The Serpent and Fate

Naruto and Sasuke's reunion was destined to lead nowhere.

One was as naive as a child, while the other was hopelessly consumed by revenge. Even beneath the same sky, they seemed to inhabit entirely different worlds.

As they were now, they simply could not understand one another.

When Yamato returned to Konoha with the dejected Naruto and Sakura, Jiraiya was not surprised in the slightest. He had never held much hope for this operation to begin with, and had only reluctantly agreed for the sake of the two children's feelings.

However, Danzo had actually ordered Sai to deliver Konoha Anbu members' files to Orochimaru. This left Jiraiya both shocked and furious.

Fortunately, they recovered the files in the end. Otherwise, the already weakened Konoha would have suffered another devastating blow.

After returning to Konoha, Naruto realized the gap between himself and Sasuke and once again threw himself into a frenzy of training. He occasionally carried out missions, and his days were both peaceful and fulfilling.

Two months passed in the blink of an eye.

In the forest, a weasel carrying a mouse in its mouth crawled into a burrow, with a gray snake close behind it. Cangying dove down from the sky, seized the gray snake in its sharp talons, and flew back into the air.

Orochimaru was dead.

The news first spread through the smaller countries, then was confirmed by the great nations.

When Naruto learned of it from Kakashi, the tension that had been gripping his heart finally eased, and his excitement was impossible to hide.

"Orochimaru is dead? That's great! Then Sasuke can return to Konoha!"

Kakashi frowned. "Naruto, don't celebrate too soon. Sasuke has formed a new team and is searching all over for information on Akatsuki. He is still immersed in revenge. In order to