Konohagakure was located at a border outpost in the Land of Water.
Uchiha Shisui was exchanging intelligence with three other Anbu members who had come from Konoha.
The people inside the outpost were deep in discussion, unaware that several Mist Ninja Anbu were lying in wait outside.
"Stop!"
Shiraha grabbed Uchiha Itachi, who was heading toward the outpost, and pulled him to a halt. They hid in place.
"What's wrong?" Uchiha Itachi asked.
"We may have been spotted. Look..."
Shiraha pointed to a spot.
Uchiha Itachi followed his gaze, but only looked confused. He couldn't see anything unusual.
"Use your Sharingan! Remember, when you're in danger, don't worry about conserving your stamina."
Shiraha said this because his keen eyesight, honed through the Draw-Sword Technique, had picked something out.
Uchiha Itachi, however, needed the Sharingan to help him see it.
Without it, Shiraha's eyesight was far better than Itachi's.
The Sharingan consumed a great deal of stamina and some chakra, and the longer it was used, the greater the toll became.
For Uchiha, this wasn't much of a problem. They could handle the strain.
It was far more noticeable in people from other clans.
Even Uchiha generally didn't keep their Sharingan activated all the time.
Uchiha Itachi understood what Shiraha meant and activated his Sharingan before looking again.
"There's someone there!" Uchiha Itachi exclaimed.
He hadn't expected Shiraha to be so observant. The shinobi was exceptionally well hidden and clearly skilled.
Shiraha had spotted him while they were moving. Just how sharp was his attention?
The thought sent a chill down Uchiha Itachi's spine. He no longer underestimated Shiraha.
"Three tomoe..."
Shiraha sighed ruefully. Comparing himself to others was enough to drive anyone mad.
It had taken him five years from awakening his Sharingan to evolve it to two tomoe, yet the kid in front of him was two years younger and already had three...
"Shiraha, what do we do now?" Uchiha Itachi asked, instinctively handing the decision over to him.
The strong had the right to decide for the weak.
"Let's turn back. The outpost seems to have been exposed. But before we leave, we need to warn Shisui inside."
Shiraha thought it over briefly, then decided not to get involved in this mess.
From what Uchiha Itachi had told him, Orochimaru should already be nearby. This was bound to become a major battlefield.
With their two teams of shinobi and a pair of nearly useless guards, their chances of winning were close to zero.
"Leave it to me!" Uchiha Itachi said, then began forming Hand Seals.
"Summoning Technique!"
A puff of smoke appeared. When it cleared, a calico cat stood before them.
"So this is what it means to be born into a great clan."
Shiraha narrowed his eyes. The Uchiha had their own intelligence network: the Ninja Cat Clan.
He had never obtained a Ninja Cat as a summoning beast.
"No wonder Uchiha Itachi knows so much about what's happening in the village. Fugaku must have passed the information on to him. The Uchiha have plenty of ways to keep things hidden, but if Fugaku trusts Itachi and Shisui so much, why will they betray the clan in the future?"
At that moment, Shiraha felt keenly how much of a disadvantage it was to lack information.
"I wonder if Danzo knows where Orochimaru is. Given what he's planning, he'll want to keep Orochimaru in the Land of Fire, dead or alive. If he knows where Orochimaru is, he must have already sent Root to ambush him!"
Orochimaru had made it this far without a hitch. The village must have had an inside man.
Uchiha Itachi gave the information to the Ninja Cat and told it to pass the message on to Uchiha Shisui.
"Where did you get that information?" Shiraha asked after the Ninja Cat disappeared.
"What information?" Uchiha Itachi asked, puzzled.
"Information about Orochimaru!"
"The Ninja Cat brought it to us. It'll let us intercept Orochimaru successfully."
Shiraha heard this and thought, Just as I expected.
The Uchiha Clan's intelligence network didn't seem any weaker than the village's.
From this small clue, Shiraha couldn't see the whole picture of Orochimaru's defection, but he could guess that the Uchiha were playing the part of the hidden watcher waiting to strike.
Could they be after the forbidden jutsu Orochimaru took from Konoha?
