A serpent's shadow before the Memorial Stone

In Konoha.

As soon as Kakashi finished his mission, he arrived at the Memorial Stone.

He placed the bouquet of flowers in front of the tombstone.

I stared at the photo on the monument for a long time.

The stone tablet bears the clearly visible characters: Uchiha Satoru.

Kakashi reached out and wiped the dust off the monument, muttering to himself.

"I didn't expect you to leave so early."

"Do you really hate going to work?"

The light in his eyes flickered and shifted rapidly, revealing a complex mix of emotions.

After a long while, Kakashi sighed and decided to turn around and go home.

Suddenly, a faint sound came from not far away.

·Creak.·

Kakashi heard the noise, his expression tightened, and he turned to look.

Who?

Under the dim, yellowish light, two figures slowly moved towards Kakashi.

When they got close, their appearance was clearly imprinted in Kakashi's eyes.

How could that be?

Is it the two of them?

Kakashi's pupils contracted sharply, and cold sweat unknowingly beaded on his forehead.

His whole body tensed up instantly, like a fully drawn bow.

Why are Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi in Konoha?

What are they planning?

"You," Kakashi asked in a low voice, "What is your purpose in coming to Konoha?"

Orochimaru's arms were sealed by the Third Hokage long ago, weren't they?

How come now...

Kakashi noticed this immediately.

Kakashi Hatake.

Kabuto Yakushi adjusted his glasses, a gentle smile on his face.

"Don't be nervous."

"We didn't mean anything by it."

"I'm just a little curious and want to ask you about something."

Kakashi was stunned for a moment after hearing this, and a hint of doubt appeared in his eyes.

What are these two up to?

Ask him for information?

What could possibly be so important that they traveled all the way to Konoha just to ask me this?

"What do you want to find out?"

"I don't think I know anything extraordinary."

Not to mention the kind of thing that required an S-rank missing-nin to travel all the way to Konoha to chase after them and ask about it.

"What exactly are you doing here?"

"Could it be that they've come to destroy Konoha again?"

Kakashi's words were as cold as knives, but Orochimaru didn't take them seriously at all.

He gave a slight upward smirk, his tone indifferent.

"I have no interest in doing the same thing twice."

"That would take away a lot of the fun."

"Things that can move and things that are hard to understand are the ones worth watching."

"Those recurring, lifeless things are not worth keeping."

His icy gaze slithered like a snake across Kakashi's body.

He exuded a deep and dangerous aura.

Kakashi kept his eyes fixed on Orochimaru, completely clueless about what the other man was up to.

"So what's your purpose in coming here?"

Kabuto Yakushi glanced at Orochimaru beside him, then turned his gaze back.

His face still wore that gentle smile.

"Didn't we just say that?"

"I just wanted to talk to you about something."

"Nothing else."

"Don't be nervous."

Staring at the two people opposite him in the dim light, Kakashi spoke calmly.

"What is it?"

What could possibly be worth them coming all this way to ask me?

Although I don't intend to cooperate completely, I still need to find out the necessary details.

Kakashi decided to probe first to see what Orochimaru was really up to.

"It's not convenient to say here."

Kabuto Yakushi's gaze sharpened as he closed his eyes.

"You'd better come with us."

The words had barely left his mouth when he suddenly lunged forward.

The Chakra in his right hand also quickly gathered together.

"Swish!"

The Chakra Scalpel slashed towards Kakashi.

Kakashi was already on guard; he wasn't going to let him succeed so easily.

His gaze grew increasingly sharp, and he moved swiftly from side to side, easily dodging the attack from the cloak.

After a few exchanges, Kabuto Yakushi was clearly being overwhelmed.

He was knocked to the ground in no time, and a little blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

"Cough cough cough..."

"As expected of Kakashi Hatake, he's far superior to someone like me."

"They took care of me without a second thought."

The Kabuto Yakushi's face showed no other emotion; instead, he suddenly smiled.

The reflective metal glasses concealed the turmoil in his heart.

