"Captain, the mission has been completed successfully. Should we withdraw from the area immediately, or do we wait for Lord Naraku to arrive?"
His companion asked with serious concern etched across his features. Aburame Shihui remained silent for several moments, carefully considering their options before responding, "We'll establish a concealed position and wait for Lord Naraku to appear!"
"A major battle is certain to erupt when he arrives, and Lord Naraku will likely require our assistance."
While this reasoning made tactical sense, every Konoha shinobi present harbored private doubts about whether Shihouin Naraku truly needed their help to defeat Orochimaru in combat.
After all, Orochimaru had already died once at Naraku's hands during their previous encounter. Logic suggested that killing him a second time shouldn't present any significant challenges.
However, no one could fault their captain's strategic decision. When their leader was about to engage in battle, they as his subordinates should be positioned to provide whatever support they could offer.
At the very least, their exceptional perception abilities would prove valuable in gathering intelligence and detecting threats.
"Zero, what's the current status of the wounded team members?"
"They're recovering quite well, but complete healing will still require additional time."
"Set up defensive traps around the perimeter. Shu will maintain watch duty while we establish our hidden positions!"
"Yes, sir!"
After Aburame Shihui finished issuing his tactical arrangements, he led his team members to concealed observation points throughout the area.
The entire hunting team consisted of perception-type shinobi, though this specialization didn't mean they lacked combat effectiveness. Rather, their perception abilities simply exceeded their fighting skills in relative terms.
They had already endured several fierce battles while tracking Orochimaru's movements across multiple countries.
Even their identity as Konoha shinobi served as a deterrent to many potential opponents who preferred avoiding conflict with one of the major villages.
However, as shinobi who lived constantly on the edge of violence and death, there were always villains who didn't care whether they offended Konoha or not. Confrontations naturally erupted whenever such groups encountered each other.
More significantly, the pursuit team had once crossed paths with members of the notorious Akatsuki organization—specifically the "Immortal Duo" of Kakuzu and Hidan.
Fortunately for them, Kakuzu had been entirely focused on locating Orochimaru to claim the substantial bounty and showed no interest in fighting Konoha's pursuit team.
Additionally, Kakuzu had been calculating the possibility of claiming the bounty directly from Konoha after capturing Orochimaru, so he actively restrained Hidan, who was eager for combat and bloodshed.
This intervention allowed the pursuit team to escape without engaging in what would have been a catastrophic battle.
The abilities possessed by the Immortal Duo were extraordinarily dangerous and unconventional. Without detailed intelligence about their techniques, most opponents would be killed during their first encounter with these deadly adversaries.
If a genuine fight had erupted, the Konoha pursuit team would have suffered devastating casualties with little hope of victory.
However, even though they had managed to avoid the terrible fate of battling the Akatsuki organization directly, they couldn't escape all other confrontations. Consequently, several team members had sustained injuries during various skirmishes.
Fortunately, their team included skilled medical shinobi who could treat wounds and maintain the team's operational effectiveness. Although several people had been injured during their mission, remarkably, no one in the pursuit team had died in any of the battles they'd faced.
After all, they were all shinobi with exceptional perception abilities, which meant they could effectively hide themselves whenever the tactical situation demanded concealment.
Therefore, despite numerous close calls, this mission had been completed without fatal casualties.
Now, they simply had to wait patiently for Shihouin Naraku's arrival and provide whatever support they could during the coming confrontation.
Konohagakure Village
"Whew..."
Shihouin Naraku released a long, satisfied breath and retrieved a clean towel to wipe perspiration from his body after an intensive training session.
With practiced precision, he sheathed his sword and allowed himself a moment of rest.
He had begun enjoying more free time during this recent period. After completing his responsibilities at the Ministry of Education, Naraku had resigned from his position with decisive finality.
Tsunade had assigned the position of Education Minister to another qualified candidate, which meant that Harada Shiramizu's hopes for promotion had been thoroughly dashed.
His qualifications and experience remained insufficient for such an elevated role. Although he had made meaningful contributions during recent reforms, advancing directly to ministerial rank would have been premature.
Naraku bore no responsibility for implementing the Ninja Academy's new rules and regulations or handling the various follow-up matters regarding revised textbooks. He had departed from that role with clean efficiency and no lingering obligations.
Currently, Naraku only managed the Konoha Mission Club, but this position didn't require his constant presence. He wasn't expected to remain there continuously, waiting to issue missions to Konoha shinobi or verify completion reports for various assignments.
He wasn't some kind of non-player character, after all!
