Rendezvous and Spies

At the border between the Fire Country and the Earth Country, a group of mysterious ninjas are gathering.

"I never expected that Kakashi would be leading this operation! It seems Konoha is taking this operation very seriously!"

A tall, stocky man with a serious face looked at Kakashi and spoke.

Kakashi, with his silver hair, looked at the tall man in front of him, adjusted his Headband, and although his eyes seemed lazy, he was secretly amazed.

"The one who really didn't expect this is me! It was you who personally took action, Kitsuchi!"

Kitsuchi is the son of Ōnoki and one of the few moderates in Iwagakure. In terms of strength, he is actually no less than any Kage Level powerhouse, but he has never become the Tsuchikage because of his incompatible personality.

However, his status in Iwagakure was no different from that of a Kage's deputy or successor, second only to Ōnoki.

Iwagakure is currently facing a talent shortage. Apart from Ōnoki, there is only one normal Kage Level Kitsuchi in the entire village, and the remaining Kage Level are Jinchuriki.

Later, Ōnoki finally managed to train Deidara, but unfortunately, this cheerful boy didn't care about anything except explosions. In the blink of an eye, he ran off to the Akatsuki to pursue art, which almost drove Ōnoki crazy.

It can be said that Kitsuchi's status in Iwagakure Jiraiya. Konoha Kakashi was somewhat surprised that Huang Tu personally took action.

"Alright, let's stop wasting time bragging here. What are Konoha's plans?"

"The plan is simple..." Kakashi took out a map from his hand. "Our spies have found out the current situation in Kumogakure. It seems that the Fourth Raikage is training some powerful Ninjutsu and has rarely shown his face recently."

"Without this guy who's always protecting Vegapunk, our plan has a much higher chance of success!"

"Under normal circumstances, Vegapunk always stays hidden in Kumogakure and doesn't come out. However, occasionally when handing over some highly precise instruments, he will personally come out to check them!"

"That will be the time for us to make our move!"

The plan sounds simple, but in reality, the more intricate and meticulous the plan, the more likely it is to run into problems. Conversely, a simple and straightforward approach is more likely to achieve the goal.

However, Kitsuchi still frowned. "Even without the Fourth Raikage, Vegapunk would have at least three Elite Jonin protecting him. Among them are not only Hii and Darui, the strongest of the younger generation of Kumogakure, but also Two-Tails Jinchuriki Yugito!"

"Jinchuriki?" Kakashi exclaimed in surprise, "Jinchuriki doing this kind of work? That's really rare!"

Most Jinchuriki need protection from others. Although they are powerful, it is difficult for them to control their power at the beginning. Only fully mature Jinchuriki do not need to be monitored or protected. Even so, they are rarely assigned to protect important personnel.

Even if one can control their rampaging desires, it's still difficult for Jinchuriki to control their power during battle, and they might end up smashing the person they're protecting into a pulp.

"The Jinchuriki of the Kumogakure are different; they are rare, Perfect Jinchuriki, powerful and not inferior to you or me!"

Kitsuchi Tu said with a somewhat heavy expression. Kakashi smiled wryly, knowing that Kitsuchi was even being a little modest.

Now in his early thirties and at the peak of his life, Kitsuchi may not be inferior to Perfect Jinchuriki, but if it were Kakashi, he wouldn't have much of a chance against an ordinary Jinchuriki, let alone Perfect Jinchuriki.

Even after being enhanced by the Training Pod and having a new Sharingan that freed up more of his Chakra, Kakashi is still considered an Elite Jonin. It's just that his combat experience and combat intelligence are extremely high, making him appear to be a bit stronger in combat.

"I've heard of that Darui too. He's supposedly a genius that the Third Raikage was grooming to be the Fourth Raikage, and he independently synthesized a rare Storm Release Kekkei Genkai... It seems our operation this time is going to be quite troublesome!"

Kakashi sighed. Ninjas who can synthesize their own Kekkei Genkai are all quite strong, and those who are regarded as the successor to the Raikage by the Kumogakure Village, a village that values strength, are even stronger than him.

