A few days later, Takigakure held the official ceremony for the succession of its village leader.
Yahiko successfully became the new leader of Takigakure, and also the youngest one in its history.
With his new position came access to many of the village's secrets—like the rogue ninja Kakuzu, and Takigakure's most powerful weapon.
"Hero Water?"
"Doesn't that have serious side effects?"
"It's said to shorten the user's lifespan."
"Don't touch it if you can avoid it."
Kazuyama answered Yahiko's questions while munching on his food.
Hero Water—holy water extracted once every hundred years from beneath a massive tree. Drinking it could boost one's chakra tenfold.
But it came with a price. In exchange for that chakra, the water devoured the user's life. Because of that, it had been sealed away.
Protecting the Hero Water was the duty of the village leader.
Yahiko had only learned about it after assuming his new role.
"Kazuyama, how do you know so much?"
"I didn't know any of this before."
Yahiko marveled at Kazuyama's knowledge. But Kazuyama just gave a dismissive smile and replied casually,
"Did you forget who my sensei is?"
"Orochimaru's collection of forbidden jutsu and bizarre knowledge is a hundred times more vast than you can imagine."
"Besides, Takigakure is one of the top villages outside of the Five Great Nations. Knowing this kind of stuff isn't hard."
Not even a hint of shame—any tricky question, and he just passed it off on his teacher.
[Ding! Host detected skillfully pushing the blame onto his teacher. Excellent mindset! Special reward: Genjutsu +1.]
Yahiko nodded calmly at Kazuyama's words. Clearly, he didn't doubt him at all.
To him, it was no different than Konoha having the Nine-Tails or the Legendary Sannin—not exactly a secret.
"I got word from my teacher—he's already on his way into the Land of Waterfalls."
"You're the village leader now, so you can't just go out freely. I'll take Konan and Yugito with me."
"He's going to be working closely with Takigakure in the future, so Konan needs to come along. As for Yugito, well… it's only right for the great-disciple to meet her grandteacher."
After finishing his meal, Kazuyama stood up slowly.
Over the past few days, he'd taken time to return to the Land of Grass frontlines. The battlefield there had remained relatively stable.
With Tsunade and Jiraiya holding the line, even against the repeated assaults of two Tailed Beasts, they still managed to stand their ground.
Of course, when Tsunade saw him again, she nearly buried him six feet under. But once she learned Kazuyama had taken out the explosive-style Iwagakure ninja, Iwa, all doubts vanished.
As an old rival, Tsunade knew Iwa's nature too well—he was a wolf that wouldn't rest until he brought down his prey.
Getting entangled with him, it was no surprise Kazuyama hadn't returned sooner.
Even Kazuyama himself hadn't expected just how much Iwa would end up helping him.
...
Back in the present—
Konan and Yugito were already prepped and ready.
Kazuyama activated the Flying Thunder God Technique, vanishing from Takigakure with the two in tow.
...
On the outskirts of the Land of Waterfalls, Orochimaru stood gazing at the waterfall-encircled landscape before him, the breeze brushing past as a sense of calm washed over him.
He reached up and removed the Konoha forehead protector from his brow, holding it in his hand—
Waiting for his disciples to arrive.
"Yo, you already took it off? I thought I'd have to remind you."
"Hehehe, Kazuyama-kun, you're right on time. As your sensei, that really makes me proud."
The master and disciple met again—but this time, everything had changed.
Orochimaru was no longer one of Konoha's Sannin. He was now a missing-nin.
"Sensei, welcome to the Land of Waterfalls."
"The daimyō here has been eagerly awaiting your arrival."
"These two—this is Konan, a jōnin from Takigakure, and the other is Yugito, my disciple."
At Kazuyama's words, Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and smiled.
"Oh? A disciple?"
"No wonder during the Chūnin Exams, you kept looking at her more than you did Kakashi's team."
Kazuyama burst out laughing, completely unfazed.
"Sensei, let's go. I've already found a place for you."
"I also had Turtle Island moved to the northern sea."
"You can go there anytime, but I haven't worked out the generator setup you mentioned."
"You know how it is—I just came running from the battlefield in the Land of Grass. I barely had time to breathe, let alone build something like that."
Orochimaru nodded. He had also fled with nothing but some money and research notes.
"Right, Sensei. Once you're settled, it's best to prioritize producing some medicine."
"The daimyō's been pushing hard—just the kind that boosts blood vitality will do."
"You know what I mean."
Orochimaru nodded again. While he found these kinds of mundane medicines boring, if it helped deal with the daimyō's estate, he'd do it.
...
Land of Hot Water battlefield.
Orochimaru's sudden disappearance had thrown Konoha's forces into disarray.
Fugaku Uchiha temporarily took over as commander.
"Damn it. Where the hell did Orochimaru go?"
He sat in the command tent, analyzing Orochimaru's possible movements. A few days ago, he'd already had someone report Orochimaru's disappearance to the village. A reply should be arriving any time now.
The assault from Kirigakure wasn't particularly fierce. After all, Konoha had a substantial number of ninja stationed in the Land of Hot Water, including elites from the Uchiha and Hyūga clans.
Even if the Seven Ninja Swordsmen launched a surprise attack, they wouldn't get past the defenses that easily.
...
At that moment, a Konoha ANBU was racing toward the battlefield.
"Captain, has Orochimaru really defected?"
Leading the team was ANBU Commander Midori, who now radiated a chilling, oppressive aura.
His thoughts returned to the earlier moment in the Hokage's office.
"Lord Hokage, Orochimaru disappeared on the battlefield in the Land of Hot Water."
"We suspect it's a defection..."
Hiruzen, upon hearing the report, clenched his fists tightly. Pain and regret flickered across his face.
"As expected of my student—always so cautious. He must've caught wind of something."
"Escaping from the battlefield... looks like he made thorough preparations."
Midori stood silently, listening to Hiruzen mutter to himself.
Only after a long pause did the Hokage issue a firm, decisive order.
"Mobilize the ANBU. Search the entire Land of Hot Water for Orochimaru."
"If found, bring him back by force..."
ANBU's First Squad was deployed immediately—five veteran operatives, each battle-hardened and ruthless.
With Midori in the lead, they launched their pursuit.
Their target—Orochimaru.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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