Karin led Yakushi Kabuto and his group along a deserted path, skillfully avoiding several Hidden Leaf patrol teams without raising suspicion, and slipped into Hidden Leaf Village unnoticed.
Following behind Karin, Kabuto, Guren, and Jugo wore varied expressions.
Seeing how Akatsuki's 'B' was so familiar with the terrain around Hidden Leaf and could effortlessly bypass the village's patrol zones was, frankly, astonishing.
"It seems the Akatsuki's infiltration of Hidden Leaf is even deeper than I imagined. Good thing we agreed to their deal, or else Lord Orochimaru…"
The more Kabuto thought about it, the more alarmed he felt.
Guren, meanwhile, was weighed down by her own concerns. She had never been keen on risking her life to rescue Orochimaru, and now, being inexplicably tangled up with the Akatsuki and antagonizing Hidden Leaf only soured her mood further.
After infiltrating the village, Karin led Kabuto's group to an empty, abandoned house and said, "We'll move at night. Rest here for now."
Kabuto nodded.
The Akatsuki clearly expected Orochimaru's followers to do the heavy lifting, so there was little to argue about. They would follow the plan.
And so, Kabuto, Guren, and Jugo sat on the floor, resting up.
Karin glanced at Kabuto, a faint sense of surprise hidden behind her mask.
According to Hidden Leaf's intelligence, Yakushi Kabuto was merely one of Orochimaru's subordinates—a seasoned spy who also practiced medical ninjutsu, but nothing particularly noteworthy otherwise.
Yet, for some reason, he gave her a subtle sense of threat.
Karin, having transplanted her Rinnegan back into herself, combined with her Wood Release and the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques, was far beyond the reach of ordinary Jonin. Most wouldn't pose any threat to her.
"This Yakushi Kabuto is more than he seems. I'll need to inform Leader next time we're in contact."
With her decision made, Karin closed her eyes to rest.
…
Hokage's Office.
Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "What? The capture failed?"
The reporting Anbu Jonin looked embarrassed. "Yakushi Kabuto and the other three Orochimaru remnants were indeed lurking near the village. However, one of them possesses the rare Crystal Release Bloodline Limit. They caught us off guard during the operation and managed to escape."
"Crystal Release!?"
Tsunade froze for a moment.
This Bloodline Limit was indeed extremely rare. Even she had only heard of it, never seen it in action.
The Anbu Jonin quickly handed over a file to Tsunade. "We've confirmed the individual's identity as 'Guren.' She's entered the village multiple times under the guise of accepting missions."
"Coming and going three or four times? She's got some guts!" Tsunade paused, then asked, "Who did she interact with while in the village?"
The Anbu Jonin replied, "We've already dispatched a team to investigate."
"Notify me as soon as you have results!"
Tsunade nodded, choosing not to pursue the Anbu's failure further.
For one, Tsunade wasn't the type to harshly reprimand her subordinates like Danzo would. For another, a shinobi like Guren with a Bloodline Limit, if properly trained, could easily reach Special Jonin or even Jonin-level strength.
Add to that Yakushi Kabuto, a Jonin-level shinobi, and another of Orochimaru's followers with unknown strength, and the Anbu's failure wasn't entirely unexpected.
At the same time, the information the Anbu brought back resolved some of Tsunade's earlier doubts.
If there were two, or even three, Jonin-level shinobi, it made sense that Kabuto would dare attempt a rescue of Orochimaru.
"Though the Anbu didn't catch them this time, it should've made them realize rescuing Orochimaru is impossible. They've probably fled far by now."
Tsunade gathered her thoughts.
At this critical juncture, as Hokage, she was swamped with countless tasks and didn't have the energy to focus too much on Kabuto and Orochimaru's remnants.
Besides, deep down, she was planning to persuade Orochimaru to atone for his crimes by aiding in the upcoming war against the Akatsuki, so she had little interest in wiping out his remaining followers.
…
Time ticked by, the sun dipped low, and the sky glowed with blood-red hues.
As darkness fell and the village began to light up with lanterns, Karin slowly stood.
Her movement instantly roused Kabuto, Guren, and Jugo, who had been resting with their eyes closed. They opened their eyes in unison, looking at the Akatsuki's 'B' before them.
'B' retrieved four plain black cloaks from the house, donning one to cover her Akatsuki red-cloud robe, then tossed the remaining three to Kabuto's group, instructing, "Put these on!"
A flicker of doubt passed through Kabuto's eyes, but he took the cloak and draped it over himself.
Seeing this, Guren and Jugo followed suit, donning their cloaks.
At that moment, 'B' spread a map of Hidden Leaf on the floor and pointed to it. "This is the secret prison where Orochimaru is held. His cell is the deepest one. A team of Chunin guards the entrance, and another team of Anbu monitors from the shadows. Here, here, and here are patrol teams, each with eight to ten shinobi."
As 'B' explained the situation, the expressions of Kabuto, Guren, and Jugo grew increasingly grave.
Leaving aside the guards inside the secret prison, there were seven or eight squads near the entrance alone, totaling thirty to forty Hidden Leaf shinobi. And since the prison was within Hidden Leaf Village, any alarm would bring endless reinforcements, leaving them no chance of escape!
After listening for a while, Guren couldn't hold back. "Isn't this just sending us to our deaths?"
'B' glanced at her coolly. "If you want to back out, now's your chance. But I can't say what'll happen to Orochimaru if you do."
Kabuto smiled ingratiatingly. "Your organization has no reason to make things difficult for small fries like us, so you must have a plan, right?"
'B' looked at Kabuto. "Tonight, Hidden Leaf's interrogation team will send three shinobi to the secret prison to interrogate Orochimaru."
She then traced a line on the map with her finger. "This is their route to the prison."
Kabuto's lips curled into a grin. "I see. We ambush them here and disguise ourselves as them to enter the secret prison!"
Guren and Jugo nodded in sudden realization.
If that was the plan, they could avoid a full-on battle with Hidden Leaf—at least until they reached Orochimaru.
Guren thought for a moment, then said, "Even if it's the interrogation team sent to question Lord Orochimaru, entering the secret prison would likely require a high-level pass from Hidden Leaf's leadership and a special code, right?"
Kabuto looked at 'B'. "The pass should be on the interrogation team's shinobi, so that's not a concern. The special code, though, is trickier. Hidden Leaf's interrogation team is trained to resist interrogation. Prying it out of them quickly won't be easy."
'B' didn't elaborate, only saying calmly, "You don't need to worry about that."