Pursuing Orochimaru

Aoba had not truly left. On the contrary, after Naruto departed, he reappeared by the river. Only this time, the one standing before him was not Naruto, but Sasuke Uchiha.

Sasuke's eyes were bloodshot as he stared at Aoba.

In truth, Sasuke himself did not know why he had rushed out. The Clan Massacre Night had only passed not long ago. He had not even come to terms with it yet.

Most of the time, his classmates at the Academy avoided mentioning it in front of him. Hearing about it from a stranger so suddenly, the young Sasuke simply could not control his emotions.

"You know where he..." Sasuke became agitated again, though even Aoba did not understand what he was so worked up about.

Come to think of it, the two protagonists of the Naruto World had it unbelievably rough.

Both had lost their entire families and carried blood-soaked vendettas. The only difference was that Sasuke's approach was closer to a normal person's values. You killed my whole family, so I'll kill you.

Naruto in the later stages, on the other hand, became increasingly absurd. They were just my dad and mom. They died, so they died. Obito, I forgive you. He even helped Neji, who had been dead for less than a day, forgive him too...

"Actually, there isn't a single official shinobi in all of Konoha who doesn't know about that incident."

"Do you know where he is?"

"I'm sorry, I don't. Sasuke Uchiha, I would not dare claim to understand how you feel. In fact, there probably aren't many people in the entire Shinobi World who would dare say they understand your feelings. But as an adult, I can still offer you some advice.

Think before you act. Itachi Uchiha is an extremely powerful shinobi. Powerful in every respect. To defeat a shinobi like him, anger and hatred alone are far from enough.

You can hold on to your anger and hatred. They will give you motivation. But you must also retain a certain degree of rationality. That will help you make the right decisions.

Go practice tree climbing and water walking with Naruto. Chakra control training will help you regain your composure."

His encounters with these two children had been partly coincidental, but Aoba had also deliberately played along.

After all, they were both Children of Destiny. Aoba intended to form some ties with them from an early age. Perhaps they would come in handy someday.

It was time for the mission. This time, the lineup was impressive. ANBU and Root had each sent out a squad. Including Aoba, there were nine people in the pursuit team.

Both ANBU and Root wore masks, and Aoba recognized few of them. He could only confirm that the ANBU squad included one member of the Hyuga clan, one from the Aburame clan, and another carrying a sword. Aoba guessed that the last one was probably Gekko Hayate.

Konoha had once gone through a period when swordsmanship was popular. That had been when Hatake Sakumo rose to fame. Konoha's White Fang had struck fear into the Five Great Shinobi Villages.

At the time, many admirers of the White Fang had taken up swordsmanship.

Unfortunately, after the White Fang's death, that trend rapidly faded. As a result, there were now very few sword users in Konoha. Even the famed Dance of the Crescent Moon had been inherited by fewer than a handful of people.

This guy before him, who occasionally coughed softly, was probably the sickly Gekko Hayate from later on.

In the original story, Hayate first appeared as an examiner for the Chunin Ninja Exams. It seemed that his health had deteriorated later, forcing him to leave ANBU.

That meant there was a hard-hitting swordsman, a tracking and sensory Hyuga, an Aburame specializing in support and traps, while the remaining one was likely a ninjutsu-type shinobi.

The squad's composition and combat power were both exceptionally balanced and formidable.

As for Root's side, Aoba had no way of judging. Root's people rarely showed themselves in public. Aoba had no experience working with Root, did not know their usual setup, and had no acquaintances among them.

The person in charge of this operation was Root's squad leader.

"Everyone is here. Begin the operation."

The group of nine left Konoha and embarked on their mission to pursue Orochimaru.

The original work had described very little about Orochimaru during this period. Aoba did not know where the man was at all.

But judging by the timeline, he should have already begun preparing to establish Otogakure. After all, by the Chunin Ninja Exams a few years later, Otogakure had already been founded for some time.

Building a shinobi village was not something that could be done in a day or two. So it was entirely possible that he had begun preparations now.

Aoba held no hope whatsoever for this mission. First of all, in terms of combat strength.

If the nine of them worked together wholeheartedly, they absolutely had the strength to fight Orochimaru.

Moreover, the team had at least two swordsmanship experts. This was clearly arranged with Orochimaru in mind. The cutting damage of swordsmanship had a certain restraining effect on Orochimaru's Soft Body Style and snake-based ninjutsu.

But Orochimaru knew far more than those conventional ninjutsu. Aoba did not know whether he had completed the Impure World Reincarnation technique by now. Even without that forbidden technique, the man was still proficient in countless ninjutsu of every nature, with one trump card after another.

If the team was even slightly divided, they would have no chance of gaining an advantage against him.

But in reality, unity was absolutely impossible. Root's people were the first ones who could not be trusted. At this point, Orochimaru and Danzo should have been in contact. The Sharingan in Danzo's possession had likely been transplanted with Orochimaru's help.

They were partners now, so Root's people definitely could not be trusted. And even if they were not partners, Aoba would not trust Root. Likewise, Root could not possibly trust him.

Aoba could easily guess that, on the surface, this operation was meant to pursue Orochimaru. In reality, it was likely a test of his loyalty.

But whatever hidden mission Root had attached to this operation was beyond his ability to guess.

Because Root had obtained intelligence beforehand, the group traveled through the night. They encountered almost no obstacles along the way. Aoba was unfamiliar with the others, so there was little conversation during the journey.

In truth, there were not many forces in the entire Land of Fire capable of threatening a team of this caliber.

After leaving the Land of Fire, Root led the group toward the Waterfall Country.

"Waterfall Country, not Rice Fields Country." Aoba pondered quietly. It appeared that Orochimaru had not yet gone to the Rice Fields Country to prepare for the founding of Otogakure.

But the Waterfall Country had its own shinobi village. Moreover, Takigakure was the only country outside the Five Great Nations that possessed a Tailed Beast. Compared to the other small countries, it had a certain degree of strength.

"Orochimaru's base is in the valley ahead. It has been confirmed that he is inside the base. We will rest here for now and begin the operation at midnight tonight."

The Root squad leader gave the order. The group then began resting where they were.

Aoba found a large tree, leaned against it, and closed his eyes. For a time, everyone entered a silent state of rest.

Yet in the air, unseen by anyone, a leaf above Aoba's head suddenly detached from its branch. It then drifted lightly into the sky, floated slowly over the ridge, and fell into the valley.