Alice wasted no time in explaining that it was most likely the Sound Ninja Four who had taken Sasuke.
Tsunade herself had understood that Orochimaru's henchmen were indeed the ones who could have taken him, but what troubled her was how. She had prepared every security measure she could—including increasing the village's barrier range.
"Whoever took him," she said, "we can't waste any more time. Alice, I'm sending you on an urgent mission. Form a team and bring him back. Understood?"
Alice nodded. She knew this scenario well—after all, she had seen these events before, albeit in her own world. Her only regret that nagged at her was the absence of her friends from that same world.
To think most of them would have traveled to the Land of Waves during such a critical event. Perhaps there was a connection; perhaps not. Either way, she was virtually on her own.
"Excuse me, my lady, if I may."
"Go on."
"Can we contact Gaara from the Sand Village as well as his siblings? It'd be advantageous if they could help."
"Good thinking. They could be useful. But…"
"But what?"
"It may take some time for them to arrive."
Alice was alright with that because there was no doubt that she could handle the likes of the Sound Four if they were responsible. But even in situations like these, she'd prefer to have at least a little backup.
After all was said and done here, Alice dashed out of the office, only to be followed by Sakura outside.
It didn't take long for her to explain the mission to the pink-haired girl.
"Then who are we getting first?" Sakura asked as they quickly ran.
To be fair, Alice had little time to think about her team.
Chōji, Shino, and Hinata were available, so perhaps they could work. TenTen was also present, but Alice couldn't shake her disdain for the girl's effectiveness. It was better to rely on those who would actually be useful.
"Shino first," she replied mid-run. "Then Chōji. I want to keep our numbers manageable."
While heading toward Shino's residence, Alice was still trying to piece things together. She couldn't fathom how or why Sasuke still left the village despite never having encountered his brother.
Things simply didn't make sense to her.
Sure, Naruto and Sasuke fought like before on the hospital rooftop, but that match was practically one-sided. Naruto was much more cunning and even held back to give the Uchiha the benefit of the doubt.
Even after that fight, Sasuke continued to say hurtful words, of which Naruto never gave in.
So the question had to be asked: who was manipulating Sasuke now?
There were a few guesses, such as Orochimaru or even the Akatsuki. But the latter made no sense whatsoever. Regarding the former, there had been no signs or traces of the Sound Four in weeks.
'How could I have let this happen? And why isn't Jada teleporting back already?!'
Everyone had been very attentive to this timeline, hoping that the Sasuke Retrieval Mission wouldn't happen. But now it was happening, and Alice was the only one who knew about it.
A few minutes later, and the two finally arrived to their destination: the Aburame clan district, a quaint structure overrun with green plants due to their insect allies.
As they approached Shino's door, Alice felt the prickling sensation of black parasites stirring in the air, announcing their presence before they could even knock.
"Shino!" she called.
The door opened to reveal the boy in his usual stoic demeanour. "Alice, Sakura, what's the matter?"
"Lady Tsunade put me in charge of a mission that we need your help for."
Shino's brow furrowed after hearing it was about Sasuke and that Orochimaru was likely involved. He wasted no time accepting as the group took off toward where Alice knew Chōji would be.
It only took a few more extra minutes until they found him happily munching away at a bag of chips near a food stand.
A contented grin on his face changed into concern when he saw them approaching.
"Hey! What's going on?" he asked, his mouth half-full.
"It's Sasuke," Sakura replied. "He's missing, and we need your help to bring him back."
Chōji swallowed hard, wiping the crumbs from his face. "Wow! No kidding?"
"We wouldn't joke about this," Alice replied.
"Alright! I'm with you guys. Just give me a moment to grab some more snacks for the road!"
"Chōji, this is—"
But Alice cut Sakura right off. "It's okay."
"What?! But, Alice, what if we're late?"
As Chōji scurried away, Alice assured her that it was better to let Chōji refuel with food. Little did Sakura know, but Shino did; the Akimichi clan used stored calories to exploit their ninjutsu.
"Don't worry, Sakura," she said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We'll find him in one piece."
The pink-haired girl did her best to calm down.
