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Tazuna took a swig from his bottle of sake and addressed Kakashi's team.
"Especially the shortest one, the one who looks incredibly stupid. You... are you really a shinobi?"
Naruto immediately put his hands on his hips and laughed. "Hahaha! Who are you talking about? The shortest one, the one who looks the dopiest?" As he spoke, he glanced at Sasuke and Sakura beside him.
But the next moment, Sasuke and Sakura expressionlessly stepped closer to Naruto. Now, it became perfectly clear who the shortest one was.
Without a doubt, it was Naruto.
Naruto was stunned for a second. "...Huh?"
Then, the next instant.
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!!"
Naruto looked ready to charge over and murder Tazuna. Kakashi quickly grabbed him by the collar with one hand.
"What are you trying to do, you idiot? Kill the very person we're supposed to protect?"
Tazuna took another drink, ignoring Naruto's outburst, and began his introduction.
"I'm the super-famous bridge builder. I'm Tazuna! Until I finish building the bridge back in my country, you lot better protect me with all your might, super diligently!"
Several days later.
Otogakure, the Hidden Sound Village.
Orochimaru received Kagaya's letter and couldn't help but smile.
"He wants to find someone? And that person can become an asset for our plan? Interesting. It seems Kagaya-kun holds quite a grudge against Konoha. And he has assets besides me."
Having an extra ally was naturally a good thing. Orochimaru was pleased. However...
"But, my abilities in tracking people aren't particularly outstanding either."
Indeed, while Orochimaru's sensory skills were far superior to Kagaya's and Haku's, they weren't exceptionally strong. Unless Orochimaru mastered Sage Mode someday, his sensory abilities weren't remarkable.
Moreover, Orochimaru was currently busy preparing for the upcoming Konoha Destruction Plan and couldn't easily leave the Hidden Sound Village.
"It seems I'll have to send a subordinate. Let me think..."
The first person that came to mind was Kabuto. But that wouldn't work. Kabuto was very strong. During the original Chunin Exams, Orochimaru himself stated that Kabuto's strength was comparable to Kakashi's. This was later corroborated in Kabuto's fight against Tsunade. Kabuto was powerful, likely evenly matched with a non-Mangekyō Kakashi—a top-tier Jōnin.
Unfortunately, Kabuto's sensory abilities weren't particularly outstanding either.
Kimimaro was also not an option. His strengths were immense offensive and defensive power; his sensing wasn't exceptional.
As for the Sound Four (or Five), Orochimaru dismissed them outright. Their strength was too low, and they didn't possess any outstanding sensory capabilities either.
"Then... only that child remains, huh? Well, though I'm reluctant, I'll have to send that child. After all, compared to that child, Sasuke is more important. Everything must prioritize the plan now."
Meanwhile, in the Land of Waves.
What neither Kagaya nor Orochimaru anticipated was that just as Orochimaru dispatched his agent, Gato sent word to Kagaya—he had found Zabuza!
In the same luxurious room, Gato sat on the sofa again. This time, however, his posture was less arrogant. Most importantly, another person sat beside him.
"Yo, long time no see, Zabuza," Kagaya greeted Zabuza with a smile.
Zabuza snorted and gestured toward Gato. "I heard from this guy. You've been looking for me. What's the matter?"
Kagaya smiled without answering. He didn't believe for a second that Zabuza couldn't guess why he was being sought.
Sure enough, the next moment, Zabuza rolled his eyes. "Is it time?"
Zabuza understood perfectly well that Kagaya's strenuous search could only be about their prior agreement regarding the invasion of Konoha.
Kagaya shook his head. "No, not yet. But it's approaching. I'm just finding you ahead of time to give you a heads-up. Don't go wandering off."
Zabuza inquired, "Fine. But can you tell me roughly how much longer?"
Kagaya thought for a moment before replying, "Shortly, one to two months. At most, two to three months."
Zabuza smiled slightly. "Good. That's not too rushed. Until then, you don't mind if I earn a little money, do you?"
Kagaya raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Zabuza grinned, pointing at Gato beside him. "This guy offered me a high reward to kill some old man. I thought I'd take the job on the side."
Kagaya wore an 'as expected' expression and spoke without surprise. "Suit yourself. But remember not to leave the Land of Waves during this period. When the time comes, I'll find you here through Gato."
Zabuza agreed readily. "No problem. Since I agreed back then, I won't break the promise."
"Good. Then I'll be going."
With that, Kagaya left with Haku. As long as he could ensure Zabuza would join the plan when it launched, that was sufficient. Now, he planned to devote his time to training.
After Kagaya and Haku left, Zabuza discussed matters with Gato for a while longer before shouldering his Executioner's Blade and departing.
Several days later.
Kagaya removed his right hand and looked at the kunai in his left, feeling a headache coming on.
"Ah... still no mark."
The Flying Thunder God Formula. Once mastered, the user could imprint a unique seal on any object they touched, allowing them to teleport to that location later.
But currently, it was clear Kagaya was far from capable of creating such a seal. The Flying Thunder God was simply too difficult. Kagaya had made absolutely no progress yet. He'd have to take it slow.
Knock, knock, knock!
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Kagaya was currently staying at an inn in the Land of Waves. Thanks to Gato, they were quite well-off now.
He walked over and opened the door. Haku stood outside.
"Is something the matter, Haku?" Kagaya asked.
Haku handed Kagaya a letter. "Kagaya, this is a letter from Orochimaru."
"A letter from Orochimaru?" Kagaya was momentarily puzzled, unsure why Orochimaru was writing to him. But then it clicked. He slapped his forehead and took the letter.
"Ah, I completely forgot. A few days ago, when I couldn't find Zabuza, I sent Orochimaru a letter. I guess he's replying about that."
Kagaya turned around, reading the letter as he walked back into the room.
"Come in, Haku. Remember to close the door."
"Oh, okay!"
Haku followed Kagaya inside, closing the door behind him.
In the letter, Orochimaru first spouted a bunch of nonsense—essentially re-emphasizing their plan. Then he asked who Kagaya was looking for and their strength. Finally, he mentioned he had sent someone to assist Kagaya.
Initially, none of this was surprising. Reading up to this point, Kagaya was already thinking about how to have Orochimaru's messenger turn back.
But at the very end of the letter, Orochimaru revealed the name of the person he had sent.
That name instantly changed Kagaya's mind.
"Hahaha... Orochimaru is really going all out."
Kagaya had only wanted Orochimaru's help in finding a person. He never expected Orochimaru would, in turn, send over a living, breathing radar.
The feeling was akin to wanting a decently powerful jutsu and having someone toss you the entire Scroll of Seals instead.
Although the letter stated this person would leave after helping Kagaya...
Kagaya was already considering how to keep this generous gift from Orochimaru.
A shinobi with such powerful sensory abilities was far too useful!
*****
T/N: Do you have a guess who it is?