As Itachi Uchiha led his team toward the Lightning Province, Hiruko and Orochimaru successfully made contact.
On a passenger ship sailing from the Earth Province toward the Lightning Province, several figures entered an ordinary private cabin.
"I didn't expect you to choose such a conspicuous way of traveling," Orochimaru remarked, sitting casually on a sofa. He looked at the familiar face before him and flashed his trademark smile. "Aren't you afraid of the Imperial Pursuit Force?"
The so-called Imperial Pursuit Force was a special unit composed of elite shinobi, dedicated to hunting down notorious criminals and those who stopped at nothing to achieve their ends—people like Orochimaru and Hiruko.
Led by Might Guy, the members under his command were all top-tier experts:
Kitsuchi, the son of the former Tsuchikage (who had surrendered and was now an Imperial Elder, Ohnoki).
Darui, the former Acting Raikage.
Asuma Sarutobi, son of the Third Hokage of the Hidden Leaf.
Chojuro, the former genius of the Hidden Mist.
Deidara, a former member of the Akatsuki and disciple of the previous Tsuchikage.
Temari, daughter of the former Kazekage (who had been persuaded to surrender by the current Elder, Ebizo).
In addition to these powerhouses, there were numerous other elite shinobi, backed by twenty-four-hour support from the Imperial Intelligence Department.
"If I were alone, I naturally wouldn't be so reckless," Hiruko replied, the corners of his mouth curling into a slight smirk.
As he spoke, a pale, humanoid creature with green hair sprouted from the floorboards of the room.
"Zetsu?"
As a former member of the Akatsuki, Orochimaru recognized the figure's identity instantly.
"It has been a long time, Orochimaru," White Zetsu said, looking at the man before him. He was merely an ordinary clone among the White Zetsu, but he had no intention of explaining that to Orochimaru.
"The leader of the Akatsuki reached out to me and offered to provide intelligence," Hiruko explained. "This ship is a blind spot for the Pursuit Force. Otherwise, I wouldn't have chosen this mode of travel."
Hiruko chuckled. Given the choice of comfortable transportation, he wasn't one to seek out unnecessary hardship. There were too many Imperial checkpoints on land, requiring long treks and constant evasion; compared to that, a sea voyage was a world of difference.
The moment Orochimaru saw Zetsu, he understood. He trusted White Zetsu's information-gathering capabilities.
"What is the situation in the Lightning Province?" Orochimaru asked, ignoring Hiruko and staring directly at Zetsu.
"The situation is clear. It is confirmed that the Two-Tails has been revived in the Lightning Province," Zetsu answered without hesitation, relaying the gathered intelligence in full. "Furthermore, Kakashi has already dispatched a capture squad. It is led by Itachi Uchiha, and his subordinates are all members of the Uchiha Clan—including his younger brother, Sasuke Uchiha."
"It seems you've gotten what you wanted," Orochimaru said with a smile, his tongue flicking out to lick his lips.
Hiruko's true objective wasn't the Two-Tails; it was the Sharingan. They didn't even need a direct confrontation with Itachi Uchiha. They only needed to pick off one of the Uchiha clansmen while the group was busy capturing the Two-Tails. For Orochimaru and Hiruko, such a task should have been trivial.
"When the time comes, Orochimaru, you and Hiruko will need to test Itachi Uchiha's strength," Zetsu interjected coldly, causing Orochimaru's smile to freeze. "It would be best if you could force out his Mangekyō Sharingan techniques."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Orochimaru's expression instantly turned cold.
"It's a trade for the intelligence," Hiruko spoke up on Zetsu's behalf. "As part of the deal, I reached an agreement with the former leader of the Akatsuki. In exchange for the full cooperation of the White Zetsu in the Lightning Province, we help him obtain information on Itachi Uchiha. That is why I invited you."
"This..." Orochimaru's face was now completely grim.
Hiruko had invited him to intercept an Uchiha with the promise of the complete Kimera Technique. That was why he had accepted so readily. He hadn't expected there to be such an underlying motive.