It wasn't long before Chōji returned, inevitably loaded with bags of chips. "Okay! Ready to go!"
With their team now assembled, Alice gathered them in a tight circle by the village gates.
Hinata was obviously missing because Alice didn't want to place her in this sort of danger. And to be fair, all the reputable characters who participated in this arc weren't present.
"Listen closely!" she began. "While we're moving, we absolutely have to stick together and work as a team." Everyone listened as she laid out the plan. "There'll likely be traps, so Shino, I need you to use your beetle jamming jutsu and your insect summoning jutsu for intel. Chōji, we have Sakura here, so don't be afraid to eat the red pill."
While Sakura and Chōji steeled themselves, and Shino nodded, adjusting his shades, they were all astonished at the information she had on them. Because she not only knew their techniques but also how to effectively deploy them for a mission like this one.
Chōji couldn't help but compare her intelligence to that of his late teammate, Shikamaru. "Gee, Alice, I'd say you were a fortune teller or something."
"I'll take that as a compliment. Now, let's go save Sasuke!"
"Yeah!"
✟
Elsewhere.
Several miles within the Fire Country, the trees parted to reveal an expansive horizon.
Arthur halted his advance, causing Sasuke to stop.
"What's wrong?"
"We're in range for the others to come," Arthur replied.
"Others?" Sasuke felt annoyed because he had one goal: to reach Orochimaru. "You didn't tell me there were others."
"I also didn't tell you how I knew about your friend liking you…"
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Arthur truly didn't like dealing with this angsty teenager. But there were steps to take.
"Before they arrive," he continued, "you need to advance your curse mark to level two."
"What?"
Arthur unfurled the scroll from behind him and placed a hand over the seal. Poof! A wooden box appeared over it. Then he took out the Mind Awakening Pills.
"To advance your curse mark," he explained, "these pills will help." Handing them to him, Sasuke stared at the pills in his palm. "But be warned: after you take one, you'll feel a lot of pain."
Without thinking about the matter any longer, Sasuke swallowed them in a single motion. A sharp sensation shot through his body. He tried gritting his teeth but eventually succumbed and let out a cry of agony.
"Argh!"
Arthur was already in position, having taken the moment to gather natural energy.
'Simian sage mode…' Now in his prime state, he approached the pain-stricken Uchiha, lifted him up, and then placed him inside the box. 'Sage art: four mist formation…'
Darkness swirled above them before coalescing into a fog that descended upon Sasuke, engulfing the box entirely. Then, in a matter of moments, the Uchiha was sealed within, isolated from the world outside.
But Arthur wasn't finished. 'Sage art: black seal…' Five talismans inscribed with sealing formulas were thrown at the box. They then glowed, creating a powerful barrier that would keep all external forces at bay.
Now no one would sense what was happening inside. Not even Arthur.
As the barrier solidified, he retreated from Sage Mode.
This was quite easy for him to perform thanks to the memories he had extracted from Jirōbō some weeks ago. And though it typically required four ninjas, his ability to draw from an unlimited supply of Sage Chakra allowed him to execute it single-handedly.
Arthur kept calm and readied himself upon sensing the Sound Four coming closer.
Swoosh!
All of them materialized from the undergrowth with confusion and suspicion riding on their faces. When Sakon's gaze caught the tags on the box, he instantly knew that it was the Black Seal technique.
"Did Orochimaru send you?" he skeptically asked.
"Orochimaru has grown impatient..." Arthur hissed. "He didn't trust that you could bring the Uchiha back to him."
Tayuya and Kidōmaru exchanged shameful glances.
Yet Sakon narrowed his eyes, allowing doubt to spiral into aggression. "You didn't call him 'lord Orochimaru'." Before Arthur could retort, he lunged toward him, aiming a swift blow at Arthur's head.
But Arthur was quick; he ducked under the attack, countering with a chakra-enhanced punch that caught Sakon square in the midsection.
Bang!
The sound of impact echoed as Sakon was sent crashing into a nearby tree.
Jirōbō's eyes widened at the level of strength.
"I have only one Lord who's my Master," Arthur said, flexing his fingers. Who else could he be referring to other than our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? "And His name's not fit for the likes of trash like you to know."