Chapter 87: Cooked

Kakashi was feeling quite stifled—but over in Kumogakure, they were feeling even more vexed.

Everything in Kumogakure stemmed from Orochimaru suddenly showing up not long ago.

That time, when Orochimaru arrived in Kumogakure, he displayed a jutsu called Edo Tensei to the Fourth Raikage.

This jutsu was extremely mysterious, able to bring the dead back into the living world.

Orochimaru even "revived" the deceased Third Raikage right in front of the Fourth Raikage.

The Third Raikage was famed for possessing the "strongest spear" and the "strongest shield." If he could truly be brought back, it would be an enormous boon not just for the Fourth Raikage personally, but for all of Kumogakure—because the Third Raikage alone once battled ten thousand enemy shinobi for three days and three nights.

If indeed revived, Kumogakure's power would immediately and dramatically increase!

…

Outside a secret base of Orochimaru in the Land of Lightning…

"Boom—!"

With a single punch, the Fourth Raikage slammed the wall in front of him, sending bricks flying in all directions. Seeing that, one could tell his eyes were bloodshot with fury to the limit.

"Damn that Orochimaru—he actually ran off!"

Not long ago, Orochimaru demonstrated Edo Tensei for him and Killer Bee, and the two sides reached a deal. Kumogakure would provide Orochimaru with one billion ryō of research funding to perfect Edo Tensei. And once Orochimaru perfected it, he'd formally "resurrect" the Third Raikage.

This should have been a happy arrangement—except now it had gone awry.

For some time, Orochimaru hadn't given any further updates on his research progress. Initially, they assumed he'd simply hit a bottleneck. But as it turned out, Orochimaru had quietly relocated everything from this research base. He was gone!

Standing not far away, Killer Bee emerged from the now-empty facility. He threw a couple of rap hand signs before speaking:

"Orochimaru should have been cut into slices,

But he deceived my big bro and left no traces.

He's vanished without a clue,

Kumogakure can't recoup!

Yo yo, 'chock-ado block-ado…'

'Baka…rappu…'"

(Nonsensical rap-scatting.)

Though Bee's words were nothing special, they further inflamed the Fourth Raikage's anger.

"Tch!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Letting out an enraged roar, he hammered a few more fists into the base's walls.

Off to one side, Darui hurriedly tried to reassure him:

"Lord Raikage, please quell your anger! At this point, we need to take emergency measures!"

But the Fourth Raikage, who was already hot-tempered and reckless, had become even more furious in the face of such deception.

From Kumogakure's perspective, they were the ones who usually took advantage of other villages, who often seized what they wanted. Since when did someone else get the better of them? For Orochimaru to cheat them right in their own village…

And worst of all, Orochimaru had run off with their one billion ryō.

At the brink of going berserk yet again, the Fourth Raikage glanced at Killer Bee, who piped up:

"Yo yo! This is a messed-up show,

Big Bro in rage, I already know!"

Straining to calm himself, the Fourth Raikage turned to Darui.

"All right, Darui. You said we need emergency measures. Let's hear it."

Darui, relieved the Raikage was listening, spoke up:

"Yes, sir. First of all, we certainly need to track down Orochimaru and recover our funds."

Darui knew full well it wouldn't be easy. Orochimaru had clearly planned this all along, coming specifically to con them. By the time he fled, Kumogakure hadn't even realized.

But at least the Fourth Raikage, while furious, was no fool. He took a deep breath, forcing down his anger:

"Continue."

Though the Raikage often called Darui his "left arm and right arm," Darui was effectively his brain as well.

Darui nodded and continued:

"Second, we must thoroughly investigate the Land of Lightning and Kumogakure at large. Ensure Orochimaru has no remaining bases here. If we can't recover that billion ryō, at the very least, we can stop him from doing further harm within our borders."

This facility wasn't even built with Kumogakure's approval—Orochimaru had owned it for who knows how long. The man had lairs all over the shinobi world, each like a home away from home.

Hearing this, the Fourth Raikage agreed, acknowledging:

"Yes, we need to do a wide sweep, flush out any other hideouts he might have left in the Land of Lightning."

Once more, Darui offered his final suggestion:

"Third, we should gather every scrap of intel about Orochimaru—both for trying to find him and for eliminating whatever hidden spots he's set up."

Darui finished, the Raikage gave him a hearty clap on the shoulder and burst into rough laughter:

"Hahahahaha…Darui, you truly are the best support I have!"

