Seeing that his prolonged attacks had failed to break through, and realizing that Mizuki on the other side was clearly just stalling for time, Kabuto Yakushi found himself at a loss for effective options.
"Still dodging around, huh?" Kabuto taunted. "That's nothing like the arrogant talk you were spouting earlier, senpai."
"Still pulling out that childish mind game?" Mizuki replied. "Do you really think I'm that dumb? We're not kids anymore, come on. Don't be so naive—hanging around with those genin brats must've fried your brain."
『Not working?』 Kabuto felt a pang of regret. It seemed Mizuki wasn't as easy to fool as those young genin.
Just as Kabuto was caught in this dilemma, several kunai suddenly shot straight toward him, abruptly halting the fight between the two men. Moments later, two Anbu wearing animal masks appeared.
"You arrived pretty quickly," Kabuto remarked calmly. "Looks like I've been under surveillance from the start." He faced three opponents without flinching.
Faced with the odds, Kabuto charged forward instead of retreating, speeding straight toward the Hokage Rock. One of the intercepting Anbu tried to block him, but as he sidestepped, Kabuto slashed across his wrist. Without looking back, Kabuto leapt off the Hokage Rock and vanished into the woods below.
"Should we keep chasing?" Mizuki asked. "Kabuto isn't weak. His Mystical Palm Technique and Chakra Scalpel were used extremely skillfully—you guys were careless."
"No need. Our Anbu unit has already launched an investigation on him. Specialized ninjas will take over from here," one of them said while applying ointment to another's injury.
"They didn't look familiar at all, so no point pretending to know them," Mizuki mused as he studied the two unknown Anbu. They must be even more insignificant characters than himself—the supposed opening antagonist.
"Why were you fighting here anyway?"
"This Kabuto was sent by Orochimaru to recruit me. And as you saw..." Mizuki shrugged indifferently. After all, he'd already turned over a new leaf. A mix of truth and omission should be enough to convince them. "He also mentioned Orochimaru might target Sasuke Uchiha next."
"I see." Mizuki's explanation raised little suspicion. It was already known intelligence that Orochimaru coveted Sasuke Uchiha. And as an S-class rogue ninja from Konoha, planting spies and recruiting people within the village was entirely plausible. "We'll report this intelligence. If there are questions, we'll come find you again."
With that, the two left, leaving Mizuki alone at the Hokage Rock.
『Let's go back. What a buzzkill. Came out to relax and ended up in a fight.』
Approaching noon, the weather gradually became hotter. Time to head back for lunch!
Inside a beautifully landscaped courtyard in Konoha, Orochimaru listened to Kabuto's report.
"So Mizuki really said that?" Orochimaru said in surprise.
"Yes," Kabuto confirmed. "Even I was completely surprised at the time."
"This is truly unexpected. Seems like a lot has happened lately without my knowledge." Recently too many unexpected things had occurred—nearly ambushed and severely injured by an unknown assailant in the Forest of Death, originally sending three Otogakure ninja to assess how Sasuke was progressing after receiving the Cursed Seal, yet they barely managed to locate him at all.
The previously insignificant Mizuki actually dared to negotiate with him. "Has the name of Lord Orochimaru lost its weight in Konoha?"
"Lord Orochimaru's reputation still strikes fear—just look at how seriously Konoha is treating the matter."
"Putting that aside, Kabuto—I never told you to kill Sasuke," Orochimaru said playfully to Kabuto Yakushi.
Upon hearing Orochimaru's words, Kabuto broke into a cold sweat but couldn't find the right words to respond.
"Forget it. Do as you wish, though this will be your only chance to interfere with my claim on Sasuke Uchiha," Orochimaru remarked with mild interest. "Let me see your true capability. I'll be leaving soon, so prepare for your next move carefully. By then, there won't be another chance for second thoughts." With that, Orochimaru vanished using the Shifting Body Technique.
[Serving such an unpredictable master really is exhausting.]
Seeing Orochimaru leave, Yakushi Kabuto finally exhaled in relief.
Inside the Hokage's Office, Third Hokage was present alongside his two advisors and Danzo, listening to a report from Anbu.
"What should we do? Orochimaru's reach is growing too long, and he's becoming increasingly brazen," Koharu Utatane spoke first.
"How should we handle the matter with Mizuki?" Homura Mitokado asked more calmly.
After some thought, the Third replied, "It's no surprise Orochimaru targeted someone like Mizuki—he's got a long history of misconduct. Mizuki was lucky to turn down Orochimaru's offer—after all, he's anything but a decent man. But if we know about Mizuki, how many other ninja in the village are secretly working with Orochimaru?"
Although Orochimaru was a rogue ninja whose reputation among ordinary villagers had been ruined—particularly due to his infamous human trials—he still had many supporters among the upper echelons of ninja. Many senior ninja had once fought beside or served under Orochimaru during his time in the ninja world, so he wasn't without admirers. If not for the extremity of his experiments, countless ninja might have followed him when he left.
No one in the room could answer the Third's question directly.
"Are we really powerless to act?" Koharu asked discontentedly.
"There's no need. Kakashi is handling the protection of Sasuke Uchiha, so unless Orochimaru decides to come himself, things should be fine. However, if Orochimaru decides to come himself, no one in Konoha can stop him but me," the Third said gravely.
If even the Kage—the leader of the village—had to personally intervene, it would convey nothing but weakness and incompetence to others.
"What about security arrangements for the Chunin Exams?" Danzo asked.
"I've already made the necessary arrangements for venue security," the Third answered. "We don't know exactly what Orochimaru plans, and simply wanting the Sharingan of Sasuke Uchiha wouldn't require all this effort. Without concrete intelligence, we can only prioritize protecting key individuals while dispersing forces elsewhere."
"This kind of approach demands excessive manpower—we simply don't have enough personnel available."
"Do you have any better ideas?"
Danzo remained silent. Although he had once had a deep connection with Orochimaru, that was in the past, and their relationship had merely been one of mutual exploitation. Danzo did not condone Orochimaru's actions that threatened the village. His dedication to protecting the village's interests surpassed even his desire to become Hokage. Otherwise, he wouldn't have quietly endured the pain caused by war, working behind the scenes as the village's shadow cleaner.
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