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Instantly, Tayuya heightened her alertness, making a judgment almost in the same moment. She bolted towards the door. Just as Shin was about to give chase, Yakushi Kabuto suddenly appeared behind him, pressing a kunai against his neck.
"Don't move... I know you're from 'Akatsuki'. Orochimaru is already dead. Isn't it too ruthless for you to still pursue us relentlessly?" Kabuto said.
Shin didn't respond.
Just as Kabuto was about to ask again, he suddenly realized the person he was holding had, at some point, been replaced by a wooden figure.
"Dammit! Tricked!" Kabuto immediately dropped the wooden figure and rushed towards the door.
The guild staff watched as the two individuals ran out one after the other, completely unaware of what had happened.
After bursting out of the guild, Tayuya was like a headless fly, crashing around everywhere.
No one understood how powerful Orochimaru was better than she did.
If someone that strong died at the hands of "Akatsuki," it could be said that Akatsuki's strength was terrifying.
Was it just Yoshida Shin alone, or had other Akatsuki members come as well?
Why did he know about Otogakure?
What was his purpose in coming here!?
Tayuya's mind was in turmoil.
She knew very well that even though Otogakure had many people, if a real fight broke out, the entire village might not be a match for Yoshida Shin.
She couldn't implicate Otogakure... but where could she escape to?
Tayuya had no idea, she only knew she had to get out of Otogakure.
Not long after leaving the village, she tripped over something. As her body pitched forward, vines from nowhere wrapped around her.
Before she could even cry out, her entire body was completely entangled by wooden roots and then dragged into the bushes at the side.
Just as she was about to suffocate, the vines binding her head suddenly loosened, but her body remained tightly wrapped.
"This place is relatively quiet; no one should disturb us here." Shin narrowed his eyes, cleared a clean spot, and lit a campfire.
"You... Orochimaru is already dead, can't you just let us go?" Tayuya was trembling slightly.
Facing "Akatsuki," she believed her chances of survival were very slim.
"There's something I need to explain. Although I am a member of 'Akatsuki,' Orochimaru's death has absolutely nothing to do with me," Shin spread his hands.
Tayuya sneered inwardly.
If she were an innocent young girl who had never experienced life and death, she might really have been fooled by "Yoshida Shin."
But she wasn't a naive fool.
Therefore, when Yakushi Kabuto appeared behind Shin and quietly approached him, Tayuya immediately changed her tactic.
She wanted to attract Shin' attention, creating a favorable opportunity for Kabuto to launch a surprise attack.
Seeing that the distance between Kabuto and Shin was close enough for Kabuto to launch a powerful attack, Tayuya felt her heartbeat quicken.
"Yakushi Nonō," Shin suddenly spoke. Kabuto's body instantly stiffened.
"You... what did you say!? What exactly do you know?" Kabuto, forgetting about his sneak attack, shouted urgently.
"Since you're here, why don't we all have a negotiation together?" Shin turned around, looking at Kabuto's pale face, and pointed to the empty spot by the campfire. "You, sit down. Don't be wary of me. If I wanted to kill you, no matter how careful you are, it would be useless. The members of Akatsuki are very strong, perhaps beyond your imagination."
In the later parts of the manga, Kabuto mastered Sage Mode and the Impure World Reincarnation; his strength should have surpassed some members of Akatsuki. But now, this not-yet-corrupted young Kabuto truly didn't possess much combat power.
Kabuto put away his kunai and sat by the campfire, his eyes never leaving Shin from start to finish.
"Alright, allow me to introduce myself once more. My name is Yoshida Shin, and I am one of the members of Akatsuki. Because I haven't been a member for long, I don't hold any grudge against Orochimaru, nor did I participate in the action to kill him. From this perspective, I have no obvious conflict with you."
"Is Lord Orochimaru really dead?" Tayuya still refused to give up.
"He is dead. If you want to confirm, you can go to the bounty exchange and inquire. Akatsuki submitted his body; there should still be a record. As for Danzō, his case is more special. He used the a seal jutsu sealing himself away, so there's no body. But I can tell you with certainty that he is very, very dead."
Kabuto's face turned very grim.
After Danzō's death, Yakushi Nonō's trail became extremely hidden.
"Earlier, you mentioned Yakushi Nonō..."
"I know what you want to ask. But as I also said, we can have a negotiation. If you agree to my conditions, I can tell you some things that might interest you. That includes you, young lady. Weren't you just looking for a medical-nin? Although I'm not a medical-nin by origin, I know a fair bit of medical ninjutsu. Perhaps I can help you." Shin smiled as he looked at Tayuya.
Tayuya frowned deeply.
Now, both of them were caught, with no chance to escape. The only solution was negotiation.
"What kind of negotiation do you want?" Tayuya said.
"I want two things, and you both have them. If you agree, once I get the items, I will, without another word, tell you Yakushi Nonō's whereabouts. At the same time, I will take a look at your companion's illness, though I don't guarantee a cure," Shin said.
"What things? Let's hear them."
"I want some of Jūgo's cells," Shin said with a smile.
"Jūgo? How do you know about him?" Tayuya asked.
Shin shrugged. "I have my own sources of information. It shouldn't be too difficult for you, right?"
"Fine," Tayuya nodded.
It was just drawing a few tubes of blood, not a difficult task.
"Secondly, I promised a friend to bring Sasuke out. So, you must hand Sasuke over to me!?"
Tayuya's eyes widened in astonishment. "How do you know about Sasuke!?"
"So many questions!? Orochimaru is already dead, can't you let a child go?" Shin retorted.
Tayuya sneered but didn't say anything.
"Kabuto, what's your choice? Will you refuse the negotiation like her, or are you willing to take me to Sasuke?" Shin stared at Kabuto.
"As long as your information is true, I would even give you my life," Kabuto said without hesitation.
"You... traitor!" Tayuya stamped her foot in anger.
"Sorry, I... she is my everything. The reason I walked this path was for her. Danzō is dead; I can't pass up this opportunity. Anyone who stands in my way is my enemy!"
"How can you be sure what he says is true? What if he's deceiving you?" Tayuya shook her head angrily.
"Do you know who 'Yakushi Nonō' is? You don't, do you? I dare say, there are no more than ten people in the world who know that name. And outside of Konoha, only three people know it: one is me, the other two are Danzō and Orochimaru. The moment he said that name, I had reason to believe what he said," Kabuto stated. "So, regardless of whether you agree or not, I will facilitate this negotiation."