Orochimaru looked at Akane and Tsunade, who opened their eyes one after another. He didn't say anything, but he noticed that Tsunade's mood wasn't as heavy as before.
In fact, she had a smile on her face, which shouldn't have been there as per the situation. He knew she didn't like the situation of leaving the Konoha ninjas behind, but now, it was as if the worry and guilt had evaporated away.
'This is something I am curious about. Asking is an option, but it would be more interesting to find it on my own.'
Orochimaru inwardly laughed as he thought of finding the reason on his own, and then the look of surprise on their face when they would get to know from him.
But he didn't know that even if he tried his best, it would be impossible for Orochimaru to even think of an ability like Dream Manipulation.
"Ready to move?" Orochimaru asked Akane and Tsunade, who nodded at him. Akane used Kagura's Mind Eye to look around, and he noticed that Orochimaru was happy for some reason.
'Weird Snake. Is he happy that the mission is complete? Or is he happy about the performance? Tsk, even if I can read about others, I don't think I will ever be able to understand how Orochimaru thinks.'
Akane decided to not think much about Orochimaru, and he followed Orochimaru to the Land of Rain.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
The rain didn't stop.
Sheets of grey mist shrouded the land as Hanzo moved silently through the dense undergrowth. Behind him, two of the three Jonin-level subordinates followed, their previous injuries hastily patched but still fresh. One had been sent back to report and coordinate reinforcements.
They had been walking without pause, following the faintest chakra signatures, confused, dim, weak like dying candle flames.
At last, Hanzo raised a hand.
"…Here."
Nestled between steep cliffs and broken pines, a few bodies sat hunched under a makeshift rock canopy. Burnt, bandaged, barely conscious, were Konoha ninja, survivors.
Or so it seemed.
One of them stirred, coughing weakly. A forehead protector slipped slightly to reveal a half-burned Konoha insignia.
"You are… Rain?" he rasped.
Hanzo didn't answer. He simply stepped forward, eyes narrowing behind his mask.
Something was off.
His foot slid an inch in the mud. He crouched and touched it. A sealing tag, half-submerged beneath the earth, dissolved just as he brushed it.
His eyes widened a fraction. "Scatter."
BOOM.
A thunderous explosion ripped through the cliffside. Talismans embedded under the ground, in the rocks, and even inside the bodies of the so-called "survivors" detonated simultaneously.
Two of the fake survivors exploded into white substances, Zetsu clones, triggering a domino wave of explosive chakra. One of the Jonin managed to raise a barrier just in time, while the other was flung against a boulder and crushed instantly. Blood sprayed across the moss-covered wall as the air crackled and rang with residual chakra pressure.
Smoke choked the air.
The rain sizzled as it touched the heat-blasted ground.
Hanzo emerged slowly from the epicentre, his cloak partially torn, a long gash across his side leaking blood. He looked down at the crater, at the burned remains of the "camp" that never was.
"Suicide?"
His remaining subordinate limped to his side, silent. No orders were needed. Both understood what had happened.
A deception.
A trap.
And a warning.
Hanzo's fists clenched, the rain soaking his gloves.
"These weren't normal ninjas," he said coldly. "They had multiple contingency plans, and one goal, i.e. to mislead me, and they succeeded."
Elsewhere, deep in the Land of Rain.
Deep beneath a tangle of exposed roots and camouflaged cave entrances, Zetsu emerged from the earth, dragging several unconscious real Konoha survivors.
One of them groaned faintly, his eyes fluttering open, only to be swiftly engulfed in white tendrils.
Zetsu whispered coldly, "You're not going home yet. You'll live as outlaws, used for purpose, and rot quietly in the shadows."
The Konoha ninja's scream was muffled by Zetsu merging into his body, assuming control.
Within an hour, three surviving Konoha ninjas, now fully possessed by Zetsu clones, would now live as rogue ninjas in hidden Rain slums, bitter, reclusive, and angry. Their names would remain, but their minds were buried.
Back at the blast site, Hanzo stood with his eyes narrowed, his wound already healing. He was lost in thought of the situation that had happened.
'First, they misled my squad.'
'Then, they baited us into a trap that exploded using high-level coordination and chakra-synced talismans.'
'And finally... they leave no trace. Not even a sliver of identity.'
He paused.
"But… they left behind just enough for me to chase."
He looked at the ash-stained Konoha headband, half-melted but intact. His fingers brushed it once.
"These aren't ordinary Konoha ninja. Either ANBU… or something more dangerous."
Meanwhile, somewhere underground in the Land of Rain.
A large, flower-like pod pulsed deep within the hollow chamber where Madara Uchiha sat, his form old and frail yet brimming with hatred.
His Sharingan gleamed faintly. Black Zetsu emerged from the wall like a shadow given flesh and whispered everything.
"…They retreated the moment Hanzo showed overwhelming force. The boy chose survival."
Madara's lip curled faintly.
"So, he runs, hides and uses the Konoha Ninjas to die in his place."
"Clever... but cowardly."
"Let him scheme. Let him build his little games."
The old man closed his eyes, breath thin and rattling.
"In the end, children don't shape the world."
"…They will only burn in the fire that men like me ignite."
Besides Madara, Black Zetsu inwardly snickered since he knew how deep in hell Madara was. Let's not mention him, who has been manipulating Madara for years, a boy who wasn't even fully adult had already fooled him, and Madara had been dancing in their palms from the start.
'Still, that boy's abilities are very good. He is neither arrogant like Indra nor a fool like Ashura, and the good thing is that he is on the same side as Mother. With his help, I was able to communicate with Mother without unsealing her and get her forgiveness for not being able to unseal her for a thousand years.'
'But soon, that boy's abilities will hit a limit. His bloodline is very thin, and even if he is an Uzumaki, implanting Doujutsu like Sharingan or Byakugan wouldn't help him at all.'
'The only way is to seal a Bijuu inside his body like that old woman, and with him being an Uzumaki, he would be able to take control of it.'
'Should I look for one? No, I will discuss it with Mother and listen to her words.'
Black Zetsu thought and he decided to contact Akane later. With his help, he wanted to have a contact with his mother to ask for her opinion.
After all, Kaguya had told him that if he was going to make a decision regarding Akane, it would be better to contact her first. For if he made a decision that she didn't like, it would be bad for him, really bad.
As Zetsu thought of it, he remembered the look in Kaguya's eyes when she said those words, and he knew if he did something that would harm Akane, his death would be the least of his worries.