Orochimaru's pupils contracted violently at the name Nawaki.
Nawaki had been Tsunade's younger brother—and Orochimaru's first disciple.
Unfortunately, he had died during the Second Shinobi World War, a loss that Orochimaru had never truly forgotten.
It was from that moment that he first began to understand how fragile human life really was.
Though the name had little emotional effect on him now, it was a different story for Tsunade.
Orochimaru studied her carefully, surprised by how calm she seemed.
For years, the name Nawaki had been like a nightmare to her. After the death of Dan Katō, she had completely fallen apart, developing an intense fear of blood and withdrawing from the world. She had never truly recovered.
Yet today, she had spoken his name without hesitation.
Has she finally moved past it?
Seeing the shock and confusion on Orochimaru's face, Tsunade took a slow sip of her wine and spoke calmly.
"Don't look so surprised. Even I didn't think I could get over that shadow."
"Anyway, that brat Kazuyama sent a letter with a black snake—and then, nothing."
"But don't worry. You know, if your disciple is good at anything, it's running away. Even I have to admit he has a talent for it."
Orochimaru fell into thought at her words.
Did he really go to the Land of Lightning?
But why?
At this point, the Land of Lightning no longer had the power to start another war.
"But Orochimaru, shouldn't you be heading to the battlefield in the Land of Rivers?"
"Why are you still in the village?"
Orochimaru simply gave a small smile.
"Shirakumo volunteered to lead the troops to the Land of Rivers."
"So I haven't been deployed yet, though I imagine it's only a matter of time."
"According to intelligence, Iwagakure has deployed tens of thousands of troops to the Land of Rice Fields. They've also attacked our base there."
"The situation is far from optimistic."
"I just wanted to take advantage of this rare break to look for my disciples."
Finishing his explanation, Orochimaru slowly sat down across from Tsunade and poured himself a glass of wine.
"Gee, that's rare. I haven't seen you drink in a long time, Orochimaru."
He downed the glass in one gulp, the shochu burning its way down his throat.
For a moment, his thoughts were blissfully numbed.
"I don't like drinking because alcohol numbs the nerves."
Tsunade gave a dismissive smile in response. Sake is a good thing, heh heh…
"Orochimaru, what do you think Kazuyama is doing right now? Gathering intelligence in the Land of Lightning?"
Intelligence ninjas played a crucial role in the village. During wartime, the more intelligence they gathered on the enemy, the greater their chances of victory.
"That brat is definitely gathering intelligence, but I don't think that's all he's doing."
"Though I haven't spent much time with him, I know exactly what kind of person he is."
As the saying goes, good deeds never leave the house, but bad deeds travel a thousand miles. She had no doubts about Kazuyama's nature.
Meanwhile, on the Island Turtle, Kazuyama and Yugito stood before a massive waterfall.
The most mystical place on the Island Turtle—the Falls of Truth.
"This is the Falls of Truth. It's said to reflect the darkest side of your heart."
"Defeat it, and your heart will be purified, strengthening your will. This is the first step to becoming a Perfect Jinchūriki."
"If a person can't even defeat themselves, how can they ever claim to control the power of a Tailed Beast?"
Hearing Kazuyama's explanation, Yugito suddenly felt a twinge of doubt, and without thinking, blurted out:
"This Island Turtle belongs to Kumogakure, doesn't it?"
"Then how do you know so much about it?"
Kazuyama laughed at the question.
Yes, this Island Turtle was indeed a Kumo specialty, but who was he?
"I'm a ninja specializing in intelligence. Gathering information is what I do best."
"It's just a little Island Turtle. And even you, a Jinchūriki, I found without any trouble."
"That's why I say Kumo is just a bunch of big guys with small brains. Maybe they haven't even noticed yet that their village's Jinchūriki and the Island Turtle have disappeared."
Yugito frowned at his mocking words.
She wanted to argue, but she couldn't. She had been held captive for several days now.
She was a Jinchūriki, for crying out loud! For days, she had fantasized about her comrades in Kumogakure coming to rescue her—appearing from the sky to take her back home.
But no one had come.
A sliver of doubt crept into her mind.
Was her village really as strong as she had always believed?
At that very moment, Kumogakure was in complete chaos.
"WHY?!"
"You were given such a simple task! Just watch over Yugito! HOW DID SHE DISAPPEAR RIGHT UNDER YOUR NOSES?!"
"Tell me—where the hell did she go?!"
Dodai's furious roar echoed through the mountain peaks.
When he had arrived at the site where Yugito had been kept, he was stunned to find nothing. There was no sign of her anywhere on the mountain.
Realizing something was wrong, he immediately summoned Kumo's sensor-nin and ordered a full-scale search.
The results?
Kumogakure's Two-Tails Jinchūriki—completely vanished.
Furious, Dodai gathered every ninja stationed there and issued an unprecedented bellow, while simultaneously sending word to the soon-to-be Fourth Raikage.
This wasn't just anyone missing—this was a Jinchūriki!
"What's going on?!"
"Where's Yugito?! WHERE DID SHE GO?!"
A arrived like a thunderstorm, his entire body radiating pure rage. His anger was so intense that it looked like smoke would start pouring from his ears.
"I don't know, but it looks like she's been kidnapped."
Dodai had barely finished speaking when a Kumo Jōnin suddenly rushed to their side.
"Lord A! Lord Dodai!"
"We've lost contact with the Island Turtle!"
"No matter how many signals the ninja stationed there send, there's no response from the island!"
The words struck like a hammer.
A's vision darkened.
"THUD!"
"A!"
"Lord A!"
Yes, the soon-to-be Fourth Raikage fainted from sheer rage.
Dodai nearly collapsed as well, his vision swimming with anger and stress.
If A hadn't hit the ground first with that earth-shaking thud, Dodai would have been the one to fall.
"Forget the Island Turtle for now! Issue a Red Alert and mobilize every ninja in the village!"
"FIND YUGITO—NOW!"
"DO IT—"
"PUH!"
Before Dodai could finish his last order, he coughed violently—and spat out a mouthful of blood.
Since he couldn't afford to faint, his body had settled for the next best thing.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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