From the moment chaos erupted across the shinobi world and the hunt for Orochimaru began, only the Akatsuki organization had achieved any meaningful results throughout the entire campaign.
Although Orochimaru remained uncaptured and very much alive, the damage inflicted upon him was undeniably real and substantial.
As for all the other hunting parties, their relentless pursuit had resulted in massive casualties among their own ranks. Countless shinobi had perished during the extended chase.
Some had fallen victim to elaborate traps that Orochimaru had meticulously prepared along his escape routes. Others had been eliminated by his loyal subordinates, who fought with desperate ferocity to protect their master.
Recognizing that the situation was rapidly deteriorating, Orochimaru had completely abandoned any concern for his followers' safety. He began mass-producing shinobi enhanced with curse seals, treating them as expendable resources.
While these enhanced warriors experienced dramatic increases in their combat abilities, they remained completely unable to resist the curse seal's corrosive effects on their bodies. Consequently, they possessed only a dozen days of life remaining after the enhancement process.
However, this limitation served Orochimaru's purposes perfectly. He merely needed these subordinates to fulfill their role as disposable tools, helping him eliminate bothersome opponents who threatened his freedom.
The strategy proved remarkably effective in practice.
Many shinobi who had never encountered curse seal enhancement were caught completely off guard by these empowered enemies. Their unfamiliarity with the curse seal's effects led to devastating defeats that could have been avoided with proper preparation.
News of Orochimaru's presence in the Land of Birds had spread throughout the hunting parties, drawing every group pursuing him into this single country.
After numerous fierce battles, the Land of Birds had descended into complete chaos and devastation.
Large numbers of shinobi engaged in combat at all times and in every location, showing complete disregard for the lives and safety of innocent civilians caught in the crossfire.
Four distinct forces now waged war within the Land of Birds' borders.
Orochimaru and his enhanced subordinates formed the primary target that all others sought to eliminate.
The Akatsuki organization deployed their most dangerous members in coordinated teams, determined to claim both the bounty and settle old scores.
Countless rogue shinobi and missing-nin had been attracted by the enormous bounty, though they lacked unity and possessed varying levels of skill and power.
Finally, elite hunting teams dispatched by the three major shinobi villages pursued their quarry with systematic precision and overwhelming resources.
The three opposing forces all targeted Orochimaru as their primary objective.
However, since these groups harbored no friendship or alliance with each other, and in many cases viewed each other as hostile competitors, Orochimaru could consistently find opportunities to sow discord and manipulate their conflicts to his advantage.
This strategic manipulation explained why Orochimaru had managed to survive for so long despite facing overwhelming opposition.
Although this chaotic conflict hadn't reached the scale of devastation seen during the previous Great Shinobi Wars, casualties continued mounting at an alarming rate.
The widespread fighting affected numerous individuals who had no direct involvement in the hunt for Orochimaru.
Whether it was Uzumaki Naruto, who was training in remote locations under Jiraiya's guidance, or Terumi Mei and her diplomatic delegation attempting to establish business cooperation agreements with other shinobi villages, everyone found themselves impacted by this expanding battle.
Terumi Mei's situation remained somewhat manageable since her group had recently entered Iwagakure. Once they successfully negotiated a cooperation agreement, the immediate threats to their mission might diminish significantly.
However, Jiraiya and Uzumaki Naruto faced a very different and more complex situation. Although they appeared to have no direct connection to the current conflict, circumstances were drawing them inexorably toward involvement.
The fundamental issue lay in the extremely complicated relationship between Orochimaru and Jiraiya, rooted in decades of shared history.
During their last meeting as the legendary Sannin, they had explicitly declared that they were no longer companions or allies. Those words had been spoken with finality and bitter disappointment.
But now, witnessing what appeared to be the entire shinobi world united in hunting down Orochimaru, Jiraiya found himself unable to maintain emotional detachment from the situation.
He genuinely didn't know what his response would be if he encountered Orochimaru again under these circumstances.
To be completely honest, Jiraiya remained uncertain whether he would attempt to kill his former teammate or help Orochimaru escape from the relentless pursuit that seemed destined to end in death.
"Crack..."
Red flames danced as they roasted a large piece of meat over their campfire. Jiraiya's eyes appeared to focus on the flickering flames, but his gaze lacked focus entirely. His mind was clearly occupied with weighty thoughts and difficult decisions.
"Ah! It's almost ready!"
The sweaty figure of Uzumaki Naruto suddenly burst from the nearby bushes, his energetic arrival jolting the contemplative Jiraiya back to the present moment.
"Hey, Naruto, how did your training session go today?"
Jiraiya arranged his features into a cheerful smile as he looked toward Uzumaki Naruto, who approached their campfire with obvious exhaustion and hunger.