"As Kakashi's confidant, he was the only one who never truly went all out in the previous battles. His only highlight was using genjutsu to take down Deidara," Zetsu said calmly. "Aside from his excellent genjutsu, he has never exposed any Intel. As a former member of the Shadow Guard, he must possess the same Sage Markings as people like Might Guy and Hayama Shirakumo. Beyond that, he possesses the Mangekyō Sharingan. If we want to deal with Kakashi in the future, being completely ignorant of Itachi's Mangekyō abilities could lead to significant unforeseen disasters. Therefore, we must know what his ocular powers actually are."
Orochimaru's eyes darkened. "You actually intend to deal with Kakashi?"
He spoke in a chilling tone, his golden, vertical pupils scanning Zetsu and Hiruko. To be honest, he had already adopted a somewhat indifferent attitude toward the possibility of killing Kakashi. After all, in the battle at the Hidden Rain Village three years ago, even the self-proclaimed god Pain and the "White Tiger of the Akatsuki" couldn't force Kakashi to use his full strength. He didn't expect Zetsu to be able to finish Kakashi off.
Moreover, his own pursuit was immortality. There was no inherent conflict between his goals and whether or not Kakashi was eliminated. If he truly hated the man that much, he could simply wait for him to die and then use the Reanimation Jutsu to humiliate him however he pleased. There was no need to take risks by conspiring with these people.
"That man is too dangerous, and besides..."
"Do you really think you have the option to refuse?"
Suddenly, the cabin door swung open. Orochimaru's eyes narrowed instantly as he looked toward the entrance. Seeing a face he knew all too well, a look of discomfort crossed his features.
The newcomer was none other than one of the three Snake Hime of Ryūchi Cave: Ichikisushima-hime!
"I didn't expect Ryūchi Cave to be involved in this as well," Orochimaru said with a cold sneer. "And that I would be kept in the dark."
As a contractor of Ryūchi Cave, the fact that they had bypassed him to cooperate with others meant they clearly knew he would likely have abandoned this mission if he had a choice.
"Since the founding of the K輝耀 (Kaguya) Empire, they have been searching for the entrance to Ryūchi Cave," Ichikisushima-hime said. She appeared as a rather cute young girl with blue hair, but anyone who truly treated her like a child was asking for death. "The White Snake Sage does not wish to be disturbed, so we had no choice but to take this path."
Orochimaru didn't believe her nonsense for a second. Given the White Snake Sage's profit-driven nature, if the Empire wanted to cooperate, she would have crawled to them herself without needing to be found.
There was only one explanation: The Empire was planning to take action against Ryūchi Cave!
Orochimaru knew that the people under Kakashi's command possessed Sage powers. As one of the Three Great Sage Regions, Ryūchi Cave's power was of immense research value to the Empire. Beyond that, while snakes were cold-blooded animals... every part of them was useful. Snake bones, blood, meat, gallbladders, skin—nothing would go to waste.
"It seems you've really backed me into a corner," Orochimaru sneered.
He finally realized why the meeting had been set on a ship at sea. Convenience and comfort were a lie; the true purpose was to ensure he couldn't escape. In the middle of this vast ocean, leaving was impossible. Even if a shinobi could walk on water, they would likely exhaust their chakra and die before reaching land.
Orochimaru glanced at the white-haired girl leaning by the window, feeling the sea breeze as if she were indifferent to the situation. Even if he died here and revived himself elsewhere using a Cursed Seal, Kagura could not do the same. It would be a waste to lose this masterpiece, created using Kakashi's genes.
"Your answer?" Ichikisushima-hime sighed as she closed the door and looked at Orochimaru, appearing almost sympathetic. "If possible, I would rather not fight you, Orochimaru."
"I accept."
Kagura, who had remained silent the entire time, suddenly spoke up. Every eye in the room fell upon the white-haired girl.
"We will help you figure out Itachi Uchiha's strength and his Mangekyō Sharingan abilities," Kagura said, her dark, bright eyes fixed on Ichikisushima-hime while the sea breeze ruffled her hair. "But as a price, I want the Sage Transformation of Ryūchi Cave."
Ichikisushima-hime's expression softened as she prepared to agree, but the girl continued: "Don't be so quick to agree. I want the Sage Arts that guarantee a one-hundred-percent success rate for Sage Mode."
The smile froze on Ichikisushima-hime's face. The Sage Arts of the Three Great Sage Regions all carried an extremely high mortality rate for humans. Achieving a guaranteed success rate for Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode was almost impossible.
