Land of Birds
Within a forest where ancient trees grew thick and dense, several figures had gathered in tactical formation.
Sasori of the Red Sand methodically sorted through his collection of deadly puppets, checking mechanisms and preparing weapons with mechanical precision. Deidara had just finished collecting a substantial amount of explosive clay, molding it into various shapes for the coming battle.
Uchiha Itachi leaned silently against a massive tree trunk some distance away, his dark eyes surveying their surroundings with quiet intensity. Haku stood beneath the tree with his characteristically calm expression, while an unnatural chill spread silently through the air around his position.
The sound of rustling filled the forest as countless pieces of paper danced through the air before condensing into the elegant form of a blue-haired female shinobi.
Konan materialized completely, her paper jutsu reformation flawless as always.
Behind her, Tendo Pain approached with measured, deliberate steps that conveyed absolute authority and confidence.
"What about the others?"
Zetsu emerged from underground with his distinctive lurching movement before responding, "Kakuzu and Hidan have already departed to engage Orochimaru directly."
Upon hearing this information, Tendo Pain remained silent for several moments. Everyone present understood Kakuzu's personality perfectly well. The bounty hunter was concerned that someone else might claim Orochimaru's head and the massive reward that came with it, so he hadn't waited for all Akatsuki members to gather before taking action.
Glancing around at the assembled organization members, Pain observed that everyone appeared relaxed and confident about the upcoming confrontation.
This attitude was completely understandable.
After all, virtually every member of Akatsuki had been deployed for this operation, making it impossible for Orochimaru alone to serve as a meaningful opponent against their combined might.
Moreover, Tendo Pain himself was prepared to take direct action if necessary, which eliminated any reasonable cause for concern about the mission's outcome.
As Tendo Pain, who had previously fought against Orochimaru during earlier encounters, he didn't regard the snake sage as a serious threat to their organization's capabilities.
Orochimaru was merely a traitor to Akatsuki who had previously harbored ambitions regarding the Rinnegan, which explained Pain's personal involvement in this mission.
Unless something completely unexpected occurred during the battle, he wouldn't need to participate directly in the fighting.
In the eyes of Tendo Pain—known to his closest allies as Nagato—Orochimaru simply wasn't worthy of his full deployment and attention.
Konan, who stood nearby, glanced meaningfully at Tendo Pain. She had already made careful arrangements to protect Nagato, whose physical condition limited his mobility during combat operations.
When the main assault began, she wouldn't accompany the primary attack force. Instead, she would return to Nagato's location to serve as his personal guardian and final line of defense.
"Move out!"
"Yes, sir!"
The Akatsuki organization, which had been preparing for this operation for an extended period, was now mobilizing with their complete strength!
Hidden Underground Base
Orochimaru calmly surveyed his assembled subordinates, every one of whom bore curse seals carved into their bodies through his experimental procedures.
For his own survival and strategic advantage, Orochimaru had specifically modified the curse seal's effects to stimulate dozens of times the host's normal strength over very brief periods.
Naturally, the consequences of this enhancement were entirely predictable.
These shinobi who served as expendable tools would likely not survive the day ahead.
Many would probably die suddenly during the process of fighting, succumbing to the curse seal's destructive effects on their bodies. This represented the inherent danger of such forbidden modifications.
However, at this critical juncture, Orochimaru no longer cared about preserving these experimental subjects.
If he required additional test subjects for future experiments, he could simply acquire them from external sources.
Right now, escaping from immediate mortal danger took absolute priority over all other considerations.
"Lord Orochimaru, we are fully prepared and can depart at any moment!"
"Excellent!"
"Move out!"
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru!"
The heavily secured door of the underground base opened with a grinding mechanical sound, and a dangerous smile appeared across Orochimaru's pale features. He walked out of the concealed facility with his enhanced subordinates following behind.
Yakushi Kabuto remained within the base and would not participate in the upcoming battle.
His crucial mission was still to come. When Orochimaru appeared to "die" during the confrontation, Kabuto would be responsible for reviving his master once again using prepared techniques.
