Chapter 30: Orochimaru and Sasori
Land of Fire, on the road to the Land of Wind.
Hyuga Makoto, Kakashi, and the other two were moving at extreme speed. According to the latest intelligence, that Mysterious Person seemed to have already taken a mission at the black market.
They had to arrive as soon as possible before that guy's mission was completed; only then could they determine the opponent's identity as much as possible.
"I really didn't expect that Orochimaru would actually be backed by an organization."
Yamato couldn't help but lament as he ran.
"And Hokage-sama said 'comrade'. Could it be that he joined them?"
"Unclear. If that's really the case, it's too dangerous."
Kakashi pondered for a moment and sighed as well, and Uchiha Itachi nodded in agreement.
"Someone as arrogant as Orochimaru... for him to join, it must be something absolutely extraordinary."
"Indeed."
Yamato stroked his chin and looked curiously at Hyuga Makoto.
"Makoto, what do you think?"
"..."
I'm looking with my Byakugan!
Hyuga Makoto pursed his lips; he was thinking through some necessary details of this operation in depth.
Stealing from Danzo had required repeated consideration, and now he needed to be even more careful!
However, he had thought through most of it; the rest was just the specific execution.
So he shrugged and finally spoke.
"I was thinking about one thing: what exactly attracted Orochimaru to join this organization?"
"Attracted?"
Hyuga Makoto's words made the three of them pause, and he continued.
"Yes. After all, rumors say Orochimaru is obsessed with researching Ninjutsu and Kekkei Genkai. Since he is so arrogant, there must be a reason for him to join."
"If we look at it that way..."
Kakashi subconsciously touched his eye, remembering the moment he was defeated by Orochimaru back then.
At that time, Orochimaru had stared at his eye, only to shake his head disdainfully, calling him a 'fake' and showing no interest.
Moreover, the Third Hokage had said that one of them 'possesses extremely strong insight'!
Thinking of this, the look in Kakashi's eyes shifted slightly.
"I'm afraid something truly incredible must have attracted him to make him join!"
"Indeed."
Yamato nodded. He himself was one of Orochimaru's test subjects, and he had even carried out a mission to retrieve Kakashi's Sharingan.
Hyuga Makoto's words also reminded him that while Orochimaru wasn't Danzo, it was hard to say that Orochimaru wasn't also interested in the Sharingan!
Only Uchiha Itachi remained silent, though he understood these words perfectly.
He couldn't help but think of that guy from back then. Even though he hadn't seen the eyes clearly, he had a faint feeling that it seemed to be an Uchiha...
"It seems we should properly report this when we return."
Kakashi pondered for a long time before speaking to interrupt everyone's thoughts.
"But let's focus on the mission at hand first. We'll talk after this is handled."
"Yes!"
The three responded and then began to accelerate.
The Land of Rivers is located between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, serving as a buffer zone between the two great nations.
During wartime, it was a battlefield for the great powers, much like the Land of Grass.
However, unlike the Land of Grass, no Ninja Village emerged here. The Ninjas here were basically wandering Ninjas, Rogue Ninjas, and spies from various major Villages.
"But this godforsaken place is unexpectedly prosperous."
In a forest outside a small town in the Land of Grass, Hyuga Makoto looked at the dazzling array of casinos, izakayas, and brothels in the distance and couldn't help but comment.
"It's normal. This is a black market exchange point."
Kakashi also gazed at the small town from the side and said softly.
"These Ninjas have money after completing missions. Without the constraints of a Village, they naturally act out, which is why there are so many messy industries here."
So, do you only read those smutty books because you have constraints?
Hyuga Makoto glanced at Kakashi, wondering if he should give Kakashi a set of 'icha icha paradise'.
Despite these thoughts, Hyuga Makoto was very dedicated to the mission.
"Captain, I think we should split up for surveillance."
"Split up?"
Yamato was taken aback, while Uchiha Itachi nodded thoughtfully.
"I can see that this black market exchange is protected by a barrier. It seems very Advanced. Can't your Byakugan see through it?"