"No matter how troublesome or difficult it is, we must carry out this operation!" Kitsuchi said with narrowed eyes. Although he was a moderate, he had certainly done his fair share of killing to survive in the Tenten Ninja World where people's brains were constantly fighting like dogs.

Moreover, compared to the Konoha Ninja who only had a superficial understanding of Vegapunk's technology, the Iwagakure, through their exchanges with the Kumogakure, truly learned about Vegapunk's power. The Training Pod alone, capable of turning Genin Chunin, were enough to make the Iwagakure spare no expense.

In fact, after truly understanding the power of Vegapunk technology, the Iwagakure participated in this mission with an attitude of "do or die" almost to succeed. Ōnoki was even prepared to immediately start Ninja World War if the mission failed!

With other ninja villages making rapid progress, the consequences of Iwagakure remaining stagnant are predictable. In particular, the relationship between Iwagakure and Kumogakure is extremely hostile. Even Kitsuchi, a moderate, doesn't think his village can coexist peacefully with those Kumogakure barbarians.

Kitsuchi glanced at the sky, clenched his fist, and resolved that this operation had to succeed no matter what!

The Wind Country, the Research Base of Rōran.

"Hmm? They've recruited quite a few lab assistants this time!"

Vegapunk glanced at the list in his hand and stroked his chin. "I wonder how many of these experimental assistants are actually spies sent by other ninja villages!"

"However... this appearance..."

Vegapunk picked up a resume with a photo attached. It showed a beautiful woman with glasses, flaxen hair, and a gentle, kind appearance.

I looked at the description on the resume again. "A Chunin who knows a little Medical Ninjutsu? Heh, that makes sense. Most Wandering Ninja only know a little Medical Ninjutsu at most. Reaching Jonin or being proficient in Medical Ninjutsu would be too conspicuous!"

The woman's resume was perfectly normal, but Vegapunk was certain she was no normal person, simply because Vegapunk had seen her picture before—it was the Wandering Miko, Yakushi Nonō.

"If I hadn't seen the real photo at Orochimaru's place, I really wouldn't have recognized him. There is still some difference between the two-dimensional and three-dimensional worlds."

"But logically speaking, this Wandering Miko should have died a year or two ago... Is it because of the butterfly effect I caused?"

Vegapunk muttered very softly, and Pakura, standing next to him, couldn't hear him very clearly. Seeing that he was looking at the resume in his hand and seemed to be saying something, she asked with some doubt, "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with this woman's resume?"

"Ah, if I'm not mistaken, she should be a spy from Konoha. I think her nickname is 'Wandering Miko.' I've seen her picture and information at Orochimaru's place. She should be a pretty capable spy."

"Wandering Miko?!" Pakura paused for a moment, then narrowed his eyes. "I didn't expect it to be her. She's Konoha's ace spy. Of course, someone qualified to infiltrate your side should be an ace spy."

"However, Konohagakure probably didn't expect that even Orochimaru has joined your ranks!" Pakura said with a touch of emotion.

Orochimaru should be considered a ninja of the previous generation of Pakura. Although Pakura had never seen him or fought him, she had heard rumors about him and knew that he was an extremely arrogant ninja.

However, considering that Vegapunk has even brought the alliance between the Wind Country and the Sea Country Alliance under his control, it doesn't seem surprising at all.

"What should we do with this woman? Should we put her under our watchful eyes?"

In Pakura's eyes, there was no need to take direct action against spies whose identities were completely confirmed. The tactic of double-crossing was not only an invention of the Chinese ancestors, but these ninjas were also very good at it.

At a critical moment, a single piece of incorrect or missing information is often far more important than 100 correct but meaningless pieces of information.

"No need!" Vegapunk shook his head. "Intelligence is meaningless in the face of overwhelming technological advancement. This ace spy is probably here for my technology."

"Giving her fake technology is pointless. This isn't some battle intelligence that's going to be decided in a split second. Let's just capture her! I have a way to control her... According to Orochimaru, her medical skills are pretty good. At least in Sand Village and Kirigakure, she can be considered one of the best."

