Shizune's cooking wasn't half bad—be it salt-grilled fish, tempura, or sushi rolls, they tasted just like what you'd get from any restaurant out there—at least that's what Jiraiya thought.
"Hey, hey! I'm heading out first!"
After finishing his meal and resting for a bit, Jiraiya drank the tea Shizune had made for him, then slowly stood up, ready to leave.
"Mm, please take care on your way back, Jiraiya-sama."
Smiling with her eyes half-closed, Shizune gave him a polite nod.
"I'll walk you out!"
Without another word, Tsunade got up and headed straight for the door.
She had something she needed to say to Jiraiya. A strange feeling told her this trip of his wouldn't be simple at all—something was definitely going to happen this time.
Jiraiya didn't speak either. He simply followed Tsunade outside, closing the door behind him.
The two walked side by side in silence, leaving the yard and walking down the street.
Tsunade's residence lay deep within a quiet part of Konoha Village, where few houses stood around.
"What's wrong? The Tsunade I know wouldn't act so hesitantly."
A streak of crimson light spread across the sky like burning flames.
This glow illuminated both of them, casting their faces in red.
"Really, are you sure you're going? You must understand—if that place really is the Organization's base, it'll be the most dangerous location in the entire Shinobi World!"
Tsunade let her hands hang loosely at her sides, her fists clenching tightly inside the loose sleeves of her robe.
Somehow, ever since Jiraiya mentioned he'd be leaving to investigate Amegakure, her heart had felt uneasy.
It felt as though she were about to lose something irreplaceable.
And that same question kept echoing in her mind over and over—it played like a broken record through dinner.
"Yes, it seems I might be the only one who can do this right now. After all, Konoha does need intelligence from that region, doesn't it?"
"And besides… don't you still believe in my strength?"
Confidently, Jiraiya spoke while turning his head sideways to look at his longtime teammate, who barely reached his chest.
Tsunade stopped walking and raised her head, fixing her gaze steadily on this familiar figure.
Same as always—never one to hold back from a bold claim. But this time, Tsunade especially wanted those words to be true.
"Well then, go soon and return soon!"
Tsunade glared directly into Jiraiya's eyes, causing a slight blush to creep onto his face despite himself.
"I know, I know. I promise—I will come back!"
Fading into the evening light, Jiraiya's tall form grew smaller and smaller until finally vanishing from Tsunade's sight.
...
A certain underground base somewhere.
The environment here was pitch-dark, buried dozens of meters underground and utterly cut off from the surface world.
Yet,
the base wasn't damp at all—it was almost eerily dry.
Long tunnels wound through complex paths, leading to rooms as densely packed as a hive...
Such a style appealed to very few people throughout the entire Shinobi World—and Orochimaru was among them.
"Lord Orochimaru, there seems to be a slight issue with Experiment Specimen No.17."
In a laboratory filled with countless precision instruments, Kimimaro, bearing the vermilion mark between his brows, spoke toward Orochimaru, who was working at an experimentation table.
Orochimaru paused his work and removed the strange eyepiece covering his right eye.
His skin had turned a ghostly white—from years without sunlight and the grotesque biological alterations he'd undergone.
"What kind of situation?"
Orochimaru's voice was hoarse, yet strangely pleasing to Kimimaro's ears.
"It appears to be a rejection reaction—the specimen is beginning to transform into a tree."
Kimimaro replied truthfully.
As Orochimaru's personal assistant, it was his duty to compile reports on the daily conditions of various experimental subjects and point out any showing abnormalities.
"A rejection reaction? Already!?"
Orochimaru frowned, his yellow serpentine eyes flashing coldly.
He didn't care whether these specimens lived or died—after all, they were all criminals sentenced to death that he had personally altered.
But knowing his experiment might have gone wrong still soured his mood slightly.
"Let's go check. This one is rather important."
Setting aside his tools, Orochimaru rose and strode out, with Kimimaro silently trailing behind.
This Experiment Specimen No.17 was part of his research focused on Kekkei Byo (Genetic Disorders of Bloodline Limits) and Hashirama's cells.
The reason for this direction came mostly from Kimimaro himself.
After Saitama's warning previously, Orochimaru conducted a full physical examination on Kimimaro and indeed discovered some latent Kekkei Byo factors.
