A narrow, winding mountain path near the borders of Kumogakure lay completely still.
Along this secluded road, Kakuzu and Jūzō Biwa stood near a milestone, appearing to wait for someone. Jūzō, naturally an impatient man, was just starting to grow restless when the sound of approaching movement echoed from the distance.
Kakuzu straightened himself from the tree he had been leaning against. "They're here."
Moments later, a small caravan of carriages emerged at the far end of the path, looking exactly like an ordinary group of traveling merchants. Upon spotting Kakuzu and Jūzō, the merchants showed no surprise whatsoever, quickly picking up the pace to rendezvous with the two rogue ninja.
The heavy curtain of the lead carriage was pulled aside, and Kabuto, his spectacles catching the dim light, hopped down to the ground.
"You took your sweet time getting here," Jūzō muttered, patting the flank of the old horse pulling the carriage before clicking his tongue in mild annoyance.
Kabuto pulled out two sets of merchant attire and handed them over. "This caravan possesses entirely flawless, legitimate documentation. Before heading toward Kumogakure, they've already conducted business in both Kirigakure and Konohagakure. If anyone attempts to trace their origin, they'll find a paper trail extending back three years. I purchased this network quite a long time ago. Moving alongside this caravan will guarantee us seamless entry into Kumogakure. It might be a bit slow, but at least it's foolproof, isn't it?"
It was exactly as Kakuzu had pointed out previously, the shinobi of Kumogakure were predominantly burly, dark-skinned individuals. Consequently, outsiders from other villages or nations instantly looked conspicuously out of place, making standard physical infiltration incredibly difficult.
Even if one were to rely on the Transformation Jutsu, Kumogakure's entry checkpoints enforced exceptionally rigorous screening protocols. It was precisely because of this tight-knit solidarity and xenophobic security that Kumogakure had historically harbored fewer foreign spies than any other major village.
By the same token, the people of the Cloud Village were fiercely loyal to one another, boasting the lowest defection rate among the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
Take the Akatsuki organization, for instance; in the original timeline, Akatsuki had managed to recruit the absolute cream of the crop among rogue ninja from that entire era. Yet, even with that global reach, Kumogakure was the solitary hidden village that never produced a rogue ninja of that caliber.
If one truly wanted to dredge up the biggest scandal in Kumogakure's decades-long history regarding high-profile traitors, one would have to look all the way back to the Gold and Silver Brothers, Kinkaku and Ginkaku. In the generations following their demise, the Cloud Village had never faced a similar issue.
"Are you coming inside the village with us?" Kakuzu asked bluntly as he took the clothes.
Kabuto nodded. "Diarmuid-sama explicitly instructed me to assist you both in securing Kumogakure's Heavenly Transfer Technique. Naturally, I will be accompanying you inside."
Jūzō blinked, then rolled his eyes at the younger man. "Hey, I'm sensing a strong undercurrent of distrust in your tone, kid. When the two of us were out making waves across the shinobi world, you hadn't even graduated to a proper ninja yet, had you?"
"Mm... that is technically accurate," Kabuto admitted, offering a calm nod of acknowledgement before continuing. "However, I still hope to be actively involved. Rest assured, I have a very clear grasp of my own capabilities and will not meddle in matters beyond my purview. My primary role inside Kumogakure will be preparing a secure escape route for us. The moment you secure the technique, we will make a swift exit."
Seeing that Kabuto had mapped everything out so cleanly, Jūzō could only scratch his head, taking the merchant garb as he muttered, "Fine, whatever. You're one of us now anyway... I heard that once this mission is wrapped up, you'll be officially joining the Yorozuya?"
"Orochimaru-sama informed me of that arrangement, which is precisely why I place immense value on this assignment," Kabuto answered directly, offering no denial.
Without an ounce of hesitation, Kakuzu had already stripped off his Yorozuya cloak, unstrapped his rogue ninja forehead protector, and smoothly slipped into the outfit, which blended seamlessly with the caravan's aesthetic.
Seeing this, Jūzō followed suit, tossing his cloak aside without any modesty. After all, it was just a matter of changing coats.
Kakuzu handed his Yorozuya uniform over to Kabuto, posing a question that had been lingering in his mind. "That guy Diarmuid already possesses the Flying Raijin Technique. Why is he still so intent on acquiring this Heavenly Transfer Technique? According to the intelligence reports, the Heavenly Transfer Technique falls far short of the Flying Raijin's versatility."
