"Should we take this chance to finish off Hanzo of the Salamander..."
Jue made a throat-slitting gesture at Obito.
After a moment's thought,
Obito nodded. "I'll go find Nagato."
With that, Obito's figure warped and vanished.
Time flew, and the days slipped by.
Several more days passed.
Gua had become something of a permanent resident of the Land of Grass.
He had even figured out all the intelligence hubs.
There were three: the Ramen Shop, a gathering spot for the women whose husbands were away at the village's eastern end, and the station where shinobi picked up missions.
The first two mostly offered rumors, distorted hearsay, and neighborhood gossip.
The last was a good place with plenty of information. It just cost money, and...
There was no guarantee it was true.
You sold intelligence, but couldn't guarantee its accuracy?
When Gua paid ten ryō for the absurd claim that "Orochimaru disguised himself as an eighteen-year-old girl and slipped into Hanzo of the Salamander's bedroom to meet his lover, only to be exposed by Hanzo of the Salamander, whom Orochimaru then stabbed to death," he nearly smashed the informant's stall.
Despite how ridiculous it sounded, the seller thumped his chest and promised, "Fifty percent true!"
You got as much intelligence as you paid for.
In the end, Gua held himself back.
Ten ryō could buy a bowl of ramen in the Land of Grass. What kind of intelligence could you expect at that price?
At least the rumor supported two conclusions.
First, Orochimaru had most likely infiltrated Amegakure. There had been plenty of rumors about him in the Land of Grass lately, after all. That probably wouldn't have happened if he hadn't left Konoha.
Second, Hanzō had probably discovered Orochimaru, and the two had fought.
As for how it ended,