Several days later, Tian Yuan and the others crossed Hidden Rain Village and officially entered the final destination, the Land of Birds.
Now they only needed to escort Sasaki Tai to the capital city of the Land of Birds to complete their mission.
At that moment, Tian Yuan suddenly stopped and broke into a bright smile. "Sensei Orochimaru."
Orochimaru's body shivered at the address. "Tian Yuan, what are you planning?"
Anko and Uchiha Juken glanced curiously at Tian Yuan.
"Well, Sensei Orochimaru, do you remember when I first became your student and mentioned the things I love?" Tian Yuan asked.
"Hm…" Orochimaru's pale face flickered in surprise. "Let me think… You said you love following the threads of destiny?"
"That's right," Tian Yuan beamed. "So my eyes have spotted another thread of destiny."
"Dammit." Orochimaru felt as if his pride had been shattered. That sounded like the chuunibyou talk of a boy, yet now he sounded so earnest.
It wasn't Tian Yuan's fault—he had just seen a high-definition signal on his Player System, not far from here. High-definition clips were extremely rare; outside Konoha's inner sanctums, only the Hokage's office might yield one. Of course Tian Yuan had never dared venture into those forbidden zones alone—but with Orochimaru by his side, even the strongest foe should be within their grasp. Besides, Tian Yuan had his two Senzu Beans, giving him added confidence.
"Sensei Orochimaru, don't worry. Our target is still the Land of Birds' capital—we're only taking a slight detour," Tian Yuan hurriedly explained.
Orochimaru studied him deeply, then nodded. "Very well."
Orochimaru was curious whether Tian Yuan was joking—or if he truly meant to investigate the signal. Indeed, if they encountered enemies there, only Orochimaru could shield them. If Orochimaru discovered this plan… he might just slap the boy soundly.
"Tian Yuan, is there something you need to do?" Anko asked, coming to his side.
"Not at all—just a feeling that something good lies in that direction," Tian Yuan replied.
"I see," Anko nodded.
"Such pretense," Uchiha Juken murmured.
Sasaki Tai said nothing—after all, Orochimaru's squad was escorting him to the Land of Birds' capital, and they had already repelled several ninja ambushes. Likely his rivals had set this trap.
With a thoughtful look, Orochimaru followed Tian Yuan's lead toward the source of the video signal.
…
Elsewhere, in a forest of the Land of Birds.
"Lord Roshi, if we proceed any further, we'll reach the Land of Wind border. Should we be more cautious?" a grim-faced man with an oval headband asked the purple-haired figure leading them.
Had Tian Yuan's group been there, they would have recognized these as shinobi from Rock Ninja Village. Their leader was Roshi, Rock Ninja Village's Four-Tails Jinchuuriki—and one of the village's top assets. They were investigating the disappearance of the Fourth Raikage, a matter of great concern to every ninja village. How had he vanished? What were the circumstances? These questions needed answers.
Roshi and his squad were passing through the Land of Birds en route to the Land of Wind. As a tailed-beast Jinchuuriki, Roshi was confident—but even he knew one person alone could not challenge an entire village's forces. In the past, Hashirama Senju or, in the future, Uchiha Madara might manage such feats. The strength of future Hokage would only grow.
"Let's move on," Roshi said, beckoning his subordinates. Soon he stopped and scanned the distance. "Ninjas—Konoha's shinobi."
"Tian Yuan, have we reached your promised spot?" Orochimaru asked over his shoulder.
"We have, Sensei Orochimaru," Tian Yuan replied, halting as they arrived at the signal's source.
"There's nothing here," Anko shook her head.
"I said it was just theatrics," Uchiha Juken remarked. He didn't believe anyone could sense such a distant signal.
"Actually… there is something," Orochimaru said, stopping with a faint, wry smile. "But Tian Yuan, is this truly what you sought?"
"Rock Ninja." Tian Yuan's gaze fell on four figures emerging ahead, led by a red-haired middle-aged man wearing a Rock Ninja headband.
At that moment, their eyes met. Two villages had never been friendly and had clashed even during the Second Great Ninja War.
"Four-Tails Jinchuuriki, Roshi," Orochimaru said coldly. Jinchuuriki were high-priority targets for every village, and Orochimaru possessed intelligence on all of them—much like the Konoha Shinobi knew of the Sannin.
"One of the Konoha Sannin—Orochimaru," Roshi replied evenly.
"It seems you won't let me walk away," Orochimaru's eyes turned ice.
"And you're no different," Roshi sneered as his berserk Chakra swirled around him—Chakra of a tailed beast.
"Tian Yuan, Anko, Juken—this time I cannot protect you. Be careful," Orochimaru said. To face a Four-Tails Jinchuuriki, he would unleash his full power.
"Yes, Sensei Orochimaru," Tian Yuan and the others replied, their expressions steeled.
Aside from Roshi, three Rock Ninja stood behind him, each radiating Chunin-level strength.
"Move," Tian Yuan said, scooping up Anko and disappearing in a flash; Uchiha Juken did the same. Orochimaru had warned that they must rely on themselves.
"Chase them," Roshi ordered coldly. "I've long wished to test the power of Konoha's Sannin."
"Lava Release: Chakra Mode,"
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique."
The duel between Orochimaru and Roshi was about to erupt.
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