Days later, Tengen's team crossed through the Amegakure, entering their final destination, the Land of Birds.
Their mission was simple, escort Saki to the capital to complete the task.
Tengen halted abruptly, a radiant smile spreading across his face. "Orochimaru-sensei."
Orochimaru's body stiffened at the tone. "Tengen, what are you up to?"
Anko and Jurin cast curious glances his way.
"Remember when I became your student and mentioned what I liked?" Tengen said.
"Hm." Orochimaru's pale face flickered with recollection. "You said you enjoy chasing threads of fate."
"Exactly." Tengen grinned. "And my eyes have spotted a thread of fate."
Orochimaru felt a jolt of exasperation. Wasn't this Tengen's nonsense? Why did it sound so serious now?
Tengen's earnestness stemmed from his system detecting an HD signal nearby, a rare find.
HD signals were scarce, previously only appearing in critical Konoha locations like the Hokage's office.
He'd never ventured into Konoha's restricted zones; that was a death wish.
But with Orochimaru here, things were different.
No matter how formidable an enemy guarding an HD signal might be, Orochimaru could handle it. Plus, Tengen had his Senzu Beans, bolstering his confidence.
"Orochimaru-sensei, don't worry. We're still heading to the capital, just taking a slight detour." Tengen said quickly.
Orochimaru studied him deeply and nodded. "Fine."
He was curious, joking or not, Tengen clearly had a plan.
Of course, Tengen's plan hinged on the signal. If enemies awaited there, Orochimaru could deal with them.
If Orochimaru knew Tengen was banking on his strength, he might've slapped him senseless.
"Tengen, you've got something up your sleeve, don't you?" Anko whispered, sidling up.
"Nah, just a hunch something good's that way." Tengen said.
"Oh." Anko nodded.
"Playing mystic." Jurin scoffed.
Saki, the merchant, stayed silent. Their job was to escort him to the capital, and they'd already fended off Missing-nins, likely sent by his rivals.
With a flicker of intrigue, Orochimaru followed Tengen's lead toward the signal's source.
...
Elsewhere, in a forest within the Land of Birds, a stern-faced man wearing a headband with two oval guards spoke to a purple-haired figure. "Han-sama, we're nearing the Land of Wind's border. Should we be cautious?"
If Tengen's team were present, they'd recognize these as Iwa-nins.
The leader, Han, was the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, a pinnacle of Iwagakure's power.
Their mission was to investigate the Third Kazekage's disappearance, a seismic event for all ninja villages.
They needed to uncover how and why it happened.
Han led his squad through the Land of Birds to reach the Land of Wind.
As a Jinchuriki, Han was confident but cautious. One person couldn't face an entire village.
At least, not now. Legends like Hashirama or, later, Madara could. The Naruto world's power ceiling would only climb.
"Keep moving." Han ordered, waving his team forward. Moments later, he paused, staring in a direction.
"Konoha-nins."
...
"Tengen, are we at your spot?" Orochimaru asked.
"We're here, Orochimaru-sensei." Tengen slowed as they reached the signal's location.
"Nothing's here." Anko shook her head.
"Just posturing, as I said." Jurin muttered, skeptical of Tengen's supposed foresight.
"There's something, alright." Orochimaru stopped with a wry smile. "But Tengen, is this what you were after?"
"Iwa-nins." Tengen spotted four figures emerging into view. The leader, a red-haired middle-aged man, wore an Iwagakure headband.
Their gazes locked, tension crackling.
The two villages weren't on friendly terms, with friction lingering from the Second Shinobi World War.
"The Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Han." Orochimaru said, his voice icy.
Han was a known figure, his Jinchuriki status tracked by villages, just as Orochimaru's Sannin title was recognized abroad.
"Orochimaru, one of Konoha's Sannin." Han said slowly.
"Seems you're not letting me pass." Orochimaru said, his eyes cold.
"Nor you me." Han replied with a chilling smirk, wild chakra surging, tailed beast chakra.
"Tengen, Anko, Jurin, I can't protect you this time. Be careful." Orochimaru said. Facing a Jinchuriki demanded his full focus.
"Yes, Orochimaru-sensei." Tengen and the others said, their expressions tightening.
Beyond Han, three Iwa-nins loomed, their auras marking them as chunin at least.
"Move!" Tengen grabbed Anko, flashing away. Jurin followed suit.
Orochimaru had warned he couldn't cover them. They were on their own.
"Pursue them." Han ordered coldly. "I've long wanted to test a Sannin's strength."
"Lava Release: Chakra Mode!"
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Orochimaru and Han's battle ignited in an instant.
***
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