Orochimaru narrowed his eyes at Tsunade. "You're saying there's no gold mine here at all?"
Tsunade finished healing Nawaki, pulling her hands back without even looking up. "At least, we haven't found a trace of it. Not even the remains of a small one."
She straightened up and continued, calm but firm. "You know what the letter said: there was supposed to be a nearly depleted gold mine here, with a Jonin, several Chunin, and a mining team escorting the last of the gold. Given such an obvious target, with a confirmed location, it should've been easy to find something. Supplies, shelters, footprints... anything."
She shook her head. "But there's nothing. No signs of a camp, no food waste, no traces of mining. Nothing."
The tent fell into a heavy silence. Tsunade's logic was sharp, and hard to argue with.
The letter itself had always been suspicious, it was just difficult to prove if it was real or forged.
From Tsunade's tone, it was clear: she believed the whole thing was a fake.
But whether it was true or false didn't matter. If the Hokage gave the order, they had to move, especially when the potential prize was a gold mine.
Konoha's plan had been simple: Tsunade's nearby team would scout and confirm the site, then team up with Orochimaru's group to intercept any Rain Country forces and retrieve the gold.
With Inuzuka and Hyuga clan members specializing in reconnaissance, it should have been impossible to miss the enemy.
Yet, here they were. Empty-handed.
"By the way," Tsunade asked, raising an eyebrow, "what about that ninja?"
"He ran," Orochimaru replied casually, as if it were no big deal.
Tsunade inhaled sharply, clearly restraining herself, then exploded. "Useless! You might as well go home and raise pigs! How could you let such an important guy slip away? Can't you do anything right?"
In her outburst, Tsunade accidentally smacked Nawaki on the head.
"Ow!" Nawaki winced.
"Tch, pathetic! A little smack and you're whining already? You've perfectly inherited Orochimaru's sissy tendencies!" Tsunade snapped, redirecting her fire at him without missing a beat.
The tent filled with the sound of Tsunade's relentless scolding.
Nobody dared interrupt. Everyone could tell she was venting days' worth of frustration all at once.
Just as Tsunade was about to turn on Kadoya, probably out of principle, he casually dropped a pouch of ryo onto the table.
Tsunade paused.
She stared at the money for a second, then wordlessly scooped it into her pocket and turned her fury back to Nawaki.
Everyone: "..."
Tired after her storm of lectures, Tsunade finally slumped into her chair.
Nawaki, ever the dutiful little brother, poured her some tea and started massaging her shoulders.
"This is bad," Tsunade muttered.
"If that ninja used a summoning beast to send a message, the others could've gone into hiding already."
Orochimaru nodded thoughtfully. "That's very possible. Besides, you didn't have enough people before. Watching the roads and searching the area... you couldn't have covered everything."
He turned to the group, voice steady. "This time, with both teams, we'll conduct a full search."
Tsunade grumbled, her voice heavy with fatigue. "You think it's easy? I've been searching every day till midnight. Barely slept, barely ate. Kushina and the others have been-"
She was cut off by a sudden burst of lively chatter outside the tent.
"Tsunade-neechan, we brought back shaved ice!" Kushina's bright voice carried into the tent, ending on a playful note.
Tsunade: "..."
The angry atmosphere inside the tent froze solid.
Everyone stared at Tsunade, who had been ranting about how hard everyone was working.
Buying shaved ice during a mission... really?
Tsunade awkwardly scratched her head and coughed, pretending she hadn't just been caught lying.
Kushina poked her head in, a big grin on her face. "Tsunade-neechan, the tempura you wanted was sold out though!"
Behind her were two more girls: a lively one with face paint and another with light brown hair.
Each carried bags loaded with food. Kushina had a piece of shaved ice stuffed into her mouth as she skipped inside.
Kushina spotted the visitors immediately.
"Kadoya! And Saiguu!" she cheered, bouncing over to them. "Uncle Orochimaru too!"
