As the sun dipped below the horizon, a carriage rumbled along a winding mountain road, surrounded on both sides by dense forests.
At the reins sat Orochimaru, dressed in a fresh, dark-patterned kimono, his expression unusually relaxed after days of tension.
Kadoya, lounging nearby, idly wondered just how deep his teacher's wardrobe went.
As far as he knew, Orochimaru didn't have the luxury of an inventory like him, so where did he keep all of those kimonos?
On Kadoya's left, Saiguu sat casually, while a massive scroll, bigger than the boy himself, rested securely at his side.
Nawaki, by contrast, looked utterly miserable, assigned to perimeter guard duty while the others enjoyed the bumpy ride.
"Everyone has worked hard these past few days," Orochimaru said, offering a rare faint smile.
Now that they had left Rogue Town, the constant edge in his voice and posture had eased.
It had been nearly a week since they accepted this mission. Orochimaru had been under relentless pressure, needing to protect the students while ensuring the mission's success. His nerves, like a taut string, had barely loosened.
Originally, Konoha was supposed to dispatch a squad to escort the loot back. But thanks to Team 7's black-haired Uzumaki genius in fūinjutsu, Orochimaru simply had Kadoya seal everything into a massive scroll. As a thank-you, he even let the boy pocket a few extra "rewards" from the haul.
Suddenly, Orochimaru frowned slightly.
Kadoya immediately picked up on it. "What's wrong, Orochimaru-sensei?" he asked, sharp as ever.
"It should be intelligence from Konoha," Orochimaru murmured.
Without slowing the carriage, he cut a small slit across his thumb, forming a few hand seals, and slapped his hand against the floorboards.
"Summoning Jutsu."
A small red snake popped into existence, flicking its tongue lazily.
It slithered up to Orochimaru, then coughed up a sticky, mucus-drenched scroll.
Without a second thought, Orochimaru grabbed the scroll, then casually wiped it clean on Nawaki's backpack.
Nawaki: "..."
That was my new pack! I had it shipped from the Land of Hot Water! Shipping cost a fortune…
Ignoring the boy's silent protests, Orochimaru unrolled the scroll and began reading.
The intelligence concerned the letter they had found earlier in the Rogue Town cellar. Konoha had already analyzed it. The letter instructed the local leader to transport the stolen riches and reinforce the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain, where a small gold mine had reportedly been discovered.
The letter was signed by none other than Hanzo of the Salamander.
Kadoya, overhearing bits and pieces, frowned skeptically.
Something didn't sit right.
First, professional ninjas always destroyed secret orders after reading them. Leaving it behind in a hideout? Suspicious.
Second, while the gold mine was close to the Land of Rain's border, it was still firmly within the Land of Fire.
Even if Hanzo was powerful, he wasn't reckless enough to pick a direct fight with Konoha, the strongest of the Five Great Nations. The political climate was already so fragile that a single spark could ignite a full-blown war.
Unless Hanzo had lost his mind, this whole setup stank of a trap.
Orochimaru didn't say anything to them, and the three also kept silent.
If their teacher found it unnecessary to say it out loud, they shouldn't ask.
It wasn't their decision to make.
No one asked for their opinion, and even if they did, the rules were clear: students didn't question mission intel unless told otherwise.
Orochimaru quietly rolled up the scroll without saying a word.
The carriage bumped and shook as it rolled along the uneven road, the steady rhythm almost enough to lull Kadoya to sleep.
Orochimaru turned his head slightly, golden eyes glinting under the fading light.
He glanced at Kadoya, who was resting his head on his arms, completely relaxed despite having fought and killed a jonin-level ninja not long ago without so much as flinching.
Before long, a crossroads appeared up ahead.
Turning right would lead straight back to Konoha.
But Orochimaru, without hesitation, steered the carriage left.
"Orochimaru-sensei…" Saiguu called hesitantly, realizing they were heading in the wrong direction.
"We received a new mission," Orochimaru replied smoothly. "Konoha wants us to investigate the gold mine."
He didn't even glance back at them.
"But, but I'm injured!" Nawaki protested, pointing dramatically at his bandaged arm.
Because Kadoya hadn't used his Force Hamon Breathing or Healing Jutsu, Nawaki was still wrapped in basic field bandages.
"It's fine," Orochimaru said lazily. "The Tsunade squad is nearby. We'll be conducting a joint mission with them. She'll heal you."
He chuckled lightly, his voice rough and teasing.
"I believe she has a Slug Insertion Jutsu that's particularly effective. Would you like to try it? It's very... refreshing."
Nawaki's face turned ghostly pale at once.
Saiguu raised an eyebrow in curiosity, while Kadoya, half amused, half scheming, quietly wondered just how much he could blackmail Orochimaru for when Tsunade inevitably stuck them with the medical bills.
After all, he still remembered very clearly, Orochimaru had ditched him with the check last time.
...
System Point: 4
Ninja Point: 3728
Evil Point: 6980
Shop System Point: 62
Looking at his system points, Kadoya couldn't help but smile, seeing that by doing all of those things, he managed to gain a large amount of Evil Points. If this continues, he might earn enough points for another 10x roll before graduation.
Still, although he wants to go home and slack off again, seeing Orochimaru-sensei taking him out to farm for more points, Kadoya decides not to snitch on him for now.
With Tsunade's personality, she would probably take more money than the bills Orochimaru left him.
If Orochimaru gets mad at him, doesn't that mean he won't take him out to farm points?
...
After reaching the meeting point with Tsunade's team, Orochimaru noticed that the massive scroll Kadoya had sealed away was now compressed into a much smaller scroll.
Orochimaru gave Kadoya a silent nod of approval before casually pocketing the smaller scroll.
