Chapter 284 - Speculations

Hokage Tower.

Hiruzen was behind his desk going through various documents from the patrol squads. A Special Jonin stood in front of him and reported the current situation.

"All the escaped prisoners have been captured and are in custody. We've accounted for everyone. The correctional facility is operational with 4 teams of guards working in three shifts."

"Has there been any suspicious movements near the village?" Hiruzen asked and the ninja shook his head. "No sir. Nothing out of the ordinary."

Hiruzen nodded and leaned back in his chair. "Good. Dismissed."

The ninja vanished and Hiruzen let out a long breath of air. 'It's been a long time since I've had a troubled night like the one I've had. Looks like Orochimaru hadn't used the chance to cause any chaos. That's good. Still… Why do I feel so uneasy…?'

At that time Genma appeared and looked at the kage with concern on his face. "Lord Hokage, you're tired. You haven't slept or eaten anything since yesterday. Perhaps you should get some rest."

"It's tempting but there is still much work to be done Genma." The old kage yawned tiredly just as he finished his sentence. He rubbed his eyes and let out another deep breath. "Maybe a short nap isn't such a bad thing."

Genma smiled as he looked at the leader of the village. "Yes. Everything's resolved without any complications… So that's good news."

Raido and Iwashi also appeared and stood near Genma. They were ready to transport Hiruzen to his home but suddenly there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Hiruzen spoke and soon two highly respected members of the Leaf ninja force entered the room. The head of the interrogation department Ibiki Morino and leader of the Analysis Team Inoichi Yamanaka.

"Inoichi, Ibiki. What have you learned from the Mizuki and his accomplices?" Hiruzen asked and Inochi replied first.

"I have good news and bad Lord Hokage."

Hiruzen sighed hearing that. 'Of course there's bad news. Just my luck.' He looked at the blonde haired man and nodded to continue. "Tell me the good news first."

"I've gone through the memories of Zefrek, Haroshi, Seijo and the others Kakashi's team captured. Mizuki was their contact and he's the one that supplied them with weapons and shinobi gear. He's been planning this for months. The plan was to take the forbidden scroll and leave the country. Their goal was to go to Orochimaru protection and the Scroll of Seals was their bargaining chip. It was Mizuki's plan. The team that caused havoc in the village was a distraction so Mizuki could kill Naruto and the others and get the scroll. From what I've learned there is no one else involved. So we don't have to worry about another traitor helping Zefrek. That's the good news" Inoichi stopped and looked at the Kage.

"Alright. Now what's the bad news?"

It was Ibiki who answered. "It was Mizuki's plan for them to go to Orochimaru. Unfortunately he didn't share it with his team. And when Inoichi did a Mind walk on Mizuki he came across powerful barriers and protection in his mind. And because of his unique condition I can't employ other tactics without the risk of killing him. The intelligence and whereabouts he has on Orochimaru will be of great use to us. So I've refrained from any drastic measures to get your opinion, Lord Hokage."

"That curse seal really did a number on him didn't it?" Hiruzen mumbled but everyone heard him.

"It completely destroyed his body. It's far different from the one used on Anko. If I had to make a guess, I'd say this seal was developed well before the one he gave to Anko." Ibiki spoke.

Inoichi nodded. "Mizuki doesn't have much time. If he hadn't done what he did, I'd feel sorry for him."

Hiruzen leaned back and thought about the predicament they were in regarding Mizuki. "The barriers inside Mizuki. Do you know how long it will take you to break through them without causing any damage to his mind?" He asked the Yamanaka.

"If I put all my focus and energy into that task, then a day or two. That's if nothing goes wrong..."

Hiruzen looked at Inoichi and saw that there was something else the man wanted to say. "What is it?"

"The barriers. It was as if they were created to specifically protect against an intrusion from a Yamanaka. Only someone from the Yamanaka clan could have created the barriers he has in his mind." Inoichi's fists clenched as he thought about the traitor that came from his clan.

"I take it you're talking about Ko Yamanaka."

"Yes sir. He has a certain style and signature to his jutsu. I recognized it. This is his work."

Hiruzen exhaled and clasped his hands together. "You're right. I have intel that says Ko Yamanaka has joined Orochimaru. Or at the very least, working for him. We'll have to capture him soon. He'll have valuable intel on that man's operations."

"How should we proceed Lord Hokage? Shall I concentrate on the others while Inoichi interrogates Mizuki?" Ibiki asked and after a few seconds of contemplation Hiruzen nodded his head.

"Yes. I think that's best. We-"

Before Hiruzen could complete his sentence everyone in the room felt a chakra flair and it was headed straight for them. They sensed the fast approach of a strong chakra. The guards along with Ibiki and Inoichi were tense but Hiruzen quickly recognized the chakra. "Stand down. It's Daichi."

Only a couple seconds passed after he said the words and Genin suddenly appeared in the room in a strong gust of wind.

He was carrying a small pig that Hiruzen immediately recognized as Tsunade's pet.

"Daichi. What is the meaning of this?" Hiruzen asked in a calm tone as he looked at the boy. 'He must have a reason to burst in here like this.'

"Lord Hokage. It's Tsunade sensei. She and Shizune were attacked by Orochimaru." Daichi's words shocked everyone in the room.

It took a moment to register those words for Hiruzen but his eyes immediately narrowed. "What? How do you know this information Daichi?"

The Genin took out the paper Shizune wrote and handed it to the Hokage.

Hiruzen read the contents and his fists clenched and anger was visible on his face. Genma sighed seeing the kage's response. "So much for resolving everything without any complications."

"That damn Orochimaru. He knew about Mizuki's plan and used the opportunity to attack her. He knew our patrol squads would be busy dealing with the escapees. He ambushed her at the Fire country border near the road to the Hidden Waterfall village. And he took a team with him. He's gone too far this time." Hiruzen was furious as he looked at the note.

