Iwagakure, rooftop of the Tsuchikage Building.
"Something happened!"
Naraku's expression changed slightly when he noticed Shisui's face change. Just as he was about to ask what was wrong—
Shisui spoke before him. "It seems to be on Itachi's end!"
Naraku's expression shifted at once as he recalled the mission Tsunade had assigned to Itachi.
At the same time, Shisui thought of the same thing, and his expression changed as well.
Orochimaru!
Orochimaru!
Both of them thought the name at the same time.
After the situation in Sunagakure had stabilized, Tsunade had sent word to Itachi, who was still in Sunagakure, ordering him to search for Orochimaru's whereabouts.
Orochimaru's transformation had made Tsunade feel a measure of pressure. If possible, she even wanted to nip this threat in the bud ahead of time—though that did not necessarily mean killing him.
That was why Tsunade had sent Itachi out. She had not held much hope to begin with, since she knew full well what her former companion was capable of. If he truly wanted to hide, finding him would be difficult even after searching the entire Shinobi World.
Yet at this moment, Tsunade likely never imagined that Itachi had truly found Orochimaru's trail.
On the rooftop of the Tsuchikage Building, Naraku and Shisui exchanged a look. After nodding simultaneously—
Naraku reached out and gripped Shisui's shoulder, while Shisui formed a hand seal with one hand as chakra surged through his body.
"Flying Thunder God Technique!"
Buzz!
In the next instant, space trembled. Their figures began to warp, then vanished from the spot with a flash.
Not long after they left, the ground beneath the building began to tremble. A pale figure slowly emerged from below—it was a White Zetsu clone.
"So they've already left. Did they return to Konoha, or did they