Cloud-Thunder Gorge, Wandering Miko

Cloud-Thunder Gorge, Wandering Miko Chiyo followed the Root ninja codenamed "Chicken" through the dense forest.

Chakra silently clung to the tree trunks beneath his feet, each step as light as a cat's.

They ran for nearly half an hour.

The surrounding trees gradually thinned out, replaced by concealed doors hidden among the rock walls.

"We're here."

"Chicken" stopped, formed hand seals, and pressed both hands against the rock wall.

Pitch-black runes spread like a spiderweb.

Then, the rocks slowly split apart, revealing a deep, shadowy passage.

Chiyo narrowed his eyes. His Three Tomoe Sharingan glimmered faintly in the darkness, taking in every detail around him.

This was one of Root's strongholds.

At the end of the passage stood a spacious underground hall.

Under the dim lights, two familiar figures came into view.

Shimura Danzō leaned on his cane, his single eye coldly fixed in this direction.

"Lord Danzō!"

Shimura Danzō waved a hand at him.

"Yes!"

The Root ninja codenamed Chicken vanished in a Body Flicker.

Orochimaru's golden Vertical Pupils narrowed slightly as he looked at Chiyo Uchiha.

A meaningful smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Chiyo-kun... what a surprise."

Orochimaru's voice was hoarse and low.

"I never expected you to walk away alive from Hanzō's battlefield."

Walk away alive?

That was true enough. He had been the only one to survive.

Chiyo's expression remained unchanged as he swept his gaze over the two men before him.

"Just luck."

Danzō frowned slightly when he saw that Chiyo Uchiha seemed less than receptive toward him.

"Time is short. Let's get straight to business."

With a wave of his hand, several Root ninjas appeared and quickly unfurled several Scrolls across a stone table.

The Scrolls contained Kumogakure's patrol routes, detailed portraits of its ninjas, and even detailed topographical maps of the inside and outside of Kumogakure.

"According to reliable intelligence, Kumogakure has decided to deploy its Jinchuriki in battle.

"I summoned you here today to take action against the Jinchuriki.

"As long as we can kill the Jinchuriki, we can effectively stop Kumogakure from participating in this war!"

Danzō looked at Chiyo.

"Mm, your subordinate already told me."

Danzō withdrew his gaze and said in a low voice.

"Fuka, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, has a violent temperament. Though he is not openly ostracized in the village, "he ultimately has few friends because of his identity as a Jinchuriki. Long-term isolation and loneliness will inevitably leave his will weak.

"The Sharingan Genjutsu of your Uchiha Clan will have a chance to prove useful."

Chiyo's gaze swept over the map, and something stirred in his heart.

The Jinchuriki's situation was about what he had expected.

"So, your mission..."

A cold glint flashed through Danzō's single eye. After a pause, he finally spoke.

"Infiltrate Kumogakure and locate the Jinchuriki.

"Use Sharingan Genjutsu to briefly control him, undo the Sealing Jutsu on his body, separate Fuka from the Eight-Tails within him, and take advantage of the Tailed Beast's unconscious rampage."

"That way, the Jinchuriki will surely die, and we can use the Tailed Beast to crush Kumogakure's morale as well."

"Oh?"

Orochimaru licked his lips, excitement flashing through his eyes.

"An interesting mission."

Danzō ignored his reaction and continued.

"Yakushi Nonō has been undercover in Kumogakure for many years. She will serve as your inside contact.

But remember, this operation must remain secret. If you are exposed, Konoha will not acknowledge your identities."

Chiyo-kun nodded slightly, but his mind was already turning.

Yakushi Nonō?

Yakushi Kabuto's future adoptive mother, and one of Root's finest spies.

Danzo took two pitch-black Sealing Scrolls from his sleeve and handed one each to Chiyo-kun and Orochimaru.

"These are my Dream Eater Summoning Scrolls. Do not use them unless absolutely necessary."

Summoning Beasts?

It seemed Danzo was truly sparing no expense this time.

If he remembered correctly, the Dream Eater was one of Danzo's greatest trump cards.

"When do we leave?"

Chiyo-kun asked.

"Now."

Danzo replied coldly.

"Kumogakure's patrols rotate every three days. Today is the best time to infiltrate."

Orochimaru gave a low chuckle.

"How impatient!"

Chiyo-kun said nothing more and tucked the scroll away in his ninja tool pouch.

The night was deep as two figures silently darted through the forest, making for Kumogakure.

Orochimaru glanced sideways at Chiyo-kun, his golden Vertical Pupils gleaming with curiosity.

"Chiyo-kun, I'm very curious..."

"How did you survive Hanzō?"

Without slowing, Chiyo-kun replied flatly.

"Luck."

"Hehe..."

There was a hint of amusement in Orochimaru's laughter.

"Luck enough to escape the hands of the 'Demi-God' is truly rare."

Chiyo-kun did not answer.

"If we keep traveling at this pace, we might not make it there tonight..."

Chiyo-kun turned his gaze toward him.

"What are you suggesting?"

Orochimaru smiled.

If you can't find it by searching the book title, try searching the author instead. It may have simply been renamed!

Orochimaru suddenly stopped, and Chiyo-kun stopped as well.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Orochimaru bit his finger and pressed it onto the scroll in his hand.

A formation appeared on the ground.

Poof!