As his research progressed, he found that this hidden genetic trait existed in many bloodline limits.
It would gradually manifest through continued use of bloodline abilities, taking on strange forms—such as incurable diseases.
Orochimaru genuinely liked Kimimaro quite a bit, so naturally, he didn't want him to die from something like this. Thus, he had been trying various methods to eliminate this latent genetic disorder.
After exhausting numerous approaches, only Hashirama's cells proved viable for experimentation.
Stuck with a problem? When in doubt, throw in Hashirama's cells!
That was the conclusion Orochimaru had reached in recent years.
As The First Hokage and the greatest force behind peace after quelling the warring chaos, Hashirama Senju's power remained unfathomable to this day.
Soon, Orochimaru and Kimimaro arrived at the storage location of the specimen.
Inside a massive transparent cylinder stood a humanoid—or approximately humanoid—towering figure.
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, observing the specimen. His gaze lingered on branches sprouting from the body, growing upward at a visible speed.
"Looks like another failure... but somehow, it's not *entirely* the same."
Orochimaru licked his lips, his eyes gleaming with sudden understanding.
Kimimaro remained silent, even though he knew the reason behind Orochimaru's experiment — to cure the disease consuming his own body. Since he didn't understand any of this, he had no right to object.
Whatever Orochimaru said, went! Even if Orochimaru asked him to sacrifice himself at this very moment, he would still comply.
"Da...da...Orochimaru!"
A voice filled with hatred echoed — spoken by the Experiment Specimen.
At this moment, thick bark covered where the specimen's eyes once were, yet a small hole remained. A red glow shone through that opening.
Crack!
The transparent glass shattered, and the Experiment Specimen broke free. It seemed as though it had been gathering strength for a long time.
The moment it broke free, the Experiment Specimen attacked Orochimaru.
Several roots wildly sprouted out, thrusting toward Orochimaru, who stood several meters away with seemingly no defense.
"Hehehe! Struggles of an ant!"
Orochimaru crossed his arms over his chest, not moving an inch.
One step behind Orochimaru, Kimimaro reacted instantly, stepping forward to shield him.
He crossed his arms in front of himself, and two white bones emerged.
"Eh...What is this?"
Suddenly, the Experiment Specimen cried out in pain; the extended roots instantly lost their power, going limp and collapsing to the ground.
"Not everyone can resist the devouring power of Hashirama's cells. You're just a lab rat implanted with a few bloodlines, used to test compatibility between Hashirama's cells and others."
"Still, your desperate struggle is quite amusing."
Orochimaru's raspy voice rang through the chamber, accompanied by the agonized screams of the Experiment Specimen.
Meanwhile, the boy standing in front of Orochimaru still hadn't figured out what happened. Keeping a wary expression on his face, he slowly lowered his arms.
He was barely ten years old. Though his potential was great, his current strength was still weak, and his action to shield Orochimaru had been purely instinctive.
He simply ignored how powerful Orochimaru truly was.
"It seems this experiment wasn't entirely fruitless."
Orochimaru stretched out one hand, and countless snakes as thick as arms slithered from his sleeve, tightly coiling around the Experiment Specimen.
The fact that it could temporarily mimic techniques like [Wood Release] showed the experiment had made some progress.
This was something the previous clone of Sin, transferred from Root, could never achieve — it couldn't accept any kind of cell.
"Let's go. We need to begin the next experiment. Soon enough, your illness will no longer be a burden."
Orochimaru turned and walked away, the Experiment Specimen suspended in midair, wrapped tightly in coils of snakes.
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru!"
Kimimaro's eyes were full of admiration and reverence for Orochimaru.
"I should get started on the favor I promised Saitama Uchiha too. Not like I've got anything else to do lately!"
As he walked, Orochimaru murmured to himself, his chilling aura echoing endlessly down the tunnel.
The Experiment Specimen continued wailing, its screams traveling far into the distance.
At the end of this tunnel lay a vast, pitch-black chamber. Inside, countless pale humanoid figures floated within transparent cylindrical containers, immersed in a pale yellow liquid.
"This shinobi world is about to become far more interesting!"
Orochimaru tilted his head slightly, noticing that the Experiment Specimens had stopped screaming—their breaths now gradually fading.
