"I never expected that Danzō would want to meet with Hanzō of the Salamander."
Inside the Akatsuki's base in the Land of Rain, Black Zetsu held a letter in his hand as he approached Nagato. Obito Uchiha stood nearby, his face full of confusion.
Was Danzō trying to get himself killed?
"Danzō wants to meet Hanzō?"
Not only Obito but even Nagato looked puzzled.
"So, does this mean we can take the opportunity to deal with him?"
"Most likely, that's the case."
Black Zetsu nodded. Even he hadn't anticipated that Danzō would come up with such an idea. He couldn't help but marvel at their good fortune.
They had been pondering how to locate Danzō, and now Danzō was delivering himself right to their doorstep. Such luck was almost unbelievable.
"The only condition is that Danzō wants the meeting to take place near Konoha. He seems very concerned about his own safety. He also mentioned one other thing."
"Near Konoha? That's not a big deal."
Nagato didn't see any issue with this request. Danzō, being the sneaky rat that he was, would naturally be extremely cautious.
But for them, it didn't matter. After all, they were already preparing to head to Konoha!
"Let's meet with him. If we can, we might even avoid fighting inside Konoha and causing unnecessary trouble."
Nagato spoke decisively before asking curiously,
"You said he mentioned one other thing. What was it?"
"He doesn't dare meet us alone. He wants someone else to be present."
Black Zetsu shook his head, a faint smile on his face.
"He didn't specify who, but it's likely a form of self-protection."
"Agree to his terms. Let him bring someone along."
Nagato glanced at Obito Uchiha, who showed no inclination to speak, and made the decision himself.
"I'm curious to see who he thinks can protect him!"
Obito raised an eyebrow, seemingly wanting to bring up Kitagawa Minamoto.
But Black Zetsu stopped him. It was better not to complicate matters unnecessarily at this stage.
After all, dealing with Danzō in advance would make everything else much easier.
"Lord Orochimaru, Danzō Shimura has sent another message."
In the Land of Rice Fields, within the Sound Village.
Kimimaro retrieved a scroll from the mouth of a viper. After glancing at its markings, he turned and spoke to Orochimaru.
"Danzō?"
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. Ever since confirming that Danzō had betrayed him, he had stopped paying much attention to the messages sent by Danzō.
Even when he did read them, he never responded. He simply wasn't interested in wasting words on a dead man.
Danzō had also stopped sending messages for a while. But now, just as Orochimaru was preparing to depart, another message from Danzō had arrived.
"Lord Orochimaru, do you want to take a look?"
Kimimaro asked softly, his head lowered.
"After all, we're about to head to Konoha, and this Danzō..."
"Hand it over."
Orochimaru hesitated briefly before accepting Kimimaro's suggestion.
The timing of this message from Danzō was indeed a bit sensitive—especially since Danzō was one of Orochimaru's targets this time.
He was curious to see what kind of tricks Danzō was trying to pull.
"Hmm? Danzō wants to meet me?"
After scanning the scroll, Orochimaru couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
"Interesting..."
Orochimaru found it hard to understand what Danzō was scheming.
This man showed no awareness of his betrayal and always acted as if he were innocent.
If it were anyone else, they might have been fooled.
But Orochimaru knew Danzō too well. He was certain that Danzō had ulterior motives.
"Perhaps I should meet with him."
After a moment of contemplation, Orochimaru stroked his chin and thought to himself.
"After all, he's my target. If I can avoid certain complications, that would be ideal. Even if he brings people along..."
Danzō had been upfront about not coming alone to meet Orochimaru.
Of course, he didn't specify how many people he would bring. But Orochimaru was still willing to give it a try.
"I understand. I'll inform Kabuto to prepare for the operation."
"I understand, Lord Orochimaru."
Kimimaro nodded. After a brief pause, he hesitated before speaking softly.
"Lord Orochimaru, can't I join you this time?"
"No."
Orochimaru sighed as he looked at Kimimaro. He understood Kimimaro's intentions, but his condition was far from ideal.
While Orochimaru could treat Kimimaro's injuries, the recurring outbreaks of his Yang Release-based Kekkei Genkai disease were beyond even his ability to cure.
The fact that Kimimaro was still alive was a testament to his incredible resilience.
"Stay here and rest. Who knows? Maybe in the future..."
Even someone as cold-hearted as Orochimaru couldn't bring himself to say anything harsh to Kimimaro.
"You still have your value to show, Kimimaro."
"Hey, Minamoto, does that blondie have some kind of weird hobby, hmm?"
The next day, on the streets of Konoha.
Deidara followed behind Kitagawa Minamoto, whispering a question that gave Minamoto, who had just woken up, a headache.
"How would I know? You're a blondie too, aren't you? And instead of talking about him, let's talk about you. Why are you here alone?"
"Tch, the old man is too slow. He wants to wait for things to officially start, so I just left ahead of time."
"That's not what I'm asking. What about the rest of your team? Why are you the only one here?"
"Relax, relax. They're just too slow. It's no big deal. Besides, I entered through official channels, didn't I?"
Seeing Deidara's nonchalant attitude, Minamoto didn't know what to say.
This guy was really taking full advantage of being the Tsuchikage's disciple!