But...
"Agreed."
A voice sounded from outside the window. It was Tagorihime, another of the three Snake Hime. She had been lurking outside the whole time.
From high above, one would see the ship sailing alone across the vast, wide sea. But following beneath the waves was a massive dark shadow—Tagitsuhime, the last of the three sisters.
The three Snake Hime of Ryūchi Cave had been deployed in full force, working with Hiruko to coerce Orochimaru into joining their camp.
"It seems I have no choice," Orochimaru muttered, his face darkened as he sensed Tagitsuhime beneath the sea. This feeling of being controlled was incredibly unpleasant.
He looked at Kagura. Her expression was calm, showing no signs of distress, but Orochimaru knew better. She was angry. Being coerced didn't sit well with her, even if she had traded her cooperation for the price of a "guaranteed" Sage Mode.
Just as she had once said: if the wind is restrained, how can it ever be free?
Freedom was the most expensive luxury in this world.
Lightning Province
After two days of travel, Itachi Uchiha looked out over the fertile land of the Lightning Province, his heart filled with emotion.
His choice back then had been the right one. Following in the Hokage's footsteps was undoubtedly the best decision of his life. Former mountains had been moved; through the combined efforts of Water and Earth Style shinobi, even a place like the Lightning Province could be turned into farmland. The power of shinobi was not for petty squabbles and violence, but for making the world a better place.
"What are you looking at?" Sasuke asked, stepping up beside his brother.
"Do you see that?" Itachi pointed toward the fields with a smile.
Sasuke followed his gaze, looking confused. It was just a field.
"This used to be a mountain range. Now, it has been transformed into land where crops can grow," Itachi explained. "This was His Majesty's decision. The former Land of Lightning had to rely on raiding to meet its needs, but now, the Lightning Province is self-sufficient. Though there isn't much of a surplus yet, I believe that in time, this land will become even better."
It had only been three years, and the plan to move mountains and create fields in the Lightning Province still had a long way to go, but even so, the people's livelihoods had improved significantly.
"Hn." Sasuke wasn't particularly interested in agriculture and gave a curt nod.
"Let's go. We can't let the Two-Tails disturb this land," Itachi said, seeing his brother's lackluster reaction. He didn't push the subject; he believed that one day, Sasuke would understand the weight of these changes.
Without disturbing the locals, Itachi followed the intelligence reports and led his team quickly to the location where the Two-Tails had last been spotted—a canyon between high mountains.
The Two-Tails obviously wouldn't stay in one place for long, so Itachi had to rely on the traces left behind to track it. Sasuke followed silently behind his brother. While he wasn't interested in mountains becoming farmland, one thing was certain: he was Kakashi's personal disciple.
Although Hayama Shirakumo had spent more time teaching Team 7 than Kakashi had, it didn't change Sasuke's status. Even if he didn't grasp the significance of land development, his loyalty to Kakashi was second to none. He wanted to prove himself on this mission.
The Two-Tails would be an excellent opponent. After all, it was a Tailed Beast that had died at Kakashi's hands twelve years ago. Now, twelve years later, it would be a point of pride for Kakashi's disciple to capture it.
"It's just ahead. Everyone, get ready."
Itachi spoke suddenly, his expression becoming solemn. He had mastered the sensory techniques left by Tobirama Senju in the sealing scrolls, allowing him to easily detect the massive chakra ahead. There was no mistaking that aura—it was a Tailed Beast.
Itachi's team consisted of twelve people, including himself and Sasuke. All were elites of the Uchiha Clan. One pair of Mangekyō Sharingan and eleven pairs of Three-Tomoe Sharingan—against a single Two-Tails, they should have been able to take it easily.
Yet, for some reason, a sense of unease flickered in Itachi's heart. Despite their overwhelming advantage, he remained incredibly cautious.
As the twelve Uchiha shinobi emerged from the canyon, the scene before them came into view. A massive blue cat was lying in a lake, its enormous head resting above the water as if it were enjoying a relaxing bath.
So this is the Two-Tails? Sasuke thought to himself.
But the appearance of the twelve Uchiha instantly alerted the sensitive Matatabi. It bolted upright, its massive eyes locking onto the direction where the Uchiha had appeared.