"The Boss has developed a obsession with space-time ninjutsu lately. Haven't you noticed?" Jūzō replied, his tone perfectly nonchalant.
"Personally, I think he's spent so much time immersed in the Pure Land that he's lost his mind," Kakuzu grumbled in critique.
"Speaking of which, did you ever bother to learn that Spirit Transformation Jutsu?" Jūzō asked.
Kakuzu shook his head. "No. Did you?"
"What a spectacular coincidence. Neither did I," Jūzō remarked, shaking his head in tandem.
Finally, both veterans turned their collective gaze toward Kabuto, asking in unison, "Did you learn that secret jutsu?"
Kabuto, maintaining his characteristic composure, nodded smoothly. "I did."
"Well? How is it? Has your soul become immensely powerful?" Jūzō inquired, his curiosity piqued.
"No. I've only been studying it for less than two years, and I rarely have the luxury to practice it consistently. At my current level, even achieving astral projection is quite difficult, let alone expanding the power of my soul. It is exactly as Diarmuid-sama stated: this technique demands years of unremitting training before it yields true power. A normal individual would need to invest at least five years of dedicated effort just to achieve basic competence," Kabuto explained, shaking his head.
"And that is precisely why I chose not to learn it," Kakuzu remarked, adjusting his new collar.
In the time it would take to master such a tedious art, he had no idea how many millions of Ryo he could rake in through bounties instead.
Jūzō clicked his tongue. "As for me, I already have to dedicate a massive portion of my time to mastering Lightning Release Nintaijutsu, and I still haven't fully ironed out several Water Release techniques. I simply don't have the spare hours to pick up a completely new discipline..."
"Which brings us right back to how utterly absurd that guy Diarmuid is. The monster studies everything he can get his hands on, and he masters all of it at a terrifying speed... and now he's set his sights on this Heavenly Transfer Technique. Unbelievable," Kakuzu muttered, shaking his head with a trace of deep awe.
As the individual who had known Diarmuid the longest, Kakuzu had essentially witnessed every single step of his journey. He had watched Diarmuid transform from an absolute novice who didn't even comprehend the fundamental principles of ninjutsu into a powerhouse who could arguably be called the strongest entity in the shinobi world.
The deeper his understanding of Diarmuid grew, the more incomprehensible the man became.
Paths that required normal geniuses a decade or more to navigate, Diarmuid could effortlessly conquer in a matter of three to five months... What kind of monstrous talent even was that?
"Alright, let's drop the subject. Whatever the Boss commands, we execute. It's as simple as that," Jūzō said, waving his hand to end the discussion.
"You certainly are fiercely loyal to Diarmuid. Too bad he isn't standing here right now; he can't see you playing the loyal hound and kissing his ass," Kakuzu dryly needled.
Hearing Kakuzu's jab, Kabuto offered a subtle, silent smile, choosing to keep his mouth shut.
Jūzō, however, rolled his eyes dramatically. "What the hell do you know? My reverence for the Boss is like a torrential river, cascading endlessly, or a massive flood overflowing beyond all control! Regardless of whether he is present to hear it, the sheer majesty of the moment he rescued me from the clutches of the Fourth Mizukage is permanently etched into the fabric of my soul. You call that kissing ass? No, old man, that is called respect!"
Kabuto looked at Jūzō with a hint of genuine surprise. In his previous impressions, he had written Jūzō off as nothing more than a rough, unrefined brawler. Who would have thought the man could wax so poetic when pressed?
Of course, Kabuto remained perfectly silent, offering no commentary.
On the surface, Kakuzu appeared to look down on Jūzō, and Jūzō never hesitated to fire back with aggressive, profanity-laced retorts. Yet, during his prolonged stay within Amegakure, Kabuto had meticulously analyzed the interpersonal dynamics among the core heavyweights of the Yorozuya.
Why go to such lengths?
On one hand, it was simply an extension of Kabuto's deeply ingrained professional habits as a spy. On the other hand, as a fresh recruit stepping into a den of legends, he needed to thoroughly study these titans to ensure he never accidentally crossed any invisible boundaries.
Within the hierarchy of the Yorozuya, the most inconspicuous figure was Sasori of the Red Sand. Aside from his collaborative research projects with Orochimaru, Sasori was the ultimate lone wolf and a ghost within the organization. In recent years, as the Yorozuya and Amegakure consolidated their global dominance and stabilized the region, Sasori no longer needed to venture abroad to harvest raw materials for his puppets. Consequently, his reclusive tendencies had skyrocketed; Kabuto hadn't seen him step foot outside the hidden village in years.
