"This matches the blueprints Dragon gave me," Jiraiya said, smoothing the paper across the rickety table in the safe house. Around him, Kakashi, Danzo, Tobirama, and Daichi peered over the various documents scattered atop the table.
"This route here," Kakashi said, pointing to a narrow line drawn in faded ink, "it connects these old trade roads to a series of hidden tunnels indicated in the warlord's blueprints. If we assume the Finance Minister's shipments passed through there…"
Jiraiya nodded, tracing the path with a fingertip. "Right. That would mean they'd be heading west, into this region of rocky terrain."
Tobirama stood slightly apart from them, arms folded. "The terrain is difficult. Maze-like caverns, according to the warlord's intel. It's the perfect place for someone like Orochimaru to hide."
Danzo leaned forward, his single visible eye studying the map intently. "And patrol ninjas from the Hidden Stone village don't frequent that area. It's under the Finance Minister's direct jurisdiction. If there are no curious eyes, it'd be easy to set up a hidden facility."
Daichi was silent, absorbing their words and cross-referencing them with what he knew. 'All the information points to that western section. The memories from the minister also point to this location… So that's where Orochimaru built his lab huh. It's a few hours away, maybe five or six at most. Everything's coming together. Hang on a little bit longer sensei, Shizune senpai. We're coming'
The Genin's gaze drifted across the table. At that moment he spotted a loose sheet of paper rustling in the faint breeze coming through the open window. In a sudden gust of wind, the paper flew from the table and landed at Daichi's feet. He bent down and picked it up.
[Congratulations. You have encountered a Lucky break.]
Suddenly out of nowhere his system sent a message which surprised Daichi. 'What the? A lucky break? The system says this is a lucky break? Why would this be considered a lucky break?'
He frowned and began reading the document carefully. It was the intelligence report Jiraiya got from his contact. It was details about the auction that occurred a few months ago. The Finance Minister lost the land rights to the Intelligence Minister in that event. At first glance, it seemed irrelevant to Orochimaru's plans.
'Why would my system point this out? Why is this my Lucky break?'
While Daichi was pondering the reasons as to why the system is pointing him towards this paper, Kakashi glanced at his student? 'What did you find?'
'What if this isn't irrelevant?' As the genin digested the information on the paper in his hand, a bold theory took shape in his mind and his heart gave a quick thump. 'Oh my god.'
Daichi closed his eyes and immediately used his Hypercognition and parallel processing skills. A few seconds later he opened his eyes with clarity.
'Orochimaru is cunning. He's planned this every step of the way. He's misled us before. Mizuki's involvement, the series of fake bases… every time we thought we were closing in, Orochimaru had placed a decoy, diverting our attention and resources.'
He looked up and got everyone's attention. "Wait," he said quietly, but with urgency. "I think we may be falling for another trick."
Jiraiya turned, eyebrows raised. Kakashi tilted his head in silent question. Tobirama's expression remained impassive, and Danzo simply watched.
"What do you mean?" Jiraiya asked.
Daichi held up the paper. "This report about the auction… The Intelligence Minister won the rights to a mineral-rich region a few months ago, defeating the Finance Minister. We know Orochimaru is cunning. He may have helped the Intelligence Minister secretly to secure that land. Why? Perhaps to use that area as his real base."
Danzo's eye narrowed. "That's speculation. We have concrete evidence pointing west. The maps from the warlord and the minister and his confessions."
Daichi nodded. "Yes, and that's exactly the problem. Orochimaru knows how we think. Every time we've acted on what seemed like solid intel, we ended up at a decoy. Mizuki and the prison incident forced the village's patrols to shift, giving Orochimaru room to maneuver. The cabin near the Land of Fire capital was a trap. And it also may have been a plan to lure me out. The seven fake bases around the Land of Fire were a distraction. Even the so-called 'eighth base' was a stall. Why should this time be any different?"
