Within the Land of Earth, inside a mountain cave ringed by jagged peaks—
Ren sat outside the cave, bathed in moonlight. A faint sigh escaped him.
"Danzo really did make his move… just as expected."
The moment they entered the Land of Earth, Ren received a message from Yakushi Kabuto. That alone told him the truly dangerous part was close at hand.
To be honest, Ren still felt genuine gratitude toward Yakushi Nono.
When he had first crossed into this world, it was her protection that allowed him to survive and grow.
Saving her?
Ren had never hesitated.
And saving her also meant gaining a top-tier talent whose loyalty would be absolute.
"Still… this has to be done quickly."
Ren murmured to himself, carefully weighing his options. This operation required precision.
[New Mission Acquired]
[Investigate the relationship between Akatsuki and Orochimaru]
Ren rubbed his chin as he read the prompt. A rough plan had already formed.
Use Akatsuki and Orochimaru together as an excuse—
Blow the situation wide open—
Earn enough Freedom Points in one go.
How big should it get?
How far should he push it?
How much could he squeeze out of this chaos?
Those were details he needed to polish.
After thinking it through, he realized—once again—this would inevitably drag Ōnoki into the mess.
Frankly speaking, Ren really didn't want to poke the Tsuchikage again so soon.
But looking at the situation objectively…
This route offered the highest return.
Their current problem, however, was simple—
How do they get a legitimate reason to enter Iwagakure?
Ren knew where Orochimaru was.
But he couldn't just say that.
The Land of Earth was vast—searching blindly was impossible.
"…Looks like I'll have to convince Jiraiya."
Ren narrowed his eyes. He already knew how to proceed.
"Hey, kid. Why aren't you resting at this hour?"
Jiraiya's voice suddenly sounded behind him.
"Even if someone's on watch, a shadow clone would do. There's no fighting expected right now—rest is experience talking."
"Aren't you awake too, Jiraiya-sama?" Ren replied casually, dropping the 'captain' title.
"And if we're talking age, you're the oldest one here. You should be resting the most."
"Tch. You're really not cute at all."
Jiraiya clicked his tongue and sat down beside him.
"Fine. Say whatever you want. You are Tsunade's disciple after all.
But Ren—there's one thing I want to ask you."
"About the intelligence?" Ren guessed.
After a brief pause, he spoke seriously.
"The intel is reliable. You don't need to worry about that. You reviewed Akatsuki's information before we set out, didn't you?"
"They've gathered inside Iwagakure."
"Now tell me—do you remember any powerful missing-nin from Iwa who'd dare stay in the Land of Earth?"
"…No."
"Exactly. Which means there's only one person they could be after."
Jiraiya sighed.
"…Orochimaru."
It wasn't an answer he wanted—but it was the only one that made sense.
Ōnoki wasn't Jiraiya's teacher. When it came to missing-nin, the Tsuchikage either tolerated them without limits—
or erased them completely, leaving no trace behind.
"There really are too many headaches this time…"
Jiraiya rubbed his forehead.
"Orochimaru running to Iwa's territory… Ōnoki isn't exactly mild-tempered. And tracking him won't be easy either.
That old man really dumped a mess on me."
The Land of Earth was massive, and even Ren's intelligence could only be considered directional, not precise.
Akatsuki.
Orochimaru.
Iwagakure.
Any one of them would be a problem. Together, it was a nightmare.
"It's actually simple," Ren said calmly.
Jiraiya looked at him in surprise as Ren smiled faintly.
"Orochimaru is here because Ōnoki and Konoha aren't exactly on good terms right now."
That's because you kidnapped his son, Jiraiya thought—but he kept listening.
"With that context, hiding in Iwa to avoid Konoha makes perfect sense."
Ren shrugged, gazing toward the distant outline of Iwagakure.
"Who knows—Ōnoki might have even hired Orochimaru, offering protection in exchange for services."
"…That's—"
Jiraiya froze.
As ridiculous as it sounded—
It was absolutely something Ōnoki would do.
That old man had no moral bottom line. He'd hired all kinds of shady organizations before to eliminate threats.
And given how sour relations with Konoha were lately, employing Orochimaru just to spite them?
Entirely plausible.
"Of course, this is only speculation," Ren continued calmly.
"But Akatsuki's actions seem to support it."
"Iwagakure frequently hires Akatsuki. They might already have intelligence channels inside the village."
"That would explain why Akatsuki knows Orochimaru is here."
"So if we want answers, we might have to—"
"Infiltrate Iwagakure?" Jiraiya blurted out.
Ren widened his eyes in exaggerated surprise, then nodded enthusiastically.
"Exactly! Why didn't I think of that?"
