Naruto World Through Tenseigan - Chapter 17
Only the Tenseigan had such insight. No one else, including the yet-to-awaken Itachi, noticed the fleeting look of delight on Shinn?’s face.
Observing this, Hyuga Kyo began to ponder.
“Why would Shinn? be happy to see Orochimaru and Jiraiya? Everyone knows about Orochimaru’s defection from Konoha. Seeing both of them together doesn’t seem to help our situation. Unless… unless Shinn? is sure that Orochimaru and Jiraiya would join forces to help us against the Hidden Cloud ninjas…”
“But why would Orochimaru, a rogue ninja, help us?”
“If he knew the Hidden Cloud was after him, why did he insist on coming to the Land of Rice Fields?”
“Hiring Konoha ninjas so openly, does he want to provoke a conflict between Konoha and the Hidden Cloud? What assurance does he have that he can escape unscathed?”
“Could it be… could meeting Orochimaru here not be a coincidence? Is Orochimaru his trump card hidden in the Land of Rice Fields?”
“Is he one of Orochimaru’s men? No, he’s a remnant of the Sky Ninjas. He can’t be Orochimaru’s subordinate. They must have some kind of cooperation!”
Combining the observed information with his hazy memories, Hyuga Kyo quickly reached a conclusion.
Regardless, the unexpected appearance of Orochimaru and Jiraiya presented an opportunity. If Orochimaru truly had a cooperative relationship with Shinn?, he wouldn’t abandon him. Similarly, Jiraiya wouldn’t let Konoha ninjas be killed by Hidden Cloud ninjas in his presence.
Hyuga Kyo quickly signalled Itachi with a hand gesture behind his back.
Itachi, understanding the signal, pulled out a Konoha distress signal flare and tossed it high into the sky.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
With a series of explosions, the flare burst into three red smoke clouds in the sky.
In fact, the flare wasn’t necessary. As Hyuga Kyo and his team spotted Orochimaru and Jiraiya, they also noticed Hyuga Kyo’s group and stopped their fight, hurrying over.
Soon, both Orochimaru and Jiraiya appeared before Hyuga Kyo’s team.
Seeing the assembled group, Orochimaru chuckled with a sinister tone, “I didn’t expect to encounter the Hidden Cloud’s Jinch?riki here. Seems like today will be fruitful!”
Jiraiya urgently said, “Orochimaru, don’t act recklessly. This could start a war!”
Ignoring Jiraiya, Orochimaru shifted his gaze from the Hidden Cloud’s Yugito Nii to Hyuga Kyo’s group, lingering on both Hyuga Kyo and Itachi before finally resting on Shinn? with a knowing smile.
On the Hidden Cloud side, the appearance of Orochimaru and Jiraiya left Yugito Nii visibly unsettled, and her three companions were even more on edge.
Unlike Hyuga Kyo, who had slacked off during the war, and the inexperienced Itachi, the reputations of Orochimaru and Jiraiya were forged in numerous real battles. Even the confident Yugito Nii couldn’t maintain her arrogance in front of these two.
“This isn’t over!” Yugito Nii spat before decisively leading her team to retreat.
Orochimaru, having no intention to pursue, stood with his hands on his hips, making it clear that his earlier words were just to intimidate Yugito Nii.
With the Hidden Cloud ninjas retreating, Jiraiya let out a sigh of relief.
Shifting his vigilance from the Hidden Cloud ninjas to Orochimaru, Hyuga Kyo tentatively asked, “Jiraiya-sama, do you need our assistance?”
As a Konoha ninja, Hyuga Kyo naturally had to show his allegiance to the rogue Orochimaru.
Jiraiya waved his hand, “Orochimaru isn’t someone you can handle. This doesn’t concern you. Go carry out your mission.”
Since he only intended to show a stance, Hyuga Kyo didn’t argue further and quickly led Itachi and Shinn? away.
After this encounter, the trio became more cautious, avoiding all towns and interactions. Whenever they came across open terrain, they even travelled by night.
Being extremely cautious, they finally reached their destination a week later.
The village was indeed plagued by an epidemic. The scene was bleak, and a villager claimed to have written to Shinn? asking for help.
Knowing Shinn?’s true identity, Hyuga Kyo pretended ignorance and completed the mission according to the standard procedures.
On the return journey, Itachi glanced back at the village and whispered, “Captain, there’s something off about Shinn?.”
“I know, but it’s not our concern.”
After a moment of hesitation, Itachi added, “I might be mistaken, but I feel like he harbors hostility towards Konoha.”
Hyuga Kyo was surprised by Itachi’s keen intuition, especially for someone so young. “Perhaps,” he replied noncommittally.
The Sky Ninjas had been destroyed by Konoha, so Shinn?’s hostility was natural.
That night, while camping, Hyuga Kyo noticed an encoded message left by Orochimaru on a nearby tree. Knowing it was a summons, he made an excuse to Itachi and quietly went to the meeting spot.
As soon as he arrived, Orochimaru stepped out of the shadows.
Hyuga Kyo greeted respectfully, “Orochimaru-sama.”
Orochimaru looked Hyuga Kyo up and down with interest before saying, “Kyo-kun, you seem different from before.”
Hyuga Kyo calmly replied, “Thanks to you, I almost died at the hands of the village. Of course, I’ve changed.”
Orochimaru’s lips curled into a smile, “Benefiting from misfortune? You should thank Danzo then.”
“You mean the recent purge was Danzo’s doing?”
“Yes, I overestimated his tolerance and underestimated his methods,” Orochimaru said casually as if discussing something unrelated to himself.
Hyuga Kyo probed, “Seems like you took something precious from him.”
Orochimaru didn’t deny it, instead laughing, “Indeed, a rather valuable item.”
Having his suspicions confirmed, Hyuga Kyo changed the subject, “That Shinn?, he’s your associate, right?”
Orochimaru stared at Hyuga Kyo, “You’re more perceptive than before.”
Hyuga Kyo shook his head humbly, “He exposed too many flaws. Even the young Uchiha boy noticed something.”
Orochimaru chuckled, “He stole some body regeneration techniques from the Hidden Cloud, which are quite useful for my current experiments.”
“No wonder the Hidden Cloud sent such a strong pursuit team!”
Seeing Hyuga Kyo’s interest, Orochimaru’s raspy voice took on a tempting tone, “Kyo, if you’re interested, I could consider giving you a copy as well.”
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