"Yes, it's indeed a very Advanced barrier."
Hyuga Makoto nodded. Konoha also had such barriers to prevent spying; otherwise, wouldn't every secret be dug out by the Byakugan?
Although the cost was extremely high, the black market was naturally willing to invest to protect secrets and privacy.
Moreover, in Hyuga Makoto's memory, it seemed that in the future, to deal with the Otsutsuki's Byakugan, smoke bombs that the Byakugan couldn't see through had even appeared...
"And this exchange has many entrances and exits; one can enter from any side. With the barrier blocking me, it's easy to miss some information."
"It seems we really do need to split up for surveillance."
Kakashi thought for a moment and immediately made the decision.
"Makoto, mark the areas you can see. We will stay within your line of sight. If anything happens, we'll notify you immediately, and if you encounter a problem..."
"I understand. I'll protect myself."
Hyuga Makoto nodded immediately. He couldn't wait for these good teammates of his to leave!
He had already thought through all those messy details very clearly; now he was going to pull off something big.
He just happened to want to see how much of a change his main storyline progression would get!
"Exclusive missions are obtained by pushing the main storyline. I wonder how much further I have to push it for a new exclusive to appear..."
Hyuga Makoto really hoped to see a new exclusive mission; it was the key to him becoming stronger!
"Time to prepare..."
After he drew the simple map and Kakashi's group of three quickly split up, Hyuga Makoto hid in the bushes and quietly took out a mask and a set of clothes.
This mask was made by himself. With the addition of Orochimaru's Sealing Jutsu, he had tested it himself and found that the Byakugan couldn't see through it!
The clothes were a white robe, and imitating the style of the Six Paths Sage, he had printed black Tomoe on both sides of the chest.
"Well, that's about it."
Activating Tsukimi-no-Mikoto and slightly drawing out the Chakra of the moon's Tenseigan, Hyuga Makoto used Yin Release and Yang Release to create another Shadow Clone.
Having finished these preparations, he nodded with satisfaction.
Now he just had to wait for Orochimaru and Sasori to appear. He also intended to test the bottom line of those people on the moon this time!
However, he also had one problem now.
"What should I call myself..."
...
"I heard you suffered a setback at the hands of Konoha Ninjas last time."
"I suppose so. After all, it was to preserve my assets. Unlike your Puppets of Puppets, which can be discarded at will once broken in battle."
In another part of the forest, Sasori and Orochimaru were heading towards the Land of Grass.
They didn't speak much along the way, but every time they did, it was sharp and confrontational.
"How laughable. A person like you treats every body as disposable after use, whereas my Puppets are eternal. How do you have the nerve to say such words?"
Sasori snorted, his gaze towards Orochimaru being very unfriendly, but Orochimaru didn't care at all.
"Eternal? Turning decaying flesh into eternal Puppets simply cannot compare to the eternity of the spirit."
"What a disgusting, rotten snake."
Sasori's voice grew colder. This conflict in ideology with Orochimaru meant they were destined not to get along.
If it weren't for Pain keeping them in check, the two of them would likely have started fighting long ago!
"Say what you will. Let's just finish the mission quickly."
Orochimaru licked his lips, also looking disdainful.
"I also have other things to do. And speaking of which, I really do want to study you."
"You can try."
"There will be a chance in the future..."
Their exchange basically ended there. Neither of them could be bothered to deal with the other anymore, both hoping to finish the mission quickly and part ways.
However, as they drew closer to the exchange in the small town, their pace slowed.
They were both powerful and possessed keen perception. Finally, they stopped in the forest.
"If I'm not mistaken, it's the tail you left behind last time. You really are an idiot."
Sasori spoke mockingly, while Orochimaru lightly licked his lips.
"Perhaps. Although there are some unclean things, still..."
"This time, we can clear them all out!"
The moment he finished speaking, Orochimaru instantly formed hand Seals.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow!"
In an instant, the ground shattered into countless fine grains of sand, which then surged crazily into the forest like a tide...
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