Bang!
With a muffled impact, the base's entrance sealed shut once more.
Yakushi Kabuto stood alone in the dim underground environment and reached up to adjust his glasses with practiced precision.
He couldn't leave this location for the time being. He had to wait until the battle between Orochimaru and the various hunting forces began in earnest. Only then would Yakushi Kabuto evacuate to the secret base that had been established at a different location.
That hidden facility would serve as the site for Orochimaru's resurrection.
The reason they couldn't evacuate immediately was primarily due to the presence of too many powerful perception specialists currently operating throughout the Land of Birds. Yakushi Kabuto wasn't confident he could escape detection during a premature withdrawal.
If they waited until the battle erupted and Orochimaru drew everyone's attention away from surveillance activities, Kabuto could easily withdraw without worrying about being noticed by enemy sensors.
Yakushi Kabuto and Orochimaru had already agreed upon this tactical approach during their planning sessions.
Therefore, he was waiting patiently for exactly the right moment to execute his part of their scheme!
Near the Capital of the Land of Birds
A large group of disorganized mercenaries had established their camp in this area. Because of their proximity to the Land of Birds' capital city, the various rogue shinobi and missing-nin hunting Orochimaru had set up their temporary base here.
It could only be said that even during critical missions, they couldn't resist the appeal of more comfortable living conditions.
However, their presence had brought tremendous disaster and suffering to the innocent civilians of the Land of Birds.
These mercenaries were no match for Orochimaru in direct combat, but when it came to terrorizing defenseless civilians, they caused trouble and destruction everywhere they went.
The Daimyo of the Land of Birds was naturally furious about this situation, but he genuinely couldn't do anything about these dangerous individuals for the time being.
If it had been just a single group of troublemakers, or a smaller number of hostile shinobi, the Daimyo would have issued missions to Sunagakure, Iwagakure, or Konoha Village, paying substantial fees to hire official shinobi to drive these people away from his territory.
However, the forces currently causing problems were too powerful and numerous, and they included official hunting teams from three major shinobi villages.
Under these circumstances, the Daimyo of the Land of Birds could only keep his head down and hope that these various groups would succeed in eliminating Orochimaru and actually leave his country afterward.
As for the suffering civilians, they would simply have to endure the situation patiently. These dangerous shinobi wouldn't remain in the Land of Birds forever, regardless of the mission's outcome.
"Hey, there's new information!"
"Quick, let me see it..."
"Orochimaru's exact location has been confirmed! Hurry up and get ready to move out!"
"Assemble! Everyone assemble! Move quickly!"
"You idiots, stop wasting time!"
The mercenary shinobi who received intelligence about Orochimaru's whereabouts quickly spread the word throughout their camp, and the assembled forces began preparing to depart.
After a chaotic period of preparation, these rebellious and rogue shinobi managed to organize themselves sufficiently to begin coordinated action.
Indeed, given their individual strength levels, if they didn't unite temporarily, they would be easily eliminated by stronger and more organized opponents.
However, considering their questionable character and backgrounds, even when formed into makeshift teams, it would be difficult for them to demonstrate greater collective power.
After all, these people had been complete strangers to each other before this mission, and without long-term collaborative training, it would be fortunate if they didn't actively hinder each other during combat.
But they had no realistic alternatives. If they didn't unite temporarily for this operation, they wouldn't stand any chance against Orochimaru or the other competing forces pursuing the same target.
Orochimaru began implementing his carefully planned strategy. Akatsuki had already located Kakuzu and Hidan, and all members had gathered to advance toward Orochimaru's reported position.
The chaotic collection of rogue shinobi and missing-nin continued assembling their forces.
Three distinct armies were about to converge in what promised to be a devastating confrontation!
Among these three forces, Akatsuki possessed the fewest members, but their individual and collective strength far exceeded the others.
Although Orochimaru and his enhanced subordinates didn't represent the largest group numerically, their combat capabilities should never be underestimated.
As for the remaining rogue shinobi and missing-nin, they boasted the largest number of combatants but possessed the weakest overall strength among the three factions.