"Alright, in that case, I'll get right to it." Pakura nodded, then glanced at Yakushi Nonō's photo. She knew very well that Vegapunk was probably after more than just her Medical Ninjutsu.

However, Pakura didn't care about this. With Vegapunk's abilities, he certainly had the right to be willful. Although ninjas are all monogamous, if we consider his noble status, Vegapunk, who spends most of his time researching and has had fewer than ten female companions, can almost be considered a breath of fresh air among the nobles.

Not to mention that even as the Kazekage, he was merely a concubine to Vegapunk, so how could he possibly control him so much?

In the reception room outside the Laboratory base, Yakushi Nonō sat with her head down, along with a dozen or so job applicants, and didn't seem to attract much attention.

Vegapunk's Research Base frequently recruits assistants, usually from the ninja villages.

Even in the Sand Ninja Village and the Kirigakure, there weren't many ninjas who could truly be considered to have scientific literacy; most were just pure thugs.

Therefore, sometimes we directly recruit some people from outside. These people may not have the Chakra of ninjas, but they can still help with ordinary research.

The Ninja World may seem backward, but in reality, appliances like refrigerators and color TVs are already widespread, making it a truly modern world. Naturally, there are also normal researchers and scientists who don't understand Chakra, and these are the main people recruited.

However, if they happen to encounter some talented ninjas, even if they are not from the same ninja village, the Rouran Laboratory Base will still recruit them. Those who know Medical Ninjutsu and Sealing Techniques will be given priority, and of course, their identities will be investigated.

The identity information of Yakushi Nonō was arranged by Konohagakure itself. From the very beginning, a hidden thread was planted. Even if you investigate carefully, you will not find any flaws, because it was the real one, just with a different person.

However, for some reason, Yakushi Nonō was waiting here, felt uneasy. As a spy who often walked on the line between life and death, Yakushi Nonō had great confidence in her intuition and had long had the idea of retreating.

However, Danzo gave her a death order this time, leaving her with no choice. Now she could only pray that it was just a misperception caused by her excessive nervousness.

"Excuse me, are you Miss Amane Murasaki?" Two ordinary-looking Sand Ninja guards stepped forward and asked.

"It's me. May I ask, gentlemen, have I been chosen?" Yakushi Nonō smiled gently and asked the two of them.

Although she was feeling uneasy, as a top-notch spy, Yakushi Nonō had an exceptionally strong mentality and naturally wouldn't show her feelings.

"Yes, Dr. Vegapunk wants to see you. Come with us!" Two Sand Ninja nodded and stood one in front of and one behind Yakushi Nonō, speaking to her.

Yakushi Nonō's smile remained unchanged, but after glancing at the positions of the two Sand Ninja, she became even more nervous and slowly followed the two.

Ignoring the envious glances of the other applicants, Yakushi Nonō lowered her hands and gripped the two Senbon in her sleeves as she walked into a corridor. She smiled outwardly but looked at the two ninjas with wariness in her heart.

Just then, with a series of footsteps, a beautiful woman with a good figure and a heroic air appeared in front of Yakushi Nonō, and Yakushi Nonō's eyes narrowed immediately.

"Miss Amane Murasaki, or rather, the Wandering Miko, I never expected Konoha would send their ace spy like you!"

Upon hearing the words of the spirited beauty before him, Yakushi Nonō's expression changed slightly, and she gave a wry smile, "I really didn't expect that it would be Lord Kazekage would personally receive me."

"I wonder where I went wrong? Could Lord Kazekage please explain my doubts?"

Pakura smiled slightly, "I'm sorry, but I don't feel obligated to explain!"

The reason why Yakushi Nonō was discovered was because of Orochimaru, and Orochimaru's allegiance to Vegapunk was also a secret.

Although Vegapunk and Orochimaru didn't care much or fear others finding out, Pakura couldn't shake the ninja's innate habit of placing great importance on information, and naturally wouldn't easily leak it.

Yakushi Nonō shook her head, seemingly wanting to give up, and then in an instant, she raised her hand, and two Senbon shot towards Pakura's eyes.