Chapter 396: Target Kakuzu! Mixed bathing in the Land of Hot Springs? 3 more updates!
Somewhere in the Land of Hot Springs, a mixed-gender hot spring.
As winter drew near, soaking in the hot springs of the Land of Hot Springs was an extremely enjoyable experience.
That day, after leaving Orochimaru's secret base, Fujiwara Tetsuya took Torune Ryoui and Uchiha Mikoto out of the Land of Rain, flying his sword eastward all the way.
As for excuses!
He believed that with Orochimaru's intelligence, he would always find a perfect answer.
However! Don't misunderstand, Fujiwara Tetsuya's purpose was not simply to drag Torune Ryoui and Uchiha Mikoto to soak in the hot springs and fully enjoy the happiness of a three-person world.
The reason he came to the Land of Hot Springs was because Fujiwara Tetsuya had found through the bounty station that Kakuzu, in order to escape the pursuit of Takigakure, had secretly fled to the Land of Hot Springs.
To establish a hidden force, Kakuzu was undoubtedly Fujiwara Tetsuya's best choice at the moment.
"Tetsuya-kun? What are you thinking about? You seem so lost in thought?"
In the misty steam, Torune Ryoui, clutching her bath towel, slowly leaned against Fujiwara Tetsuya's shoulder.
Perhaps the temperature difference accelerated the blood circulation in her body, making Torune Ryoui's cheeks appear exceptionally rosy.
"Hmm~ Nothing!"
"I was just thinking, if there were no wars, if we could always live such a stable life, how wonderful that would be!"
"It's just a pity… we are Ninja."
With a chuckle, Fujiwara Tetsuya, under Uchiha Mikoto's dangerous gaze, pulled Torune Ryoui into his embrace… The calm surface of the pool immediately stirred up countless small ripples.
While Fujiwara Tetsuya was enjoying his leisurely life, Kakuzu, after killing several Takigakure Ninja who had been tailing him, went into hiding in a small town in the central part of the Land of Hot Springs.
Even though Kakuzu possessed extraordinary strength, as a Rogue Ninja, once he showed his face… once he was recognized by the Ninja of the Land of Hot Springs, he would face endless pursuit and expulsion.
For safety reasons, the high-ranking officials of the Hot Water Village would never allow an S-rank Rogue Ninja like Kakuzu to remain within the borders of the Land of Hot Springs.
Kakuzu naturally understood this very well… Therefore, apart from necessary eating and drinking, he rarely stepped out of that gloomy room… In the Land of Rain, as a large amount of cold air currents poured into the Land of Rain from the direction of the Land of Grass, the weather in the Land of Rain also became increasingly harsh.
Late at night, several uninvited guests, under the cover of darkness, suddenly appeared in Orochimaru's secret base.
"I never expected you to come here at this time, Lord Danzo."
The candlelight cast long shadows of Orochimaru, Danzo, and three other Root members.
"Orochimaru, it seems your research still hasn't made any progress…"
"I told you, as long as you are willing to join Root, even if only in name."
"Root can provide you with all the materials, instruments, and funds you need for your experiments… even the First Hokage's cells."
"Constantly dissecting these corpses will not lead to any discoveries."
Under Orochimaru's gaze, a brilliant light suddenly erupted in Danzo's eyes.
Evidently, repeated heavy blows had made Danzo deeply aware of his lack of strength, making him increasingly anxious.
"Hehe~~~ We can talk about that after the war ends."
"Lord Danzo, you wouldn't have traveled all the way to the Land of Rain just to tell me this, would you?"
"Hmph~ What a stubborn fellow, I should have already told you that Senju Nawaki's death… had nothing to do with Root."
"I came this time to seek your help. I need you to help me develop a Sealing Technique to restrain Root members."
At this point, Danzo's tone paused, and a murderous aura gradually appeared on his face… During the period of his severe injuries, Root's authority was temporarily managed by Homura Mitokado… Although he had promptly reclaimed Root's authority from Hiruzen Sarutobi after returning to Konoha to recuperate for a period… it was precisely during this short period of just over a month that some people within Root had already shown a tendency to align with Homura Mitokado.
If he hadn't discovered the signs in advance and eliminated all hidden dangers.
Then, everything he had done since the establishment of Root might have already been placed on the desk in the Hokage Office… At that time, not only he, but even the entire Shimura Clan, would likely be implicated, making it difficult to ever recover.
"I understand, but… I need all the information!"
"I heard that Lord Danzo obtained a lot of Uzumaki Clan Sealing Technique information from the Land of Whirlpools…"
"Someone will deliver those things to you!"
As Orochimaru mentioned the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Technique information, Danzo's expression grew even more somber.
At some unknown point, Root had almost become a sieve, and even Orochimaru… had planted spies within Root.
Moreover, this person's position in Root was probably not low, otherwise… they would never have known about the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Technique.
Who could it be…?
In the darkness, Danzo gradually closed his single eye, sifting through the information of one Root member after another in his mind… "What? That brat actually left the Land of Rain?"
"At a time like this, when did this happen?"
In a cave outside the Konoha Camp, Danzo temporarily settled down here after leaving Orochimaru's secret base.
This time, besides coming to seek Orochimaru's help, he also wanted to see Fujiwara Tetsuya, for no other reason… than after learning about Fujiwara Tetsuya's performance on the Land of Rain battlefield, he wanted to remind him… to not forget his previous promise.
However, the news he received from the Root member… made Danzo feel completely uneasy.
"It should have been five or six days ago."
"Lord Orochimaru publicly announced that… Lord Tetsuya, along with Uchiha Mikoto and Jonin Torune Ryoui, were dispatched to the Land of Earth to carry out a secret mission."
"However, from the intelligence we gathered, the three of them…"
"What about the three of them? Could they have gone on vacation?"
Listening to the slightly hesitant voice, Danzo couldn't help but let out a cold snort, not knowing whether the anger was directed at Fujiwara Tetsuya or at this inefficient Root member.
"Leader is wise!"
"According to the intelligence gathered, the three of them did indeed go on vacation."
"As for where they went? Regarding this, even Lord Orochimaru probably doesn't know."
"After all, that Lord's flying ability is enough to allow them to cross vast distances in a very short time and reach any place they wish to go."
"But~ what an annoying brat!"
"It's wartime now~ How dare he?"
"And Orochimaru, as a commander, is this how he manages his subordinates?"
Listening to the Root member's reply, Danzo almost choked… But regarding Fujiwara Tetsuya, all he could do now was vent his anger behind his back, nothing more.