Naruto: Hatake's No Misfortune

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"Don't worry, Orochimaru-sensei."

Muzan remained calm as he considered Orochimaru's assistance. Even if Muzan charged in recklessly, he wasn't too concerned—an explosive tag couldn't kill him. However, he still needed Orochimaru's help for the mission involving Pakura. Handing Orochimaru the letter he had been carrying, Muzan awaited his sensei's response.

"What does the Third Hokage mean by this?" Orochimaru asked as he scanned the letter.

There were many ways to sabotage the meeting between Pakura and Kirigakure. The simplest was to kill her, but that wasn't the plan here.

Orochimaru had heard of Pakura, the famous Scorch Release user from Sunagakure. She was no Kage, but she was an elite Jonin with a dangerous reputation.

"She's strong, even if not at the Kage-level. Assassinating her would be costly. If the Third Hokage assigned this mission to you, it's likely that he wants her alive."

"And I've heard that the Fourth Kazekage doesn't see eye to eye with Pakura. You might want to start with that."

Despite the tension between Konoha and Sunagakure, open conflict wasn't ideal. Muzan's strength wasn't in question—his strategic mind was. He could derail this meeting without bloodshed.

"I understand," Muzan nodded. His goal wasn't to eliminate Pakura but to use her for his plans.

"I'll need a way to get to Yagura as well," Muzan added, knowing Orochimaru would have the resources to assist him in that endeavor too.

The plotlines had shifted, and Muzan wasn't sure if Sunagakure intended to betray Pakura or form a true alliance with Kirigakure. Uchiha Madara needed the world to descend into chaos, but so far, Kumogakure had failed to stir up enough trouble. Even worse, they were being pushed back, affecting the broader war's progression.

Just a small incident could push the story in unpredictable directions. Relying solely on the original plot wasn't enough. Muzan needed to make calculated changes.

"Whatever you need, I'll have it ready," Orochimaru said. With his resources, preparing for anything involving Sunagakure and Kirigakure was a priority. And if worst came to worst, eliminating Pakura was always an option.

"I just need her exact location and time of departure," Muzan said, already formulating his plan. It wasn't time for open war with Sunagakure—not yet.

Conflicts outside the camp were frequent, usually instigated by Kumogakure. The alliance with Sunagakure was fragile, and leading it was the Third Raikage, a man known as the strongest spear and shield. Even Orochimaru had to be cautious when dealing with him.

The last time they clashed, the Third Raikage had severed one of Orochimaru's arms. Although Orochimaru could regenerate or replace a limb, the Raikage's raw power was undeniable.

At least in a direct confrontation, the Raikage was stronger. As for other strategies, Orochimaru could always find a way to counter, but the chaotic nature of battle had prevented him from targeting the Raikage more precisely.

Leaving Orochimaru's tent, Muzan faced the harsh sunlight of the Gobi Desert. The intense light was almost unbearable.

"I have some loose ends to tie up," Muzan murmured.

Sensing someone watching him, he glanced around. Konoha's ANBU were present in the camp, though their masks were off to blend in with the regular shinobi. Even among comrades, ANBU identities were kept secret.

"Yamanosatsu," Muzan whispered.

From the shadows, Yamanosatsu, one of Danzo's men, approached. Muzan wasn't surprised—Root agents were always nearby.

"Sir," Yamanosatsu greeted, his loyalty evident.

"Is Danzo planning to have you assassinate me?" Muzan asked. This was his real concern—whether he was being used as bait to draw out threats.

"No, sir. Danzo ordered us to protect you, even at the cost of our lives," Yamanosatsu replied.

Muzan blinked. "What?"

He had been preparing a plan to eliminate the Root agents, but now he was confused by Yamanosatsu's answer.

"They're not here to kill me?"

Reflecting on Danzo's words, Muzan realized that Danzo truly wanted him to succeed as the next leader of Root.

"It seems he wasn't joking after all," Muzan thought, his paranoia beginning to subside.

With the Root agents as his guards, Muzan could focus on his plans. Moreover, Pakura was a strong shinobi—if real danger arose, these Root agents would be the first to engage.

"Give me a list of their names, and prepare to follow me soon," Muzan commanded. He needed to separate the Root agents from the ANBU.

"As you wish," Yamanosatsu said, though he hesitated for a moment.

"Something else?" Muzan asked, noticing the hesitation.

"Sir... my body... it's changing."

Yamanosatsu opened his shirt, revealing his torso covered in eyes—eyes that seemed to multiply daily.

Muzan stared, intrigued. Yamanosatsu's body was no longer human.

"It's normal. You're no longer human. These eyes are likely a manifestation of your Blood Demon Art. What's your ability?" Muzan asked, curious about the power developing within Yamanosatsu.

"My Blood Demon Art is the Magic Eye—it grants me the ability to foresee my opponent's next move," Yamanosatsu said, his body now fully covered in eyes, each one spinning and analyzing the surroundings.

"It heightens my perception. In battle, I can predict an enemy's actions before they make them."

