A new day — Wednesday.
Kitazawa arrived at Tsunade's house at nine in the morning. He raised his hand and knocked on the door, but after a moment, there was no answer.
Has Shizune already left?
As Hokage, Tsunade had to go to the Capital of the Land of Fire with him, so the operation of Konoha Village would temporarily be handed over to the Hokage's secretaries.
Thinking of this, Kitazawa took out the key and opened the door. Tsunade had drunk a lot last night, so she was probably still asleep.
On the coffee table, Kitazawa saw a small note left by Shizune.
She had indeed gone to the Hokage Office early in the morning, leaving him to wake Tsunade and prepare breakfast.
Rina Uzumaki had also gone to work; she was now the head of the finance department. Because Tsunade was going out, she took Karin with her to the Hokage Building.
Kitazawa went to Tsunade's room, grabbed the doorknob, and opened the door.
He glanced inside — Tsunade was sleeping soundly on her side. Under the pressure of her body, her pajamas revealed a breathtaking outline.
Kitazawa closed the door and went to the kitchen.
Looking at the vegetables in the refrigerator, he decided to cook Tsunade a bowl of char siu ramen. As for him, he had already eaten breakfast with Kurenai.
After cooking the ramen, Kitazawa went to Tsunade's room again and raised his hand to knock.
"Which bas—"
The door was suddenly pulled open, and a displeased Tsunade appeared. But when she saw it was Kitazawa, she stopped short.
"Were you trying to curse at me?" Kitazawa blinked and asked.
"Why are you here?" Tsunade decisively skipped the question, changing the subject and asking.
"Why do you ask?" Kitazawa retorted.
"I…" Tsunade suddenly remembered that she had asked Kitazawa to come.
She subconsciously glanced at the clock on the wall — it was already half past nine.
"Wait a moment, I'll change."
Tsunade, feeling in the wrong, said nothing more. She closed the door and changed into her usual sleeveless top and dark blue trousers.
"Let's go." Tsunade opened the door and walked out.
"Eat first." Kitazawa grabbed her wrist and said, "I've already cooked ramen for you."
"Thank you." Tsunade paused for a moment and then went to the dining table. Kitazawa sat opposite her.
After eating for a while, Tsunade felt his gaze. She inexplicably felt a little uncomfortable, and the kiss from last night involuntarily came to mind.
After drinking, she seemed to have revealed some of her true thoughts. Tsunade bit her lip, hesitating to speak. She wanted to explain, but found that such a thing couldn't be explained.
"Doesn't it suit your taste?" Kitazawa looked at her rosy lips, which looked even more alluring after being stained with ramen broth.
"No." Tsunade's expression returned to calm, and she continued to eat her ramen.
After dinner, the two of them left.
"It's been a long time since I left the village; I should have known not to be the Hokage."
After leaving Konoha Village, Tsunade stretched, facing the wind, and felt refreshed.
"If you want to go out and play, just leave the work to Shizune and the others," Kitazawa said with a smile, admiring her curvaceous figure.
"I'd like to, but I am the Hokage after all." Tsunade shook her head.
She's truly saying one thing but meaning another.
Kitazawa couldn't help but chuckle. Although Tsunade seemed lazy, she actually didn't miss a single thing she was supposed to do.
In the original storyline, when she was Hokage, Konoha Village was not bad, and no major problems occurred.
After all, Konoha Village was founded by Senju Hashirama. Tsunade couldn't just be a hands-off boss and ignore everything.
The two chatted as they walked towards the Capital of the Land of Fire. Under normal circumstances, at their speed, they could arrive on the same day.
But Tsunade was out to have fun this time, and Kitazawa was on summer vacation with plenty of time, so neither of them was in a hurry, naturally, not walking fast.
By evening, they had only covered half the distance.
"Let's rest here for the night." Tsunade noticed a river not far away.
"Okay." Kitazawa opened a summoning scroll and began to set up a tent. After setting up one tent, he had a thought and didn't continue.
"What do you want for dinner?" Kitazawa looked at Tsunade and said, "I brought a lot of food."
"Finish setting up the tents first," Tsunade said with some confusion.
"It's already set up. During a mission, it's safer to sleep in one tent." Kitazawa asked with a slight smile, "And they're all sleeping bags — are you worried about anything?"
