Chapter 66: A Spy, Kabuto Yakushi
Near the looming Tenchi Bridge, the landscape stretched out dramatically below. From a high vantage point overlooking the scene, one could make out the terrain as if it had been sliced clean by the swing of a massive sword wielded by some ancient giant, leaving a deep, jagged gully carved right through the earth in the middle, exposing raw layers of rock and soil.
Spanning high above that treacherous abyss was an elegant arch bridge, suspended like a delicate, slender red thread woven across the vast void, connecting the divided lands with precarious grace.
Palm-sized black rats scurried stealthily through the tall nearby grass, their tiny bodies darting nimbly and weaving effortlessly between the swaying blades, blending into the undergrowth like shadows come alive.
At the same time, down in the gully about a hundred meters below the bridge's edge, another cluster of those same black rats crept along stones worn smooth by the relentless rush of the stream's waters, their paws padding silently over the slick surfaces.
One after another, the black rats surged forward in unison, all heading in the exact same direction with purposeful haste, their collective forms merging into a dark, flowing torrent that gathered and converged into a single, ominous mass, like a living river of ink.
As they drew closer to Sai's position, the rats leaped in rapid succession onto the pure white scroll he had carefully unfurled before him, each one transforming instantly upon contact into vividly lifelike ink-drawn depictions, captured in intricate detail on the paper.
Kakashi peered down at Sai from his elevated spot, quietly assessing and gauging the young ninja's skills and reliability in this critical scouting task, his Sharingan eye hidden but ever watchful.
Renji watched Sai with his own thoughtful gaze, various observations and calculations running through his mind about the ink user's techniques and potential role in the unfolding mission.
Sai deftly rolled up the scroll with precise movements, sealing away the intelligence it held, then rose to his feet and addressed Kakashi—who had been fixated on him throughout—with a cold, matter-of-fact tone. "Scans show no signs of any ambush lurking near Tenchi Bridge at all."
Kakashi gave a slight nod in acknowledgment; this was undoubtedly welcome news that eased some of the tension hanging over the team, confirming a sliver of safety in their approach.
"Then we can safely rule out this whole setup being an elaborate trap orchestrated by the Akatsuki Organization," Kakashi declared, his gaze sharpening with renewed focus and determination. "Moving forward, we stick to the planned schedule without deviation."
"Yes, understood," came the collective affirmation from the group.
Kakashi swiftly formed the necessary hand signs, and a puff of thick white smoke billowed around him, enveloping his form completely before dissipating to reveal him transformed into the exact likeness of Sasori, down to the eerie puppet master's attire and demeanor.
"The operation kicks off right now!" Kakashi announced in Sasori's form, his voice modulated to match the puppet master's chilling timbre almost perfectly, sending a subtle shiver through the air.
Renji and Sakura slipped deeper into the dense forest cover, vanishing into the thick foliage to establish their ambush point with careful stealth.
Meanwhile, Naruto and Sai headed toward the opposite side of Tenchi Bridge, pushing through the underbrush of the dense forest there in search of a solid hiding spot that offered both concealment and a clear line of sight.
Kakashi's disguised figure began its slow, deliberate approach toward the Tenchi Bridge, each step measured to mimic Sasori's calculated gait.
Renji and Sakura hunkered down in the tall grass, bodies low and breaths steady, eyes locked on the bridge ahead.
Across the way, between Naruto and Sai in their shared hiding spot, the atmosphere crackled with stiffness and unspoken hostility; neither one broke the ice by speaking first, the silence heavy with resentment.
Sai maintained his trademark expressionless facade, a blank mask hiding whatever thoughts churned beneath.
Naruto's face, on the other hand, twisted with clear indignation and frustration, his features scrunched in barely contained irritation.
Even though they were both extremely unwilling to cooperate or even be in each other's proximity, they had no choice but to grudgingly follow Kakashi's ironclad arrangements—no defying the Jonin leader's orders.
In the grass where Renji lay prone, his long blue hair draped forward like a curtain, gently swaying and tousled by the persistent breeze rustling through.
The wind was unusually strong today, whipping across the open expanse with forceful gusts.
The air carried a whirlwind of fallen leaves, swirling and scattering them in chaotic patterns that danced around the team.
After enduring about half an hour of tense waiting, hearts pounding in anticipation, a tall figure cloaked in a dark blue robe finally emerged into Renji's line of sight, steadily approaching the Tenchi Bridge with cautious steps.
To be brutally honest, Renji had completely forgotten the identity of this undercover agent.
After all, it had been over a decade since he'd binged through the entire Naruto series, and countless minor plot points and side characters had faded from his memory.
He only retained the broad strokes of the general storyline, the key beats that drove the narrative forward.