"When are the others from Iwagakure arriving?"
Minamoto rubbed his temples, asking with some frustration. Deidara thought for a moment before replying uncertainly,
"Today or tomorrow, I think. They won't be late. By the way, I saw the team from Sunagakure on my way here. They should arrive today."
Since Deidara had traveled on his clay bird, it wasn't surprising that he had spotted the Sunagakure team from above.
"Today? Looks like things are really kicking off."
Hearing this, Minamoto perked up a bit. The Chūnin Exams, though not directly related to him, were still an event he found exciting.
Not to mention Gaara's involvement. Even if Gaara weren't participating, the grand scale of the exams meant Minamoto could expect some interesting missions.
"This is getting more and more interesting."
Slapping his cheeks to wake himself up, Minamoto nodded and turned toward the Hokage's office.
"Hey, hey, where are you going?"
Seeing Minamoto's movement, Deidara called out in frustration. Minamoto rolled his eyes.
"I'm going to apply to be a proctor for the Chūnin Exams. Why are you following me?"
He hadn't forgotten the "promise" he had made. Even if he weren't assigned the role, he would still find a way to "drop by."
"Damn it, I didn't interrupt your gathering yesterday, but today you'd better fulfill the promise you made to me!"
Deidara huffed, clearly annoyed.
"You questioned my art before, saying Dust Release was the real art. So I've been working hard ever since I got back."
"So..."
Hearing this, Minamoto stopped in his tracks, looking at Deidara with curiosity.
"You've mastered it?"
"Tch, don't underestimate my talent, hmm!"
Deidara puffed out his chest, hands on his hips, and grinned.
"Although I'm not as skilled as the old man, I've basically learned it and can use it to some extent. So, how about it? Ready to compare our art?"
Listening to Deidara, Minamoto couldn't help but feel that the guy wasn't lying.
If that were true, Deidara's talent was truly extraordinary!
He hadn't joined the Akatsuki and had instead diligently studied Dust Release under Ōnoki. This guy's potential was almost immeasurable.
[New Side Quest Acquired]
[Art Is an Explosion—Boom]
[Accept Deidara's Artistic Challenge]
As Minamoto pondered, the System suddenly refreshed, leaving him momentarily stunned before he smiled.
"Alright, alright. Let's find a suitable training ground and give it a try."
"Huh?"
Deidara's expression turned a bit strange.
"Just a moment ago, you looked like you couldn't care less. Now you're interested? Don't tell me you'll go down after just one move. That'd be no fun."
"Hmph, don't think you're all that. You're not the new White Fang, White Flash, or Purple Electricity."
"Alright, alright. I can't carry all those titles by myself. Are we going or not?"
Even Minamoto found it odd that he had so many random titles.
And if he really counted, he probably had even more.
"Let's go, let's go!"
Deidara didn't dwell on it. He quickly followed Minamoto, but after a moment, he couldn't help but ask curiously,
"By the way, that blondie Naruto—is he really okay?"
"He's fine. Why do you keep asking about him?"
"I just think he's interesting. But never mind. If you say he's fine, then he's fine. Where is he, anyway?"
"Him?..."
Mentioning Naruto, Minamoto couldn't help but smirk mischievously.
"Right now, he's probably feeling a bit... lost."
Hearing this, Deidara looked utterly confused.
"Huh?"
"Let's just hope my technique holds up a little longer."
On the rooftop of Naruto's house in Konoha.
Sasuke and Naruto stood side by side, overlooking the bustling streets below.
"Hey, I'm hungry. This body really can't handle hunger."
Suddenly, "Sasuke" spoke up.
"If we can't figure this out soon, I'm going back to eat ramen."
"Idiot. Eating ramen every day will only make your body worse."
"Naruto" retorted disdainfully.
"No wonder I've been feeling so uncomfortable. What an idiot."
After a brief silence, the two suddenly grabbed each other by the collar and shouted in unison,
"If you hate it so much, give me back my body!"
"Idiot! You didn't wear a dress yesterday, and now you're spiking my juice with alcohol? Seriously?"
"Naruto" roared, while "Sasuke" wasn't about to back down.
"Shut up! Minamoto could sense it, so he didn't bother. But why are you doing this too? And I drank it too, didn't I? Come on, hit me if you can!"
"Fine, I will!"
Without hesitation, "Naruto" swung his fist.
"You're just a loser who can't get revenge, a failure who hasn't made any progress despite all your effort. Look at you!"
But after a few punches, he couldn't bring himself to continue. This gave "Sasuke" the chance to retaliate.
"You're no better!"
"Sasuke" fought back, pummeling "Naruto."
"You're still just a dead-last! Even Sakura wouldn't look at you twice. And you're so cautious about Minamoto, afraid he'll steal her away. You're pathetic!"
But soon, he too stopped, and the two fell silent, staring at each other.
Somehow, punching each other hurt more than they expected.
"Hey?"
Just then, a voice interrupted them. Turning around, they saw Kakashi watching them with his usual deadpan expression.
After a moment of hesitation, Kakashi finally asked, his face full of confusion,
"Are you two... playing some kind of Transformation Jutsu game?"
"Huh? Transformation?"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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