Undercover Plan

The explosion from the direction of Konoha Hospital tore through the night sky.

Neji stood at the edge of the training ground, watching the pink-haired girl scramble to her feet in panic as he silently counted the seconds. Three, two, one—

"Sakura." He stepped out from the shadows of the trees at just the right moment, his voice unnaturally calm.

"Neji?" Sakura spun around sharply, a kunai already clenched in her hand. "Why are you..."

"Couldn't sleep. Came out to train." Neji answered curtly, but his gaze was fixed on the hospital. "What was that?"

Before he could finish speaking, another explosion rang out. Both of their expressions changed at once.

"Sasuke's room!" Sakura cried out.

"I'll go check. Notify the Hokage and every Jonin you can reach immediately!" Neji made the decision without hesitation and raced toward the hospital before Sakura could respond.

He leaped across the rooftops, his Byakugan casting a pale blue glow through the night. On the third floor of the hospital, the window to Sasuke's room had been shattered. Four chakra signatures were rapidly moving away—three strong, and one so faint it was nearly impossible to detect.

"The Four Sound Ninja... Sasuke..." After confirming it, Neji turned and headed straight for the Hokage Building.

He knew that from this moment onward, the story had officially entered the crucial turning point he had long been waiting for.

The Hokage Office was brightly lit, but there were few people inside.

Tsunade wore her Hokage robes as she listened to Neji's report with a livid expression. Shizune stood nearby with Tonton in her arms, yet there was not a single other Jonin in the office.

"Where are Kakashi? Asuma? Might Guy?" Neji could not help asking.

"They're all out on missions." Tsunade slammed her fist onto the desk, shattering one corner. "That bastard Orochimaru picked a damn good time."

Neji's heart stirred—this detail had never been mentioned in the original story. But on second thought, it made sense. Konoha had just gone through the Konoha Crush, and manpower was at its most scarce. How could a schemer like Orochimaru possibly fail to exploit that?

"Lady Hokage, please let me lead a pursuit team." Neji stepped forward.

Tsunade stared at him. "You? A Chunin, leading a mission close to S-rank?"

"The only teams in the village that can deploy immediately are Chunin from our generation." Neji analyzed calmly. "Kiba's sense of smell can track them, Shikamaru's intelligence can formulate tactics, Choji and Naruto have sufficient combat power, and my Byakugan can control the overall situation. Besides—"

He paused. "I know something about Orochimaru. During the Chunin Ninja Exams, he took an interest in me."

That was half true, half false. Orochimaru had indeed noticed him, but mainly because of the Caged Bird Seal.

Tsunade was silent for a moment, her gaze as sharp as a blade. "How many people do you need?"

"Nara Shikamaru from Team 10 is my first choice. Deploying troops and arranging formations are his specialty. As for others, Rock Lee is still recovering in the hospital, so he is not under consideration for now. Inuzuka Kiba from Team 8 is skilled at scent tracking, and with Akamaru, that is equivalent to two Kiba. Uzumaki Naruto from Team 7—although I defeated him in the Chunin matches, there is no doubting his strength. I also heard that he recently learned an A-rank ninjutsu, the Rasengan. That should be a major asset. Those are the only three I can think of for now," Neji said. "And it seems there is no one else available." Neji had originally wanted Shino Aburame to go as well, but he had asked around during the day yesterday and learned that Shino was out on a mission with no fixed return date. Shino Aburame was the most reliable of Konoha's Rookie Nine, a ninja who had never suffered defeat. Damn Naruto World. As for why he had not mentioned Akimichi Choji from Team 10, the reason was simple. Judging from Choji's early performance, kindly put, he was gentle; bluntly put, he was a coward. Besides, with Shikamaru there, Neji knew Shikamaru understood exactly how much potential Choji had and would recommend him to Tsunade. Although Neji had proactively proposed the four people from the original plot, including himself, Tsunade, as Hokage, would definitely have her own plans and arrangements. Moreover, Shikamaru and he were the only two Chunin appointed through exceptional promotion, but Shikamaru's was far more impressive. Neji had been appointed after earning top marks in every category, while Shikamaru had still been appointed even after surrendering. That showed that, in the eyes of the important figures in the Land of Fire, Shikamaru was much more formidable.