"What do I have to worry about?" Tsunade couldn't help but let out a soft snort, subconsciously retorting. But after saying it, she realized she had fallen for his provocation.
"Then I'll go cook. If you're not busy, you can go to the river and get a bucket of water." Kitazawa nodded and said.
Tsunade glared at him but still obediently went to the river.
Under normal circumstances, one should not make a fire to cook during a mission because it's too conspicuous and easily spotted by enemy ninja.
But now they were in the Land of Fire, and with their strength, even if Ōnoki and the Fourth Raikage came, they could fight.
Flames rose, illuminating the surrounding darkness. Tsunade sat on the laid-out picnic blanket, watching the busy Kitazawa.
As she watched for a long time, a trace of trance flickered in her eyes.
"All right, let's eat." Kitazawa placed the food on the small table and sat opposite her.
"This is the first time I've eaten so well during a mission." Tsunade glanced at the food on the table, a slight smile on her lips. "It feels like we're really on a trip this time."
"Occasional relaxation is more conducive to work," Kitazawa chuckled and said. "But since it's a mission, let's skip the alcohol."
Tsunade nodded. In fact, she didn't dare to drink much either. She was afraid of a repeat of last night's situation.
After dinner, the two sat in front of the bonfire.
"Come here, I have something to talk to you about." Kitazawa patted the picnic blanket beneath him and said.
"What do you want to say?" Tsunade's heart inexplicably fluttered, but she still sat beside him.
"It's serious." Kitazawa looked at her expression and asked, "Tsunade-sensei, what are you thinking?"
Tsunade knew she had misunderstood. She raised her hand, elbowed him on the arm, glared at him, and said, "Stop talking nonsense, hurry up!"
"The Anbu have discovered Orochimaru's whereabouts," Kitazawa said in a deep voice.
"What did you say?" Tsunade's expression changed at lightning speed, and she frowned, asking, "Where is he?"
"Do you know Otogakure in the Land of Rice Fields?" Kitazawa asked.
"You mean Otogakure was founded by him?"
Tsunade was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized, "In terms of timing, it's indeed about right."
The establishment of Otogakure naturally couldn't be hidden from the Five Great Villages. In fact, Orochimaru didn't hide it either.
In the original storyline, Otogakure even participated in the joint Chunin Exams held by Konoha Village and Hidden Sand Village. This indicates that the existence of Otogakure was already known to the Five Great Villages.
But precisely because of this, Konoha Village didn't realize that Otogakure was founded by Orochimaru.
After all, a rogue ninja openly establishing a ninja village was too audacious. This was a typical example of "darkness under the lamp" thinking.
Moreover, establishing a ninja village requires sufficient manpower and financial resources, and one person being able to establish a ninja village truly sounds unbelievable.
"He is really impressive." Tsunade snorted coldly and said, "To actually establish a ninja village right under our noses."
"After all, he's your teammate. The power of Konoha's Sannin is known to all."
Kitazawa said with a smile, "I believe that Tsunade-sensei, with your ability, establishing a ninja village would also be no problem at all."
Orochimaru established his ninja village by using both persuasion and force. He integrated the ninja clans and ninja of the Land of Rice Fields, gained the support of the Daimyo of the Land of Rice Fields, and extensively sought out geniuses.
In the original storyline, there were multiple instances of infighting among a group of geniuses in Otogakure — a similar approach to Root, "raising parasites."
Among the well-known Sound Five, except for Kimimaro, the other four were geniuses who fought their way to the top.
As for Tsunade, she could completely rely on her reputation as the most excellent medical ninja to recruit people and establish a ninja village.
"Tsunade-sensei, what are your thoughts on Orochimaru?" Kitazawa looked at her and asked.
"Orochimaru is a rogue ninja from Konoha Village. Since we know his location, we must capture him and bring him back!"
Tsunade said with conviction.
She, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya were teammates who grew up together, and their bond was very deep. Orochimaru was also the teacher of her younger brother, Nawaki. And she was the one who recommended him.
Tsunade was most heartbroken by Orochimaru's defection. It was just that she was in a state of avoidance and wandering at the time, so she didn't interfere.
