Hearing Hoshigaki Kisame admit his mistake, Terumi Mei's expression softened slightly.
As a former missing-nin, Terumi Mei had never had much fondness for Hoshigaki Kisame to begin with.
If it were not for Lord Yuto's regard for the members of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, Terumi Mei would never have shown any kindness to former Kirigakure defectors like Hoshigaki Kisame or Momochi Zabuza.
"You'd better not screw up this mission."
Terumi Mei wore an extremely displeased expression as she spoke with impatience. She shot a cold glance at Hoshigaki Kisame and Nagato, then turned her gaze toward the door of the Mizukage's office.
Although Terumi Mei said nothing, her demeanor made it abundantly clear she was dismissing them.
Watching their Mizukage so obviously shooing them out, Hoshigaki Kisame did not seem to mind at all. He gave a faint grin and turned to leave the Mizukage's office.
Meanwhile, Nagato, who had been sitting to the side, also rose to his feet and walked out with an indifferent expression.
The only person left standing in the office, looking somewhat dazed, was Hyuga Neji.
Hyuga Neji glanced at Nagato and the others who had already left the Mizukage's office, then looked up at Terumi Mei, who seemed to be completely ignoring him.
He still had no idea what the mission was!
Hyuga Neji let out a bitter smile. It seemed he would have to get the details of the mission from either Nagato or Hoshigaki Kisame.
But just thinking about having to work with those two, who clearly did not get along, was enough to give Hyuga Neji a headache.
"Mizukage-sama, I shall take my leave first."
Hyuga Neji wore a solemn expression as he bowed slightly, then quickly turned and hurried out after them.
A highly concealed secret base.
Yakushi Kabuto leaned against a wall in a corner, hiding his body in the shadows.
With his head lowered, Yakushi Kabuto's gaze flickered slightly, as though he was pondering something.
However, this state did not last long. Yakushi Kabuto raised his head again, his eyes regaining their calm, and walked toward the innermost room.
Knock, knock!
After two light raps on the door, Yakushi Kabuto pushed it open and stepped inside.
What met his eyes was an extremely cluttered room, with scrolls carelessly scattered about and papers strewn across the floor.
Seeing these scrolls and papers, a fervent gleam flashed deep in Yakushi Kabuto's eyes.
If these items were to appear in the outside world, they would cause an absolute sensation. These papers and scrolls recorded various secrets of the Shinobi World, as well as a number of lost or incomplete jutsu.
Suppressing the fervor in his gaze, Yakushi Kabuto quickly spotted Orochimaru, who sat cross-legged in a corner, holding a scroll and seemingly studying something.
"Have you found the Four-Tails jinchuriki?"
Orochimaru's elongated golden pupils remained fixed on the scroll's contents as he spoke without lifting his head.
"We have found some clues, but unfortunately, they are very likely traces left intentionally by the target."
Yakushi Kabuto shook his head slightly and spoke in a flat tone.
A smile appeared on Orochimaru's pale face, as if this came as no surprise.
"Don't underestimate this old man. If he hasn't noticed any danger, that is one thing. But once he senses a threat, a ninja from the old era who truly wants to hide won't be found so easily."
Orochimaru's voice carried a strange note of amusement, as though he had come across something interesting in the scroll.
Yakushi Kabuto did not dwell on the topic. After a brief silence, he spoke respectfully.
"A message has come from the other side."
At those words, Orochimaru, who had been studying the scroll, paused for a moment. He slowly lifted his head from the scroll.
"Uchiha Madara will soon send people to Sunagakure to capture the One-Tail jinchuriki."
Yakushi Kabuto stated calmly.
"Tsk tsk, it seems Sasori has already figured out that his cover for you has been blown."
Orochimaru licked his lips and let out a low chuckle.
"That should be correct. Otherwise, he would not have passed this kind of intelligence to me."
Yakushi Kabuto nodded expressionlessly, pushing his glasses up with a finger.
"Anything else?"
A glint of interest flashed through Orochimaru's eyes as he asked in a raspy voice.
"Kirigakure already knows about this matter. Presumably, they will send people to assist Sunagakure."
Yakushi Kabuto answered without hesitation.
"This is getting quite interesting."
"A cold ninja who turned even himself into a puppet, yet he still thinks about his own village."
Orochimaru let out another strange laugh, then lowered his head again and said casually to Yakushi Kabuto:
"Then let's play along with his intentions."
Hearing Orochimaru's words, Yakushi Kabuto was briefly taken aback, then nodded and turned to leave.
This affair was indeed interesting!
Sasori's intention was simply to use them to pass the information on to Konoha.
From this, it was clear that Sasori would not be among the personnel heading to Sunagakure to capture the One-Tail jinchuriki.
Otherwise, Sasori would have no need to go about things this way.
In Yakushi Kabuto's view, both Sasori and Lord Orochimaru were people with absolute confidence in themselves and tremendous pride.
People of such pride, unless absolutely necessary, would never rely on the hands of others. In their eyes, they could only trust themselves.
Yakushi Kabuto walked along, pushing his glasses up as he analyzed the situation based on his understanding of the affair and Sasori's intelligence.
Uchiha Madara's people, Kirigakure's people, and Konoha's people as well.
Sasori was simply muddying the waters, and naturally, his goal was not to protect the One-Tail jinchuriki.
A man who turned even himself into a puppet, how could he possibly care about the lives of others?
In Yakushi Kabuto's estimation, what Sasori truly cared about might be the entirety of Sunagakure, not any single individual within it.
This seemed contradictory on the surface, but at its core, it was not.
At this thought, Yakushi Kabuto felt a sudden chill in his heart. Such a person had perhaps long transcended the very concept of justice or evil.
This, most likely, was the reason Lord Orochimaru had let out that strange laugh.
Because Lord Orochimaru had understood from the very beginning what kind of person Sasori truly was.
"What a bunch of monsters they all are."
Yakushi Kabuto pushed his glasses up and slowly exhaled.
In the chaos about to unfold, the fact that Uchiha Madara intended to capture the One-Tail jinchuriki, Sunagakure was the last to know among the four major factions.
For some reason, Yakushi Kabuto suddenly felt a twinge of pity for Sunagakure's current leadership.
However!
A smile suddenly crept onto Yakushi Kabuto's lips. Would this not make things all the more interesting?
[
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