Chapter 17: The Secret Meeting with Orochimaru

Only the Tenseigan could perceive such subtleties; no one else, not even the unawakened Itachi, noticed the fleeting look of excitement on Shennong's face.

Observing this, Hyuga Kyou pondered internally, "Why would Shennong show joy upon seeing Orochimaru and Jiraiya? Orochimaru's defection from Konoha is common knowledge, and both appearing together shouldn't have any direct benefit to our current situation. Unless... unless Shennong is confident that Orochimaru and Jiraiya would join forces to help us against the Cloud ninjas."

"But what makes him so sure that a rogue ninja like Orochimaru would assist?"

"Knowing that Cloud is hunting him, why did he insist on coming to the Land of Fields?"

"Hiring Konoha ninjas so openly, does he intend to provoke a conflict between Konoha and the Cloud? How can he be sure he'll escape unscathed?"

"Could it be... could it be that meeting Orochimaru here was no coincidence? Is his ace in the hole hiding in the Land of Fields—Orochimaru?"

"Is he one of Orochimaru's people? No, he's a remnant of the Sky Ninja, he can't be one of Orochimaru's subordinates. There must be some sort of collaboration between them!"

Connecting the dots from the observed details and his fragmented memories, Hyuga Kyou quickly deduced the truth.

Regardless, the unexpected appearance of Orochimaru and Jiraiya was a turning point for Hyuga Kyou. If Orochimaru was indeed collaborating with Shennong, he wouldn't ignore him, and Jiraiya wouldn't let Konoha ninjas be killed by Cloud ninjas right in front of him.

With this thought, Hyuga Kyou immediately signaled to Itachi behind his back.

Understanding the signal, Itachi quickly took out a Konoha emergency signal flare and launched it high into the sky.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

With a series of explosions, three red smoke clouds burst in the air.

In fact, the signal flare wasn't even necessary. As soon as Hyuga Kyou's team spotted Orochimaru and Jiraiya, they had already noticed Hyuga Kyou's group and stopped their skirmish, heading over together.

In no time, the figures of Orochimaru and Jiraiya appeared before Hyuga Kyou's group, one in front and one behind.

Eyeing the people before him, Orochimaru's hoarse voice drawled, "I didn't expect to run into the Cloud's Jinchuriki here. Looks like I've found a prize today!"

"Don't do anything rash, Orochimaru! This could lead to war!" Jiraiya urged anxiously.

Ignoring Jiraiya, Orochimaru's gaze shifted from the Cloud Jinchuriki Yugito to scan Hyuga Kyou's group, pausing briefly on Hyuga Kyou and Itachi before finally resting on Shennong with a playful smile.

On the Cloud side, with Orochimaru and Jiraiya's sudden appearance, Yugito was no longer as composed as before, and the three accompanying Cloud ninjas were visibly tense.

Unlike Hyuga Kyou, who had skated through the war, and the inexperienced Itachi, the reputations of Orochimaru and Jiraiya were built through countless battles. Even someone as confident as Yugito dared not be arrogant in front of these two.

"This isn't over!" Seeing the situation turn unfavorable, Yugito threw down a parting threat and decisively led her team to retreat.

Orochimaru had no intention of pursuing them. Standing with his arms crossed, he watched them go, clearly uninterested in engaging them.

With the Cloud ninjas voluntarily withdrawing, Jiraiya sighed in relief.

Hyuga Kyou shifted his focus from the Cloud ninjas to Orochimaru and tentatively asked, "Jiraiya-sama, do you need our help?"

Since Orochimaru was a rogue ninja, Hyuga Kyou, as a Konoha ninja, naturally needed to show his stance.

Jiraiya waved him off, "Orochimaru is beyond what you can handle. You're free to carry on with your mission."

Hyuga Kyou had only intended to make a gesture, so he promptly led Itachi and Shennong away without further comment.

After the incident, the three of them were more cautious. They avoided all towns and refrained from interacting with anyone. When they encountered open terrain with no cover, they even switched to traveling by night.

This careful approach finally brought them safely to their destination a week later.

The village they arrived at was indeed suffering from a plague. The sight before them was desolate, and one villager claimed to have written the letter asking Shennong to come and treat the disease.

Hyuga Kyou already knew Shennong's true identity, so he pretended to know nothing and completed the B-rank escort mission as per protocol.

On their way back, Itachi glanced at the village behind them and whispered, "Captain, there's something off about Shennong."

"I know, but that's not our concern."

After a moment of hesitation, Itachi added, "I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I feel like he harbors animosity towards Konoha."

Hyuga Kyou looked at Itachi in surprise. After a long pause, he said, "Maybe."

The Sky Ninja village was destroyed by Konoha, so it was normal for Shennong to hold a grudge.

Hyuga Kyou had identified Shennong because of his memories from his past life. But Itachi, at such a young age, having such keen instincts, truly surprised Hyuga Kyou.

That night, as they set up camp, Hyuga Kyou noticed a sign left by Orochimaru on a tree not far away. Knowing this was a summon, he made an excuse to Itachi and quietly slipped to the meeting spot.

As soon as he arrived, Orochimaru emerged from the shadows.

With his usual respect, Hyuga Kyou greeted, "Orochimaru-sama."

Orochimaru observed Hyuga Kyou with interest for a while before saying, "Kyou-kun, you seem different from before."

Hyuga Kyou responded calmly, "Thanks to you, I almost died in the village. It's only natural I'd change."

Orochimaru's lips curled into a smile. "A blessing in disguise? Then you should thank Danzo."

"Are you saying this purge was orchestrated by Danzo?"

"Yes, I overestimated his magnanimity and underestimated his methods." Orochimaru's tone was casual, as if discussing something unrelated to him.

Hyuga Kyou probed, "It seems you took something valuable from him."

Orochimaru didn't deny it, smiling instead. "Indeed, a very precious thing."

Having his suspicion confirmed, Hyuga Kyou didn't press further and instead changed the topic, asking softly, "Is Shennong one of your people?"

Orochimaru scrutinized Hyuga Kyou. "Not even this escapes you. You really have changed."

Modestly shaking his head, Hyuga Kyou replied, "He showed too many flaws. Even the young Uchiha noticed something."

Smirking, Orochimaru said, "He stole some secret techniques on bodily regeneration from the Cloud. It's quite beneficial to my current experiments."

"No wonder the Cloud sent such a powerful pursuit team!"

Seeing Hyuga Kyou's interest, Orochimaru's raspy voice took on a coaxing tone, "Kyou, if you're interested, I could consider giving you a share."