After the issue with the Raikage was resolved, Tsunade finally turned her attention to the Konoha missing persons case.
During the month that Orochimaru was tasked with guarding the Cloud Shinobi delegation, no one went missing in the village.
This fact made Tsunade's suspicions toward Orochimaru grow deeper.
If it had been the old Orochimaru, he would have never left such an obvious flaw.
But now, it seemed that with the passage of time and the shifting of events, he had started to unravel and didn't care about being discovered at all.
Coincidentally, Jiraiya returned to Konoha from his journey writing novels.
Without hesitation, Tsunade asked him to discreetly monitor Orochimaru.
She knew Anbu wouldn't be enough to handle him, but Jiraiya might be.
When Jiraiya heard the full story, he was stunned. Though he initially defended Orochimaru, it only took him a week to uncover the truth.
After grappling with his emotions, he decided to act himself.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, long retired and now tending to his virgin son...insisted on joining. "No matter what, I must confront him myself. He is my student," he said solemnly.
Tsunade arranged a team of elite Anbu to raid Orochimaru's residence with Jiraiya and Hiruzen.
In Orochimaru's house, Jiraiya quickly uncovered a hidden passage. As they descended, the air thickened with the pungent smell of formalin.
When they opened the final door, the sight froze them in place.
Limbs, organs, even fetuses, floated in large jars around the room. Orochimaru, his back turned to them, was calmly dissecting a corpse as if performing a routine surgery.
Hiruzen's booming voice filled the underground lab.
Orochimaru paused. Slowly, he turned around, a chilling smile on his face. "Oh, Sarutobi-sensei. And Jiraiya too?"
"Why would you do this?! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Jiraiya shouted.
"To discover the truth of life," Orochimaru answered, voice calm but sharp. "For the pursuit of eternity."
"You're insane!" Jiraiya charged.
Orochimaru blocked him without hesitation. "I've never been more clear-headed."
An explosion erupted. In the cloud of smoke, Orochimaru vanished, darting toward the outskirts of the village.
"Sensei… why didn't you stop him?" Jiraiya asked bitterly.
Hiruzen trembled, his head bowed. He couldn't bring himself to harm his student. Perhaps, as Guts once said, he was simply too old.
The next day, all of Konoha was shaken by the news:
Orochimaru had defected.
Fortunately, his recent behavior had already alienated many. Over time, the memory of his betrayal faded into the background.
Meanwhile, Guts was at home, roughhousing with Hinata.
Thanks to the influence of Garp's template, Guts found himself oddly enjoying time spent with the shy little girl.
"If she were anything like Luffy or Ace, I'd have to give her a proper fist of love to the head for acting up," he chuckled to himself.
"Ah, so good~" Guts muttered as he ruffled Hinata's silky hair.
Hinata pouted as he bullied her again, but said nothing, used to Guts's antics. Kurenai, however, had had enough.
"You promised to teach Hinata some ninjutsu. But you've done nothing but play around!"
Guts yawned on the tatami mat, casually tossing Hinata into the air and catching her. "It's too early. She's only three. Chakra training should start at five, any earlier might harm her body."
Kurenai gave him a death glare, scooped up Hinata and said, "You're treating her like a toy!"
Then, gently turning to Hinata, she added, "Come on sweetie, let's start your chakra control training."
"Okay," Hinata whispered with a nod.
Her nature was meek and obedient. Unless the request was truly unreasonable, she rarely said no.
That night, after finishing paperwork, Tsunade visited Guts.
"There's something strange going on. Are you up for an investigation?"
Guts raised an eyebrow. "Where?"
"Kirigakure. Mist Village."
She explained, "Recently, more and more rebel Mist Shinobi have been crossing into the southern border of the Land of Fire. They're saying the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, has become a tyrant."
Apparently, Mist Village had entered its infamous Blood Mist Era.
Yagura had drastically changed from his predecessor...adopting brutal policies, enforcing isolationism, and reinstating torture as a regular practice.
Even the general citizens of the Land of Water had begun rejecting all ninja.
Countless Mist Shinobi were fleeing. But even outside their homeland, they were unwanted. Civilians rejected them...even children.
Tsunade concluded, "It's causing a lot of unrest near our borders. I need someone to look into this. Quietly."
Guts stood up. "Alright. I've never been to Mist before anyway."
"Oh-ho? Then take me with you!"
Anko burst in, excitement practically radiating off her.
Tsunade looked her up and down...especially at Samehada strapped to her back. "You're a little... conspicuous."
"It's fine! I'll seal Samehada inside a summoning scroll!"
Anko grinned, eyes gleaming.
Guts just sighed. "This is gonna be a long trip."
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