And Jiraiya, while searching for the Child of Prophecy outside, also never gave up on finding Orochimaru.
In the original storyline, they actually had a confrontation, but Orochimaru's escape abilities were too strong, leaving Jiraiya helpless.
"We'll have to plan this carefully." Kitazawa said seriously, "Neither Orochimaru nor Otogakure is easy to take down."
"That's right, there's only one chance." Tsunade nodded and said, "Once we alert him, it will be twice as difficult to catch him next time."
As a teammate, she understood Orochimaru too well. His dream was to learn all the ninjutsu and achieve eternal life.
Because of this, he learned a wide variety of ninjutsu, especially a plethora of life-saving and escape techniques.
"Fortunately, Orochimaru now has a fixed location, so we can surround him." Kitazawa said with a smile.
"First, send the Anbu to scout out the situation in Otogakure."
After Tsunade finished speaking, she shook her head and said, "Ordinary Anbu ninja won't do; they're too easily detected by Orochimaru."
"I'll go myself." Kitazawa explained, "Even if I encounter Orochimaru, I can still escape."
Tsunade couldn't help but frown. Although her strength meant she wasn't afraid of Orochimaru, she was still a little worried.
"I've also learned quite a few infiltration ninjutsu." Kitazawa said with great confidence, "I guarantee I won't disappoint you."
In reality, he didn't even need to go to Otogakure — because he already knew a lot about it.
In the original storyline, all the well-known strong ninja in Otogakure had already appeared.
Otogakure was established for too short a time; its so-called strong ninja were actually all geniuses scoured by Orochimaru.
The most typical example was the Sound Five — Kimimaro, Kidōmaru, Tayuya, Sakon, Ukon, and Jirobo.
Their normal strength was only that of a Chunin. After using the Earth Curse Mark, they could probably reach the level of a Special Jonin or a regular Jonin.
The Heaven Curse Mark and Earth Curse Mark were super incomplete versions of Sage Mode created by Orochimaru based on Jugo, who could naturally enter Sage Mode.
Although incomplete, the effect of enhancing strength was indeed good.
In the original storyline, Sasuke defected from Konoha Village after receiving the Heaven Curse Mark. Besides that, the Heaven Curse Mark was also Orochimaru's resurrection medium.
After his death, he could be resurrected through a Heaven Curse Mark holder.
And currently, the only Heaven Curse Mark holder was in Konoha — that was Anko Mitarashi.
However, the current Sound Five should be much weaker than their counterparts in the original storyline. After all, back then they were fourteen or fifteen years old, and now they were only seven or eight.
Perhaps, except for Kimimaro, the other four had not yet been chosen by Orochimaru.
Beyond the Sound Five, the most formidable was Guren, who possessed the Bloodline Limit Crystal Release. The rest were some other geniuses, such as Jugo and Dosu Kinuta.
Originally, there should have been Kabuto and Karin, but they had already been abducted by Kitazawa.
"Alright then, be careful." Tsunade finally agreed.
It was rare to find Orochimaru, and she couldn't let him escape now. Besides Kitazawa, she didn't trust anyone else.
"Once I've investigated Otogakure thoroughly, we'll begin our operation," Kitazawa nodded and said.
"Orochimaru's strength is very high, especially with his many escape Ninjutsu," Tsunade pondered and said. "We'll have to discuss carefully who to bring then."
"The places he can escape to are nothing more than the sky and underground," Kitazawa suggested. "Bring the Hyuga Clan, the Uchiha Clan, and the Sealing Squad."
The Byakugan possesses all-directional, blind-spot-free x-ray vision. The Uchiha Clan, especially Itachi, can counter Orochimaru with their Genjutsu.
As for the Sealing Squad, they can seal him after he uses the Eight Branches Technique.
Theoretically speaking, Itachi alone could handle Orochimaru. But Kitazawa had a system mission to complete and had to act for himself.
Moreover, Itachi had not yet revealed his Mangekyo Sharingan.
"Hmm," Tsunade's eyes flickered, and she said, "Bringing them should be enough."
"Don't reveal this matter yet," Kitazawa reminded. "Wait until I've thoroughly investigated the situation in Otogakure, then we'll discuss it on the day we depart."
He was thinking of Danzo. While he was alive, he always maintained contact with Orochimaru.
