Betrayed Again

"Ding! Congratulations, host! Side quest completed!"

"Successfully appeared on the Ninja World's wanted list once (1/1). Completed! Reward: one draw!"

"Wanted amount successfully exceeded thirty million ryo (1/1). Completed! Reward: one draw!"

"Wanted amount successfully exceeded one hundred million ryo (0/1). Incomplete. Reward unknown."

"Wanted amount successfully exceeded three hundred million ryo (0/1). Incomplete. Reward: one S-Rank Grand Gift Package!"

After hearing the series of notifications, Chen Xiaoxi's heart stirred.

He hadn't expected the system to have quests for increasing his bounty.

And after completing the final three-hundred-million-ryo quest, there was even an S-Rank Grand Gift Package he'd never heard of before?

This quest...

Wasn't this basically telling him to use his Hollowfied Visored form to cause trouble?

Chen Xiaoxi couldn't help laughing wryly.

"Start the draw."

"Congratulations! You drew Reiatsu +10 and one shop point!"

"Congratulations! Reiatsu +25 and two shop points!"

These were, as always, the usual rewards.

But just then,

Konan suddenly spoke beside him:

"Since you haven't seen him, let's set this wanted notice aside for now."

"Actually, I came to give you another mission."

"Huh?"

Chen Xiaoxi looked up at her in surprise and asked:

"What mission?"

Konan lowered her gaze slightly. Her expression was calm as she looked at Chen Xiaoxi and spoke slowly:

"Track down the Akatsuki's first traitor—"

"Orochimaru."

"Hmm... what?"

Chen Xiaoxi froze, then asked instinctively:

"What's going on? Orochimaru's a traitor again?"

"Yes."

Konan ignored the word "again" and nodded. Then she said coolly and evenly:

"Yesterday,"

"He attacked the still-injured Itachi Uchiha without permission. It seems he wanted to take his Mangekyō Sharingan."

"But Itachi Uchiha suppressed him with genjutsu instead and severed one of his arms."

"After that, perhaps fearing we would hold him accountable, he fled overnight and left Amegakure."

"..."

After hearing that,

Chen Xiaoxi, who had still been bewildered, immediately understood.

No wonder this quest had appeared...

Then he couldn't help finding the situation amusing.

Orochimaru really was a devoted Sharingan enthusiast...

Even with Pain repeatedly emphasizing the Akatsuki Prohibition, he still couldn't hold back his desire and attacked Itachi Uchiha.

Did he think he could take advantage of Itachi Uchiha just because he was injured?

How naive.

Yi Da Qi might have been physically injured, but his ocular powers were still genuinely formidable.

If Chen Xiaoxi hadn't had a Hollow soul inside him, his current Reiatsu would have left him just as vulnerable to the genjutsu. That alone showed how powerful Itachi's ocular abilities were.

As Chen Xiaoxi pondered, Konan spoke again, her voice cool and detached:

"Chen Xiaoxi, I'm entrusting you with the mission of eliminating the Akatsuki's enemies."

"Orochimaru has been with the Akatsuki for some time. Now that he's defected, there's a good chance he'll leak the Akatsuki's intelligence."

"If you find him,"

"Don't hesitate... take him out."

Konan spoke with her eyes lowered, without a trace of emotion, as cold as an iceberg.

Chen Xiaoxi nodded thoughtfully.

"Understood."

Chen Xiaoxi wasn't particularly concerned about Orochimaru's defection.

After all, he knew Orochimaru was a clever man.

Unless there was a sure profit in it for him, he wouldn't go out of his way to target the Akatsuki or Chen Xiaoxi.

That didn't mean there was no need to pursue him, though.

Besides the Akatsuki's mission to eliminate the enemy, Chen Xiaoxi also had personal reasons.

Namely, the system's side quests.

Without a doubt, there were plenty of side quests to complete involving this lead scientist of the Ninja World.

Chen Xiaoxi wasn't about to pass up these chances to earn Reiatsu and shop points.

He was definitely going after Orochimaru.

Still,

He knew that Orochimaru was a slippery, devious man who was always good at hiding.

Catching him right away would naturally be impossible.

He'd have to take his time with this mission.

Meanwhile,

Beyond Amegakure,

In Bird Country, a land between the territories of the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth,

Two figures stood atop a mountain.

The first was Orochimaru.

Behind him knelt a bespectacled young man with a ponytail. He bowed respectfully and asked:

"Lord Orochimaru... you summoned me here. What are your orders?"

Orochimaru turned around and smiled faintly.

"Kabuto, how is your infiltration of Sunagakure progressing?"

Kabuto froze for a moment, then answered promptly:

"Ever since you discovered the body of Sasori of the Red Sands and had me take it to Sunagakure as proof, I've been staying there in disguise."

"Everything is going very smoothly..."

"And I've already found the perfect opportunity to get close to the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa."

"Oh?"

A glint of delight flashed in Orochimaru's eyes.

Then he parted his lips slightly and chuckled.

"Then it seems..."

"The time has come for us to start manipulating the wars of the Ninja World—"

"Hm?"

Kabuto's expression shifted. "You mean...?"

"Heh..."

Orochimaru chuckled, baring his teeth as he gazed into the distance.

"I hear Sunagakure's Kazekage has always wanted to expand his territory, hasn't he?"

"Then why not have you make a suggestion to him—"

"Ame-ga-kure."

"?"

At those words, Kabuto's face changed. He asked in shock:

"Lord Orochimaru,"

"Y-you told me... Amegakure had become the Akatsuki's base, didn't you?"

"That's right."

Orochimaru laughed.

"But I've left the Akatsuki now."

"And if nothing unexpected happens, they'll soon send that golden-eyed Chen Xiaoxi to hunt me down."

"?"

"That's why we need to quickly incite Sunagakure to invade Amegakure's territory..."

"That way, they'll temporarily forget about me."

"Then,"

"We'll be able to carry out the series of subversion plans that follow,"

"Won't we?"

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, a sinister smile spreading across his face.

After hearing this, Kabuto broke out in a cold sweat. He was stunned for a long while before bowing his head deeply and replying respectfully:

"As expected of you!"

"You came up with a perfect plan I could never have thought of!"

"I'll go find a way to pass false information about Amegakure to Kazekage Rasa!"