"S-rank forbidden jutsu… soul-based techniques, no less. If I'm not mistaken, Konoha's Scroll of Seals should have them recorded."
Xuanyue's thoughts lingered on the legendary scroll. Of course, it held far more than the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique that Naruto had once stolen. A scroll that massive existed for a reason—it brimmed with countless forbidden arts.
Much of it had come from Senju Tobirama himself, though the contributions of other Leaf shinobi were far from negligible.
Steal into the Hokage's office and take the scroll by force? The idea flickered in Xuanyue's mind—then died instantly.
Konoha had taken heavy blows recently, but it was still the foremost shinobi village. Its foundation was deep. To attempt theft now would be suicide. He was no Uzumaki Naruto, destined to stumble through with sheer luck and stubbornness. With his current strength, he would likely perish before touching the scroll.
Still, the scroll wasn't his only option.
"The Katō clan… I recall hearing of them once. Small, insignificant, easy to ignore. Yet Katō Dan should still have descendants. Shizune, wasn't it?"
Xuanyue's mind turned to the black-haired woman always at Tsunade's side. If his memory was correct, Shizune was Dan's niece. Her parents had also been Leaf shinobi, both lost to the wars like Dan himself.
With no family left, Shizune had been taken in by Tsunade as a disciple, leaving the village alongside her.
Which meant the Katō line now narrowed to a single survivor.
Tsunade wouldn't have bothered to take her along otherwise. If Shizune had living guardians, the Senju princess would never saddle herself with such responsibility.
A lone heir, yes—but clan legacies never vanished so easily.
Dan's signature Soul Release technique, an S-rank secret, would surely be preserved. The village would have it documented. But as his only descendant, Shizune might well have inherited it too.
As for why she never displayed it in the original tale? Simple—some techniques aren't mastered just because one has the scroll. Some read once and understand; others study endlessly and see only gibberish. A supreme art could as easily grant invincibility as drive its wielder to ruin.
Shizune, then, was his best lead. And perhaps Tsunade as well. As Dan's lover, he may well have entrusted her with his most precious technique.
With two possible avenues, Xuanyue made his decision. By force or persuasion, he would test both women.
Finding them wouldn't be difficult. In every casino and loan house, all it took was a few questions. Their trail would surface quickly enough.
Without hesitation, Xuanyue's figure flickered and vanished from the Valley of the Fallen Gods. The twin statues that loomed over the ravine remained, silent and eternal, locked in their ageless standoff beneath the moonlight.
Elsewhere, others had already begun moving toward the same goal.
"Let's go!"
At Konoha's gates, Uzumaki Naruto raised a fist, backpack slung over his shoulder and frog-shaped wallet bouncing at his side. With energy to spare, he followed the lecherous sage Jiraiya out into the night, bound for Tsunade.
He thought they were only seeking someone who could heal Sasuke and Rock Lee. He had no idea the woman they sought was destined to be Konoha's Fifth Hokage. Their eventual meeting promised chaos—and fireworks.
Far away, Orochimaru cursed his ruined arms. The pain from the Shiki Fūjin's seal burned constantly, raw agony even he could barely endure. Having shaken off Konoha's pursuit, he retreated to a hidden base with Kabuto in tow. Yet even with every remedy he knew, his arms remained useless.
To possess Uchiha Sasuke, he needed time. He could not afford to invoke Living Corpse Reincarnation prematurely.
That left him only one option.
"Tsunade's medical arts…" Kabuto adjusted his round spectacles, speaking with respect rare for him. "Compared to her, I am nothing."
But then confusion crossed his face. "Orochimaru-sama, how can you be certain she'll heal you? You're a traitor to Konoha, the one who killed the Third Hokage himself. Why would she ever agree?"
Orochimaru's lips curled into a thin, rasping smile. "Because I'll give her an offer she cannot refuse. Lost love, lost family—there are no temptations greater than those. Who could deny the chance to regain them?"
Kabuto's eyes gleamed at the implication. And with a sly grin, he added, "Then I shall serve as your arms until she restores them. With your teachings, Edo Tensei alone proves your genius."
"Even the greatest techniques demand caution," Orochimaru hissed. His thoughts drifted briefly to Yuèxuan, the man who had slipped beyond his control. "Have there been any signs of him?"
"None," Kabuto admitted. "But Konoha, Kumo, and even Kirigakure have begun searching. He's drawn much attention."
Orochimaru wasn't surprised. Men like Xuanyue, relics of the Warring States era, didn't surface often. When they vanished, finding them again was nearly impossible.
"Forget it," he muttered. His arms flared with unbearable pain, tearing another curse against the Third from his throat. "Our priority is Tsunade. Head for Tanzaku Quarters."
"Tanzaku Quarters?"
Inside a smoky backroom of a crowded casino, dice clattered, and gamblers roared outside. Within the scene was very different.
Xuanyue stood over a pile of battered loan sharks, casually collecting their bundles of cash. His face wore the plain guise of a nondescript middle-aged man, but the efficiency of his movements betrayed him.
He looked down coldly at the trembling usurers, who only hours before had barked threats and swaggered with bravado.
"You say the 'golden-haired big spender' is in Tanzaku Quarters?"
"Yes, yes!" The ringleader, face swollen and bruised, nodded frantically.
"Blonde ponytail, green gambling jacket, stunning figure—she's the one. Tsunade, the biggest whale of them all. She owes us fifty million ryō. We know her all too well! Every year around this time, without fail, she heads for Tanzaku Quarters. It has the grandest casinos in all the Land of Fire—perhaps even the entire shinobi world. She'll stay there for a month at least."
Xuanyue's lips curved faintly. Then that's where we'll meet.