"Are you sure that's from Shizune?" Inoichi asked Daichi.

The Genin nodded his head as he addressed the man. "That's Shizune Senpai's handwriting. I recognize it anywhere. She also used a code that only I would know. And I'm pretty sure she wrote that in her own blood. Orochimaru has them, Lord Hokage." "Oink oink." Daichi spoke and the small pig also nodded its head.

"Daichi's right. This is Tsunade's pet pig. She and Shizune wouldn't leave it behind for any reason. So for it to be here…" Hiruzen spoke as he looked at the small pet.

"Lord Hokage, If Orochimaru has attacked Lady Tsunade, then do you think it's possible she's…" Ibiki didn't finish the sentence as he looked at the angry Kage.

"She's not dead!" Daichi's strong reply brought everyone's attention to him. He looked at them and spoke with conviction. "Tsunade sensei isn't someone who'll go down without a fight. She's not someone who'll die so easily. Even when fighting someone like Orochimaru."

"But even if that's true, we have to take into account Shizune's presence. What if Orochimaru uses her against Tsunade?" Inoichi asked. He has seen such tactics used in the previous war on several occasions. Taking down a strong enemy by exploiting their weakness.

"What's Orochimaru planning? Why attack her? She hasn't been here for years. What is he thinking?" Genma looked at the kage and knew that once this news gets out things will become much more chaotic.

At that second someone knocked on the door a few times.

"What now?... Come in." Hiruzen ordered and a masked ninja entered the room.

He kneeled greeting the kage and stood. He was silent as there were several others present but Hiruzen didn't have time for secrecy. "Speak. What is it?"

On the Hokage's orders he gave the scroll in his hands to Hiruzen and spoke. "This just came in through the secret Anbu channels. The two Anbu who were observing Kabuto's movements were killed last night. But they managed to send this scroll."

Hiruzen quickly opened it and read the information and cursed in his head. 'A large team of high level shinobi ambushed the Anbu team. Kabuto has escaped. This isn't a coincidence.'

Daichi was surprised but he didn't show any outward reaction when he heard that name. 'So the Hokage has already put Kabuto under investigation and observation huh. That's good. If his men had investigated Kabuto's background thoroughly then there is a chance that the old guys knew Kabuto was once part of Root. That's good.'

Inoichi remembered the name Kabuto. "Wait. Kabuto? Kabuto Yakushi? Isn't he a medic Genin in the village?"

Hiruzen nodded and spoke, shedding light on the situation. "Yes. Kabuto's rank is Genin but in truth he is Orochimaru's close aide and his spy in the village. Last night he escaped Anbu surveillance with the assistance of a large team."

"That's not good news. First Orochimaru attacks Lady Tsunade and now he removes his spy from the village. He's planning something big." The long haired Yamanaka spoke.

"Yes. Orochimaru is taking precautions." Hiruzen had doubts in his mind. 'Does he know? Is he simply taking a precaution or has he picked up on my team's surveillance before tonight?'

Daichi knew Tsunade was alive thanks to the quest that appeared. 'If they believe she is alive then they'll be far more motivated to find her as soon as possible. But if they think she's dead they'll still investigate but they'll spend valuable time on preparing battle plans on how to bring down Orochimaru. Right now the most important thing is to save Tsunade.'

Hiruzen turned to Raido Namiashi and spoke. "Make sure the village is on alert. Inform the patrol squads to stay vigilant. But before that, get me Kakashi, Asuma, Guy and a Jonin tracking squad."

"Yes sir." Raido nodded vanished in a swirl of leaves.

Hiruzen walked back to his chair and sat with a heavy heart. "If anything happens to Tsunade… If he killed her…"

"I don't think Lady Tsunade is dead, Lord Hokage." Daichi spoke, gaining his attention.

"What makes you say that? He hates me and he hates the village. He could have gone after her in the hope of hurting me and reducing the strength of the village." Hiruzen didn't want to believe his own words but he had to be prepared for the worst case scenario.

Daichi shook his head hearing that reasoning. "From what I heard from sensei and what I learned of the man, Orochimaru is a ruthless person but he also isn't an idiot. He would know that going after sensei would mean dealing with severe repercussions. I think that's the reason he hadn't gone after Tsunade sensei all these years. "

"But he has now." Ibiki spoke up.

Daichi turned and nodded. "Yes. And that means something's changed… Something fundamental. I think Orochimaru attacked Tsunade sensei and Shizune, not to kill them but to abduct them."

"What are you thinking Daichi?" Hiruzen asked the Genin. He knew Daichi had good insight and wanted to know what he thought of the situation.

Daichi let out a deep breath and focused. "There are two main reasons why Orochimaru would go after Tsunade sensei. I don't think it's to kill her. One. I think it's to use her talents. To use her medical skills for some nefarious plan he has in mind. Maybe using Shizune senpai and forcing Tsunade sensei to help with some medical experiment. Or maybe to heal someone. Someone who could be a threat to the village."

Hiruzen clenched his fist as she listened to the scenarios. "On her own, Tsunade would never help him. But if Orochimaru threatens Shizune's life… That girl is family to her. If Orochimaru has a sword over neck…" Hiruzen sighed and closed his eyes tight. 'Damn it. This is all my fault. I should have dealt with him when I had the chance.'

Genma sighed seeing the Hokage's troubled face. "What's the second reason?" He turned to the boy and asked.

At that question Daichi's face became even more grim and the people in the room had an ominous feeling creeping up in their hearts. After a few moments of silence Daichi spoke.

"Reason number two... To use Tsunade sensei as an experiment."