Under the scorching sun, Uchiha Itachi and Kakuzu, dressed in red robes with auspicious cloud patterns and wearing straw hats, traversed the desert at high speed.
Having suffered two defeats at the hands of Uchiha Itachi, Kakuzu gave up on further provocations, silently focusing on his journey, occasionally glancing at the map to confirm his direction.
Behind the two, pitcher plants emerged from the ground, and White Zetsu complained, "Why would Orochimaru choose a place like this for his base? My body is practically dried out by the sun."
Black Zetsu ignored White Zetsu's complaints and carefully sensed the scattered Chakra within the earth's veins, finding it strangely familiar!
"Where does this Chakra originate? Why does it feel so familiar?"
Black Zetsu was completely baffled, but after sensing through White Zetsu that Uchiha Itachi and Kakuzu had already gone far away, he finally put his doubts to rest.
Let's get down to business first. We need to keep a close eye on Uchiha Itachi, otherwise the final plan could easily change... Black Zetsu controlled the noisy White Zetsu and sank into the ground, following the Akatsuki duo who were gradually moving away.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Naoki Senju and Tsunade had planted the last Explosive Tag near the base, waiting for their prey to come to them.
Tsunade seemed unusually interested and began instructing Naoki Senju on how to set up traps, sharing her experience, such as how to place Explosive Tag so that they wouldn't be detected and could maximize their power.
These are all courses at the Ninja Academy, and they are the necessary foundation for becoming a qualified ninja.
After the traps were set, the surrounding environment remained unchanged, but countless Explosive Tag were buried underground. Apart from Tsunade and Naoki, who had personally buried them, everyone else would definitely be blown to bits.
As time passed, without the interference of a giant sandstorm and Ryūmyaku, the Akatsuki duo appeared earlier than expected, arriving even before dawn.
After Uchiha Itachi and Kakuzu appeared, Shizune and Guren, who were in charge of the first line of surveillance, returned to the safe point and reported the situation to Tsunade.
" Lady Tsunade, the two people Lord Orochimaru mentioned have reached the first line of defense, and no other Akatsuki members have been found."
With a sense of smell comparable to Ninja Dog, Tonton, who proved invaluable, barked twice as if to claim credit. However, Tsunade, her true owner, was not very responsible and offered no reward. Instead, she offered the heartwarming gift of snacks to Shizune.
Tsunade nodded, then turned her gaze to Naoki, Naoki nodded knowingly in return and vanished from the spot.
He was in charge of the second line of defense.
After Shizune and Guren left, Uchiha Itachi seemed to sense something and looked towards the spot where they had been hiding, but he looked away in an instant without attracting Kakuzu's attention.
However, Kakuzu still sensed something was amiss. This place... was too quiet, too ordinary, practically telling them that there was an ambush.
However, Kakuzu showed no fear whatsoever. If those reckless wandering ninjas were planning to ambush him, it would be a good opportunity to replenish his heart reserves.
If it were Orochimaru... that would be even better! The mission has finally reached its final stage. All we need to do is deliver the corpses of Orochimaru and the Senju Clan to the gold exchange to receive a substantial bounty, although a large portion of it will need to be handed over to the Akatsuki...
However, Kakuzu, a poor working man, had long been used to all of this.
Kakuzu unfolded the intelligence scroll given to him by the Akatsuki. It contained information about Orochimaru's 'secret' strongholds that the Akatsuki had discovered. Kakuzu had crossed out two strongholds in the Land of Birds and one stronghold in the Land of Rice Fields.
Of all the remaining strongholds, the closest one is the stronghold of the Land of Wind. The reason for attacking the strongholds of the Land of Birds and the Land of Rivers first is that, in addition to the formidable strength of the Sunagakure in the Land of Wind, the environment in the Land of Wind is also very difficult.
Therefore, Kakuzu did not think that Orochimaru would choose to hide here, but Orochimaru's composure was beyond his imagination. However, this time, he would definitely not let Orochimaru escape. Kakuzu's small eyes were filled with murderous intent.
Although Uchiha Itachi and Kakuzu had their own thoughts, Orochimaru's base was right in front of them. They subconsciously concealed their auras and suppressed their Chakra fluctuations, and approached the base with light steps.
As the Akatsuki duo entered the trap's area, a crisp snap of fingers rang out nearby.
"Not good!"
That was their first thought. After that, their minds were filled with a huge explosion. Hundreds of Explosive Tag scattered all around exploded at once, and huge Kakkō filled the night. If Deidara were nearby, he would definitely praise this as true art.
Art is an Explosion, yeah!
Tsunade was quite pleased with the explosion, boasting as she said:
" Naoki, how's the Explosive Tag trap going? Two missing-nin were taken down effortlessly."
But Naoki Senju shook his head. Although he didn't want to discourage Sister Tsunade's confidence, he still said solemnly:
"Not necessarily, let's wait and see."
Orochimaru was lying in ambush elsewhere, did not rush to finish off the battlefield. Instead, he gave a few instructions to Kabuto Yakushi beside him and then began to Hand Seals.
After the sand, blasted into tiny crystals, fell back to the ground, visibility returned, but at the epicenter of the explosion, only a single figure could be seen.
"The results weren't bad at all," Tsunade reassured herself.
But a few breaths later, at the very center of the explosion, the charred figure slowly began to move. His back instantly split open, oozing a pool of unidentified black 'liquid'. Then, the half-dead figure, as if his injuries had healed, stood up steadily.
"He used the Hardening Technique and still had one of his hearts blown off. To achieve this with just Explosive Tag... Orochimaru, Sannin Orochimaru... I underestimated you."
Then the crack on Kakuzu's back widened, and streams of black 'liquid' flowed out, condensing into human shapes on the ground, each wearing a mask representing a different attribute.
"Wind, fire, water, plus the earth attribute of the original body, the troublesome lightning attribute has been destroyed, that's good news."
Hidden in the shadows, Orochimaru, who had been observing quietly, nodded in satisfaction and completed the Hand Seals.
"Ninja Art: Manda Formation"
Countless snakes crawled out of Orochimaru's mouth and rushed forward, forming a sea of snakes that stretched outwards. However, the area mainly covered by this sea of snakes was not the injured Kakuzu, but rather the Kakuzu not far behind him.
When the sea of snakes completely covered the area, a flock of black Crow suddenly appeared, letting out a terrified cry. After several were killed by the snakes, the remaining Crow flew out of the snake sea's coverage and transformed into Uchiha Itachi.
At this moment, Uchiha Itachi Kakuzu. Apart from being a little disheveled, he was almost uninjured, and most importantly, his auspicious cloud robe was intact.
Kakuzu's auspicious cloud robe had already been blown to pieces by the Explosive Tag. In such an explosion, it would be difficult to survive, let alone protect an 'not very important' auspicious cloud robe.