"Hiss, it smells absolutely incredible! I'm completely starving!"
Uzumaki Naruto's mouth watered visibly as he stared at the grilled meat, which was dripping with appetizing grease and aromatic juices.
Despite his hunger, he heard Jiraiya's question and responded, "It still doesn't work properly. Pervy Sage, I think you might be wrong about this. Nine-Tails' chakra simply cannot be controlled the way you described."
"Really? But mastering Nine-Tails chakra represents the path you absolutely must take if you want to reach your full potential." Jiraiya's expression became completely serious as he continued, "Once you truly learn how to harness Nine-Tails chakra effectively, your strength will increase to levels that are almost unimaginable."
"Okay, I understand what you're saying."
Uzumaki Naruto chose to place his complete trust in Jiraiya's guidance. The two had been training together in various remote locations for more than a full year. After spending such extended time together, Naruto's confidence in the Pervy Sage continued growing stronger each day.
Although Jiraiya could be completely unreliable at times and frequently created various troubles that Naruto had to deal with, the young shinobi had developed genuine affection for his mentor.
While Naruto occasionally became furious with Jiraiya's antics and questionable decisions, he discovered that he couldn't bring himself to hate the eccentric sage.
Perhaps this tolerance existed because Naruto recognized that in the past, he had been just as mischievous and prone to pranks as Jiraiya currently was.
"Wow, this tastes absolutely amazing!"
Uzumaki Naruto grabbed a large piece of grilled meat and began devouring it with enthusiastic hunger.
"Pervy Sage, why aren't you eating anything?"
Jiraiya held a bamboo skewer in his hand, but despite the fragrant barbecue being so tantalizingly close, he felt no desire to eat whatsoever.
Faced with Naruto's curious questioning, Jiraiya contemplated the situation for several moments before finally reaching a decision.
"Naruto, we're traveling to the Land of Birds next!"
"Oh, okay."
Naruto didn't particularly care about their destination. His primary concern was that Jiraiya would continue accompanying him on this journey of growth and discovery.
Jiraiya temporarily pushed aside his troubled thoughts about Orochimaru and began focusing on finding a solution to Uzumaki Naruto's training difficulties.
The Nine-Tails chakra's resistance to control had been anticipated to some degree.
However, Jiraiya hadn't expected the challenge to prove quite so formidable and persistent!
Perhaps the solution involved gradually weakening the seal and allowing Naruto to experience Nine-Tails chakra more directly and intimately.
This approach might produce some positive results and breakthrough moments.
Unfortunately, such a strategy carried significant risks. Jiraiya worried that after releasing portions of the seal, Uzumaki Naruto might be overwhelmed by the hatred and malevolence contained within Nine-Tails chakra, potentially causing him to go berserk.
However, upon further reflection, even if Naruto did lose control temporarily, Jiraiya remained confident in his ability to restrain and calm his student before any permanent damage occurred.
With that reassurance in mind, he decided to proceed with the plan.
After resolving the Orochimaru situation, he would attempt to modify Naruto's seal and test this potentially dangerous but promising training method.
With these thoughts settling in his mind, Jiraiya took a substantial bite of the barbecue on his bamboo skewer and spoke somewhat unclearly around the food, "Eat quickly. We still need to travel after finishing our meal."
"Right!"
Naruto, who had spent most of the day engaged in intensive training exercises, was absolutely ravenous. He nodded enthusiastically while continuing to wolf down his food with impressive speed.
"Have you located him?"
"Yes, this is definitely where Orochimaru is currently hiding."
Deep within a lush forest, Zetsu handed over the intelligence information he had gathered to Tendo Pain.
"Notify all other members and prepare for immediate departure!"
"We're going to eliminate Orochimaru once and for all!"
Following this decisive command, Tendo Pain set off first toward their target. After receiving the notification, every member of Akatsuki began converging on the specified location from their various positions.
The sound of rustling filled the air as countless pieces of paper swept forward through the trees like a living storm.
"Captain, according to all the intelligence we've successfully gathered, Orochimaru is located at these coordinates!"
Aburame Shihui, whose body remained mostly concealed beneath specialized clothing and who carried a large round container on his back, nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
He possessed a naturally taciturn personality and had grown accustomed to carrying out missions independently. However, for this particular assignment tracking Orochimaru, his leadership had proven exceptionally effective.
When he raised his finger, a tiny black insect crawled out from beneath his sleeve.
"In that case, transmit this information back to the village immediately."
"Yes, sir!"
As a trained messenger hawk spread its wings and began flying toward Konoha Village, the members of the pursuit team collectively released sighs of relief.
Naturally, Konoha maintained multiple methods for transmitting crucial information. For security purposes, they would also employ additional communication channels to ensure this vital intelligence reached the village safely.
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