Shiraha could only guess wildly. With danger looming, he still didn't know what had caused it.
The feeling of being manipulated was awful.
He cast those thoughts aside and decided to focus on the danger in front of him.
He led Uchiha Itachi back into the Land of Fire, sticking to the main road as much as possible to avoid running into Orochimaru.
On the border of the Land of Fire, along a shore facing a small island in the Land of Water.
"Cough... Can the Mist Ninja be trusted?" Orochimaru asked, his face pale as he gave a light cough.
"It cost ten million to get the Fourth Mizukage to send the Shadow Guard to help us. There shouldn't be a problem."
The speaker was Orochimaru's most capable assistant, Yakushi Kabuto.
Back in Konoha, Orochimaru had sensed Danzo's treachery and sent Kabuto to arrange an escape route.
Yakushi Kabuto had filed a mission with Kirigakure, asking the Fourth Mizukage to send someone to intercept Konoha shinobi at the border.
"Ten million? The Mist Ninja charge that little?" Orochimaru asked, his golden, slit-pupiled eyes turning in puzzlement.
Ten million sounded like a lot, but this would pit the Mist Ninja against Konoha. If the conflict escalated, it could lead to another Shinobi World War.
Kirigakure had been carrying out the Blood Mist Policy in recent years, and its own regime was unstable. How could the Fourth Mizukage have the time to concern himself with matters outside the village?
Orochimaru was devoted to research, but he hadn't lost track of the situation in the Shinobi World.
"Lord Orochimaru, the Mist Ninja are short on money. Of course, I've prepared a backup plan too, just to make sure nothing goes wrong."
"Just heal my injuries as soon as you can! This body is getting old. Ever since I was wounded, it's become sluggish. Aging is truly repulsive."
Orochimaru didn't want to hear any more from Yakushi Kabuto. This injury had only strengthened his resolve to find a better, younger body.
Orochimaru was now in his early forties, an advanced age in the Naruto world.
The average life expectancy in the Naruto world was under thirty. Anyone who reached forty could call himself an old man.
His body's functions were declining. In another ten years, his chakra would drop as dramatically as the Third Hokage's, and his strength would fall by a level. On top of that, the Third Hokage's ambush had left him gravely wounded. An Explosive Tag had struck him directly in the abdomen, damaging his internal organs and greatly weakening him.
"I understand, Lord Orochimaru."
Yakushi Kabuto continued using chakra to treat Orochimaru's injuries and said nothing more.
"Looks like your plan failed," Orochimaru said, suddenly opening his eyes.
"What?" Yakushi Kabuto asked, puzzled. He abruptly stopped what he was doing and turned to look.
Two young shinobi wearing Konoha's green flak jackets stood to their flank.
The younger one watched Orochimaru warily.
The older one looked deeply embarrassed.
"If we said... we took a wrong turn, would you believe us?"
Shiraha spoke calmly.
Who knew Orochimaru would be so brazen as to take the main road?
Had those Anbu in the village really been raised on filth?
Shiraha said this aloud, but his hand was gripping the hilt of his sword.
Four of Orochimaru's five guards surrounded him and Uchiha Itachi.
"Why would Konoha send two Chunin... Hm? Uchiha?"
Orochimaru had been wondering what Konoha was up to, but the clan crests on Shiraha and Itachi's sleeves immediately made everything clear.
"I've always been interested in those eyes of your clan! And now you've delivered them right to me!"
Orochimaru licked his lips, speaking with excitement.
Shiraha didn't respond. His Sharingan had appeared in his eyes, catching Orochimaru's attention, while his hand secretly dripped a bottle of diluted liquid through a gap in the sword's scabbard.
This was going to be a hard fight. The person he least wanted to face had appeared right in front of him.
He had to be ready to die.
A few seconds before the battle began, Shiraha suddenly realized that all the fear he'd felt at first had vanished.
In its place, a faint excitement stirred within him. His blood was racing.
The heart of an unyielding swordsman beat wildly in his chest.
He had never imagined that he would be so eager to fight one of the legendary Sannin.
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