Nawaki smiled expectantly, but Kushina, oblivious, completely skipped greeting him.
Tsunade put on her stern face again. "Kushina! You can't just wander off during a mission!"
"But you said you'd summon Katsuyu to guard the spot..." Kushina mumbled innocently.
"...Ahahaha..." Tsunade laughed awkwardly, sweating a little.
The truth was, Tsunade was way too casual about this whole thing.
Even though Kushina was important, very important, Tsunade still let her and two rookie girls stroll off to town just because she could rush to them with Katsuyu if needed.
Honestly, it was pure Tsunade: bold to the point of reckless.
Even if she knew Kushina was about to become a Jinchuriki, she probably wouldn't have treated her much differently.
Tsunade, embarrassed, squatted sulking in a corner.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru stepped up to take command, his voice smooth and clear.
"I am Orochimaru," he began.
"I'll be acting as commander for this joint mission."
His golden eyes swept across the group.
"The goal is simple: First, secure all the roads connecting to the Rain Country. Second, conduct a thorough search to locate the small gold mine and any hidden Rain Country forces. Now, let the mission begin."
Although it was called a joint operation between two teams, Orochimaru didn't opt for a traditional group strategy.
Instead, he chose a riskier plan.
He split the eight members into three smaller units.
Tsunade led the first team, taking Saiguu and the Inuzuka girl to conduct a meticulous search of the area.
In Orochimaru's own words, they were to turn the entire place upside down until they found the gold mine, or else he'd report Tsunade's "laziness" to the Third Hokage.
Despite her grumbling, Tsunade had no choice but to lead the team honestly.
Meanwhile, Kadoya was assigned the third team, Kushina, Nawaki, and Samui, essentially three kids still in the academy. Their mission was to guard the main road leading to the Land of Rain, positioned safely at the perimeter.
As for Orochimaru himself? He formed the second team solo.
Stationed between Tsunade's search party and Kadoya's outpost, Orochimaru took the most dangerous spot for himself.
The risks of this plan skyrocketed immediately.
After all, the enemy side reportedly had a Jonin and several Chunin.
Tsunade was the only Jonin on their side, and her teammates were students, not even Genin yet. How could they possibly match seasoned Chunin?
Kadoya's group? A real "one god carrying three pits" situation.
Still, the benefits of the separation were clear: greater coverage, faster results.
It suited Orochimaru's nature, like a venomous snake slipping deep into enemy territory: risky, but deadly effective.
When it came to completing missions, Orochimaru didn't care about casualties, so long as the ones he cared about stayed alive.
After briefing Tsunade, Orochimaru turned to Kadoya.
From his scroll, he unfurled a detailed border map and pointed at several red-marked spots.
"There are six transport routes near here that lead back to the Land of Rain," Orochimaru said. "They don't overlap much, complicated terrain."
He tapped a location.
"Your team is responsible for monitoring this area. Kadoya, you're the most experienced here. Don't miss anything."
"If anything seems off, use Katsuyu to request backup. I'll establish a second base close by."
"Your team's in the safest spot, outer perimeter duty. Stay alert, but you shouldn't face major threats."
Kadoya gave a silent nod. He understood the real meaning behind Orochimaru's words.
Orochimaru would be covering two flanks alone. His speed and mobility would let him support either team if something went wrong.
It was a simple yet thorough deployment, one that not only scouted the entire area but also cut off the enemy's retreat paths.
Kadoya took the map and moved out with his team.
Among them, he was the fastest, with Nawaki and Kushina trailing slightly behind thanks to their sturdy bloodlines.
Kushina's speed, despite her large amount of chakra, was still a step slower than Nawaki's.
The real problem was Samui Kurama.
Kadoya honestly couldn't tell where her strengths lay. Her clan was famous for genjutsu, but in terms of physical capability, she lagged behind.
Not to mention Kushina looked like she was packed for a spring picnic, arms full of bags.
