Within the Land of Iron, howling winds whipped up a blizzard.
The Land of Fire was already brimming with the freshness of spring, yet the Land of Iron seemed to remain trapped in the coldest season.
In a silver world of ice and snow, two people were making their way toward the Land of Iron's capital. They were Lihuo and Orochimaru.
Because they had taken a detour, the two had already been traveling for half a month. They had originally expected to reach the Land of Fire's port in ten days, but they still hadn't arrived at the capital of the Land of Iron.
"Sensei, it's way too cold here."
Bracing himself against the howling wind, Lihuo asked Orochimaru.
"Indeed. The Land of Iron's unusual climate leaves it blanketed in snow all year round. I've only passed through once before, by chance, while on a mission."
"Then how much longer until we reach the capital?"
Orochimaru looked into the distance.
"About half a day."
After pushing on through the blizzard for half a day, the two finally caught sight of the Land of Iron's capital.
However, two squads of samurai were stationed at the city gates, inspecting everyone entering the city.
"It's a time of heightened alert. State your identities and submit to inspection!"
"If you're a ninja, declare it in advance. Otherwise, you'll be treated as an enemy!"
The samurai at the head of the group shouted loudly.
He dared to speak so boldly not only because of the formidable samurai forces unique to the Land of Iron, but also because of the country's special status as a neutral nation.
Standing among the crowd waiting to enter, Lihuo asked in a low voice,
"Sensei, what should we do?"
Orochimaru glanced at the checkpoint. The samurai were using a special chakra-detection device to scan people one by one.
If it detected a ninja's chakra, the device would sound an alarm.
"Interesting. I don't remember this being required before."
Orochimaru pondered for a moment, then replied in his hoarse voice,
"I'm not confident we can evade the device's detection. But if we reveal our identities now, we'll become targets."
"So we'll have to sneak into the city."
Lihuo understood at once.
Without another word, the two continued to wait in line.
Orochimaru raised a hand and pointed. An imperceptible thread of chakra slipped into the shadow of an unlucky man being inspected.
The detection device immediately let out a shrill alarm!
Both squads of samurai drew their swords in an instant. Chakra shimmered along the blades, making them emit a faint hum.
"Don't move! Stop resisting at once!"
The samurai in charge rushed forward and subdued the hapless man, who was already frozen with fright.
After searching him thoroughly, he discovered that the man was an ordinary civilian.
"Strange. Is the device malfunctioning?" the samurai in charge said, puzzled.
The samurai quickly put an end to the commotion, and the entrance returned to order under their watch.
But no one noticed that two people who had been waiting in line had already strolled into the city.
As they walked along the capital's bustling streets, Orochimaru chuckled.
Lihuo asked,
"Sensei, what's so funny?"
Orochimaru turned to look back at the city gate.
"I'm laughing at the samurai's lack of foresight and the lord's lack of wisdom."
"They rely too much on their devices, and they're far too arrogant."
"They cling to outdated samurai traditions, unaware that ninjas have more and more tricks at their disposal."
Lihuo nodded in agreement. After all, a few simple ninja tricks could fool even a powerful samurai.
Just then, another squad of fully armed samurai in excellent gear came patrolling down the street.
The man leading them was someone Lihuo recognized. He wore iron armor and had bandages wrapped around his head. It was Mifune, the man who would later preside over the Five Kage Summit!
Seeing the renowned Mifune himself leading a patrol, Lihuo couldn't help but wonder what was going on.
While Lihuo was momentarily distracted, Orochimaru had already entered a teahouse and struck up a conversation with an elderly man after just a few words.
After exchanging pleasantries, Orochimaru casually asked,
"Sir, do you know why security is so tight here?"
"Oh, you're from out of town, are you? Then you'd better be careful! Five days ago, an outsider was found dead in an inn!"
"Ever since then, an outsider has been dying every day. The whole city's been in an uproar, and now Lord Mifune is personally overseeing the case."
Lihuo walked over and, without hesitation, poured tea for the two of them. Then he asked,
"Is there something strange about the case? Why hasn't it been solved, even after all this time?"
The old man took a sip of tea and glanced at Lihuo.
"Young man, you don't know the half of it. There's something downright eerie about this case! When the murders happened, the innkeepers were all at the entrances, but every one of them said they saw no one go in."
"The victims were all killed with a single slash, and there wasn't the slightest sign of a struggle in their rooms. Tell me, isn't that eerie?"
Hearing this, Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and thought,
To ordinary people and samurai, this really is baffling. But to a ninja, it's perfectly normal.
With that in mind, he casually asked,
"Old sir, how did you learn so much?"
The old man replied unconcernedly,
"Everyone in the city has been talking about it for ages."
After gathering the useful information, Orochimaru paid for the tea and left the teahouse with Lihuo.
Lihuo looked at Orochimaru excitedly. The detective in him was already burning with enthusiasm.
