Land of Rice Fields, Otogakure – Village Hidden by Sound.
Within a dim, subterranean passage, Uchiha Sasuke, dressed in an open-chested white kimono, pushed open a door and looked at the two people inside.
"Orochimaru, what do you want with me?" Sasuke's tone was extremely impatient.
"Uchiha Sasuke, have you forgotten your place? How dare you speak to Lord Orochimaru in such a tone?" Kabuto Yakushi, who had just set down a water cup, couldn't help but reprimand him.
"Kabuto." Orochimaru, leaning against a bed and covered in bandages, stopped him. He looked at the cold-faced Sasuke and asked:
"Sasuke, I want you to find someone for me."
"No time. I need to train," Sasuke refused.
"If you bring him back, I'll teach you something new," Orochimaru said, his tone remarkably gentle, entirely devoid of the coldness he usually showed others.
"Who am I looking for?"
Hearing this, Sasuke's attitude took a sharp turn.
Although Orochimaru had only been guiding his training for a few short months, the improvement in his strength was visible to the naked eye.
It was a stark contrast to the feeling of wasted time under Kakashi.
Of course, he also knew that Orochimaru's dedicated guidance was for the sake of taking over his body.
Therefore, his attitude towards Orochimaru was not that of a disciple towards a master.
"Shinno," Orochimaru said. "He possesses a secret Body Revival Technique that might be able to heal my hands."
"If my hands recover, I'll be able to guide you even better in improving your strength."
While assigning the mission, Orochimaru didn't forget to dangle some bait.
"So, as long as I get the secret technique, it doesn't matter what happens to him, right?" Sasuke accurately grasped the core of the mission.
"You could say that," Orochimaru nodded slightly.
"Although the Sky Ninja Village was destroyed by Konoha during the Second Great Ninja War, quite a few remnants were left behind." Watching Sasuke's departing figure, Kabuto couldn't help but ask, "Is it really alright to send him alone?"
"You know, this concerns the hope of healing your hands, Lord Orochimaru."
"Hehe, Kabuto, you underestimate Sasuke. His capacity is far greater than this." Unlike Kabuto's skepticism, Orochimaru seemed to have extraordinary confidence in his 'disciple.'
"Is the Three-Tomoe Sharingan really that powerful?" Kabuto couldn't help but ask.
"Haven't you experienced it yourself?" Orochimaru didn't answer him directly but posed a question in return.
Kabuto's mind couldn't help but conjure the image of a pair of crimson Sharingan. Recalling his defeat at the hands of those eyes, he said no more.
Beside a stream, Naruto, sensing the approaching chakra from behind, asked without turning his head:
"Did you find anything?"
"A wealthy merchant from the Land of Fire. A mine under his name was seized by someone not long ago," Yugito stated.
"He's likely acquiring those exploding tags to deal with the ninja who occupied his mine."
"Have a seat first. The ingredients for lunch aren't ready yet," Naruto said, gesturing to the grassy area beside them.
"I have a feeling I'm going to go hungry," Yugito grumbled, looking at the fishing float that hadn't moved for ages. "Yesterday, I fished all day and only caught two fish, and combined, they weren't even as big as my hand."
"What inexplicable confidence makes you think I'll actually get to eat fish today?"
Naruto said nothing, his gaze fixed intently on the float on the water's surface.
"I think I'll just go buy something to eat myself. That ramen place I ate at yesterday was pretty good. Want me to bring you back a bowl?" Yugito said with a smile.
Thump!
Before she could finish her sentence, the float on the water's surface instantly shot downwards.
Naruto's face lit up, while Yugito's expression froze.
A few minutes later, looking at the fish thrashing on the ground, Naruto, who had been looking glum just moments before, was now all smiles.
"Who was it just now saying I couldn't catch any fish?"
"Tch!" Yugito couldn't help but pout. What rotten timing for a fish to bite.
Setting up the campfire, starting the fire, placing the pot—watching her boss's practiced movements, she couldn't help but ask:
"Boss, do you often cook for yourself?"
"Konoha isn't like Kumo," Naruto said. "You guys at least have people to help out. If I didn't work hard myself, I'd be a malnourished cripple by now, no doubt."
"Is it that exaggerated?" Yugito raised an eyebrow.
Although Jinchuriki were also ostracized in Kumogakure, because Kumo had a relatively mature Jinchuriki training system, the Kumo higher-ups understood that Jinchuriki could definitely become high-level combat assets for the village.
Therefore, they never skimped on providing for the Jinchuriki's material needs.
"It's not an exaggeration; it's a fact." Recalling his childhood experiences and comparing them to Yugito's description, Naruto sighed faintly.
Both Jinchuriki, yet why did he and Gaara have it so rough?
"Right, about that mine situation, do we need to get involved?" Yugito asked.
"No." Naruto removed the innards from the river fish and gave it a simple rinse. "I only had you investigate him because I suspected he might be an arms dealer for some ninja village."
"As long as there's no war, other matters have nothing to do with the Dragon Heritage."
"After the commotion I caused last time, the Dragon Heritage has already become a thorn in the side of every ninja village. If the Dragon Heritage meddles in too many other affairs, we might really end up being jointly suppressed by the Four Great Ninja Villages."
"You're actually afraid of that?" Yugito looked at him with surprise.
Hearing this, a dark line appeared on Naruto's forehead.
Why did everyone's impression of him deviate so much from reality?
"For everything, there is a time to act and a time not to act."
"What do you mean?"
"Figure it out yourself."
Seven days later.
Screech!
In a forest, a piercing sound of lightning echoed. Countless forest birds flew from the branches, fleeing into the distance.
"Wh-who are you?" a Sky Ninja, wearing a light purple headband and a purple ninja vest, looked at the man before him in terror.
"Where is Shinno?" Uchiha Sasuke pointed his Kusanagi Sword at him. Though it was a question, his tone was unnervingly calm.
"I-I don't know him." The Sky Ninja shook his head frantically.
"Where is Shinno?"
The Sky Ninja was about to shake his head again when a pair of crimson Three-Tomoe Sharingan appeared in his vision. His desperate resistance instantly vanished.
"The leader received a clue that the secret art for reviving the Zero-Tails is hidden in Konoha. He went to Konoha three months ago to search for it," the Sky Ninja mumbled unconsciously.
A flash of lightning from the Kusanagi Sword, and the Sky Ninja, having lost his usefulness, instantly lost consciousness.
Uchiha Sasuke turned his head, looking in the direction of Konoha.
"Konoha…"
"Lord Sasuke, not long ago, Konoha was forced to issue a 'peace declaration' under threat from the Dragon Heritage organization," an Otogakure ninja beside him quickly stepped forward to dissuade him.
"To maintain its dignity, Konoha will definitely strengthen its security."
"The Dragon Heritage organization…" Sasuke's expression flickered.
Orochimaru didn't restrict his access to outside information, so he was somewhat aware of the glorious deeds of his former 'teammate'—Uzumaki Naruto.
He had originally thought that under Orochimaru's tutelage, the gap between himself and Uzumaki Naruto would shrink, or that he might even surpass him.
But from the current situation, the gap between them hadn't shrunk; on the contrary, it was growing wider and wider…