"Just the four of you?"

"The Sound ninja also came in a group of four. Four versus four. And they're carrying an unconscious Sasuke, so their speed will be affected. We have fewer people and greater mobility, allowing us to pick them off one by one according to the situation." Neji smoothly delivered the argument he had prepared long ago. "Besides, I have a plan... one I need to report to you privately."

Tsunade signaled for Shizune to leave for the moment.

Once the office door closed, Neji's expression became incomparably solemn.

"Lady Hokage, I wish to propose a top-secret plan." He lowered his voice. "In my personal capacity, I will infiltrate Orochimaru's side as an undercover agent."

Tsunade's pupils contracted slightly, and her body stiffened involuntarily.

"Have you lost your mind? Do you even know what kind of person Orochimaru is?"

"Precisely because I know, I have to do this." Neji touched the Caged Bird Seal on his forehead. "I have proof that I will not betray Konoha—this seal. Hiashi Hyuga, head of the Main House, can decide whether I live or die at any time. Orochimaru understands that too, yet he still gave me the Earth Curse Mark. Perhaps, in his eyes, this seal will not interfere with his plans. So if I 'defect,' he will believe I did so to remove the Caged Bird Seal. After all, no one wants to spend their entire life as someone else's tool, needing another person's charity even to stay alive."

"What is your plan?" Tsunade rubbed her temples with a slight headache. Among the ninja of his generation, Neji Hyuga was unquestionably one of the best, but he had a fatal flaw: he belonged to the Hyuga Clan's Branch House. His loyalty to the Main House absolutely exceeded his loyalty to her, the Fifth Hokage. While the Hokage commanded all of Konoha's clans in war and major diplomatic affairs, day-to-day ninja management still had to defer to the heads of those clans. At the same time, Orochimaru had placed a Curse Mark on Neji during these Chunin Ninja Exams, indicating that Orochimaru was very interested in him. But according to ANBU reports, Neji had been studying sealing techniques on his own and had shown no abnormalities. Deep down, he probably did not want to become Orochimaru's man.

"During the pursuit, I will do my best to bring Sasuke back. But since Orochimaru sent people to retrieve Sasuke, our chances of success will be slim. I can only adapt as I go," Neji said quickly. "I have already made sufficient preparations personally. If I fail, then I die. With the Caged Bird Seal, my life is worse than death."

Tsunade stared at him for a long time. "Is it worth it? Do you know how low the chances of success are?"

"Less than thirty percent," Neji answered honestly. "But even if there is only a ten percent chance, I have to try. Not only to remove the Caged Bird Seal, but also because..." He raised his head, his eyes resolute. "I want to inherit the Will of Fire too. I want to do something for Konoha." What he really meant was that he wanted to become Hokage too, but with the Caged Bird Seal on him, it was impossible for him to become Hokage. So he was willing to contribute his share to the village.

Even Neji felt a little moved by his own words—though they were meant to serve his own goals, saying them aloud somehow made him feel like he was setting up a monument to his own virtue.

Tsunade fell silent. This was a gamble, a struggle over two of Konoha's genius ninja. Based on the current situation, Sasuke had actively sought out Orochimaru in order to obtain the power for revenge. It was impossible to make Sasuke remain in Konoha. Neji, too, had been marked by Orochimaru's Curse Mark, making him an unstable factor. Furthermore, he was a Branch House member of the Hyuga Clan. Whether he remained in the village or not made little difference. Perhaps he could play a more crucial role at Orochimaru's side.

After waiting for a long time, just when Neji thought she would refuse, Tsunade suddenly spoke. "How will you transmit information?"

"Border marker number thirty-seven at the border of the Land of Grass. There is a natural crack in the rock beneath it. I will leave encrypted intelligence there." Neji had thought it through long ago. "If there is nothing for three consecutive months, it means something has happened to me."

"What encryption method?"

"A variation of the Hyuga Clan's ancient script. The key is..." Neji recited a string of numbers. It was his bank card password from the real world—after all, no one here could possibly know it.

After writing it down, Tsunade gave him a deep look. "Come back alive. That is an order."

"Yes."