that.Earth Chamber

.Hmph, "Then don't forget that I stayed in your wretched ninja village only because of that plan you promised." Uchiha Setsuna retorted without mercy.

Orochimaru heard his words and thought to himself how shameless. "You're staying here just to avoid Konoha's pursuit, aren't you? Yet you act as if I'm begging you to stay."

Of course, Orochimaru wouldn't say those words out loud.

"That plan will be put into action soon. In the meantime, I wonder if you'd be interested in joining me to meet some of your own kind?" Orochimaru said with a smile, changing the subject, addressing Uchiha Setsuna.

"What do you mean by that?" Uchiha Setsuna asked, furrowing his brow.

Orochimaru calmly named two people, and Setsuna's expression changed dramatically; he gritted his teeth and asked:

"Where are they?"

Hmph, hmph, hmph, hmph, I knew you'd be interested in them, Setsuna. Let's go together; I'm also quite curious about them." Seeing Setsuna's reaction, Orochimaru was satisfied, and the two of them subsequently left the underground laboratory...

In a small village in the Tani country

Nothing happened last night. Tonight, Yoru no Tsuki and his companions quickly arrived at the village where the couple lived; their child was lost here, and there are also many other families in the village facing the same plight.

Yoru no Tsuki asked some villagers about the couple, but got no useful information, so they split up to search for clues. The couple stayed with Itachi; if any clue is found, it could help him identify the missing child's appearance.

Yoru no Tsuki was alone, searching the eastern side of the village for clues, while one of Itachi's summoned crows hovered above him.

"Finally alone again, this feels great! Too bad I can't finish this mission by myself." Yoru no Tsuki stretched. He prefers working solo because it's more comfortable, but this time it won't be like before.

"Given Orochimaru's habits, his lab is probably underground." Yoru no Tsuki thought, planning to call Itachi and the others over once he finds a clue.

After all, with his current strength he can't handle a shadow‑ranker like Orochimaru; once he achieves a Bankai with any Zanpakutō, things will be easier.

Bakudō No. 58: Grasp‑Toe Chase‑Sparrow!

Yoru no Tsuki closed his eyes, sensing the surrounding spiritual pressure, and soon located a spot underground where the pressure was unusually dense.

Originally, using Grasp‑Toe Chase‑Sparrow required drawing a formation, but once Yoru no Tsuki mastered it, he no longer needed the diagram.

"Hey, crow, tell Nissan I've found a clue," Yoru no Tsuki called up to the raven, then sprinted in a direction.

Itachi, who was searching for clues on the southern side of the village, received the raven's message and headed toward Yoru no Tsuki's direction. He also sent another summoned crow to inform Sai; after all, whatever Sai sees or senses could just be an illusion Itachi creates, so there's no fear of revealing secrets.

As for the couple, Itachi sent them home; a battle may soon break out, and taking them along would be nothing but a burden.

Yoru no Tsuki quickly arrived at the spot he sensed, but now he faced a dilemma.

He initially considered using Hadō to blast a hole in the ground, but then thought that if the missing children were truly trapped below, his action could endanger them, possibly even causing their deaths.

"I have to look for an entrance nearby?" Yoru no Tsuki wondered, troubled.

Although he can easily locate a person's position, he can't quickly find the entrance to the underground chamber.

"Sasuke, did you find any clues?" At that moment, Itachi and Sai arrived together.

Yoru no Tsuki said, "I sense a lot of chakra fluctuations down here; I think they're related to our mission."

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"Sasuke, can you still sense ninjutsu?" Sai asked, puzzled.

Ahem, a little, a little, Yoru no Tsuki coughed twice in reply.

He continued, "I think there's an underground chamber down here; we need to find its entrance."

"Leave that to me," Sai said, pulling out a blank scroll and quickly sketching a series of mice with his brush.

Ninjutsu: Super Beast Illusory Drawing! The seal activated, and the mice on the scroll materialized into physical forms, then scattered.

"Finding a hidden passage is probably something mice are better at," Sai remarked.

Lately, he couldn't explain why he felt as if he'd never taken part in the Team 11 missions, yet he possessed memories of completing them together. It made him uneasy, but also drove him to prove himself in the mission.

Watching the ink‑black mice scatter, Yoru no Tsuki felt a sense of novelty; after all, this seemed to be Sai's first time in a mission without having to outwit the very air itself.

In past missions, Yoru no Tsuki would have his brother Itachi create an illusion for Sai to join him, while he tackled the mission alone.

However, over time Itachi grew dissatisfied, believing Sai should undertake the mission alone via genjutsu, while the two of them would just sit down, eat sweets, and sip tea.

Yoru no Tsuki began to suspect that in the original story, the diligent Kisame always handled the missions himself, while Itachi merely lounged at a dumpling shop eating desserts.

After a while, the mice Sai released returned, colliding with the open blank scroll, and then transformed into a line of writing.

[Two kilometers north, inside a mountain cave]

"The entrance to the underground chamber should be here," Sai said to Yoru no Tsuki and Itachi after reading the scroll.

"Alright, let's go. Sasuke will scout ahead, then Sai, and if anything goes wrong, I can spot it from behind and rescue you," Itachi told Yoru no Tsuki and Sai.

"Teacher Itachi, perhaps I should scout instead. After all, Sasuke is still a Genin; letting him lead might not be safe," Sai suddenly suggested.

Yoru no Tsuki's expression turned odd upon hearing that, thinking, He probably won't discover anything, will he?

Itachi also paused for a moment, then after a brief hesitation agreed to Sai's proposal.

Thus, Sai "got his wish" and took the lead.

The three quickly arrived at the cave Sai described.

At the cave entrance, Itachi created a shadow clone to keep Sai outside, while he and Yoru no Tsuki entered the cave together.

output.After entering the dark, damp cave, Yoru no Tsuki didn't notice anything unusual at first.

"There's no passage to the lower chamber here either."

The cave was shallow and fairly damp, but nothing grew inside it.

"Let's look a little more carefully."

Itachi had already spotted a clue, but he didn't tell Yoru no Tsuki right away.

After hearing Itachi, Yoru no Tsuki glanced around the cave again, and finally his gaze settled on the rock wall before him.

"Hadō No.31: Crimson Fire Cannon!"