"I was considering capturing a few Iwa shinobi for interrogation. But your plan is better—extreme, yes, but perfect!"
"…?"
Jiraiya stared at him.
Wasn't this the answer you guided me toward?!
"Well," Ren nodded seriously, "as the saying goes—if you don't enter the tiger's den, you won't catch the cub."
"Jiraiya-sama truly lives up to the title of Legendary Sannin. I know what to do next."
"Hold it."
Jiraiya raised a hand.
"I feel like I've been dragged along without realizing it."
He thought hard—but couldn't find a better option.
"…Fine. I'll scout first."
"You all wait here. If things go wrong—"
"Captain Jiraiya, we'll follow your orders."
Ren immediately switched titles, nodding respectfully—and handed him a kunai.
"Please keep this. If you succeed, or if you run into trouble, just channel chakra into it."
"I'll be waiting for your good news."
Jiraiya took the kunai, unease creeping up his spine.
Why does this feel like a trap…?
Elsewhere, outside Iwagakure, among stone pillars—
Sasori glanced at the assembled group and clicked his tongue.
"This mission is annoying. So what now?"
"The Land of Earth is huge," Biwa Jūzō added. "Finding Orochimaru won't be easy."
"This mission is under your command, Kakuzu," Konan said softly.
She felt Nagato was overcommitting. Orochimaru was dangerous, but did he really warrant this many members?
Still—Nagato was her last remaining friend.
She would support him.
"Our intel says Orochimaru has appeared inside Iwagakure," Kakuzu said gravely.
"…Inside the village?" Sasori frowned.
"That's troublesome."
"Did Ōnoki hire him?" Konan muttered.
"It fits his style."
Regardless of the difficulty, retreat wasn't an option.
"Then we'll infiltrate," Konan decided.
"Let's hope your intel is accurate, Kakuzu."
Kakuzu nodded stiffly, silently cursing Ren again.
This money is really burning my hands…
Morning came.
When Ren told the team that Jiraiya had infiltrated Iwagakure alone, Yūgao and Tenzo were stunned.
Shisui and Kakashi exchanged looks.
This felt… familiar.
Illegal infiltration.
High-risk intel gathering.
Exactly Ren's style.
"Now what?" Tenzo asked. "Do we follow him in?"
"In my opinion—yes," Ren said without hesitation.
"If Jiraiya-sama runs into Orochimaru, Iwa, or Akatsuki alone, that's too dangerous."
"We're a team. We go in together—and we leave together."
Kakashi resisted the urge to say:
Why didn't you just knock him out and teleport him back?
Still, Ren wasn't wrong.
"Any plan?" Shisui asked directly.
"Simple."
Ren handed out several Flying Thunder God kunai.
"We split up. Create disturbances. Cover Jiraiya-sama's movements."
"Disturbances?" Yūgao frowned.
"Not sabotage," Ren corrected quickly.
"Just… chaos."
"Our goal isn't to fight Iwa. It's to draw attention."
"And if things escalate—our priority is extraction."
Everyone nodded.
Looking at them, Ren smiled faintly.
"This mission should go smoothly."
Night fell over Iwagakure.
Hidden among stone spires, Yakushi Nono observed her target.
This was her final mission. Complete it—and she could return to Konoha.
Then I can see Kabuto… and Ren again.
Guilt weighed heavily on her heart.
Both children had entered Root because of her.
She had to make it right.
Time passed.
Her target appeared.
A teenage boy—fifteen or sixteen at most.
"…Is this the fate of shinobi…"
She waited for the perfect moment.
Unbeknownst to her—
Someone else was watching.
Orochimaru folded his arms, eyes gleaming.
"One of them will break."
"And the survivor… will be mine."
Then—
Something felt wrong.
Elsewhere in Iwagakure—
Jiraiya crept through empty streets, scalp prickling.
Curfew. No civilians. No cover.
"This place is awful…"
Suddenly, the toads sensed it.
"Strange chakra… unfamiliar… strong."
Jiraiya frowned.
"Let's check it out."
He followed the trail—
Straight into a stone forest.
And froze.
A white-robed figure stood before him.
"…Orochimaru."
"So you really are here."
Their eyes met.
Silence fell.
High above—
Kabuto waited.
Then chaos erupted.
Stone shattered.
A colossal serpent roared.
And as Yakushi Nono descended with killing intent—
A masked ANBU appeared in a flash.
Wood erupted from the ground, binding her completely.
"Wood Release…?!"
Despair filled her eyes—
Until the mask was removed.
A familiar face smiled gently.
"Long time no see, Director."
"…Ren?"
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon -> patreon.com/lucarioTL