Kakashi considered Daichi's words and his visible eye looked thoughtful. "It's true Orochimaru's been one step ahead. But we have direct confirmation from multiple sources this time."
Daichi inhaled and slowly exhaled. "Or so we think. Orochimaru might've planted that intel deliberately. The Finance Minister could've been manipulated or deceived. The warlord might have given us old routes, not current ones. Anything could have happened. Orochimaru's entire strategy hinges on misdirection."
Tobirama's gaze settled on Daichi. "You propose that Orochimaru is not in the western region at all?"
Daichi nodded. "Exactly. What if his real base is in the northern lands, where the Intelligence Minister's mines are located? And since it's not under anyone's immediate suspicion, he could operate there with less risk of interference. And moreover the mines won't begin operating for a few more months."
Danzo folded his arms and let out a slow breath. "You're asking us to ignore solid evidence for a theory."
"It's not ignoring," Daichi countered. "We can't dismiss the possibility that Orochimaru set a trap. We know he's been multiple steps ahead. Wouldn't it be like him to place convincing clues toward one location while he's actually hidden elsewhere?"
Tobirama crossed his arms and silently looked at the Genin. He knows the boy is exceptional and smart for his age. He also thought about what Daichi said and in his heart he knew it was a possibility. But he couldn't make a decision due to feelings alone.
"Why do you think Orochimaru aided the intelligence minister? For someone like him, colluding with a known criminal like Orochimaru would be a death sentence. And why are you so sure about this theory?" Tobirama asked.
Daichi nodded as he recognized it as a valid question. "The answer to your first question is that Minister Ishida probably doesn't know it's Orochimaru who helped."
Tobirama and the others listened carefully to the boy's theory.
"I've been gathering intelligence from our 3rd Minister in the Fire capital. From what I've learned is that, even though he's a cold person, he has a bottom line that he won't cross. And based on the information Lord Jiraiya got, the intelligence minister was in a losing position a few days before the end of the auction. He was going to lose the rights but then suddenly he got some leverage and a large capital and he turned his situation around. It was right after his victory that Orochimaru met with the Finance minister. There is no way that's a coincidence."
Kakashi crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall. "Manipulating one opponent against the other. Then target the weakened one and make them do your bidding. That certainly seems like Orochimaru's style."
"Yeah. That definitely sounds like him." Jiraiya also sighed as he agreed. Meanwhile Tobirama and Danzo remained silent.
Daichi continued. "Yeah. Exactly. Now to answer your second question. Why am I sure of this theory? Based on the Finance minister's confession, Orochimaru wants to use sensei for wood style creation experiments. An experiment like that would need his undivided attention at all times. He would need to be beside her at every second to record all changes or manage any difficulties that will arise. So that means he needs to be undisturbed."
"Then what you're saying is that he needs time. He wants to slow us down as much as possible." Jiraiya asked. And Daichi nodded.
"If that's true then even if we find the base in the west, it could be another decoy and we could just be wasting time." Kakashi spoke, rubbing his chin.
"Yeah. I believe so." Daichi nodded.
Tobirama frowned. "A human experimentation. Something like that takes several days or weeks to see any progress. With Orochimaru it will be different. 80 or 90 hours to see results at the very least. But Orochimaru being paranoid, he would definitely not wait even that long. So we have about 60 or 70 hours to get them back alive."
'It's 60 hours. That's the time frame my quest gave me.' Daichi internally thought.
"Yes. Right now, Orochimaru doesn't know we're here in the Land of Earth. But if we attack the wrong place then he would know we're close and he would shift them someplace else or…" Daichi didn't finish his sentence and just looked at the Second Hokage.
Tobirama crossed his arms and recalled what happened the last time. 'If he has reanimations stationed, then it'll be a headache. The disturbance will certainly draw the attention of the patrolling shinobi and it will certainly not be to our advantage.'