"Orochimaru dared offend Kumogakure—he'll pay dearly! If we catch him, I'll twist his head right off!"

Of course, Darui knew these were only rudimentary steps, more a "closing the barn door after the horse has bolted" measure. But sometimes that was all you could do.

Killer Bee, too, had confidence in Darui's plan:

"Yo yo, Darui's calm and fine,

This cunning plan, a top design!

Orochimaru can't hide no more,

We'll strike him with lightning for sure!

'chock-ado block-ado…'"

Yet while Bee and the Fourth Raikage showed optimism, Darui quietly sighed. Orochimaru was too cunning for such a manhunt to go smoothly.

Still, fortune smiled on them. Not long after the Raikage issued orders, they got some results. Returning from scouring Orochimaru's lab, they were met by Samui—Killer Bee's kenjutsu student—who brought urgent news:

"Lord Raikage, Sensei—there's an important finding!"

The Fourth Raikage perked up:

"Speak! What did you find?"

Samui explained that in a merchant caravan traveling through the Land of Lightning, they spotted several shinobi wearing the same distinctive attire as Orochimaru wore, evidently belonging to the same organization as him.

Ecstatic, the Raikage roared:

"Perfect timing! Lead the way!"

…

Land of Fire, Black Market.

Naruto and Sasuke had indeed managed to come, just as they wanted. Senshi's hunch was correct. In order to fulfill the Third Hokage's directive, Kakashi wasn't inclined to pass up any chance to uncover whoever might be guiding the two kids from outside.

Normally, these two shouldn't have known about the black market at all. The mere fact they wanted to come do missions there was suspicious. Now that Konoha had tightened security, perhaps Naruto and Sasuke's unknown contact was trying to lure them into this shady area.

Having arrived, Naruto and Sasuke were awed by the many missions posted, as well as by two familiar faces: or rather, two Senshi clones. Both had apparently been posted in the black market doing tasks.

Seeing them, Naruto lit up:

"Se—…!"

But the moment he opened his mouth to call out "Senshi-sensei," Sasuke froze him with a sharp whisper:

"Dobe, this is the black market. Don't shout!"

He also gave Naruto a pointed look, reminding him Senshi-sensei clearly didn't want to blow his cover. The fact the man's clones had hidden themselves so thoroughly in Konoha suggested he'd prefer not to be recognized publicly.

Realizing his near-slip, Naruto scratched his head, worried he might have just made trouble for Senshi-sensei. Glancing at Kakashi, he saw the jōnin's expression looking a bit suspicious:

Kakashi: ⊙▂⊙!!!

Kakashi was deeply stunned. The moment Naruto and Sasuke spotted those clones, he did as well. One Senshi was terrifying enough—but here there were two.

He immediately recalled the shuddering dread he'd experienced before: as a "Lightning Release prodigy," he'd once been bested by Senshi, having his own Sharingan ripped out—only for Senshi to then replace it with a more perfect pair of Sharingan eyes. Kakashi still hadn't figured out the motive behind that. Possibly it was all some long-laid plan by Senshi.

Yet seeing two Senshi clones in the black market hammered home the fear. And they were not even the original. Kakashi realized how unstoppable this man's strategy might be.

He reined himself in, opting not to rush forward. He wouldn't dare act recklessly. Instead, he hung back to observe from afar. After a moment, Kakashi deduced the pair in front of them were clones that handled tasks—Senshi was infamous for taking on massive mission loads. If that was merely the Land of Fire's black market, how many clones might Senshi have in other places as well?

Imagining the possibility of Senshi employing a hundred clones simultaneously, each day doing a hundred times the normal workload, was staggering—especially given Senshi's own monstrous skill. Three days for him equaled a year of a normal shinobi's missions…

"What a terrifying man," Kakashi thought to himself.

He then noticed something unsettling: Naruto and Sasuke's near-fanatical devotion to mission work was identical to Senshi's. This was no coincidence. Kakashi glanced at the two kids, only to see them whispering excitedly.

Naruto quietly murmured, "No surprise Senshi-sensei's here too—he's unbelievably dedicated to missions!"

Sasuke nodded, "Indeed. He never lied to us. Senshi-sensei's formidable power was forged through ceaseless missions. If we want that kind of growth, we need to keep doing missions day and night!"

