Konoha Village,
Root Base.
Danzo sat rigidly in his chair, a cold darkness in his expression as he squinted toward the kneeling subordinate reporting before him.
"So, he has left the village?"
"Yes…" The Root operative bowed deeply. "Yagami departed shortly after leaving the Hokage building. Hatake Kakashi and Tekuno accompanied him."
"Hm." Danzo responded with a low, nasal grunt.
The memory of last night—of the humiliation he suffered in Yagami's home—stirred burning fury inside him.
Grinding his teeth, he asked coldly, "Has the news been spread?"
Sensing Danzo's rising anger, the Root shinobi trembled.
He quickly answered, "Yes, Lord Danzo. The information has been leaked. The response should unfold soon."
"Hehehe… what exactly has angered Lord Danzo this much?"
A mocking, serpentine chuckle drifted down the corridor, followed by slow, deliberate footsteps.
Light fell onto the approaching figure.
Pale skin.
Long, black hair.
Purple eye-markings stretching toward the nose.
A presence dripping with serpentine malice.
Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru—watch your tone. This is not a place for you to behave without restraint!!"
Danzo snapped upright, bloodshot eyes brimming with violence.
He had been simmering ever since his return from Yagami's house.
Now, with Orochimaru provoking him, that anger reached the edge of eruption.
Orochimaru merely let out a drawn-out laugh, then fell silent—his amusement clear.
But his golden eyes shone with curiosity.
Just who was this man who drove Danzo, of all people, to such rage?
…
The Land of Grass,
Main road leading to Nara Town.
After two days of nonstop travel, the three-man squad finally approached their mission location.
"Remove your Konoha forehead protectors."
Yagami commanded firmly.
Their mission involved meeting an intelligence operative—wearing headbands would risk exposing their identities, and worst-case, endanger the operative as well.
"Yes!" both Kakashi and Tekuno replied.
They removed their forehead protectors and stored them away.
"According to the mission details," Yagami said as he unrolled a map, "the intelligence operative comes to this lake once a week to fish."
He pointed to the marked location.
"But it isn't time for the rendezvous yet. We'll head into the nearby town, rest, organize ourselves, and return after three in the afternoon."
He rolled up the map again.
The job was simple—retrieve intel and return.
If nothing unexpected happened, this would practically be a courier mission.
"Captain, can we eat barbecue?" Tekuno asked with wide eyes. "After eating dry rations for two days, my tongue feels numb."
"…Fine."
Yagami nodded.
He, too, was tired of chewing dried food.
"I object!"
Kakashi suddenly stepped forward, frowning sharply.
"The shinobi rules state that during a mission we must remain hidden. We should avoid crowded or suspicious locations."
Tekuno nearly choked on his frustration.
Why are you like this?
Even Yagami agreed—why jump out now!?
Tekuno had heard the rumors.
Kakashi—stern, rigid, rule-obsessed, impossible to cooperate with.
He didn't want to be teammates with him, but Hokage's direct order left him no choice.
He was about to snap back but Yagami raised a hand, stopping him.
"Kakashi…"
Yagami lightly patted Tekuno's shoulder, then turned to Kakashi.
"You're correct. Shinobi rules matter. But on an intelligence mission like this, acting natural helps us avoid suspicion."
"Hehehe, yes yes yes!" Tekuno grinned, relieved. "Exactly what I was thinking!"
Kakashi froze, caught off guard by the logic.
Watching the other two walk ahead toward town, he hesitated… then quietly followed.
[Ding! Tekuno's approval increased. Prestige +1.]
[System mission complete. Reward issued.]
Yagami briefly opened the system interface.
With only about 500 prestige, he could only afford a low-level draw—so he closed it again.
The three entered the town openly.
Soon, they found a barbecue restaurant—
And walked straight inside.
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