Ōnoki shot a fierce glare at the man beside him.
"Don't ask questions. Just do as I say!"
"But..."
The Thin, Tall Ninja wanted to say more, but in the end, he could only nod sheepishly.
Lord Tsuchikage must have his reasons for doing this! he thought.
The Land of Fire, Konoha, the Hokage's Office.
"Teacher Sarutobi, that's what happened..."
After hearing Orochimaru's account, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked a little dazed.
"To think that girl Yui Hyuga was actually so capable!"
Recalling the girl who had been dressed entirely in white several years ago, he couldn't help marveling.
He pondered briefly before asking about what had happened next.
"You're saying she abducted Dan Katō?"
Orochimaru nodded and said in a subdued voice, "Yes, she took Dan Katō away..."
"Yui Hyuga took Dan Katō away."
Hiruzen Sarutobi closed his eyes and began pondering the matter carefully.
Beside him, Jiraiya's expression grew despondent at the mention of Dan Katō. He had failed to protect him.
He blamed himself inwardly.
He only hoped Yui wouldn't do anything too terrible to him.
For a moment, the entire office fell silent.
Feeling the oppressive atmosphere in the office, Orochimaru shook his head slightly and changed the subject, asking about another matter.
"By the way, Teacher Sarutobi, about those ninja tools..."
"I suspect those ninja tools were..." Orochimaru trailed off, keeping his gaze fixed on the man before him.
"Those ninja tools..."
His thoughts interrupted, Hiruzen Sarutobi opened his eyes and sighed softly. "You don't need to concern yourselves with those ninja tools. I'll make the necessary arrangements. Consider your mission complete!"
"As for Dan Katō... I'll send the ANBU to search for him shortly..."
"We don't need to concern ourselves?"
Orochimaru was puzzled. From Teacher Sarutobi's answer, he didn't seem particularly concerned about this shipment of