Tsunade had arranged for Naraku to oversee the Konoha Mission Club primarily to familiarize him with the capabilities and specializations of the village's shinobi forces. Understanding these details would prove invaluable for his future responsibilities.
Moreover, Tsunade had explicitly informed Naraku that she would never revoke his position as squad leader of the Konoha Mission Club.
Even if Shihouin Naraku eventually became the Sixth Hokage, this particular position would not be abolished. Instead, he would continue managing the Konoha Mission Club while serving as Hokage.
This responsibility could never be delegated to anyone else!
Within the current structure of Konoha Village, only Tsunade and Shihouin Naraku possessed the qualifications and trustworthiness necessary to handle reliable intelligence data regarding Konoha's shinobi forces.
"Screech!"
A clear eagle's cry echoed across the sky with piercing clarity!
Naraku, who had been lost in contemplation about his various responsibilities, looked upward and set down his towel. "It looks like my period of free time is coming to an end."
Hokage Tower
"Have you finished reading the intelligence report? What's your assessment of the situation?"
Tsunade regarded Naraku with serious attention before continuing, "The Land of Birds has descended into complete chaos right now, with multiple hostile forces entangled in complex conflicts. How do you intend to handle this volatile situation?"
"I'll locate Orochimaru first," Naraku replied while setting down the intelligence documents. "I'll eliminate him as the primary objective, and then..."
"No, I mean that the Akatsuki organization is also operating in that area. Every member of this organization consists of extraordinarily powerful shinobi, and several are infamous missing-nin with fearsome reputations."
"You need to exercise extreme caution!"
"Understood."
"There's another complicating factor. Some of our shinobi who were completing missions in that region discovered that Jiraiya is heading toward the Land of Birds with Naruto."
Naraku expressed mild surprise at this development. "They're getting involved in this situation too?"
"Yes."
Tsunade nodded with obvious frustration and helplessness. "Last month they were still conducting training exercises in the desert regions of the Land of Wind, and then they disappeared to unknown locations. Now it appears they're preparing to travel to the Land of Birds."
Uzumaki Naruto served as the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki of Konoha Village. Even though Tsunade and the village leadership had permitted Jiraiya to take him away for external training, this arrangement came with strict conditions.
Jiraiya was required to report their whereabouts and activities at regular intervals without exception.
This monitoring was completely reasonable, considering that Uzumaki Naruto's identity carried tremendous importance for the village's security!
"After you arrive in the Land of Birds, if you encounter Jiraiya, give him a thorough beating! It would be ideal if you killed that reckless fool along with Orochimaru."
"Really? How could he be so irresponsible as to get involved in such a dangerous situation?"
"Doesn't he understand how critically important Naruto's identity is to the village's safety?"
Witnessing Tsunade's furious expression, Naraku could only nod in agreement with her concerns.
"This time... forget it, just pretend I didn't say anything."
Tsunade had originally intended for Naraku to handle this mission in a relatively quiet and subtle manner.
During Naraku's previous assignment to the Land of Water, he had killed the Fourth Mizukage Yagura with his own hands, creating massive political repercussions!
Tsunade felt genuine anxiety whenever she considered such possibilities. If Naraku created any major disturbances during this mission, she might not be able to manage the diplomatic consequences.
However, upon further reflection, she realized that the entire Land of Birds was already engulfed in chaotic warfare.
If Naraku intended to kill Orochimaru under these circumstances, avoiding significant disturbances would be virtually impossible.
Therefore, Tsunade decided not to continue voicing her concerns about discretion.
"Don't worry about the complications. Just leave everything to me."
Shihouin Naraku offered a confident smile before turning and walking purposefully out of the Hokage building.
BOOM!
The entire area surrounding the Hokage building shook violently as tremendous momentum suddenly erupted outward. Powerful winds swept through the vicinity, filling the air with swirling clouds of dust and debris.
Shihouin Naraku launched himself into the sky with explosive force!
From complete stillness to overwhelming motion!
In a single instant, he broke through atmospheric resistance, reached incredible altitude, and transformed into a streak of movement flying toward the Land of Birds at tremendous speed.
The Akatsuki organization!
Jiraiya!
Uzumaki Naruto!
Orochimaru!
All these powerful forces were converging within the borders of the Land of Birds.
Orochimaru lurked like a hidden predator, concealed in darkness and prepared to ignite the spark that would detonate the already explosive situation!
A fierce and devastating battle was about to commence, with consequences that would ripple throughout the shinobi world.
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