Even so, Kushina managed to keep pace.
As they moved, Kadoya laid out the mission plan.
"Our main job is surveillance," he said.
"According to Orochimaru, this area is relatively safe. But don't get complacent."
"For the next stretch of time, we'll be stationed together. We're to stay put until we get the withdrawal order from Orochimaru at the second base."
"What about info handoff?" Samui asked the question on everyone's mind.
"I'll contact Orochimaru through Tsunade's Katsuyu every day," Kadoya explained. "They'll check in at set times."
"If something urgent happens, launch a signal flare. I'll alert Orochimaru right away."
Glancing at the map, Kadoya checked their position.
"We're almost there," he said. "Just ahead."
After two hours of hiking, they reached the border zone, a dense forest standing tall between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain.
The scenery was beautiful, but none of them had time to enjoy it.
Kadoya halted in a thick patch of trees.
"This'll be our base," he announced. "We'll set up here for concealment and easy surveillance."
He assigned tasks efficiently.
"Nawaki, you scout for a good spot to pitch the tent."
"Kushina and Samui, find a water source. Supplies are limited, so we'll need a steady stream."
"Got it," Nawaki said, already scanning the area.
Kushina and Samui nodded and darted off.
Kadoya handed Nawaki a small flare.
"If we're not back in two hours, launch it immediately."
With orders given and the team spread out, Kadoya bit his thumb and slammed a hand onto the ground.
Poof!
A blue, frog-like ninja creature appeared, grumbling.
"Tch. What now?" Frogadier croaked, clearly irritated at being summoned.
Kadoya ignored his attitude.
"Use Senjutsu to scan the area. Find out if there are any enemies nearby," he ordered calmly.
Frogadier snorted but obeyed, settling cross-legged and starting to absorb Natural Energy.
Kadoya watched silently.
He couldn't risk using Sage Mode himself, not yet. But with Frogadier's help, he could still get an early warning if anything was lurking nearby.
And in this kind of dangerous territory, that could make all the difference.
After what felt like ten minutes, faint yellow markings formed around Frogadier's eyes.
The blue ninja frog slowly opened them, his usual laziness replaced by a rare sharpness.
Empowered by Senjutsu, Frogadier's sensory range had expanded far beyond its normal limits, stretching across a vast distance with eerie precision.
"There are enemies nearby," Frogadier reported, his tone unusually serious as he looked up at Kadoya.
Kadoya showed no sign of surprise.
After all, in the original story, even Naruto, once he mastered Senjutsu, could pinpoint Nagato's position all the way from Konohagakure to the heart of Amegakure.
Sensing enemies across borders was well within expectation.
"Let's move," Kadoya said coldly.
There was something different in his voice, an edge that made Frogadier's skin prickle, though he couldn't quite place why.
...
A thin white web shot from Kadoya's hand, latching onto a tall tree ahead. In the next instant, he launched forward, slicing through the dense woods at blinding speed.
"Slow down, Kadoya! You're going too fast!" Frogadier yelled, clinging tightly to his partner's back as the wind howled around them.
"Left or right?" Kadoya asked calmly, his black hair whipping in the fierce current as they raced toward a looming trunk.
"Left!!" Frogadier shouted in a panic.
Without hesitation, Kadoya fired another web to the left, sharply altering his trajectory and swinging cleanly past the massive tree.
According to Frogadier's sensing, the enemy was nearby, not dangerously close yet, but certainly closer to Kadoya's group than to Orochimaru or Tsunade.
Kadoya's thoughts sharpened.
In his mind, his team was practically dead weight.
Nawaki was far weaker than someone like Minato. Kushina hadn't yet mastered fūinjutsu.
And Samui... honestly, Kadoya wasn't even sure what she was good at.
To minimize the risk to his teammates, Kadoya made his decision.
He would handle this alone.
If no one was around to watch, he could fight without restraint, unleashing his full power without worrying about who might see or what secrets might be exposed.