Although he was dead now, there was no guarantee that he didn't have any undiscovered loyal subordinates.
In short, to apprehend Orochimaru, everything had to be handled with caution. Tsunade agreed without much thought.
"Tsunade-sensei," Kitazawa suddenly thought of something and asked, "Are you going to notify the Third Hokage?"
He was worried that Hiruzen Sarutobi would steal his kill.
"Let's notify him after we've captured Orochimaru," Tsunade pondered for a moment and said. "Their teacher-student bond is still there; I'm worried the Old Man might be soft-hearted."
In fact, such a thing had already happened once. When Orochimaru defected, it was Hiruzen Sarutobi who arrived at the scene first. And it was precisely his indecisiveness that led to the failed capture.
"The two of us, teacher and student, are more than enough to deal with Orochimaru." Kitazawa felt much more at ease after hearing that.
"Although that's true, when facing Orochimaru, we must be absolutely vigilant," Tsunade admonished.
"Yes, Tsunade-sensei," Kitazawa immediately responded.
"I really didn't expect the Anbu to discover Orochimaru's whereabouts." Tsunade's gaze fell on the bonfire, and many past memories surfaced in her mind.
"It was just good luck; we happened to run into him," Kitazawa made up an excuse.
"That's enough then," Tsunade sighed in her heart and said.
To be honest, she hadn't thought about how to deal with Orochimaru after capturing him. She suddenly understood Hiruzen's feelings when facing Danzo Shimura; it was indeed very difficult to make a decision.
"Shall we sleep then?" Kitazawa blinked and asked.
"Mm," Tsunade responded, then her expression stiffened slightly. But since things had come to this, she had nothing to be shy about.
The two entered the tent, took out their respective sleeping bags, and lay inside them. Tsunade closed her eyes, and after a moment, she subconsciously looked at Kitazawa again.
He had already fallen asleep, his breathing becoming very steady. Tsunade was stunned for a moment, realizing that she was not as calm as him. She quickly regained her composure and closed her eyes.
The night passed without a word.
---
The time came to the next day. Tsunade woke up. She unzipped her sleeping bag, sat up, and found that Kitazawa was no longer there.
A faint warmth wafted from outside the tent. Tsunade couldn't help but smile. Actually, this kind of life was quite good.
Tsunade left the tent.
"You woke up quite early today," Kitazawa glanced at her and said.
"I woke up late yesterday only because I was drunk," Tsunade sat opposite him and argued.
"Do you even believe that yourself?" Kitazawa casually handed her a rice ball and asked.
"Shut up!" Tsunade rolled her eyes in annoyance.
After breakfast, they continued on their journey.
In the afternoon, they arrived at the Capital of the Land of Fire. Thanks to Tsunade's connections, they easily met the Daimyo's Wife.
"Tsunade, long time no see. What brings you to see me today?" The Daimyo's Wife chatted enthusiastically with Tsunade.
Kitazawa listened from the side without interjecting. After some pleasantries, Tsunade brought up the main topic.
"You want to give me a necklace?" The Daimyo's Wife asked with some surprise.
Tsunade didn't answer but took out the necklace Kitazawa had given her.
"This... this is truly beautiful!" The Daimyo's Wife's eyes suddenly widened, and she murmured. She immediately fell in love with the necklace and examined it with great affection.
"I've never seen such a beautiful necklace before!" The Daimyo's Wife exclaimed.
"Only a necklace like this can suit you," Tsunade said with a faint smile.
"You're really giving it to me?" The Daimyo's Wife asked incredulously.
"Indeed, I am giving it to you," Tsunade paused and said. "But there's a small request."
"Tell me," The Daimyo's Wife said indifferently.
"It's like this," Kitazawa began to explain their requests.
In simple terms, there were two points.
First, the Daimyo's Wife had to wear this necklace and circulate through various high-society venues in the Capital of the Land of Fire.
Second, the Daimyo's Wife was to provide a venue for a necklace auction and invite all the noblewomen to attend.
"No problem," The Daimyo's Wife agreed after a brief consideration.
In her opinion, getting a valuable necklace for such a small price was an absolute steal.
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P@atreon/Arvinstorm (40+ Advanced Chapters)