The three forces moved like great serpents, gradually approaching from different directions across the landscape...
Meanwhile, Jiraiya and Uzumaki Naruto had traveled a considerable distance and reached the border of the Land of Birds. They continued advancing while gathering information about the developing situation.
BOOM!
A meteor-like object plummeted from the sky with tremendous force!
Violent momentum spread outward in all directions, and powerful winds stirred up massive clouds of smoke and dust.
The members of Konoha's hunting team stood their ground, squinting slightly as they tried to see through the debris.
Step... step...
Footsteps gradually became clearer as a figure emerged from the swirling dust that filled the surrounding area.
"Lord Naraku!"
Everyone bowed their heads respectfully and offered proper salutes to Shihouin Naraku, who had suddenly appeared with such dramatic force.
Naraku didn't waste time with unnecessary conversation. He simply scanned the area with his keen eyes and asked directly, "Where is Orochimaru currently located?"
"Lord Naraku, according to all the intelligence we've successfully gathered, Orochimaru is currently hiding somewhere near Clearwater Lake in the Land of Birds."
"After several days of intensive tracking, we've determined that Orochimaru has no intention of fleeing the area. He appears to be preparing to initiate a major battle at Clearwater Lake with the objective of eliminating all the shinobi tracking him."
"Since yesterday afternoon, various shinobi pursuing Orochimaru have been converging toward Clearwater Lake. Simultaneously, numerous people have reported sightings of Orochimaru's subordinates moving in that direction."
"Lord Naraku, a fierce and devastating battle is certain to erupt near Clearwater Lake!"
"Neither Orochimaru's forces nor the tracking shinobi hunting him will retreat easily from this confrontation."
"Lord Naraku, what are your orders..."
"Everyone's gathering in one location?" Naraku nodded with satisfaction. "That makes this much simpler. I won't have to search for targets across multiple areas."
"Do you have anyone currently monitoring Orochimaru's activities?"
"Orochimaru is an exceptionally cunning individual. Don't let his apparent actions fool you into allowing him to escape secretly."
"Please rest assured, Lord Naraku. Orochimaru has not been out of our surveillance since we initially located him."
"Uninjured members of our tracking team have been taking turns maintaining constant observation. Orochimaru definitely has not escaped our watch!"
"Excellent work!"
Naraku expressed genuine satisfaction with the tracking team's professional performance. "You can return to the village now. Remember to exercise extreme caution. I can see there are many opportunists trying to take advantage of this chaotic situation."
"Lord Naraku, there are too many shinobi gathering near Clearwater Lake currently, with various hostile forces mixed together. If you proceed alone, won't that be somewhat dangerous?"
"We don't question Lord Naraku's extraordinary strength, but there are simply too many enemies concentrated in that area."
The Konoha tracking team members didn't want to return directly to the village. Instead, they prepared to accompany Naraku to Clearwater Lake.
Since beginning their mission to track Orochimaru, they had encountered too many shinobi with unknown identities, unclear objectives, and uncertain strength levels.
Even though Shihouin Naraku was renowned as a legendary figure in the shinobi world, it remained possible that he might suffer losses when facing such overwhelming numbers of opponents.
Since Naraku's fame had spread throughout the shinobi world, his techniques and abilities had become common knowledge.
For example, he was exceptionally skilled with Fire Release jutsu, having applied fire-based techniques to near-perfection. The permanently burning Flame Mountain served as evidence of his mastery.
Additionally, Naraku's swordsmanship and taijutsu were extraordinarily powerful, making shinobi with weaker close-combat abilities unqualified to stand before him.
He could also fly and possessed tremendous battlefield mobility.
This information had been deliberately spread by people with various ulterior motives.
As for reports that physical attacks were ineffective against Naraku, and intelligence suggesting he possessed space-time ninjutsu, such claims remained somewhat uncertain.
Battles between shinobi were essentially wars of intelligence. What worried the Konoha tracking team was the possibility that other forces might use Naraku's known abilities to set elaborate traps.
