, only leaving behind a message: "As a bonus, Uchiha Itachi has arrived as well."
"Understood."
Masahiko's figure vanished without a trace... At the Kyoto guesthouse.
Kurenai Yuhi paced back and forth.
Orochimaru in Kyoto... this news made her, who was already worried, even more restless.
She was only a Special Jonin.
Even with Masahiko, the two of them together couldn't possibly defeat one of the Sannin.
Especially since... for some reason, Masahiko wasn't here tonight.
With her sensory abilities and the understanding of Masahiko she had built up over this time, she was certain the person in the Room was not Yagyu Masahiko.
She bit her lip, thinking of a plan.
Just then, a sound came from outside the door: "Kurenai, not asleep yet?"
Her eyes lit up at the sound, and after sensing carefully, she immediately opened the door.
Masahiko stood outside. Seeing Kurenai Yuhi in her Ninja flak jacket, he knew he probably hadn't fooled her.
"Talk outside?"
"Come in."
Kurenai Yuhi pulled him inside, closed the door, and asked in a low voice, "Where did you go?"
"I went to check on Kazuma's side and almost got caught. Fortunately, I only used a Shadow Clone to investigate."
Masahiko replied.
He paused for a moment and said, "The person in the Room is an Anbu protecting Naruto. I reached an agreement with him during our interaction earlier today."
Kurenai became tense and scolded, "Do you know Orochimaru is in Kyoto? If you ran into him, would you have a life to escape with?"
"Orochimaru is in Kyoto?"
Masahiko feigned shock.
Kurenai nodded gravely, "And it's very likely Shisui is in Kyoto too... They might have teamed up."
"Two S-rank Rogue Ninjas... this is no longer something we can handle."
Masahiko's expression turned serious.
Kurenai sighed, clearly agreeing.
She pursed her lips, "Do you think we should take Naruto back to Konoha?"
"It's not realistic. Since they let Naruto come here, they won't let him leave easily."
Masahiko shook his head and analyzed seriously, "Correspondingly, Hokage-sama and the others wouldn't have agreed to let Naruto come to Kyoto without being prepared."
Kurenai's originally anxious heart gradually calmed down.
"You mean?"
"Hokage-sama must have other arrangements. Kakashi-senpai should be here too, right?"
Masahiko said.
Kurenai nodded slightly, "The news about Orochimaru was brought to me by Kakashi."
"Asuma and Jiraiya-senpai are all here; we have a common enemy."
Masahiko patiently reassured her.
Then, he frowned slightly, "What we need to worry about now is the attitude of the Radical Faction. If Orochimaru's presence in Kyoto is related to them..."
"I think there's no need to worry about that anymore."
A voice came from outside the door.
Kurenai opened the door.
Kakashi stood at the door, looking at the two of them. He couldn't help but chuckle softly, "You two are quite in sync."
"What's the situation?"
Kurenai asked urgently.
Then, she glanced next door, "I set up a Barrier for Naruto; he can't hear."
Kakashi said, "The Nobles pooled their money to hire many Ninjas. Orochimaru and Uchiha Shisui seem to be among them."
"What do they want to do?"
Kurenai felt much more alert after hearing this.
Such a lineup... a rebellion?
She took a deep breath and asked, "Then what do we do?"
Kakashi glanced at Masahiko.
Masahiko lowered his gaze and remained silent.
Kakashi was silent for a few seconds before saying, "Let's see what the other side wants to do first."
...The next day, Kurenai rushed over to sync the news with Asuma and the others.
Naruto was training in the courtyard, feeling increasingly bored. He wanted to go back to Konoha every day to run and train with his friends.
Originally, they were supposed to visit a school today.
However... because of Kitako's death, the Daimyo and the Aristocratic Faction also felt something was wrong, and for a moment, they stopped their movements.
Masahiko stayed with Naruto and didn't go anywhere during the day.
He believed that without any further push from him, conflicts would naturally arise between the two factions.
What Masahiko needed to do was give them a final nudge at the end, then harvest and take away the people he needed.
For this, he needed to prepare some Shadow Clones in advance.
He was closing his eyes to rest and recover.
Suddenly, a voice came from outside.
Kurenai rushed over.
"This is bad!"
She arrived using Body Flicker, glanced at Naruto, and then looked at Masahiko. "Xidu and the others found Kazuma's hideout outside the city and have already gone to find him!"
"What does Asuma mean?"
Masahiko asked calmly.
Kurenai said, "He hopes we can help save Xidu and the others."
"He and Jiraiya have already gone?"
"Yes."
Kurenai nodded.
Masahiko thought for a moment and asked, "Do you have any sealing scrolls?"
"Yes."
Kurenai nodded.
Masahiko created a Shadow Clone and sealed it into the scroll.
"I'll leave this Shadow Clone with you. If something happens, you can use it to cover your retreat."
"Sensei..."
Naruto could also tell that something had happened in Kyoto and couldn't help but feel a little nervous—
Especially realizing that Masahiko might be leaving.
"It's fine, I'm just going to take a look."
Masahiko comforted him.
Naruto swallowed hard and said, "Sensei, I... I want to go too!"
Kurenai was stunned for a moment and looked at Masahiko.
Masahiko looked up slightly at the nearby roof.
On the roof, the hidden Kakashi appeared and gave him a "go ahead" signal.
Only then did the two nod, "Then let's go together."
Masahiko grabbed Naruto and instantly left the guesthouse, running toward the east of the city—
This was the temporary staying place for Kazuma and his group that Kurenai had mentioned.
However.
Just as they reached the outskirts, before they even arrived at the place Kurenai mentioned... not far ahead, a figure slowly emerged from the ground.
Once the figure appeared, the other party sneered, "Is it just the few of you?"
"Orochimaru!"
Masahiko gripped the hilt of his sword, his expression grave. "What do you want to do?"
"Heh heh, I just want to take something. Step aside, I don't want to kill anyone."
Orochimaru walked step by step toward Uzumaki Naruto.
Naruto's eyes were filled with fear, and his whole body was frozen in place.
Kurenai swallowed hard and couldn't help but take a step back, then she reacted... What am I doing?
I actually backed away in fear!
She couldn't help but feel ashamed and angry, the veins on her hand gripping the Kunai bulging.