Chapter 26: The Serpent's Rendezvous
The air near the Tenchi Bridge was thick with humidity and the low hum of insects. Hidden deep within the dense forest canopy, five figures crouched in silence. A sixth fth, a tiny girl in pink, sat on a branch above them, kicking her legs, seemingly unconcerned.
Sai knelt at the front of the group, a blank scroll spread before him. A dozen ink rats, their forms dissolving back into smudges of black ink, scurried onto the paper. He laid a hand over the scroll, closing his eyes for a moment to process the information they had gathered.
He rolled it up, his fake smile snapping back into place. "The bridge is clear," he reported, his voice a placid monotone. "No hostiles detected in the immediate vicinity."
"I guess that rules out a direct Akatsuki ambush," Yamato murmured, his gaze fixed on the imposing red structure in the distance.
Kakashi nodded, his single visible eye sharp and focused. "Alright. We proceed according to the plan."
All eyes turned to Naruto. He stood with his arms crossed, his massive cleaver, Nozarashi, resting on his shoulder. With a quiet sigh of annoyance, he performed a single hand seal. An opaque cloud of smoke erupted around him. When it cleared, the figure of Sasori's puppet, Hiruko, stood in its place, complete with the billowing Akatsuki robe.
The transformation was perfect, but the voice that emerged was the most unsettling part. It was a low, gravelly rasp, a perfect imitation of Sasori's own. "Let's get this over with."
Kakashi gave a curt nod. "Everyone, get to your positions. Stay hidden, and do not engage unless I give the signal."
The team scattered, melting into the shadows of the forest, their presence vanishing completely. Naruto, as Hiruko, began the slow, deliberate walk towards the front of the bridge. He stood there, waiting, the minutes stretching into an eternity. He tapped his tail against the wooden railing.
Tch. Tardy, Naruto thought, his own irritation unknowingly mirroring Sasori's infamous hatred for being kept waiting. If you're going to set a meeting, show up on time.
"He's here," Sai's voice whispered, transmitted through the small communication devices Kakashi had provided.
A figure in a simple grey robe emerged from the forest on the opposite side of the bridge, a hood concealing their face. They walked slowly, deliberately, stopping at the halfway point.
The disguised Naruto moved to meet them.
"It's been a long time... Lord Sasori," the spy said, his back still turned to Naruto.
Naruto froze. He knew that voice. The smooth, clinical tone, the hint of arrogance just beneath the surface. It was a voice from a past he had been forced to leave behind.
The spy finally turned, pushing back his hood. Round glasses, a polite smile, and silver hair tied back in a ponytail. It was Kabuto Yakushi. Naruto's internal suspicion was confirmed.
'Kabuto... Orochimaru's little pet snake,' Naruto thought, his hand inside the puppet clenching into a fist. 'Of course. It was always him.'
About five years, right?" Kabuto said
From their hiding spots, the Konoha team reacted with silent shock.
'Kabuto?!' Sakura's mind screamed. 'Sasori's spy was one of Orochimaru's own men all along? What kind of game are they playing?'
'This complicates things,' Kakashi thought, his eye narrowed. 'A double agent. This mission is a trap. The question is, for who?'
"Were you followed?" Naruto asked, sticking to the script.
Kabuto made a show of looking over his shoulder before turning back. "It appears it's just you and me." A blatant lie. Naruto could feel the faint, slithering chakra signature hidden in the trees on the far side of the bridge. He chose to ignore it for now.
"How do you feel?" Naruto asked, probing.
"Well, I still haven't shaken that strange sensation from when your jutsu broke and I remembered who I was again," Kabuto said with a sigh. "My head still feels clouded and heavy."
'So Sasori's spy was actually Kabuto... a brainwashed agent,' Sakura thought, trying to piece it all together.
"I have a few questions for you," Naruto said.
"I don't have much time, so please keep it brief," Kabuto replied. "I risked my life sneaking out to meet you without Orochimaru finding out."
"Information. Orochimaru's hideouts, and Sasuke Uchiha," Naruto demanded in Sasori's voice.
Kabuto nodded. "Orochimaru has several hideouts. We keep moving... Right now, he is holed up on a small island, on a lake just to the north of here. We will be moving again in a few days. Sasuke is with us as well." He paused, a thoughtful look on his face. "By the way..."