"It's surprisingly big," Kadoya muttered, more to himself.
He had expected this place to be a rundown, abandoned town, but reality quickly shattered that thought.
While Orochimaru dismounted to handle the entry procedures, Kadoya pulled back the carriage curtain and peered out. Towering high walls loomed over them, and ninjas stood guard at regular intervals, sharp-eyed and well-armed.
The structure here resembled a miniature version of Konoha itself.
This was clearly Konoha's forward operating base, the bridgehead for the upcoming war.
The Land of Fire was vast; once war erupted, supply lines would be sluggish at best. So it made sense to stockpile resources here beforehand, ready to dispatch supplies at a moment's notice.
At the town gate, Kadoya and the others waited with Orochimaru.
Kadoya's gaze wandered down the paved main streets and the sturdy, earth-release-built houses lining them. Ninjas bustled around everywhere, hauling sacks of grain, repairing defenses, running patrols.
Nowhere else in the Land of Fire matched this level of readiness.
Not even Konoha itself felt this tense.
After finishing the formalities, Orochimaru returned.
"Alright, get out of the carriage," he said, clapping his hands.
"What, we're going in on foot?" Kadoya asked, confused. Other carriages were entering freely; why not them?
"No, we're not going in," Orochimaru replied flatly.
All three students stared at their teacher, raising a collective brow.
"Then... where are we sleeping tonight?" Nawaki asked, voice tinged with disappointment.
"With Tsunade's team," Orochimaru said simply.
Everyone: "!!?"
Kadoya's mind flashed back. If he remembered right, Tsunade's squad was all girls. Except for Kushina, Kadoya couldn't remember the names of the other two girls in Tsunade's team.
Without giving them time to complain, Orochimaru led them toward the forest.
Half a day of trekking later, they finally arrived at their "camp."
What greeted them was... a tent. A miserable, sagging tent.
Once military green, now coated in dust and faded to a grimy gray.
Saiguu and Nawaki, burdened with bags of supplies, stared in disbelief.
Only Kadoya, carrying nothing as usual, merely looked at the tent with the calm acceptance of a man who had seen this coming.
After all, this was Tsunade, Konoha's most violent woman, expecting luxury was foolish.
"Alright, we're here," Orochimaru said with satisfaction, walking in without hesitation.
The students followed.
Inside, it was even worse: dim lighting, a single rickety table, and one stool.
And Tsunade, currently asleep on the table, drooling slightly.
"Tsunade-sama, wake up!" Katsuyu called, giving her a gentle shake.
"Mmm, Katsuyu -chan, I wasn't sleeping..." Tsunade mumbled, reaching lazily for a pen as if trying to fake productivity.
Then she spotted Orochimaru and the others standing at the entrance, and immediately gave up the act.
She wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth and let out a massive yawn.
"Why are you guys so late!" Tsunade immediately barked at Orochimaru.
Orochimaru, unfazed, replied in his usual hoarse voice, "Seems like you've been having quite a leisurely time, Tsunade."
"Tch. Thanks to your stellar intelligence reports, I've been busting my butt every day investigating that damn 'gold mine.'"
Then her face lit up slightly when she noticed the others. "Yo, Kadoya, long time no see. You too, Saiguu."
"Teacher Tsunade, long time no see," Kadoya greeted, polite but relaxed.
"Tsunade-sama, long time no see," Saiguu added, bowing slightly.
Nawaki stepped forward with an expectant look, only to be utterly ignored.
"H-Hey! Sis! Don't just skip me like that!" Nawaki protested indignantly.
Tsunade finally looked at him, blinking like she'd just noticed a bug."Oh, isn't this my foolish little brother? What, you're on this team too?"
Nawaki: "..."
Orochimaru chuckled lightly at the exchange.
"Anyway, Tsunade, Nawaki's injured. Heal him," Orochimaru reminded.
Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Injured? Tch. Embarrassing. You get hurt hunting bandits? My team took down a Chunin, you know."
Kadoya decided to twist the knife. "Correction. Nawaki's the weakest on our team. His getting injured by small fry is completely normal."
"Agreed," Saiguu chimed in seriously.
Nawaki: "..."
Dammit, could you two not double-team me!?
Orochimaru let out a soft chuckle, clearly enjoying Nawaki's misery.
"Tsunade," he added with a thin smile, "Kadoya here killed a Jonin without a scratch."
There was a clear note of pride in his voice.
Tsunade clicked her tongue, looking annoyed.
"...Well, obviously. I trained him well before you stole him," she huffed resentfully.
She was still annoyed by the Third Hokage's decision to transfer Kadoya away from her team.
Tsunade stretched lazily, standing up.
She wore a Jonin vest over a black ninja outfit, her blonde hair tied casually behind her head, her forehead protector tossed carelessly on the table.
She looked very much like the Tsunade of the future, only less hardened by years of war and grief. There was still a hint of youthful energy in her every movement.
Her figure had also matured dramatically compared to two years ago. Though not quite the legendary proportions she would become known for, the difference was still eye-catching.
Even Jiraiya probably never imagined this future when he used to tease her for being flat-chested.
A glint of purple on her forehead caught Kadoya's attention, the mark of the Yin Seal.
Looks like she finally completed it.
He thought.
Maybe I can extort a few more techniques from her...
Meanwhile, Tsunade turned to Nawaki, raising a glowing palm of green chakra.
"Alright, my foolish brother, show me your injuries."
Nawaki flinched as the healing chakra seeped into his wound, itching unpleasantly as it mended his torn flesh.
While Tsunade worked, Orochimaru asked casually from the side, "By the way, Tsunade... did your team find that gold mine?"
Tsunade sighed, clearly exasperated.
"I doubt it even exists."