No matter how powerful the Third Raikage had been in his time, he was still overwhelmed by superior numbers and killed by Iwagakure forces.
Currently, vast numbers of shinobi were appearing near Clearwater Lake.
If someone established a trap specifically designed for Shihouin Naraku, having Konoha shinobi present might prove helpful in countering such schemes.
Naraku understood exactly what the tracking team meant and asked with mild amusement, "Do you really lack confidence in my abilities?"
"No, Lord Naraku! We have complete confidence in your power, but there are simply too many enemies near Clearwater Lake. If opponents attack in overwhelming waves, we might be able to provide meaningful assistance."
"Also, during our surveillance period, we discovered one force tracking Orochimaru that seemed particularly unusual. They wore black coats embroidered with red clouds and hats with bells. Every member appeared to be an exceptionally powerful shinobi!"
"We even suspect we identified the village's missing-nin, Uchiha Itachi. He appears to be a member of this mysterious force or organization!"
"This information has already been included in our intelligence reports sent back to the village."
That's exactly why I don't want you involved. Akatsuki and Orochimaru aren't opponents you can handle.
Naraku shook his head thoughtfully. If they insisted on participating, he would allow them to accompany him.
With his presence, the situation shouldn't become too problematic for them.
"As you wish. Remember to maintain alert positions on the battlefield's periphery. Unless something completely unexpected occurs, it would be best if you avoid entering the center of combat."
"Yes, sir!"
"Which direction leads to Clearwater Lake?"
"Southwest!"
Glancing in the direction Aburame pointed, Naraku launched himself into the sky. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared from everyone's view, leaving only faint words drifting behind.
"I'll proceed ahead. Follow when you're ready!"
The tracking team members stared with confused expressions at the spot where Shihouin Naraku had vanished. He had simply asked for directions and then departed immediately?
Was such incredible speed really necessary?
"Follow me! Stay close!"
Aburame Shihui took the lead and leaped forward, pursuing the direction where Shihouin Naraku had disappeared.
The others quickly reacted and began running to catch up!
BOOM!
Bang, bang, bang...
Clash!
Like massive fireworks exploding across the landscape, all varieties of ninjutsu erupted beside the pristine lake, colliding to produce brilliant sparks and dazzling displays of light.
"Kill them all!"
"Eliminate every enemy!"
"What's wrong with these people? They're like monsters!"
"Help me! Someone help me!"
"Where is Orochimaru? Why isn't he here? It's just these enhanced creatures fighting us!"
"Retreat! Fall back immediately!"
Rogue shinobi, various missing-nin, and the curse seal-enhanced warriors created by Orochimaru engaged in brutal combat while the metallic scent of blood filled the air everywhere.
Thick smoke obscured vision while agonized screams echoed continuously across the battlefield.
No one knew exactly how the battle had erupted. Everyone only understood that fighting had begun suddenly, and the most savage combat had commenced in an instant.
Despite the extended duration of fighting and countless casualties on all sides, no one had actually seen Orochimaru himself!
"Where the hell is Orochimaru?"
"Where are the sensor shinobi? Didn't they claim Orochimaru was here?"
"Are you people plotting something? Are you trying to eliminate us and claim Orochimaru's bounty?"
"The reward belongs to me! If anyone dares steal it, I'll kill them all!"
"What the hell is happening here?"
"Where is Orochimaru? Find Orochimaru first!"
"There's no escape route. These enhanced warriors are incredibly resilient. Why are they so powerful?"
"Ahhh!"
The fighting continued relentlessly. These shinobi who were obviously being used as expendable bait struggled desperately to survive. Even while facing death, they continued searching for Orochimaru, hoping to claim the massive bounty!
As for Orochimaru's actual location?
He had ruthlessly deployed those curse seal-enhanced shinobi as disposable tools to hold the front lines of battle, while he himself had retreated to a concealed position on the battlefield's edge to wait and observe.
Orochimaru knew he would inevitably be discovered again and forced into combat, but he had no intention of wasting his energy fighting these expendable fools.
Such waste was completely unnecessary!
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