Chapter 66: Arrival of The Snake himself
Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, and Sai kept moving towards their mission goal,
As instructed by Tsunade. Naruto watched Sai closely throughout the trip.
When night fell, they set up camp in a secure area to rest. They resumed their journey at dawn,
On the eve of reaching their destination, Kakashi gathered his team for a strategy session. "We're close to our goal, so it's time to think about our approach," Kakashi explained.
Naruto, spoke up, "True. We've got to be smart. This could all be a setup. And if it's not, and our target does show, they won't be caught off guard easily. We have to trick them into thinking they're meeting who they expect."
Sakura, ever the thinker, added, "Right. And if Sasori doesn't show up at the Tenchi Bridge, the spy might not either."
Kakashi nodded in agreement. "Being a spy is dangerous work," Sai remarked, catching on. "That means they're likely very careful, just like Naruto said."
"So, what's the plan?" Sakura inquired.
Naruto laid out the strategy. "One of us will use the Transformation Jutsu to disguise as Sasori and meet the spy on the bridge."
Kakashi took the lead. "I'll transform and meet the spy at the Tenchi Bridge. The rest of you will hide nearby and come out if things get heated."
"Got it!" Sakura responded, and Sai nodded in agreement.
Naruto thought to himself, determined, "This time, if I face Orochimaru, things will be different. I won't be fooled again. I'll take him down."
The next day, they finally arrived at their destination, the Tenchi Bridge, ready for what was to come.
"Got the game plan?" Kakashi asked the question seriously to his squad, who responded with a collective nod.
"Alright, showtime." Kakashi announced, "Transformation Jutsu!" In a blink, the figure of Kakashi morphed into a shorter man donned in the iconic Akatsuki cloak, impersonating 'Sasori'.
"How's the look? Nailed the Sasori vibe?" Kakashi inquired.
"Spot on, but Sensei, your voice gives it away!" Sakura pointed out.
"Watch me fix that," Kakashi said confidently, soon adopting Sasori's voice perfectly.
"There, perfect now." Sakura approved.
"Great, we're switching it up to Trenchi Bridge," Kakashi planned out loud, "Sai and I will head out separately. Sakura, Naruto, you two take your own path there, also last thing until I give signal or I get caught of being in disguise don't make any move."
"Got it!" Sakura confirmed, as the group split, with Naruto and Sakura heading in one direction, and Kakashi with Sai in another towards Trenchi Bridge.
As Naruto and Sakura walked towards the Trenchi Bridge, Sakura kept looking at Naruto , as if she wanted to ask something.
"You can ask the question Sakura !" Naruto said calmly, at first Sakura was startled but quickly composed herself.
"Do you hink we can trust Sai?" Sakura questioned Naruto, looking for reassurance.
"Honestly? It's hard to say. It's like trying to read an empty book with him," Naruto responded, "Also , we've much bigger problems to focus on, than him." Naruto said, Sakura nodded.
After a while, they made it close to the Trenchi Bridge. Naruto, Sakura, and Sai ducked into the bushes nearby, while Kakashi, now rocking Sasori's look, strolled onto the bridge.
Soon enough, a figure swathed in a black cloak appeared on the bridge, his getup a perfect disguise.
"Long time no see, Lord Sasori!" greeted the spy.
Naruto's mind raced with recognition of the chakra signature. Before he could piece it together, the spy pulled back his hood, revealing his identity. "Kabuto..." Naruto murmured under his breath to Sakura.
"Has it been what, five years?" Kabuto inquired.
"Any tails following you?" Kakashi, in his Sasori guise, asked.
"Just us here, no worries," Kabuto assured.
"So, how've you been holding up?" Kakashi, still as Sasori, continued.
"I've been feeling off ever since I snapped out of your jutsu... like my head's still in the clouds," Kabuto shared.
"Wild, so the Akatsuki's spy was Kabuto all along!" Sakura exclaimed.
"Something's not clicking right," Naruto mulled over.
"Let's cut to the chase, I have a few questions for you," Kakashi, masquerading as Sasori, got down to business.
"Make it quick, will you? Sneaking away from Orochimaru without him noticing was no small feat," Kabuto mentioned.
"I need to know the exact location of Orochimaru's hideout," Kakashi, posing as Sasori, demanded.
Kabuto explained, "Orochimaru's hideouts are numerous and we constantly move from one to another every week to avoid detection. It's not just in the Land of Sound; there are hideouts spread across other nations as well. Orochimaru has spies everywhere, acting as informants. Because of various transportation methods, tracking us down isn't straightforward."
"And where is Orochimaru's hideout currently located?" Kakashi pressed further.
"At the moment, we're stationed in a hideout situated on a small island in a lake to the north. We're scheduled to move in three days," Kabuto disclosed. Just as he was about to add something else, he abruptly paused and turned around, startled. After a moment, he relaxed, "Ah, it's just a wild rabbit," he said, dismissing his alarm.
"I've got a feeling there's some chakra action nearby..." Naruto mused, glancing around. "Definitely not one of our gang or Kabuto."
"Regarding the task you've given me, Lord Sasori," Kabuto spoke up.
Kakashi, under his disguise, felt a twinge of urgency. "Wanted to dig a bit more while I had the chance, but sticking around might blow my cover," he reasoned internally.
"Orochimaru, even after coming back to life, uses a Jutsu to shield his old body's cells, making it impossible to poke around in that data," Kabuto explained.
"Is that so..." Kakashi, still under the guise of Sasori, responded.
"Sai whispered to Naruto and Sakura, "If this drags on, the spy might get suspicious, and we'll miss our shot."
"But we need to wait for his go-ahead. Until then, we trust in Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura asserted.
"Hand over what you've got, will you? I've got places to be," Kabuto pressed.
"I'm itching to make a move, but with an unknown third chakra out there, better to hold off," Naruto thought to himself.
"Being caught here with you could get me killed," Kabuto hinted.
"Understood..." Kakashi, still masquerading as Sasori, silently agreed, his patience wearing thin. "Time's up. Gotta make my move," he resolved, gearing up to strike.
Just as he was about to spring into action, a new voice cut through the tension. "This conversation seems to be getting interesting," Orochimaru announced, suddenly appearing behind Kabuto, his presence unexpected. "Mind if I join the party?" he added.
"He's been tailed!" Kakashi realized, alarm bells ringing in his head.
"Orochimaru!" was all Naruto could think, a mix of surprise and readiness flickering in his thoughts.
"So, that's the guy!" Sai noted internally, eyes narrowing as he assessed the new arrival.
[A. N: Thanks for reading, drop Powerstones that will help a lot and drop reviews if you like the story and add to your library]
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