A faint upward curve appeared at the corner of his lips, forming a smile so chilling it sent shivers down one's spine. The extreme excitement of a predator sensing its prey was clearly visible within that smile.
...
"Lord Mizukage, what are you thinking about?"
Standing beside Yagura Karatachi was a tall ninja with a narrow scar stretching across his face. He asked out of duty.
As Yagura's personal guard, he was responsible for the Mizukage's safety whenever he traveled. His strength ranked among the elite jonin—only slightly weaker than members of the Seven Legendary Shinobi.
Surrounding both Yagura and this personal guard were no fewer than ten masked Mist ninjas. These Anbu operatives served as the accompanying entourage for this journey.
Though Yagura himself stood as the strongest figure in Kirigakure, protective measures remained essential. Their mission was to safeguard Yagura with their lives, intercepting any threats he couldn't handle himself.
In other words, they acted as human shields for the Mizukage in times of crisis.
"Nothing much. It must be recent fatigue. After all, I've spent quite some time preparing for this meeting with the Daimyo."
Yagura did not respond immediately but instead fell silent for a while before finally speaking.
He knew perfectly well that since leaving the village, his mind had been elsewhere.
"Oh, I see. We still have half a day before reaching the Daimyo's mansion, so please stay alert, Lord Mizukage. After all, the Daimyo..."
As the Mizukage's most trusted subordinate, the guard knew those words wouldn't offend anyone.
"I understand!"
The purple glow in Yagura's eyes returned, his right hand tightening around the handle of the weapon strapped to his back.
"I wonder how Terumi Mei and the others are doing?"
After briefly entertaining this thought, Yagura quickly regained his composure, stepping out from the anxious and worrying mindset he'd fallen into moments ago.
What lay ahead required full attention and allowed no room for error—it concerned whether the village could secure its annual benefits and sponsorships.
Near the coastline, a boat reached the shore.
Before the vessel came to a complete stop, a figure leaped off and landed upon the beach, immediately sprinting toward Kiri without delay.
This person was none other than Ringo Ameyuri—who had earlier escaped from Saitama's grasp!
Currently, Ringo Ameyuri looked exhausted, her eyes filled with bloodshot veins, and the injuries across her body had only received minimal bandaging.
"Run faster, faster! You can't let Terumi Mei's sacrifice go to waste, Ringo Ameyuri!"
Biting down hard on her chapped lips, which were cracked and peeling from dryness, she ran swiftly toward Kirigakure's direction, racing against time itself.
She feared missing the Mizukage entirely or being hunted down again.
The Akatsuki Organization truly was terrifyingly strong.
Until now, she had believed entering the ranks of the Seven Legendary Shinobi meant standing among the elite of the shinobi world.
But the truth was, she could only struggle feebly in the enemy's grip, trying to delay the death she knew was coming.
And even Terumi Mei, someone she had always admired and set as her ultimate goal to surpass, was still no match for that man called Saitama Uchiha!
In fact, she felt that the man hadn't even revealed his full strength yet when facing them.
Based solely on what he had shown, it was already more than enough to utterly crush their group.
During these calm moments aboard the ship, a question had arisen in her mind: Would Yagura-sama even stand a chance against that enemy? Even with access to all this intelligence!
Once the thought appeared, it refused to fade—repeating endlessly in her mind like a stubborn echo.
Moreover, an answer seemed to have formed deep within her heart, but she refused to acknowledge it, which was why she continued rushing back toward the village without giving up.
Hope should still exist—even the slimmest chance could give desperate souls something to cling to, refusing to let go.
Ameyuri Ringo was someone caught in such despair.
Only after battling the enemy herself did she truly feel that terrifying chill crawl down her spine!
...
It was already night when Saitama and Konan set foot upon this land far removed from the mainland.
The stars sparkled brilliantly against the pitch-black night sky, like countless eyes flickering and watching over the world below.
"Let's go. I can sense Zetsu's presence!"
Saitama spread out his chakra and quickly detected familiar chakra fluctuations.
He said this to Konan and took the lead forward.
With a sudden 'shua' sound, Konan once again transformed into countless white paper petals, trailing behind Saitama toward a distant direction.
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