Speculation

Manda moved through the night sky, its enormous body cutting through the clouds and leaving a winding trail behind. Wind rushed in from both sides, making it nearly impossible to keep their eyes open.

Sasuke Uchiha sat midway along the snake's back, knees slightly bent, elbows resting on his legs. His Sharingan was deactivated, but his black pupils remained fixed on some point in the empty air ahead, as though he were looking at something no one else could see.

Orochimaru sat at the very front, his newly regrown left hand resting on the snake scales, his fingertips tapping unconsciously. The pace was not fast, but the rhythm was steady—he was thinking. It was a small habit he only had when he was serious.

"That Yunju brat," Orochimaru said without turning around, his voice scattered somewhat by the wind. "Letting him go back then was truly a loss."

Kabuto sat behind and to the side of Orochimaru, sorting through the medical ninja tools Sai had interrupted him from organizing. He looked up at that. "When he left, his strength was still hovering around the edge of chunin level. Who could have expected him to reach that point in two and a half years?"

"That's why I said it was a loss." Orochimaru's fingertips paused, then began tapping again. "The Senju bloodline, Tsunade's instruction, and his own capacity to learn. If I'd put a little more effort into him back then..."

He did not finish the rest of the sentence. But the meaning was already obvious.

Kabuto did not respond. He knew Orochimaru was not seeking comfort by saying that. He was merely acknowledging a fact.

Sasuke suddenly spoke.

"Strength is strength." His voice was quiet, but loud enough for everyone on the snake's back to hear. "There's nothing more to say. He's strong because he trained himself to be. Not because of anyone's guidance. Your training doesn't matter."

Orochimaru turned and glanced at Sasuke. His golden snake eyes narrowed slightly, then curved into a smile. "You're right."

Sasuke did not look at him. His gaze remained fixed ahead, but his thoughts had drifted somewhere much farther away. He was not thinking about Yunju, but someone else. Itachi.

Yunju had escaped from Orochimaru and grown to this level in just two and a half years. What about Itachi? How long had he wandered outside since the clan massacre? What level had his strength reached? Where did Yunju's current strength stand, roughly? How did it compare to Itachi's?

Sasuke quickly compared them in his mind. Yunju's chakra reserves were indeed immense, and his control over Turbidity Release was strong. At close range, he had Super Strength and the endurance of Hundred Healings; at long range, he had Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, and Lightning Release ninjutsu. But Itachi had the Mangekyō Sharingan, Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Susanoo. Sasuke's fist slowly clenched. Still not enough. Nowhere near enough.

Manda continued slithering onward. The wind still blew.

On the road toward Konoha, seven people walked beneath the moonlight.

Yamato led the way. Yunju and Jiraiya walked in the middle of the group, while Naruto, Sakura, and Sai followed behind. No one spoke. Only the soft crunch of footsteps over loose stones could be heard. After they had walked for about a mile, Naruto slowed down and fell a few steps behind, moving over to Sai's side.

"Sai." Naruto did not look at him, keeping his eyes on the road ahead. "Are you going back?"

Sai tilted his head slightly and looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"Back to Root."

Sai fell silent for several seconds. "I disobeyed Danzō's orders. I probably can't go back to Root anymore."

Naruto said, "Oh," and said nothing else. The two walked side by side for a while before Naruto spoke again. "Then what will you do from now on?"

Sai thought about it for a long time. He truly thought for a long time; he was not merely pretending to be silent. "I'm still not sure," he said.

"But I know one thing—I don't want to do that kind of thing anymore. I want to have... bonds too."

Sakura was walking behind Yamato and the others. She had heard the entire exchange, then quickened her pace and moved to Yamato's side. "Captain Yamato, about Danzō..."

"I know." Yamato lowered his voice. "Sai disobeyed orders. Danzō will not let this go. Once we return, Sai may be investigated, monitored, or even detained outright. I'll report the situation to Lady Tsunade and try to have him remain assigned to Team 7 as an ordinary ninja. But this cannot be rushed."

Jiraiya walked toward the rear of the group, both hands tucked into his sleeves as though he were dozing off, though his ears remained alert. He glanced at Yunju. "You're thinking about Danzō?"

"I'm thinking about those rumors," Yunju said. "I've been in Konoha for over two years, and people have always been saying that I'm Orochimaru's spy. Before, I thought some people simply had too much time on their hands. But after seeing Sai's mission handbook today, I don't think it's that simple. Someone has been deliberately pushing that claim. It might be Root, or it might be Danzō himself."

Jiraiya gave a snort of agreement. "Danzō never leaves loose ends when he does things. But Sai turning against him this time gives us a way in—if he's willing to testify, Danzō's orders and the plan to assassinate Sasuke can be brought into the open. It'll take time and opportunity, but at least there's an opening now."

"I'm not planning to make a move right now," Yunju said. "Once we're back, Captain Yamato will include what happened today in his report, and my position will be cleared. There's no need to say anything more."

Jiraiya looked at him and did not pursue the subject.

Yunju said, "Orochimaru escaped, but the matter of Akatsuki remains. We need to keep investigating."

Jiraiya yawned and stretched. "Fine. I don't want to go back just to listen to Tsunade nagging me anyway."

The shadows of the seven stretched long behind them.

Far, far away from them.

Itachi stood by a window, watching the endless curtain of rain outside. Rainwater dripped from the tower eaves, drawing crooked streaks across the window glass. His expression was calm, as though he were watching the rain, or something beyond it.

Kisame Hoshigaki sat on a chair at the other side of the room, Samehada laid across his knees as he wiped the water stains from the blade with a cloth. "Earth Hidden Village has confirmed it. The Four-Tails jinchūriki may appear near the Lava Release Hot Springs soon. He lives alone, has no guards, and follows a fixed route."

"Roshi." Itachi spoke the name. "I know. He has a bad temper. He won't come quietly."

"That's why you need to talk to him." Kisame smiled. "I'm not good at talking."

Itachi did not answer. He raised a hand and drew a circle on the window glass. His finger parted the streaks of water, revealing the blurred shadows of mountains beyond the rain.

On another road, rain still fell, but the area around Cloud Village was sunny.

Kakuzu and Hidan walked through a dried-up riverbed, with heavily weathered ocher cliffs rising on either side. Hidan carried the Bloody Triple-Bladed Scythe on his shoulder, humming an off-key tune as he walked.

"The Two-Tails jinchūriki, Yugito Nii." Kakuzu held a piece of intelligence in his hand. "She has been spotted near Cloud Hidden Village. Her windows of time alone are brief, and she has guards with her most of the time. If we're going to make a move, we need to intercept her when she goes out by herself."

"Who cares whether she has guards or not?" Hidan grinned. "As long as we can kill her."

Kakuzu glanced at him without commenting, folded the intelligence, and tucked it into his clothes. "Don't underestimate her. The Two-Tails is fully matured. If it goes berserk, it's harder to deal with than the One-Tail."

Hidan shrugged dismissively. "Then let her go berserk. The more berserk she gets, the more interesting it'll be."

The two continued down the dry riverbed. Their footsteps echoed between the cliffs and gradually faded away.

In the distance, the outline of Cloud Hidden Village flickered in and out of view on the horizon. The Two-Tails' chakra lay sealed within its jinchūriki, quietly dormant like an explosive that had yet to be lit.