At the same time, Kabuto was fully aware that Sasori commanded an independent intelligence network completely separate from Amegakure's official infrastructure.
This was a reality that Diarmuid and the core leadership fully understood and tolerated, only activating Sasori's sleeper network under highly specific, critical circumstances.
Furthermore, despite Sasori and Kakuzu being the absolute earliest members to align with Lord Diarmuid, Sasori's personal relationship with Kakuzu remained strictly superficial.
While Sasori was the most reserved and invisible member, Orochimaru stood as the most unbound and high-profile entity within the Yorozuya.
Orochimaru operated essentially as the "second-in-command" of the entire organization. Virtually every radical theory or experimental ambition he conceived was met with unconditional, profound backing from Diarmuid. The two functioned simultaneously as mentor-and-student and intellectual peers, their temperaments perfectly synchronized.
Having served under Orochimaru for an extensive period, Kabuto understood the legendary Sannin better than most.
In his estimation, back when Orochimaru resided in Konoha, he had always worn a calculating, stifling mask. But here in the Yorozuya, he acted with absolute, unadulterated freedom. He had completely liberated his true self.
Because of this, Kabuto could clearly see that Orochimaru harbored a deep, genuine sense of belonging toward the Yorozuya. This loyalty wasn't born from rigid contracts or structural coercion; it had blossomed naturally, causing Orochimaru to view this organization as the absolute anchor of his existence.
Broadly speaking, despite Orochimaru being a relatively late addition to the fold, he had undeniably forged the tightest, most intimate bond with Diarmuid.
As for Kakuzu and Biwa Jūzō, although the two spent their daily lives trading constant insults and bickering like an old married couple, the fact that they had successfully partnered on high-stakes missions for so many years spoke volumes about the unbreakable depth of their camaraderie.
They represented the only true "paired" force within the upper echelons of the Yorozuya, as every other executive operated strictly as a solo agent.
In Kabuto's eyes, the dynamic between Kakuzu and Diarmuid was nothing short of fascinating. Kakuzu possessed the absolute, unconditional trust of the leader and held the longest tenure by his side. Yet, on a day-to-day basis, the two rarely interacted, and their communication was sparse to the point of appearing distant.
To an outside observer, it might have looked as though Kakuzu had been marginalized within the inner circle. In reality, however, Kabuto knew with absolute certainty that the foundation between Kakuzu and Diarmuid was unshakeable. The mutual trust forged between them was ironclad.
To this day, Kabuto still couldn't fathom how such a profound level of trust had been constructed in the first place.
Truth be told, if one were to ask Diarmuid and Kakuzu themselves, neither would be able to provide a logical explanation. Their absolute reliance on one another had simply evolved as a natural law; both implicitly understood that the other would never commit an act of betrayal.
For example, Diarmuid was perfectly comfortable leaving the astronomical, nation-founding wealth generated by the Yorozuya entirely under Kakuzu's management.
Conversely, no matter what absurd or high-risk assignment Diarmuid structured, Kakuzu would execute it without a single question, never once harboring a suspicion that Diarmuid might be setting him up.
It was a completely inexplicable phenomenon, yet it remained impossibly resilient.
Finally, there was Biwa Jūzō. Kabuto didn't even need to overanalyze this one. To put it bluntly, Jūzō was Diarmuid's most unyielding, fiercely dedicated vanguard. If Diarmuid pointed at a god and told Jūzō to cut it down, Jūzō would swing his blade without a millisecond of hesitation.
No matter the nature of the task, as long as it descended as a direct mandate from Diarmuid, Jūzō would spearhead the execution without a single shred of grievance or complaint.
This level of absolute devotion often left Kabuto utterly baffled. You are a hardened rogue ninja who ruthlessly defected from Kirigakure! For a man of your background to display such absolute, untarnished loyalty... shouldn't that be considered a complete joke?
Yet, the reality stood: Jūzō's allegiance to Diarmuid was a monument that could not be shaken. It defied all standard rogue ninja logic.
In summary, Kabuto possessed a highly sophisticated understanding of the internal web binding the Yorozuya together. It was precisely because of this awareness that he chose to remain a silent observer right now. The aggressive banter and constant mudslinging between Kakuzu and Jūzō was simply their unique way of expressing a solid, ironclad friendship. As for himself? He was still just a probationary member.
The golden rule for survival here was simple: talk less, execute more.