Hearing Sasuke's words, Naruto looked eager:

"Then let's get going, Sasuke, and pick up some tasks right now!"

"I want to keep polishing my skills so I can earn everyone's acknowledgement—so I can protect them—and become Hokage!"

Sasuke wasn't interested in being Hokage. He simply mused inwardly, "Itachi, I've found a clear path to rapid power. Your doom approaches."

…

Meanwhile, outside Amegakure…

Uchiha Itachi was using the Akatsuki ring to communicate with Kisame over long distance.

"Kisame, do you know if Senshi is still in the village?"

Kisame's reply crackled back:

"Itachi-san, what's this about? Where have you been lately?"

But he answered anyway:

"Senshi left Amegakure two days ago. Pretty sure he hasn't returned."

Hearing that, Itachi felt a surge of relief. If Senshi wasn't in Amegakure, Itachi could at last go back without fear of encountering him. So he slipped back to Amegakure, reaching the base he shared with Kisame.

Kisame was astonished at how haggard Itachi looked:

"Itachi-san, what in the world happened? You seem spooked."

Indeed, Itachi was not just spooked, but practically bedraggled. Normally, life with Kisame was slow-paced, but the short time he'd spent forcibly teamed with Senshi had been an unending nightmare of back-to-back missions, day and night, leaving him no time to breathe. After Senshi left, he took the chance to escape, but spent the following days nervous about being caught.

Finally, after confirming Senshi had left Amegakure, he tentatively contacted Kisame and returned. Kisame pried into Itachi's experiences, but Itachi simply sighed:

"Some time ago, I went to Konoha."

Kisame already knew that part. He stayed quiet, letting Itachi continue.

Recalling everything, Itachi's face showed lingering dread. Even now he trembled at that memory:

"While in Konoha, I found Senshi."

"Somehow he demanded I become his partner."

"For certain reasons, I had no choice but to agree."

Stunned, Kisame retorted:

"Itachi-san, you fool—how could you become Senshi's partner?!"

Itachi agreed with the sentiment. "Yes. Partnering with Senshi was dangerous and terrifying."

Kisame empathized, nodding vigorously:

"I told you, never approach that guy—he's inhuman!"

He recalled how even Kakuzu and Hidan ended up pitiful under Senshi. Itachi himself was forced to do inhuman amounts of missions.

After Itachi recounted some of his ordeal, Kisame got goosebumps. But he noticed something missing in the story:

"So how come you aren't still with Senshi right now?"

Itachi replied:

"Once I realized how dangerous Senshi was, I planned to escape. When he stepped out briefly, I seized the opening and ran."

At this, Kisame's eyes went wide:

"You mean…you snuck away from him?"

Kisame knew well how Senshi was rumored to respond to those who defied him. In a trembling voice, he thought:

"Trouble! Senshi is basically a tyrant. A two-faced, cruel monster who can't tolerate disobedience."

He remembered what had happened to Kakuzu, who'd once recruited a new partner, Hidan. Because Kakuzu was "replacing Senshi," Senshi exacted savage revenge. Not only did he steal Hidan, but he inflicted unimaginable torture on Kakuzu, turning him into an emotionless mission machine.

Similarly, Hidan ended up charred by repeated lightning strikes—one could smell the burnt odor wherever he went. To Kisame's mind, it was obvious that Senshi had zero leniency. If Senshi treated them that way just for small infractions, how would he react to Itachi outright running away?

A chill spread through Kisame:

"And the worst part is, the Akatsuki's leader does nothing about Senshi's rampage. Where's our rule against betraying comrades…? This is insane!"

Far off, Senshi, wholly unaware, was busy with missions while a huge misunderstanding festered in Kisame's brain: that Senshi was some merciless dictator punishing any defiance without mercy. Senshi's positive intentions—helping them "gain experience and grow stronger"—were thoroughly misread.

But Kisame believed his half-baked inferences, concluding Itachi was in mortal danger. Even the man standing next to Itachi now risked guilt by association. Kisame exhaled:

"Itachi-san…you were half-dead already, and still you came back looking for me? I can't get dragged into this!"

Sighing, he suddenly feinted that Senshi had arrived, then cold-cocked Itachi from behind, knocking him out. Kisame gently laid the unconscious Itachi on the floor, muttering:

"Forgive me, Itachi-san. But you provoked Senshi—And then returned here, endangering us both. I'd rather not end up another Kakuzu…"

~~~

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