"Interesting."

At that moment, Orochimaru also made a move.

His unpredictable and elusive techniques made it quite difficult for Kakashi to defend against.

" Bang bang bang bang!"

"Ping-ping-pong!"

The two of them stood there, frozen in place, fighting for a very long time.

Kakashi's right hand was trembling slightly; he was starting to feel the strain from using too many Ninjutsu in a row.

Having just finished a mission, he was already short of Chakra.

The area around the Memorial Stone is usually deserted.

broken.

After a few exchanges, Orochimaru suddenly seized upon a weakness in Kakashi's defense.

He unleashed a series of swift and powerful attacks at Kakashi.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

As Kakashi watched Orochimaru's unpredictable and elusive techniques, his expression grew increasingly serious.

This is bad.

If this drags on, he's likely to lose.

"Multiple Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

Taking advantage of an opening in Kakashi's defense, Orochimaru immediately unleashed a Binding Vow Ninjutsu.

Countless snakes pounced on Kakashi with incredible speed, and in the blink of an eye, they strangled his limbs.

Kakashi Hatake was captured by Orochimaru.

" Lord Orochimaru?"

Kabuto Yakushi glanced at Orochimaru to the side.

"Should we ask him directly now, or take him back and interrogate him more thoroughly?"

Out of caution, Kabuto Yakushi still asked the question.

Taking them away directly is tantamount to starting a war with the Konoha Ninja.

"Take it away."

Orochimaru's voice was very low.

This place is indeed not very convenient.

Let's go back first and talk about it then.

On the other side.

Naruto and Jiraiya were walking on a secluded path in Konoha.

"It should be arriving soon."

"It seems to be somewhere not far ahead."

Naruto quickly walked forward, guided by his memory of the direction.

"Did you take the wrong road, Naruto?"

Jiraiya yawned, muttering a complaint.

"There's nothing here."

"Why should I come with you to find that kid Kakashi?"

"You've even left me with no time to gather materials?"

Seriously!

Is it worth it for him to do this for this brat?

Jiraiya stroked his white hair, his tone full of helplessness.

After hearing this, Naruto scratched his head and looked at Jiraiya with a speechless expression.

Hehe!

What kind of material collection?

It's just about gathering information on beautiful women!

Is this what you meant by something important?

That lecherous old man...

"Hey, Pervy Sage!"

"This place is Konoha."

"How could I possibly go the wrong way?"

"Besides, is it really necessary to collect those materials? Aren't they all just that kind of stuff?"

Naruto said with a doubtful look.

Hahaha...

Jiraiya laughed a few times.

A moment later, he straightened his expression and began to explain to Naruto in a serious tone.

"What do children know?"

"These are all indispensable materials."

"This is crucial for the subsequent creative process."

Naruto remained silent after hearing this.

However, the look in his eyes betrayed his suspicions.

"..."

Uncle, are you kidding me?

He'd never believe that.

"Okay, we're almost there."

Jiraiya had already spotted the group of stone tablets not far away.

"Speaking of which, has Kakashi still been staying here lately?"

At this point, his usual jovial expression began to fade.

When Naruto heard Jiraiya ask this question, his expression darkened, which was unusual for him.

His blond hair suddenly lost its usual luster and shine.

The smile on his lips also disappeared.

"Because today is a special day."

"On days like this, Kakashi-sensei would never miss it."

It's the anniversary of the death of that kind and handsome older brother!

Kakashi-sensei comes to pay respects at this time of year every year.

Jiraiya reached out and patted Naruto's head, who had fallen silent.

I didn't ask any further questions.

He understood this feeling better than anyone, but the ninja profession is inherently about constantly experiencing loss.

Suddenly, a hint of doubt flashed across Jiraiya's face.

In a daze, he seemed to hear some noise.

This is Konoha; such a thing shouldn't happen here.

But precisely because of this, he quickened his pace with Naruto.

Has something happened over there?

Jiraiya secretly pondered to himself.