Naruto: Saving the Uchiha

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"Sigh~~~" 

When Asuma was mentioned, the Third Hokage let out a deep sigh. 

"Shinnosuke is eager to head to the Land of Rain because of Asuma. I understand his feelings, so I didn't stop him. Besides, I trust him." 

His younger brother had gotten into trouble, and all the clues pointed to the mysterious Akatsuki organization. 

As the older brother, it was natural for Shinnosuke to want to investigate personally. 

Since the Third Hokage had spoken to this extent, Jiraiya could only suppress his idea of going to the Land of Rain to assist Shinnosuke. 

Perhaps he was overthinking it. 

--- 

In a cave deep within the dense forests of the Land of Fire, Sasori was repairing a puppet on a crude workbench. Black Zetsu silently emerged from the ground. 

Sensing something, Sasori stopped his work and slowly turned around. 

"Do you have any news about Orochimaru?" 

For a mission assigned by the organization, Sasori and Orochimaru had come to the Land of Fire, accompanied by Black Zetsu. 

Black Zetsu worked in the shadows, gathering intelligence, while Sasori and Orochimaru conducted overt investigations. 

Due to his appearance, Orochimaru chose to infiltrate Konoha alone, while Sasori waited outside to provide backup. 

But Orochimaru never returned, nor did he send any messages. 

"I have some news, but the leader won't be pleased to hear it," Black Zetsu replied. 

"Orochimaru got caught?" 

Sasori froze for a few seconds, then snapped to attention. Hadn't this guy confidently assured him that everything would be fine and that he should just wait? 

And yet, he had failed. 

Thud! 

A corpse dressed in ANBU gear was tossed onto the ground. 

Within the Akatsuki organization, Black Zetsu was responsible for gathering intelligence. In truth, his skills in capturing and interrogating people were also top-notch. 

Most people couldn't hold out for long under his methods and would obediently spill everything they knew. 

With a half-black, half-white smirk, Black Zetsu explained, "According to the interrogation, Orochimaru infiltrated Konoha and encountered Uhiha Kazuki of the Uchiha clan. He became interested in Kazuki's eyes but was caught in a genjutsu." 

Sasori: "....." 

So, Orochimaru really had screwed up. 

Being caught in genjutsu by an Uchiha? Typical. 

"And then?" Sasori asked again. 

"Then Orochimaru escaped from Konoha's hospital," Black Zetsu replied helplessly. 

"Well, this is indeed news that will make the leader unhappy." 

Sasori could already imagine the leader's reaction when he heard about this. 

The other members would definitely mock Orochimaru endlessly. 

Wait!! 

Even I would be mocked as a part of his team. 

Damned Orochimaru, I should've turned you into a puppet long ago. 

Sasori's mood soured further. 

Because he and Orochimaru were teammates, Orochimaru's failure and subsequent disappearance meant Sasori would also bear some responsibility. 

"Do you have any good news on your end?" 

Black Zetsu shook his head slightly, still searching. 

Aside from trying to find the individuals the organization wanted to recruit, Black Zetsu had another mission. to observe Kakashi, a task assigned by Obito. 

The sudden appearance of two corpses in the Kamui dimension left Obito deeply unsettled. 

His first reaction was that Kakashi might have gained full control over the other Kamui Mangekyō Sharingan and had thrown the bodies into the Kamui dimension after killing them. 

However, upon examining the corpses' identities, Obito fell into deep thought. 

While it was plausible that Kakashi had perfectly mastered the Sharingan and taken such action, the problem lay in the peculiar identities of the bodies. 

Kakashi wouldn't have killed his own allies—or so Obito believed. 

Thus, Obito personally traveled to the Daimyō's residence in the Land of Fire to investigate. 

Unfortunately, Kakashi had already returned to Konoha, leaving the investigation to Black Zetsu. 

"Notify the leader and tell him the mission failed. Additionally, do your best to track Orochimaru's whereabouts," Obito instructed. 

"Tell the leader that Orochimaru was caught in Kazuki's genjutsu, and it's unclear if he leaked any of the organization's intel." 

Sasori was almost certain Orochimaru had betrayed them. He couldn't believe that Orochimaru, being ensnared by genjutsu, wouldn't have been interrogated. 

There was a high chance that Orochimaru had sold out the organization, possibly revealing all its secrets. 

"Damn it!" 

The thought of Orochimaru betraying the organization and exposing its secrets, potentially leading to severe punishment for himself as well, made Sasori curse in frustration. 

Orochimaru was truly despicable. 

--- 

In a hidden underground base within the Land of Rivers, which spanned the borders of the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, Orochimaru lay weakly on a workbench, gasping for breath as though his spine had been ripped out. 

The aftermath of the damage to his soul was more severe than he had imagined. 

After being controlled by Kazuki and leaking some information, Orochimaru knew he could no longer stay in the Akatsuki organization. 

If he were caught after betraying the organization's secrets, the outcome would be a gruesome death. 

Fortunately, Kazuki's Judgment of Will, while terrifying, caused aftereffects intermittently rather than constantly. 

While lying in the hospital, Orochimaru observed the intervals of these aftereffects and seized the opportunity to escape. 

Luck was on his side. Danzo was soon admitted to the hospital as well, in the room next to his. 

When the Third Hokage stayed by Danzo's side, and Jiraiya came to comfort his teacher, Orochimaru used their distraction to slip away. 

In terms of power, many could defeat Orochimaru, but when it came to escaping, Orochimaru was second to none. 

Disguised and leaving the Konoha hospital unnoticed, Orochimaru fled far away. He dared not return to the Land of Rain or the Akatsuki. Instead, he retreated to one of his secret underground bases. 

After his defection from Konoha, Orochimaru had built hidden bases across various regions to evade pursuit from the village and Jiraiya. The underground base in the Land of Rivers was just one of them. 

"Heh heh heh, breaking one's will and damaging the soul—what a terrifying dojutsu," Orochimaru murmured, his voice tinged with a twisted excitement. 

After recovering somewhat from the pain, Orochimaru's sickly smile revealed his renewed interest in the Uchiha clan's Sharingan. 

The damage to his soul meant that his ongoing experiments would need to be temporarily halted. 

During this period of recuperation, Orochimaru had plenty of time to delve into the mysteries of the Sharingan and refine the still-incomplete Edo Tensei technique. 

"The Eye of Reflecting the Soul, huh?" 

Orochimaru spat out a scroll, paying no mind to the sticky fluid covering it. 

Excitedly, he unrolled the scroll, pulling out various experimental tools and a glass jar containing a Sharingan submerged in liquid.