Chapter 212: Searching for Orochimaru
Uchiha Itachi was sitting at his desk, quietly drafting Naruto and Sasuke's ninjutsu study plan for the coming week, when the door suddenly swung open.
Without even turning his head, he immediately knew who it was—Sasuke.
After all, if it were his mother, she would have knocked. Only Sasuke and Naruto barged in without any manners.
"Ni-san, what are you doing?"
Sasuke leapt beside him, curiosity shining in his eyes as he tried to peek at the papers on the table.
"Just writing something."
Itachi replied calmly, gently tapping Sasuke's nose with the pen in his hand.
At that moment, Naruto burst through the door as well.
"Itachi-aniki! What are you two talking about?"
"None of your business, idiot Naruto."
Sasuke shot back immediately.
The two started bickering as usual. Seeing this, Itachi sighed helplessly, closed his notebook, and decided there was no point trying to concentrate anymore. He stood up and headed downstairs to watch TV.
Naturally, Naruto and Sasuke trailed after him like shadows.
Ever since he stopped going on missions, Itachi had found himself with plenty of free time. Aside from teaching his two younger brothers ninjutsu, he didn't have much to do.
Once Naruto and Sasuke went to school each day, he was left with hours of idle time.
His mother never needed help around the house, so he often wandered around the village, sometimes visiting Kisame after work or checking in on Deidara's situation.
Deidara, ever since his chakra had been sealed, was constantly frustrated and itching to stir up trouble—but under constant surveillance, he couldn't really act on it.
---
"Itachi, dinner's ready!"
Uchiha Mikoto's gentle voice called from the kitchen.
"Oh!"
Naruto and Sasuke responded at the same time, scrambling off the couch.
One helped clear the table, while the other fetched bowls and chopsticks.
Seeing he wasn't needed there, Itachi went into the kitchen to carry out the dishes himself.
A few minutes later, the family sat around the dining table.
"Itadakimasu!"
Naruto pressed his palms together and said solemnly before eating.
Sasuke smirked, a hint of mockery in his eyes. "You're such a faker, idiot Naruto."
Before he could finish laughing, thunk!—Mikoto lightly tapped him on the head.
"Ow!" Sasuke winced dramatically. "Kaa-san, why did you hit me?"
Mikoto gave him a patient look.
"Sasuke, you should have reverence for food. Naruto did the right thing."
Sasuke pouted but didn't dare argue further. Although his mother looked gentle, she was strict when it came to manners—and most of his childhood scoldings came from her, not his father.
After a short pause, Sasuke mimicked Naruto.
"Itadakimasu," he said softly before starting to eat.
Itachi watched them both with a faint smile.
How peaceful, he thought.
How heartwarming.
Only one person was missing at the table—his father.
He wondered when Fugaku would return.
---
Meanwhile, far away in the night sky, a massive crimson giant was soaring across the heavens at astonishing speed.
The roaring wind around it could be heard from miles away, like thunder tearing through the dark.
In its open palm sat three figures.
Uchiha Fugaku reclined comfortably in a wooden chair, eyes closed in rest, while the two jōnin accompanying him—the Yamanaka and Hyūga clan members—did the same beside him.
At first, they had hesitated to mimic their Hokage's posture, but under Fugaku's calm instruction, they followed suit.
These recliners were no ordinary chairs.
They were crafted by Yamato himself using Wood Release, following detailed sketches drawn by Fugaku.
Not bound by mortise or nails, the chairs seemed to have grown from the wood itself—smooth, seamless, and remarkably comfortable.
After flying through the night, dawn finally began to break.
The giant, Fugaku's Susanoo, soared out of the Land of Fire and crossed into the Land of Rice Fields.
Following Uchiha Setsuna's intelligence report, Fugaku guided Susanoo toward the last known location where Orochimaru had been sighted—a small trade city near the border, often frequented by merchants from the Land of Fire.
Within minutes, Susanoo hovered above the settlement. From such height, the city below appeared no larger than a town—its buildings few, its streets narrow.
Fugaku didn't want to alert Orochimaru, so he landed the Susanoo a few miles away to avoid drawing too much attention. The ground trembled slightly upon landing, but the locals dismissed it as a small earthquake.
Dispelling the Susanoo, Fugaku led his two jōnin subordinates toward the city.
The journey went smoothly, and as dawn fully illuminated the horizon, they began to see early risers pushing carts or carrying goods along the roadside.
Once they were within a mile of the city, Fugaku gave the order.
The Yamanaka jōnin used his clan's perception technique to scan for Orochimaru's chakra signature, while the Hyūga activated his Byakugan to sweep the area.
Orochimaru's chakra would be unmistakable—vast and sinister, impossible to hide from the Byakugan's all-seeing gaze.
If Orochimaru was here, he wouldn't escape.
Yet, after a thorough search, they found nothing.
Not even a trace.
Fugaku exhaled slowly, a faint sigh escaping his lips.
A pity. If only he had a space-time ability like Minato Namikaze's Flying Thunder God Technique, he could have instantly teleported the moment the intelligence report arrived and captured Orochimaru on the spot.
But no such long-range teleportation technique existed—not even Minato's could reach across thousands of miles.
Still, Fugaku didn't lose heart.
He had come this far, and he wasn't about to return empty-handed.
He was determined to locate Orochimaru—no matter how long it took—and bring him back to Konoha for research.
Besides, he didn't have much pressing work back at the village.
The latest reports from Nara Shikaku mentioned that Iwagakure and Kirigakure had begun skirmishing—likely over the Land of Lightning.
Fugaku didn't care much about that.
As long as no one threatened Konoha, the rest of the world could burn.
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