Facing the sudden appearance of Akatsuki's A, not only Guren and Jūgo but even Kabuto Yakushi, who had mastered sage techniques, lost his usual composure. His brows furrowed tightly, his face filled with caution and apprehension!
He was well aware that the person before them was a formidable enemy capable of easily defeating Orochimaru-sama, likely the leader of the Akatsuki and one of the strongest in the shinobi world.
Against such a powerhouse, even if the three of them fought together, their chances of victory were slim.
As the trio stood on edge, Shinji waved his hand dismissively. "No need to be afraid. I have no interest in you three."
The three didn't relax at Shinji's words, remaining fully on guard!
Shinji, meanwhile, sized them up.
He had assumed there would be many of Orochimaru's subordinates gathered here, but he found only the three he had expected: Kabuto Yakushi, Jūgo, and Guren.
Recalling the smell of blood he had detected earlier, it wasn't hard to deduce that a skirmish had taken place here.
His gaze then fell on Kabuto Yakushi. For some reason, the man gave him a faint sense of danger.
This was clearly abnormal!
Yet Kabuto's appearance showed no irregularities, so Shinji didn't immediately connect it to sage techniques.
After glancing at Jūgo, Shinji withdrew his gaze. "I can help you rescue Orochimaru, but in return, you need to do something for me."
Kabuto forced a smile, speaking respectfully. "Please, give us your orders!"
Shinji said calmly, "I need the Nine-Tails!"
Hearing that A's demand was a tailed beast, Kabuto wasn't surprised, but he was puzzled. "Capturing a jinchuriki shouldn't require small fries like us, should it?"
Shinji clarified, "I'm not after the half of the Nine-Tails inside Uzumaki Naruto!"
Kabuto's expression sharpened.
As a seasoned spy, he knew some details about Hidden Leaf's Nine-Tails Incident years ago. He was aware that the Fourth Hokage, to weaken the Nine-Tails, had sealed half of its chakra along with his own soul into the Death God's stomach.
Since tailed beasts were manifestations of chakra, the Fourth sealing half of the Nine-Tails' chakra into himself essentially made him a Nine-Tails jinchuriki, much like Naruto.
So the Akatsuki is after that half of the Nine-Tails.
Having pieced this together, Kabuto remained respectful. "As far as I know, that half of the Nine-Tails, along with the Fourth Hokage, is sealed in the Death God's stomach. I'm afraid we can't help with that."
Shinji stared intently at Kabuto, assessing the truth of his words.
If Kabuto could solve this issue, Shinji wouldn't need to deal with Orochimaru directly, which was why he had come straight to Kabuto.
However, from Kabuto's reaction, it seemed he didn't know much about Dead Demon Consuming Seal.
This made sense. Unlike Orochimaru, who had ample time to study various secret and forbidden techniques, Kabuto often played the role of a spy, navigating between factions. Even as Orochimaru's most trusted aide, he likely hadn't studied Dead Demon Consuming Seal as Orochimaru had.
"That's not my problem to worry about," Shinji said after a pause. "Deliver the half of the Nine-Tails inside the Fourth Hokage to me, and I'll spare Orochimaru!"
Kabuto's expression faltered. "Please—"
Before Kabuto could finish, Shinji vanished with a Body Flicker Technique.
Staring at the spot where Shinji disappeared, Kabuto's face darkened.
He understood the hidden meaning in A's words: if they couldn't deliver the Nine-Tails, Orochimaru's fate would be grim.
At that moment, Jūgo spoke up. "Sorry, his movements were too fast. My lookouts couldn't warn us in time!"
With his ability to communicate with animals, many inconspicuous birds and squirrels in the forest served as Jūgo's eyes. Normally, any shinobi entering the forest would trigger their alertness, giving Jūgo advance notice.
However, Shinji's speed was too great, and with Karin guiding him using Kagura Shingan, Jūgo's otherwise flawless early warning system failed.
Guren said grimly, "Now's not the time for apologies! Kabuto, what do we do now?"
Kabuto replied, "This complicates things. We thought we only needed to rescue Orochimaru-sama from Hidden Leaf, but now the Akatsuki is involved!"
Guren said urgently, "Facing both Hidden Leaf and the Akatsuki with just the three of us? We don't stand a chance!"
Kabuto nodded slightly. "Indeed. The fact that they found us so easily shows how deeply the Akatsuki has infiltrated Hidden Leaf. A forced rescue won't work!"
Guren let out a quiet sigh of relief. "In that case, let's retreat from here!"
Kabuto gave a wry smile. "Do you think we can just walk away?"
Guren frowned. "What do you mean? Are you saying the Akatsuki is already watching us?"
Jūgo's expression tightened as he prepared to communicate with his animal lookouts to check for any Akatsuki members lurking nearby.
Kabuto didn't stop him, continuing, "You two haven't dealt with the Akatsuki before. They're not the type to reason! And A is likely the number one or number two figure in the Akatsuki. When someone of that caliber shows up in person, if we don't complete the deal, neither we nor Orochimaru-sama will escape unscathed!"
Guren grew frustrated. "Where are we supposed to get the Nine-Tails? If even they can't do it, how could we?"
Kabuto pushed up his glasses with a smile. "That's not necessarily true!"
Guren was taken aback. "What?"
Kabuto explained, "The technique the Fourth Hokage used to seal the Nine-Tails is called Dead Demon Consuming Seal, a sealing technique of the now-extinct Uzumaki clan. Very few in the shinobi world know it, but as far as I know, Orochimaru-sama is one of them!"
Guren asked skeptically, "Are you saying the Akatsuki knows this and that's why they approached us for a deal?"
Kabuto didn't answer, instead turning to Jūgo.
Having finished communicating with the animals, Jūgo said to Kabuto, "No suspicious individuals in the forest right now. They've likely left."
Confirming no one was watching, Kabuto said, "I can't guess the Akatsuki's intentions, but I know we have no choice! We must contact Orochimaru-sama as soon as possible, inform him of the deal, and let him decide."
Jūgo asked, "How do we contact Orochimaru-sama?"
Kabuto thought for a moment before asking Guren, "Hidden Leaf has reactivated the Police Force and appointed Uchiha Shinji as its captain?"
Guren nodded. "That's the information I gathered."
Kabuto said, "Neither we nor Kimimaro can contact Orochimaru-sama directly. But if Kimimaro joins the newly established Hidden Leaf Police Force, he might have a chance to reach Orochimaru-sama!"