Orochimaru's Restlessness

Hokage Office Building, conference room.

The urgent intelligence that had just arrived had given Sarutobi Hiruzen a terrible headache.

Had it been exposed again? As expected, the spy was in Konoha—and inside the village, no less. Who could it be? Who knew the village so well and had the ability to sneak into my study...?

Suspects and motives kept surfacing in his mind, only to be dismissed again. Sarutobi Hiruzen furrowed his brow, slowly set down the letter, and picked up his pen to write another one.

"Deliver this letter to Shikaku. He'll understand once he's read it. Keep the ninjas calm. The Mist Village's actions definitely don't end here."

Anbu Ninja Sho nodded and left. Staring at the empty study, Sarutobi Hiruzen closed his eyes to rest.

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist have all been killed, and their blades were seized by Uchiha Hanazuki. The Mist Village's retaliation definitely won't stop here. But who could it be?

Dusk was falling, and the moon and stars shone bright. The Third Hokage spent a particularly agonizing night, weighed down by worry.

Meanwhile, at Uchiha Hanazuki's home.

The intricate Mangekyō Sharingan gazed at the Book of the Crimson Moon in his hand. That faint, elusive connection lingered without fading.

Why is the power of my ocular jutsu reacting to the Book of the Crimson Moon? Could it be...

The Sage Mode markings gradually spread to the corners of his eyes. His intricate, dreamlike Mangekyō Sharingan began to spin wildly.

"Bloom, Illusion!"

To turn the unreal into reality, or reality into the unreal—that was the Mangekyō Sharingan technique that, in Hanazuki's eyes, could rival the SSR-level ocular jutsu, Kamui.

The Book of the Crimson Moon in his hand slowly opened. It was formless and intangible, neither chakra nor Natural Energy.

The strange azure barrier was more akin to spiritual power, yet not quite the same. As another space emerged from the Book of the Crimson Moon, all kinds of knowledge from another world poured into his mind.

"So that's how it is. This thing can only be opened with Illusion? No wonder. No wonder the Black Nine-Tails could only reclaim half of itself. It didn't know how to use it, and even after pouring in that enormous amount of chakra, it could barely summon its opposite..."

Blood dripped down. Even in Sage Mode, the massive expenditure of ocular power made every cell in Hanazuki's body ache. Yet the smile at the corner of his mouth eased the pain.

"There's a lot of interesting knowledge here. It seems I can improve Blut Vene again. Relying only on chakra and that low-level defensive technique hardly makes it a perfect creation."

The ancient bamboo scroll vanished between his fingers, returning to his inner world. Hanazuki turned his head toward the Land of Bears and raised an eyebrow.

"You've gone a little too far, haven't you, Teacher Orochimaru..."

At the same time, in the Konoha camp in the Land of Bears.

"Lord Shikaku, if this keeps up, we won't last much longer. The herbs and protective masks have all been..."

The Medical Team ninja spoke anxiously, and Nara Shikaku looked even more troubled. The Land of Bears was a hostile place, riddled with poisonous swamps and miasma. Without medical supplies, even ninjas couldn't hold out.

"Report, Lord Shikaku! We've found traces of Mist Village ninjas. They've discovered our main camp..."

The scout who had hurried over only added to Nara Shikaku's headache. The camp's location was supposed to be top secret. How could it have suddenly been exposed? Could it be...?

"Byakugan? Is the enemy's leader a Mist Village ninja who's had a Byakugan transplanted?"

The clanging of kunai rang out beyond the camp, then fell silent moments later.

Everyone hurried over. The Mist Village ninjas were all uninjured, but had strangely collapsed on the ground.

They turned and saw a young man holding a long sword, the tomoe in his eyes slowly turning. He gave them a slight nod.

"Uchiha Shisui? You've really saved us. If those Mist Village bastards had invaded at this critical moment, things truly couldn't have gotten any worse."

Shikaku let out a long breath, but before he could say anything, Shisui's expression changed. He turned and said, "Mr. Shikaku, someone's approaching. There are a lot of them—at least a hundred, and every one of them is an elite ninja."

"Everyone, be on guard!"

The many ninjas still stationed at the camp braced themselves. A hazy mist rolled in and lingered.

Who could it be? Who are the enemies coming this time? The Seven Ninja Swordsmen? No, the Mist Village's elite forces should have been defeated by Uchiha Hanazuki, and even their signature Ninja Blades were taken.

Then who are they?

Just then, a somewhat childish voice echoed out. One figure after another emerged from the mist, led by a petite figure with a surprised expression.

"Is it really here? I never thought that intel would turn out to be true. The Konoha camp is hidden in a place like this."

The figure was small, but not one of the Konoha ninjas dared underestimate them. Nara Shikaku was sweating profusely.

"Fourth Mizukage, Karatachi Yagura."

The burly figure beside him looked around. His sharp teeth ground together, sparking with fury. Suikazan Fuguki was seething.

"That brat—Flash Illusion Moon isn't here? Damn brat! Where has he taken our Ninja Blades?!"

"Tch, so he's not on the battlefield against the Mist Village? The brat from the Uchiha Clan here is someone else. What should we do, Mizukage-sama?"

Biwa Juzo snorted and eyed the Konoha ninjas with ill intent.

"Should we kill them?"

"Even if we kill them, we still won't get the Seven Ninja Blades of the Mist back. Let's do this instead. Uchiha brat, go bring Flash Illusion Moon to me."

"The outcome of these negotiations will decide your fate. Understood?"

Fourth Mizukage Karatachi Yagura's words brought a smirk to Suikazan Fuguki's face. He couldn't wait to see how the brat beneath that Three-Eyed Demon Fox Mask would grovel and kneel before him.

Faced with a path that allowed only him to pass through, Uchiha Shisui tensed. Only after he had completely escaped the Mist Village's encirclement did thin streams of blood trickle from the corners of his eyes.

So this is the limit of what I can do? Damn it!

The next morning, Hanazuki hadn't yet woken from his sleep when a series of urgent knocks roused him.

"What is it? It's barely morning, and you're disturbing my sleep. You pests."

When he opened the door, an Anbu Ninja wearing a monkey mask stood there, looking anxious. The moment Hanazuki appeared, the ninja hurriedly urged him, "Uchiha Hanazuki, Lord Hokage has urgently summoned you. Head to the Hokage Office Building at once."

So urgent? You've gone a bit too far, Teacher Orochimaru.

By the time Hanazuki reached the Hokage Office Building, the Anbu had all turned to look at him. Most wore impassive expressions, but a few looked reluctant.

"You summoned me in such a hurry. What's going on, Third Hokage?"

"You're here. I have an urgent mission for you: rescue the Konoha ninjas who've fallen into the Mist Village's hands."