Two enormous earth-yellow snakes appeared before them.

Orochimaru bent his knees and leaped directly onto the head of one of the giant snakes.

"We'll use these!"

Chiyo-kun froze for a moment. Looking at the giant snake, whose head alone was nearly two meters wide, he coated his feet in Chakra.

Then, imitating Orochimaru, he leaped onto the snake's head as well.

The giant snake beneath his feet immediately raced forward.

"With these Summoning Beasts, we'll travel much faster!"

Orochimaru's long hair streamed in the wind, yet he still turned back with a smile to explain it to Chiyo-kun.

"If Chiyo-kun needs Summoning Beasts, I have a few more scrolls."

"No need."

Chiyo-kun knew Orochimaru was no benevolent sort. Anything he gave away always demanded something in return.

Besides, he had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and now possessed confidence and strength of his own.

But Chiyo still had no desire to deal too much with someone like Orochimaru.

"What a pity."

A trace of regret flashed across Orochimaru's androgynous face.

They traveled the rest of the way in silence.

After several hours of rapid travel, Chiyo and Orochimaru finally arrived at the outskirts of Kumogakure.

This place was completely different from Konoha.

Konoha lay amid lush forests, where sunlight filtered through the leaves, warm and serene.

Kumogakure, however, was a steel fortress built upon treacherous mountains.

Towering black cliffs rose as sheer as blades. Through the swirling mist, enormous steel structures could vaguely be seen embedded in the mountainsides. Lightning periodically split the clouds, exploding into dazzling blue-white flashes above the village.

The entire village resembled a gigantic beast lurking within thunderclouds, exuding an oppressive presence.

"What an... unpleasant environment."

Orochimaru narrowed his golden Vertical Pupils and spoke softly.

Chiyo did not respond, merely silently observing Kumogakure's defensive layout.

The Kumogakure ninja patrols moved in groups of three, tightly spaced, leaving almost no blind spots.

"Looks like we'll need some special means."

Orochimaru licked his lips as a tiny black snake slipped from his sleeve and silently burrowed underground.

Before long, a faint rustling came from the distant woods.

A slender figure quietly emerged.

The newcomer was around Chiyo's age. She wore a Kumogakure forehead protector, her long golden hair tied into a neat ponytail. Her features were delicate, and she was tall and slender, but her eyes carried Root's characteristic chill.

Yet when she drew close, Chiyo keenly noticed that her gaze softened ever so slightly when it passed over him.

Yakushi Nonō.

So she was Yakushi Nonō?

The one known as the Wandering Miko?

In the original story, her ending had been rather tragic.

Someone had switched the photograph of her adopted son, and in the end, she had been set up to die at the hands of that very son.

Yakushi Nonō.

It would truly be a pity for someone like her to die.

How about...

[Mission Triggered: Steal Yakushi Nonō away, Reward: Mastery of Medical Ninjutsu.]

A mission had triggered?!

Chiyo froze for a moment, then quickly recovered.

His gaze fell on Yakushi Nonō once more.

"Lord Orochimaru."

Yakushi Nonō lowered her head slightly, her voice calm.

"It has been a long time, Nonō."

Orochimaru laughed hoarsely.

"Judging by that forehead protector, your infiltration into Kumogakure must be going smoothly."

Nonō did not answer.

Instead, she directly took out a Scroll from her robes and handed it to Orochimaru.

"Lord Orochimaru, this contains Fuka's recent movements and the defensive map of Cloud-Thunder Gorge."

Orochimaru unfurled the Scroll and scanned it quickly.

Fuka still could not fully control the Eight-Tails, but he could already use the Tailed Beast's Chakra to attack. Kumogakure's higher-ups had temporarily isolated him deep within Cloud-Thunder Gorge.

The guards there were not particularly tight, but the terrain was perilous. Once exposed, escape would be extremely difficult.

"The Jinchuriki's training has progressed considerably."

Nonō added, with a trace of barely perceptible concern in her tone.

"I heard he can already consciously control the Eight-Tails' Chakra to attack. Earlier, he even destroyed half the Training Ground."

At this, a flash of excitement gleamed in Orochimaru's eyes.

"A stable Eight-Tails Jinchuriki... truly perfect experimental material."

"There's one more thing."

Nonō hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Kumo seemed to have noticed my movements. They've stepped up patrols along the border lately.

If you're going to act, it would be best to finish before dawn tomorrow."

Chiyo nodded and committed the intelligence to memory.

"Oh, right..."

Nonō suddenly looked at Orochimaru and Chiyo, a trace of conflict in her eyes.

"If you release the Tailed Beast, could you avoid the ordinary civilians of Kumogakure?"

Orochimaru raised his cold gaze.

"What, Nonō? Have you grown attached to Kumogakure after staying here so long?"

Nonō fell silent for a moment, then finally sighed and said no more.

"If possible, I'll do my best to avoid them."

Chiyo suddenly spoke up and agreed.

Orochimaru paused at those words, looking at Chiyo Uchiha with interest.

"Time is short."

"We should leave."

Nonō gave Chiyo one last look before turning and vanishing into the forest.

Chiyo put away the Scroll and turned his gaze toward the mist-shrouded Cloud-Thunder Gorge in the distance.

If you can't find it by searching the book title, try searching for the author instead. It may have simply been renamed!