Tenchi Bridge ruins.
Rorin activated his Byakugan and carefully inspected the surroundings once more. He shook his head—there was indeed no trace of Chiyo's body. Instead, he discovered an unfamiliar corpse, deliberately buried deep underground.
"Why? If Baki's body is still here, then why is Chiyo's…" Rorin muttered softly.
Could it be…? A possibility suddenly crossed his mind, and he immediately contacted the system.
'System, the parasitic bug I planted on Deidara—you said that as long as the host still shows signs of life, it won't die, right?'
[Yes, host.]
'Then is that bug still alive now? Check for me.'
Originally, he had assumed Deidara used C0 self-destruction, meaning he should have been completely obliterated. But now, another possibility had emerged.
[Replying to host: the parasite is still alive.]
As expected. A faint smile appeared on Rorin's lips. He finally understood why Deidara used C0 self-destruction—because that wasn't his real body at all.
"The Impersonation Technique, huh… almost got fooled," Rorin said calmly.
"Hm?" Gaara turned to look at him. "Did you figure something out, Rorin?"
"Yeah. It's very likely those two from the Akatsuki aren't dead," Rorin nodded and said quietly.
Gaara froze for a moment, disbelief flashing across his face.
"Are you saying they have some kind of instant movement ability too?"
Rorin gave a slight nod.
"Something like that. We didn't find Chiyo at the scene, so it's very possible they took her with them. Though I don't know why they would do that."
He couldn't directly explain the Impersonation Technique to Gaara, nor could he justify how he knew so much about the Akatsuki. So he chose to lie.
Gaara fell into thought. But just because Chiyo wasn't present didn't necessarily prove the enemy was still alive. He felt that Rorin had discovered something else but chose not to elaborate for his own reasons.
Gaara didn't press further. After collecting Baki's body, he turned to Rorin and said,
"Rorin, I need to return to the Hidden Sand Village. Baki is dead, and Chiyo might also be… There are many matters in the village that need handling."
Rorin nodded and asked calmly, "Do you need me to send you back?"
Gaara shook his head. "No need. I'll go back myself."
"Then be careful of the Akatsuki," Rorin said, not insisting. After a brief warning, he left.
The two parted ways.
...
One of Orochimaru's secret bases.
Team 7 quietly infiltrated the base and arrived at a complex crossroads filled with twisting paths.
Naruto couldn't help frowning. How had Sasuke managed to live in such a labyrinthine place for so long without getting lost?
They felt a bit regretful—Neji had returned to the Hidden Leaf Village two days ago. If they had his Byakugan, they wouldn't be wandering around like headless flies.
"I'll use Multiple Shadow Clones to search separately!" Naruto suggested.
Kakashi nodded but still reminded him, "Don't be reckless. Don't alert the enemy."
Naruto formed hand seals and created a large number of shadow clones. All the Narutos nodded in unison before scattering in every direction.
"Sasuke, wait for me—I'm coming!" Naruto muttered to himself.
Meanwhile, inside Orochimaru's laboratory, Orochimaru reclined on his bed while Kabuto treated him. Suddenly, Orochimaru's brow twitched slightly.
"Looks like some pople have sneaked in… hehehe," Orochimaru said with a sinister chuckle.
Kabuto froze, then stood up and turned toward the door. "Could it be…?"
"Orochimaru-sama, should I drive them out?"
Orochimaru smiled. "I know why they're here—Sasuke-kun. Old acquaintances meeting again after a long time… no need to disturb them. Make preparations—we're leaving this base. Obtaining Sasuke's body is what matters next."
Kabuto adjusted his glasses.
"You mean… leave it to Sasuke himself?"
"Mm. After all, he's trained here for nearly three years. Let me see just how far he's come," Orochimaru said calmly.
Meanwhile, Team 7 had been searching the base for nearly half an hour when Naruto suddenly paused.
Kakashi and Sakura immediately stopped as well, looking at him.
"Did you find him?" Kakashi asked, his gaze serious.
Naruto nodded slightly. Just moments ago, one of his shadow clones had found Sasuke sleeping. To avoid alerting him, the clone dispelled itself and returned the information.
"This way!" Naruto shouted, turning and running in one direction. Kakashi and Sakura quickly followed.
The moment Naruto's clone disappeared, Sasuke—who had been pretending to sleep—slightly moved his eyelids and murmured softly,
"Still that naive, huh? Using the same tricks over and over… no change at all, Naruto."
Tap, tap, tap!
The three rushed forward at full speed. Naruto's heart was racing with excitement, and Sakura was filled with eager hope.
Moments later, they finally reached the corner outside Sasuke's room. They stopped running, and Naruto slowly stepped forward.
He was right there. They had longed for this reunion… yet with each step, Naruto felt an inexplicable heaviness.
Tap, tap, tap!
Naruto finally reached the doorway and stared blankly at Sasuke's back. He had imagined this reunion countless times—but now that it was happening, he couldn't say a word.
"Naruto?" Sasuke's calm voice came from inside.
Naruto froze, silently staring at his back.
Soon, Sakura and Kakashi arrived at Naruto's side.
"Hmph… Sakura and Kakashi too, huh?" Sasuke's voice sounded again. He then turned around, slowly sat up, and looked at the three of them with a cold, indifferent expression, his chin slightly raised.
"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura murmured, her pupils shrinking.
"Long time no see, Sasuke," Kakashi greeted with a casual wave.
"It has been a long time. So… after traveling all this way, what exactly do you want?" Sasuke said coldly, looking down on them.
Hearing this, Naruto immediately grew agitated. He thrust his right hand forward sharply.
"We came to bring you back to the Hidden Leaf Village!"
"Oh? The Hidden Leaf Village?" Sasuke replied indifferently. "To have me go back and keep playing those boring, meaningless ninja games with you?"