Shortly after the meeting between the two sides, both the Akatsuki and the Northern Lands began to take action.
The Northern Lands is mainly focused on defense, and these departments were all secretly established and did not cause much of a stir.
In contrast, the Akatsuki took much bigger actions, and not long after, the Northern Lands received a secret report from Sunagakure.
"Sunagakure was attacked by members of the Akatsuki. Gaara, the Fifth Kazekage, was defeated and captured while protecting the village..."
When Orochimaru received this message, he wasn't too surprised. Although Deidara had been replaced by Shinno, it didn't affect the final result.
Shinno and Daibutsu successfully captured Gaara with their combined efforts, but their combat strength was still somewhat lacking.
The Daibutsu died on the spot, and Shinno was also seriously injured. However, to ensure the success of the operation, the Akatsuki sent Sasori of the Red Sands and Itachi to cover the rear.
The two happened to run into reinforcements sent by Konoha. After a battle, Itachi successfully retreated, while Sasori was defeated by Chiyo of Sunagakure for some unknown reason.
Afterwards Chiyo paid the price of her life to revive Gaara.
"I didn't expect the Akatsuki to lose two members so quickly. It seems they are very obsessed with the Tailed Beasts!"
After reading the intelligence sent back by the Net in his office, Orochimaru pondered for a moment, then flicked his finger and a black hole appeared in front of him. He then tossed the letter in his hand over.
The people on the other side were naturally the Mirror Clone, and they quickly learned of this news as well.
"Sasori of the Red Sands, Akatsuki! Looks like this guy's up to no good!"
With a thought, the letter in his hand was instantly burned to ashes.
He had just responded to Sasori's message not long ago, and then he died. Orochimaru had reason to believe that this guy must have leaked his information to the people of Konoha.
As expected, Konoha will likely send people to investigate, just like in the Original Work, and Orochimaru's current location is right below the Tenchi Bridge.
"Host has triggered the plot: The Battle of the Tenchi Bridge!"
The moment that thought crossed my mind, the system's voice rang out again.
"The host has the following choices: ① Choose to fight Naruto and you will receive the reward of Six Paths Power! ② Refuse this mission and you will receive the reward of doubled Genjutsu resistance!"
Upon seeing this mission, Orochimaru did not intend to fight Naruto again as in the original story.
One reason was that he no longer valued the Six Paths Power, and another was that he felt that bullying weaker opponents was beneath his dignity.
However, this level of combat doesn't mean you can't cause some trouble after refusing it!
Thinking of this, a smile immediately appeared on Orochimaru's lips.
"The host has chosen to refuse this mission and has received a reward: doubled Genjutsu resistance."
As a cool sensation entered his mind, Orochimaru felt his mental strength had become much stronger.
If he were to encounter Obito's Genjutsu attack again, he was confident that he would be able to detect it the moment the other party planted a mark on him.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
After a moment's thought, Orochimaru summoned Shiro.
"Go to Ryūchi Cave and have Manda bring Sasuke back!"
After giving instructions to the little guy, Orochimaru opened another portal, and the scene on the other side was none other than the entrance to Ryūchi Cave.
After a while, Orochimaru used the Summoning Jutsu again, summoning Manda.
The enormous snake's mouth slowly opened, and a boy of about fifteen or sixteen years old walked out from the mouth of the Manda.
"It's been a long time, Sasuke!"
Sasuke stood proudly in the giant mouth of Manda, looking down at Orochimaru who was smiling broadly.
Orochimaru's smile always seemed sinister, but Sasuke appeared to be used to it, his face remaining expressionless.
"My cultivation is at a critical stage. Is there something you need me for?"
He jumped down from the Manda. Although his words were stiff and somewhat displeased, Orochimaru, who knew him well, knew that his attitude was already quite amiable.
After cultivating in Ryūchi Cave for half a year, I have already mastered the Senjutsu, but it will probably take some more time before I can fully master them.
Hearing his stiff tone, Orochimaru knew that after a few months apart, he seemed to think he was capable again, so he didn't argue with him.
"Your cultivation progress isn't fast enough, which ultimately comes down to your physical condition not being strong enough! And it's been a long time since I last injected you with the medicine, so it's time to strengthen it again!"
After saying that, Orochimaru threw him a bottle of dark green potion.
"Um?"
Sasuke took the potion and examined it, but with his limited knowledge, he couldn't discern its ingredients. What he really wanted to know was why Orochimaru was being so kind to him.
His vigilance did not diminish over time; he remained suspicious that Orochimaru had some ulterior motive.
What if Orochimaru took advantage of him after he used the drug to remove his Sharingan, or even possess his body? He had heard that Orochimaru possessed a secret technique that allowed him to possess and regenerate bodies.
Seemingly sensing the other party's doubt and wariness, Orochimaru continued:
"Use the potion in the next couple of days. There's a battle coming up that's perfect for you! You can use the battle to neutralize the potion's effects and also test your training progress!"
After speaking, Orochimaru ignored the troubled Sasuke, released the Summoning Jutsu to send Manda back, and then left the basement himself.
The potion was naturally the Hashirama Cells fusion potion, but only 30% of the amount was available. Apart from the Senju Clan and someone with his physique, no one else could withstand 100% of the training cells.
Sasuke can only withstand this much at the moment, otherwise Orochimaru wouldn't mind adding more.
Hearing Orochimaru's footsteps receding into the distance, Sasuke gripped the potion in his hand tightly.
"The same kind of potion as last time!"
The scene of their first meeting flashed through my mind, a moment I truly couldn't bear to recall.
However, it must be admitted that this medicine is really effective. Even if Orochimaru had some ulterior motive, he probably wouldn't have made an attack at this time, because the other party had a much better opportunity.
They did not let their guard down. After making some arrangements in the room with silk threads and Explosive Tag, they injected the medicine into their bodies.
After doing all that, Sasuke's vision went black, and he immediately fell into a coma.
Orochimaru was naturally unaware of this scene, and even if he had known, he would have just smiled. If the three-year period hadn't been approaching, he wouldn't have wanted to go through all this trouble.
Just as Orochimaru was planning this operation, Konoha also made its move.
Just as Orochimaru had predicted, Konoha received news that Orochimaru and Sasori of the Red Sands would soon meet at the Tenchi Bridge.
The events in Sunagakure a few days ago were kept secret and did not spread, not even Sasori of the Red Sands's Death Akatsuki could confirm them.
Konoha wanted to use this time difference to clash with Orochimaru; more accurately, Naruto didn't want to miss the opportunity to win Sasuke back.
Faced with Naruto's stubbornness, Tsunade had no better option than to give in to his insistence.
To protect his safety and suppress the Tailed Beasts's rampage, Tsunade summoned Yamato, also known as the Jiraisui, from the Anbu.
Together with Sakura Haruno and Sai, a survivor from Root, they form a new Team 7, with their sights set on the Tenchi Bridge!