Orochimaru set down the documents in his hand. Printed clearly on the paper was the emblem of Konoha's Medical Emergency Unit.
"These people don't realize it," he said coldly,
"the most important place is the Medical Emergency Unit's laboratory."
"Kabuto has done very well."
Recalling the intelligence Kabuto had secretly sent from Konoha, Orochimaru felt genuinely satisfied. Yet soon after, he let out a soft sigh.
"If Naraku were still by my side, these experiments wouldn't be so troublesome."
Of course, Orochimaru knew this was nothing more than wishful thinking. The moment he defected from Konoha, there was no turning back.
Yes—Orochimaru was also one of Naraku's teachers.
Or rather, the legendary Three Sannin of Konoha had all, in one way or another, taught Kusunoki Naraku.
The difference was that Orochimaru and Jiraiya had done so while assisting Tsunade.
At that time, Tsunade had just suffered the devastating loss of her younger brother and her lover on the battlefield. She was nearly broken by the trauma, eventually developing hemophobia.
In that state, she was in no condition to teach Naraku—she herself drifted through each day in a haze.
And Jiraiya, as Tsunade's most devoted admirer, had voluntarily taken on the responsibility of guiding and training Naraku.
Later, Orochimaru accidentally discovered Naraku's extraordinary talent. Coupled with Naraku's advanced understanding of medical theory, Orochimaru's curiosity was instantly piqued, and he poured his own knowledge into teaching him.
At first, Orochimaru merely wanted to cultivate a competent assistant.
But as Naraku's learning accumulated and his understanding deepened, he quickly caught up to Orochimaru's pace—eventually becoming his laboratory assistant.
There were even times when Orochimaru found himself unable to keep up with Naraku's progress.
Far from being displeased, Orochimaru was ecstatic. He began absorbing Naraku's novel ideas and unconventional medical theories instead.
Later on, Orochimaru attempted more than once to lure Naraku into becoming his direct disciple, promising him countless benefits.
He even approached Tsunade, attempting to wrest Naraku away from her—only to be beaten senseless multiple times, nearly to death.
What infuriated Orochimaru even more was that Tsunade, after developing hemophobia, could no longer take the battlefield. She was confined to logistics management, training medical-nin, and researching new medical ninjutsu.
That, however, gave her the time to personally teach Naraku—and she promptly took him away.
Orochimaru was furious.
By the time the Third Shinobi World War ended and Tsunade left Konoha, Orochimaru tried approaching Naraku once more—only to find that Naraku now actively avoided him.
Naraku knew the future well.
He understood that Orochimaru's defection was imminent, and thus kept his distance.
From that point on, Orochimaru's resentment toward Tsunade deepened even further.
In his mind, it was Tsunade's interference that had cost him the most outstanding successor he had ever encountered.
"Orochimaru…"
A sudden voice pulled him from his thoughts.
Orochimaru turned his gaze toward the young man kneeling respectfully before him—Kimimaro of the Kaguya clan.
"How did it go?" Orochimaru asked.
"My lord, contact has been established with Sunagakure. However, the Kazekage remains hesitant… he has concerns regarding your identity."
"Is that so?"
A sinister smile crept across Orochimaru's face. "That's fine. He'll agree eventually."
"The conditions in Sunagakure will force him to cooperate with us."
"But I dislike him very much…"
"When the time is right—kill him."
"That way, I'll gain another excellent experimental subject."
"The plan is about to begin…"
"Konoha… the Third Hokage… Kusunoki Naraku…"
"It's been far too long."
"Hehehe…"
Cold laughter echoed throughout the laboratory, while Kimimaro continued to gaze at Orochimaru with unwavering reverence and devotion.
…
"According to intelligence reports, Iwagakure and Sunagakure recently reached a cooperative agreement. The specific contents are unknown."
"Based on spy reports, the time and location have been confirmed. They will exchange supplies in the Land of Birds, the night after next."
"This is an S-rank mission. You may decide the team composition yourself."
Kusunoki Naraku accepted the mission scroll from the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and immediately opened it.
This was a textbook ANBU mission.
Obtaining intelligence from the shinobi of Sunagakure and Iwagakure would be ideal—but not mandatory.
The primary objective was simple:
Eliminate everyone involved in the exchange.
Konoha and Sunagakure were allies, yes—but undermining Suna's operations and restricting its development would only make it more dependent on Konoha.
Such covert struggles were a constant beneath the surface of the ninja world.
"Oh, right," Hiruzen added casually, lighting his pipe and taking a contented puff.
"When ANBU operate outside the village, everything must remain secret. For that reason, members use codenames instead of real identities."
"And you?"
"Do you have a codename you like? Or would you like me to assign one?"
A codename?
Kakashi wore a mask and killed people with Chidori every day. Tenzō freely used Wood Release.
Naraku truly didn't understand how they believed their identities were well hidden.
Still, he followed protocol.
He chose his codename.
Dragon.
From this moment on, Kusunoki Naraku's ANBU codename was:
[Dragon]
…
ANBU Headquarters.
"Cat! Your squad is to depart immediately for the Land of Birds."
"Determine the exact location of the supply exchange between Sunagakure and Iwagakure."
"Remain hidden at all times!"
"Yes!"
After returning to ANBU Headquarters, Naraku carefully reviewed the mission scroll and began issuing orders.
He immediately dispatched those most skilled in reconnaissance and intelligence gathering, planning to follow later with the combat specialists.
…
Land of Birds.
Squad Cat had already arrived.
After conducting preliminary reconnaissance, the four members regrouped and exchanged information.
They quickly pinpointed the exchange location.
This was only natural.
All four were elite intelligence specialists.
Hyūga.
Yamanaka.
Aburame.
Inuzuka.
There were no better clans for gathering information.
After brief discussion, they confirmed the site—within a forest southeast of the capital of the Land of Birds.
"Should we move in early and set an ambush?"
"No. Sunagakure shinobi are already hidden in that forest. Moving now would alert them."
"There are Iwagakure shinobi concealed in another direction. They're farther away, but my insects have already detected them."
"Transmit the information to Lord Dragon. Wait for reinforcements."
"Yes!"
After sending the report, the four immediately dispersed and concealed themselves, leaving no trace behind.
"My lord! The intelligence has arrived!"
Kusunoki Naraku accepted the report and examined it carefully.
He wore a white ANBU mask etched with unusual markings—vaguely resembling the form of a dragon.
"Map."
"Yes!"
An ANBU operative stepped forward and unfolded a map of the Land of Birds.
"It's here…"
Now that the exact location was known, planning became much simpler.
Naraku pondered briefly.
"Moon," he said, turning to the ANBU operative standing silently beside him, "what if we eliminate the advance sentries from Sunagakure and Iwagakure and replace them with our own?"
Moon—formerly a member of Root—responded calmly.
"My lord, we can replace them. However, we won't be able to obtain their communication codes and alert protocols in such a short time."
"If we eliminate them rashly, the risk of exposure is high."
He was right.
The timeframe was too tight.
Even if they captured the sentries, the Yamanaka wouldn't be able to extract critical communication signals quickly enough.
Such an action would only alert the main forces of Sunagakure and Iwagakure.
Naraku glanced at Moon, now standing silently once more.
These former Root operatives were undeniably excellent. Their discipline and professionalism were evident throughout the operation.
But Naraku hadn't forgotten—
They still answered to Danzō.
At this moment, he found himself oddly curious.
He wanted to see whether these people would dare stir up trouble under his command.