Rorin arrived outside the Hidden Sand Village together with Team Three. This time, since he wasn't alone, proper procedures had to be followed.
After registering at the village entrance, the four of them headed to Gaara's office.
After a brief exchange of greetings, Rorin stepped forward.
"Gaara, I'll get straight to the point. Our main purpose in coming to the Hidden Sand Village this time is to ensure your safety. Secondly, we want to capture a member of the Akatsuki and bring them back to the Hidden Leaf Village," Rorin said plainly.
Hearing this, Gaara fell into thought.
"Thank you very much for your concern. In that case, please stay in the Hidden Sand Village for now," Gaara replied slowly.
Rorin and the others from Team Three nodded slightly. Soon after, they left the Kazekage's office.
Looking up at the sky, Rorin carefully calculated things in his mind. Everything was proceeding according to the original plan. Uchiha Itachi's target was also the Land of Wind, which meant Uzumaki Naruto and the others would likely be brought here as well.
That would make it easier for Uchiha Sasuke to verify the so-called truth.
...
Elsewhere, Uchiha Itachi and Kisame Hoshigaki were making their way toward the Land of Wind. After traveling for a while, Itachi stopped and glanced in the direction of the Land of Fire, a fleeting trace of concern passing through his eyes.
"Itachi-san, is your body alright? Don't worry—leave the capture of the One-Tail Jinchūriki to me this time," Kisame said softly, assuming Itachi had stopped to rest due to his condition.
Itachi shook his head.
"It's fine. My body can handle it. I'll be taking action in this mission as well."
"Cough, cough!" After speaking, Itachi covered his mouth and coughed lightly.
Hearing this, Kisame's eyes lit up slightly. Since they had teamed up, Itachi had rarely taken action, leaving most missions to him alone.
After the brief excitement, Kisame still looked at Itachi with concern.
"Itachi-san, your health isn't good. Don't push yourself. You still have things you must accomplish."
Itachi waved his hand.
"I was the one who proposed this mission to the leader, so it's only right that I participate. There's no need to persuade me."
Kisame looked at Itachi, moved. Could it be that Itachi-san thinks I've been working too hard lately? No, I have to complete this mission even more seriously!
After resting for a moment, the two continued on their way.
...
Elsewhere, Kakashi and his group, who were tracking Uchiha Itachi, gathered together. Kakashi's expression was serious.
"It looks like Rorin was right. The Akatsuki has indeed sent someone to the Hidden Sand Village. And coincidentally, the one they sent is the very person we're tracking—Uchiha Itachi. After all, his direction is the Hidden Sand Village."
The others nodded slightly. At that moment, Pakkun jumped out and said calmly, "But we've also picked up Uchiha Sasuke's scent nearby."
Hearing this, Uzumaki Naruto clenched his fists, his expression shifting. He silently swore to himself: Sasuke, this time I will definitely bring you back to the Hidden Leaf Village. I've grown stronger now—I won't be like last time.
Naruto lifted his head and looked at Kakashi.
"Kakashi-sensei, you all go after Uchiha Itachi. I want to find Sasuke and convince him to give up his hatred."
Kakashi thought for a moment, then nodded.
"In that case, Yamato, you'll go with Naruto. The rest of you will come with me to the Hidden Sand Village."
Haruno Sakura looked at Kakashi and pleaded,
"Kakashi-sensei, I want to go with Naruto too. Is that okay?"
Kakashi slowly shook his head and refused firmly.
"Sakura, don't forget the main objective of this mission. You're the only medical ninja in our team, so you'll come with us to the Hidden Sand Village."
Sakura bit her lip and nodded.
"I understand, Kakashi-sensei."
Naruto smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, Sakura. I'll definitely bring Sasuke back."
"I'll leave Naruto to you, Yamato," Kakashi said.
To be safe, Kakashi took out a bone that Rorin had given him and handed it to Naruto.
"If you run into something you can't handle, channel chakra into this bone. We'll understand the situation and come to support you," Kakashi said solemnly.
Naruto carefully stored the bone and smiled. "Okay."
After that, Kakashi led his team toward the Hidden Sand Village, while Pakkun stayed behind with Naruto to search for Uchiha Sasuke.
Originally, Kakashi had considered activating the Flying Thunder God bone to have Rorin come pick them up, but after thinking it over, he decided against it. It didn't feel right to keep relying on others.
Besides, he trusted that since Rorin was already in the Hidden Sand Village, arriving a bit later wouldn't be a problem.
...
Land of Wind, Hidden Sand Village, inside a traveler's inn.
Rorin, Might Guy, and Rock Lee were training together, sweat dripping onto the ground.
After completing three hundred one-finger push-ups, the three stood up together. Rorin wiped the sweat from his body, taking this opportunity during the mission to properly consult Might Guy about pushing physical limits.
Recently, he had been doing weighted training, but progress felt slow.
"Guy-sensei, I'd like to ask about the final gate of the Eight Gates—the Gate of Death," Rorin said.
Hearing this, Might Guy looked at Rorin with concern.
"Rorin, the Eight Gates is a forbidden technique that places immense strain on the body—especially the final gate, which costs your life. Unless you have no other choice, you must never attempt to touch it."
Rorin nodded slightly.
"I understand, Guy-sensei. I'll be careful. But I still want to learn more about the Gate of Death. I feel like I've hit a bottleneck."
Seeing Rorin's firm attitude, Might Guy told him about the scene when his father opened the Gate of Death.
Of course, hearing about it was no substitute for witnessing it firsthand. Still, Rorin gained a slight improvement in his understanding, and he was already satisfied.
After finishing their training, the three returned to their rooms to rest.
Since Rorin was drenched in sweat and the Hidden Sand Village lacked water, he returned to the Hidden Leaf Village for a quick trip.
After finishing his bath, Rorin glanced out the window. Thinking about it, Jiraiya should be leaving the village soon for the Hidden Rain Village.
Rorin then communicated with the system and had it bring up Jiraiya's current surveillance video and audio.
An hour later, Rorin silently turned off the feed and sighed.
"As expected of Jiraiya—his life really is colorful."
After confirming that Jiraiya had left the Hidden Leaf Village, Rorin also departed and returned to the Hidden Sand Village.