It wasn't until the ninja in the dark blue robe positioned himself squarely in the middle of the bridge that Kakashi, still impersonating Sasori, made his slow, ominous entrance.
Sasori's form strode up to the blue-robed ninja, Hiruko's sinister, glowing eyes boring into the figure before him with predatory intensity.
Beside Renji, Sakura felt her heart pounding wildly in her chest, adrenaline surging as she clenched her fists.
It had to succeed—no room for failure!
Come on, Kakashi-sensei—pull this off!
"It's been a long time, Lord Sasori," the hooded figure's voice emanated from beneath the deep cowl, muffled but recognizable.
Kakashi immediately found the voice strikingly familiar, stirring vague recollections in his mind.
As he lifted his gaze, the face hidden under the hood came into sharp focus.
Not only was the voice familiar, but the person standing there was an even bigger shock—none other than the infamous Konoha rogue ninja, Kabuto Yakushi!
From his distant vantage point, Renji also clocked Kabuto Yakushi's sly features, piecing together the recognition.
The professional spy extraordinaire—Kabuto Yakushi, master of deception and infiltration.
"It's been five long years," Kabuto Yakushi sighed with a hint of nostalgia, his eyes locking onto Sasori's form before him.
"Were you followed on your way here?" Kakashi probed, keeping his cover tight.
His tone mirrored Sasori's cold, detached cadence to perfection, without a single slip.
Kabuto Yakushi glanced back over his shoulder, scanning the surroundings briefly. "No tails on me—rest assured, it's clear."
"I have a few critical things I need to ask you about," Kakashi pressed onward.
Since Kabuto Yakushi was originally a spy embedded by Sasori right beside Orochimaru, his core role was to extract valuable intelligence and insider info from the snake-like Sannin.
It was entirely standard procedure for a handler to rendezvous with a spy and grill them for updates during such meetings.
"There's not much time to spare—make it quick with your questions," Kabuto Yakushi urged, showing no hint of suspicion as he kept his responses clipped and efficient.
"Coming here without Orochimaru catching wind is basically risking my neck on the line," he added, his tone laced with underlying tension.
His sharp gaze darted around vigilantly every few seconds, sweeping the area for any signs of trouble.
He seemed genuinely worried about Orochimaru's spies or detection methods uncovering his secret outing.
"Tell me the exact location of the secret hideout and Uchiha Sasuke's current whereabouts," Kakashi demanded.
Truth be told, inquiring specifically about Sasuke carried a subtle risk of blowing the disguise—only those deeply tied to Konoha would prioritize hunting down Uchiha Sasuke's trail with such fervor.
"There are multiple secret hideouts in play. To dodge detection, they rotate to fresh locations every single week without fail. Of course, Orochimaru has established additional outposts in other countries beyond Otogakure, set up by his network of infiltrated spies embedded there. However, the transfer methods between these sites are deliberately varied and unpredictable, making it far from simple to track them down consistently."
Kabuto Yakushi answered without the slightest hesitation, his words flowing smoothly as if reciting from a well-rehearsed script.
"Where precisely are they holed up right now?" Kakashi controlled his rising emotions, pressing calmly for the vital details.
"They're currently hunkered down on an isolated island in the northern lake, but they'll be pulling out from there in just three days. Uchiha Sasuke is with them as well," Kabuto revealed.
In the glaring sunlight, Kabuto Yakushi's glasses caught the light and flashed brilliantly, momentarily obscuring the calculating glint hidden in his eyes.
On their side of the ambush.
"The wind's howling way too fiercely—I can't make out a single word they're saying over there," Sakura whispered urgently into Renji's ear, her green eyes wide with mounting anxiety and frustration.
"It's exactly because the wind is blasting this hard that it scatters our voices and scents in all directions, keeping us completely undetectable from their position," Renji explained patiently, then added a reassuring layer to ease her nerves. "Relax, it's all under control. Once Kakashi-sensei wraps up and heads back, we'll get the full debrief on the intel. And if anything goes sideways out of nowhere, we've got that secret signal in place to alert everyone instantly, right? No need to stress."
At Renji's steady words, Sakura felt a slight wave of relief wash over her, but deep down, her instincts still prickled with unease, a nagging sense that things wouldn't unfold quite so smoothly without complications.
The air was thick with the earthy scents of crushed grass, damp trees, and loamy soil, all whipped up and carried on the relentless wind gusts.
Hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss—
A very faint, slithering sound cut through the ambient noise.
It mimicked the normal rustle of some small animal crawling through the jungle underbrush.
But Renji's mind snapped immediately to Orochimaru, the snake-summoning menace.
"Something's off—way off," he muttered under his breath.
Right on cue, distant footsteps mingled with the distinctive flicking hiss of a snake's tongue tasting the air, growing louder and closing in.
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