Orochimaru could see how excited his student was, but he still crushed his hopes without mercy.
"Don't even think about it. We're here on a mission, not to play detective."
Lihuo pouted, but accepted the point.
Orochimaru wasted no time and headed straight for the Land of Iron's port with Lihuo.
Although the Land of Iron was covered in snow and ice all year round, warm currents flowed past its port, making it an ice-free harbor throughout the year.
But when the two crossed the entire capital and arrived at the port, they received news they hadn't expected.
"Please accept our apologies. Because of a once-in-a-century blizzard, the ferry to the Land of Water has temporarily stopped running."
"This route may reopen in three days. We ask for your understanding."
After receiving the bad news, Orochimaru had no choice but to take Lihuo back to the capital.
"Now you get your wish."
Orochimaru patted Lihuo on the shoulder and said seriously,
"Still, we should be careful. We're not afraid of trouble, but I don't want to invite any complications either."
Lihuo nodded. He fully agreed with Orochimaru.
The two returned to the center of the capital, intending to find an inn and stay the night.
Neither of them knew that by the time they reached the port, two pairs of eyes had already fixed on them!
At the inn, Orochimaru booked just one double room, to be safe.
The moment they entered, Lihuo finally saw a bed again after days of sleeping rough. He flopped straight down onto it.
After washing up and resting, night fell. Lihuo lay on the soft bed, his eyelids growing heavier by the second.
Seeing how exhausted Lihuo was, Orochimaru said,
"Get some rest. I'll keep watch tonight."
Lihuo was too sleepy to argue. He soon fell into a deep slumber.
Orochimaru quietly closed his eyes and rested, recovering his strength.
Because of the recent string of murders, the entire capital was under a curfew. By nightfall, the streets were completely silent.
Suddenly, a bloody line appeared across Orochimaru's neck!
Bright red blood gushed from the wound.
Thud!
Orochimaru's "corpse" fell to the floor. The legendary ninja had "died" in complete silence.
"That's one taken care of!"
In the darkness, an invisible ninja slowly approached the sleeping Lihuo, raising the Kunai in his hand.
Suddenly, a sharp flash of steel cut through the air!
Thwack! The hand holding the Kunai was cleanly severed!
"Argh!" The invisible ninja could no longer maintain his invisibility technique. His agonized scream woke Lihuo.
Hearing the unfamiliar voice, Lihuo sprang from the bed in an instant.
He tapped his left wrist with his right hand, and an excellent Kunai appeared in his grasp. In the blink of an eye, Lihuo had taken up a fighting stance.
Click!
The lights in the room suddenly came on, illuminating all four people inside.
They were Lihuo, on the bed and ready to fight; Mifune, holding a sword; the attacker, whose hand had been severed; and Orochimaru, standing by with his arms folded as he watched the show.
Clap, clap, clap!
Orochimaru applauded and looked at Mifune.
"The Land of Iron's finest samurai. Your reputation is well deserved."
Mifune slowly sheathed his sword, but kept watching Lihuo and Orochimaru closely.
"Are you Orochimaru and Uchiha Lihuo? Why aren't you showing your real faces?"
Seeing how easily Mifune had uncovered their identities, Lihuo tensed.
"You hid your identities, snuck into the city, and headed straight for the port as soon as you arrived. Your destination is the Land of Water."
"Only two people fit that description: the Konoha envoys whose identities were recently exposed, Orochimaru and Uchiha Lihuo."
At that, Orochimaru smiled without confirming or denying it.
Mifune continued,
"You caused a disturbance at the city gate, so you were in the wrong to begin with. But I'd like to ask Lord Orochimaru for a small favor. If you help us, we'll let the matter go. What do you say?"
Lihuo rolled his eyes.
It was the first time he'd heard someone make asking for help sound so self-evidently obligatory.
Orochimaru thought it over briefly, then nodded.
"Go on. What is it?"
Mifune's gaze turned steely, and a murderous aura washed over them.
"I need to find the hideout of these ninjas and make them pay with their lives!"
Orochimaru gave a faint smile.
"I was thinking the same thing!"
With that, Orochimaru raised his hand toward the attacker, who was writhing on the floor in pain, and called out,
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Seven brown serpents shot from Orochimaru's sleeves and instantly coiled tightly around the attacker.
Then Orochimaru turned to Lihuo.
"Lihuo, you stay here. Make sure you keep an eye on this man."
"As for me, I'll make the people who attacked us pay!"
Then Orochimaru and Mifune used the Body Flicker Technique and disappeared, heading off to find the attackers' hideout.
Lihuo didn't let his guard down either. He filled the room with traps.
He also placed Flying Thunder God Marks in the room and on the attacker, leaving nothing to chance!
Once he had finished, the attacker passed out from blood loss.
After using medicine to keep him barely alive, Lihuo placed a hand on the man's head!
Before you continue