Jiraiya tapped a finger against his chin. "Daichi's been right about a lot so far," he said thoughtfully. "He warned us about Mizuki, and that ended up being a clue to Orochimaru's movements. He came up with the theory that they might be here in this country and that was correct. Perhaps we should consider this."
Danzo looked unconvinced but he didn't outright dismiss the boy. "Even if we consider it, we can't just abandon the western site. What if that's where Tsunade and Shizune really are? We have to know for certain."
Daichi spread his hands. "I'm not suggesting we abandon it. We should check both. Orochimaru might have established multiple labs, one as a decoy and another as the real core of his operation. We have enough manpower to split up, don't we?"
Kakashi nodded slowly. "It's risky, but Daichi's right. We can't put all our eggs in one basket." He looked at the others and spoke on behalf of his student. "If Daichi's theory is right, and Orochimaru's hiding in the northern mines, we need to send a team there."
Tobirama's voice was steady. "Agreed. Now that we have such a possibility in front of us, we can't ignore it. A split approach is prudent. If one team finds nothing in the west, at least the other might uncover the real location."
Jiraiya placed his palms on the table, leaning in. "Fine. We'll split into two teams. Elder Danzo, lord Second, and I will head to the western site. We'll follow the clues from the warlord and the finance minister's confessions. If Orochimaru is indeed there, we'll deal with him."
Danzo inclined his head, accepting the plan. Tobirama gave a short nod.
"And I," Daichi said, glancing at Kakashi, "along with Kakashi-sensei will head north. We'll check out the mines and the lands that the Intelligence Minister won. If Orochimaru's hidden base is there, we'll find it."
Jiraiya's eyes flicked to Daichi. "You'll have my clone with you. That way, if we find them or don't, we can still let the other party know."
"That's a good idea." Kakashi agreed with the plan.
Tobirama looked at the maps and blueprints and after several minutes of studying it spoke. "Based on my understanding, we would reach both locations in under seven hours. We should only begin our assault after getting confirmation from both teams. And if we can't confirm Tsunade and Shizune's whereabouts, then we have to attack the two locations at the same time."
"Understood." Kakashi and Jiraiya nodded.
"You still have my knife, don't you Kakashi?" Tobirama asked and the Leaf Jonin nodded.
"Good. Keep it with you. If they are in your location, use it." Tobirama spoke.
"Don't do anything reckless, Daichi." Jiraiya looked at the boy and said with a smirk.
Daichi gave a slight smile. "I can't promise that. I've learned from the best, after all." He paused, then turned serious. "If Tsunade sensei really is in the northern mines, we'll rescue her."
Kakashi placed a reassuring hand on Daichi's shoulder. "We'll do our best. Just stay alert."
Tobirama stepped away from the table. "Alright. We've spent enough time talking. Every second gives Orochimaru time to prepare. We should move out now."
Danzo straightened his posture. "Let's finalize our departure times and routes." He turned to Daichi. "For your teacher's sake, I hope your theory is correct."
Daichi met Danzo's gaze without flinching. "So do I," he said quietly, refusing to be intimidated.
Jiraiya rolled up the maps, carefully packing them into scroll cases. "Let's leave immediately. The sooner we settle this, the better."
Soon they all filed out of the room, the tension in the air palpable.
At 6:17 pm, two teams left the hideout in two directions with two possible outcomes. Orochimaru had played them before, but now they had a plan that accounted for his deceptions.
As Daichi followed Kakashi, he glanced at the gamer system message lingering in his mind.
'A lucky break indeed. Orochimaru, your tricks won't fool us this time. God I love my system.'
[Quest: Rescue Tsunade Senju - Time remaining: 23 Hours 42 minutes. ]
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Author's Note:
Making plans within plans. Deceiving everyone and trying to stay one step ahead. For me this is the orochimaru who should have been in Naruto. Well, its my opinion anyway. Share your thoughts.
Action packed chapters are coming up next.