Kabuto's words trailed off. His head snapped to the side, his body tensing as he stared at the edge of the forest on his own side of the bridge. A small, brown rabbit hopped out from the bushes, twitched its nose, and then darted back into the undergrowth.
"It was nothing," Kabuto said, relaxing with a smile, though his eyes lingered on the spot for a moment. "Just a wild rabbit."
From the shadows of those same trees, a triumphant, serpentine smirk spread across Orochimaru's face. The rabbit was gone, devoured whole by one of his summoned snakes. He had confirmed the Konoha team's presence. Now, it was time to make his entrance.
"As I was saying," Kabuto continued, his tone shifting to one of mild complaint, "we should discuss the orders you gave me, Lord Sasori. Even after reanimation, Orochimaru uses a protection jutsu on his discarded vessels. I was unable to analyze their cellular structure as you commanded."
"I see," Naruto grunted.
"Now, I trust you brought the item you promised me. Let's do the handoff," Kabuto said, extending a hand. "I have spent too much time here as it is. If I were to be discovered talking to you like this, Orochimaru would most certainly kill me."
"I am aware," Naruto said.
A third voice, smooth and venomous, echoed from directly behind Kabuto. "Your conversation certainly sounds intriguing. I hope neither of you mind if I join in the fun."
A massive snake was coiled around Orochimaru's waist as he appeared, his golden, slitted eyes gleaming with amusement.
'Orochimaru!' Sakura gasped.
'So that's him,' Sai thought, his analytical gaze taking in the legendary Sannin.
The snake around Orochimaru's waist shot forward, wrapping around Kabuto. But in a flash, Kabuto was gone, appearing directly in front of Naruto, leaving only his grey robe in the snake's embrace. The snake vanished in a puff of smoke.
"I remember that robe. It sure brings back memories... Sasori," Orochimaru hissed, his gaze fixed on the Hiruko puppet. "So, you followed him?" Naruto replied
"I just wanted to thank you in person," Orochimaru said, his smile widening. "After all, you are the one who sent this kid to me. And he's come in very handy. The development of any new jutsu usually eats up well over a hundred test subjects. But thanks to your spy's medical ninjutsu skills, I've been able to reuse them again and again."
Kabuto, now standing beside Naruto, imbued his hand with a sharp, green chakra. Naruto didn't need to be a sensor to know what was coming. Kabuto spun, his chakra scalpel aimed not at Orochimaru, but in a sweeping arc right at Naruto's head. It was a signal. The charade was over.
CRACK!
The Hiruko mask shattered. But it wasn't a hollow puppet shell underneath. It was Naruto, his arm raised, blocking Kabuto's strike with his bare forearm. The chakra scalpel, which could cut through flesh, sizzled and dispersed against his Reiatsu-hardened skin.
He didn't even flinch. He just looked at Kabuto, his cold blue eyes filled with a mixture of boredom and contempt.
The disguise around him vanished in a puff of smoke, revealing the real Naruto, with the massive Nozarashi now resting on his shoulder.
Orochimaru's serpentine grin faltered for a fraction of a second, his eyes widening in genuine surprise. "...Naruto-kun? My, my. You've... changed."
Kabuto leaped back, his professional smile gone, replaced by a look of wary shock. "The plan was to eliminate Sasori," he stated, his mind racing to recalculate. "But your presence certainly changes things."
"Why don't you signal the five little rats hiding in the trees to come out?" Orochimaru hissed, his gaze sweeping over the forest. "We could have a real party."
Naruto let out a low, dangerous chuckle. "And ruin all the fun? No, I don't think so." His gaze locked onto Orochimaru, a cold fire burning in his eyes. "Besides... I still owe you for that little encounter in Tanzaku Gai. You and your pet tried to take me apart once. It's only fair I return the favor."
Orochimaru's tongue flickered out, licking his lips in anticipation. This was far more interesting than he could have hoped for. "Well then," he hissed. "We might as well have a little fun together, for old times' sake. Let's find out who's gotten stronger... you, or my dear Sasuke-kun."
A wide, feral, bloodthirsty grin stretched across Naruto's face, a promise of the carnage to come.
Tbc