Muzan smiled. Yamanosatsu's ability resembled that of Akaza, one of the Twelve Kizuki. It was an auxiliary skill, but combined with Yamanosatsu's immortality, it made him a formidable asset.

"An excellent ability. It will serve you well, especially since you're skilled in taijutsu. Combined with your physical prowess, you'll be nearly unbeatable in close combat."

With Yamanosatsu by his side, Muzan felt more confident in his upcoming plans. His next experiment would be to transform a member of the Hyuga clan—someone with the Byakugan might awaken an even stronger sensory Blood Demon Art.

"Now, I need you to help me find some children's clothes," Muzan said, his next plan taking shape.

"Understood!" Yamanosatsu replied without hesitation.

Muzan had an idea in mind—disguising himself as a child would allow him to get closer to Pakura undetected.

Orochimaru sent people to monitor the area around Sunagakure. After a few days of investigation, he finally gained insight into the situation.

Pakura had indeed left the village. Following her route, she first traversed a desert and arrived at a port city near the Land of Rivers.

From there, one could take a boat to the Land of Water.

Reviewing the information in his hands, Orochimaru began eliminating uncertain factors.

This mission was led by Muzan and was secretly followed by ANBU.

The matter involved Muzan's identity. As the son of Hatake Sakumo, Muzan bore the burden of his father's history—Sakumo had killed Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law, leaving a deep hatred that extended to Muzan.

Considering Chiyo's status in Sunagakure, there could be a major conflict if Muzan encountered Sunagakure or Kumogakure shinobi.

In a rare display of concern, Orochimaru spoke to Muzan privately:

"If something goes wrong in the mission, you can terminate it and return immediately. The ANBU protecting you will take over and continue the assassination."

Orochimaru knew that ANBU were secretly protecting Muzan. Not informing him could have caused misunderstandings.

The role of ANBU was to protect him from enemy attacks while remaining hidden.

"Sensei, you're worrying too much. Not many people recognize my face," Muzan said, removing his hat to reveal a pale face, though his scarlet eyes still burned brightly.

Years of war had altered Muzan's appearance, making him nearly unrecognizable even to Orochimaru.

Under his black robe, Muzan, usually gentle, appeared cold and arrogant.

"That puts me at ease," Orochimaru began, about to urge caution, but Muzan interrupted.

"One more thing," Muzan said, sharing the promise made by the Third Hokage when he returned to the village. For destroying a Kumogakure troop, he was rewarded with the opportunity to learn an S-rank jutsu.

However, Muzan hadn't chosen from the jutsu scroll because there was nothing there he desired.

"I want to learn senjutsu."

This request stumped Orochimaru. Despite his genius, there was one thing he hadn't mastered—Sage Mode.

Orochimaru himself couldn't enter Sage Mode.

Seeing Muzan's determination, Orochimaru hesitated before saying:

"I can't teach you Sage Mode right now. If it's purely senjutsu chakra you seek, you might be able to transplant some of a sage's cells."

At this point, the technology was still underdeveloped, and Orochimaru didn't want to experiment on his disciple.

Admitting this made him feel inadequate. Orochimaru thought of someone—the only one among them who could use senjutsu.

"If you meet Jiraiya, you can ask him for senjutsu. With the S-rank reward from the Third Hokage, and if I intercede, he might agree to teach you."

In this area, both Tsunade and Orochimaru fell short of Jiraiya. The latter could use senjutsu and had even surpassed Tsunade and Orochimaru with the help of the two toad sages.

"Does that include the toads?" Muzan asked. He had researched senjutsu and knew that different forms of it offered different benefits.

The toads of Mount Myoboku focused on enhancing physical strength and recovery, but to Muzan, this wasn't enough.

The senjutsu of Ryuchi Cave, however, transformed its users into snakes, granting terrifying vitality, insight, and the ability to alter the combat environment.

Shikkotsu Forest's senjutsu was the most balanced and also the hardest to learn, emphasizing a harmony between internal and external forces.

If given a choice, Muzan would prefer Ryuchi Cave's senjutsu. Unfortunately, Orochimaru didn't control this power, and the research on the curse mark was still in its early stages.

"If I have the chance, I will visit them," Muzan said.

Orochimaru saw the same determination in Muzan's eyes that he once had. He knew that Muzan wouldn't give up until he achieved his goal.

But as a teacher, Orochimaru kindly reminded him:

"Senjutsu isn't as simple as you think. If you can't resist the natural energy at Mount Myoboku, you'll turn to stone."

"And you're already very powerful; you don't necessarily need senjutsu."

Orochimaru's words were meant to caution, but he knew that Muzan would make his own decision.

"Thank you, Orochimaru-sensei."

Muzan was determined to learn senjutsu.

For now, Myoboku's senjutsu would serve as an introduction to the art.

The concept of natural energy remained vague, but Muzan was committed to mastering it.

"If you really want to learn senjutsu, wait until after the war and do experiments with me," Orochimaru offered.

He already had ideas on how to absorb natural energy.

The curse mark could enhance one's power, and with enough time, he believed he could control this force.

In Orochimaru's view, the Sage Modes of the Three Great Sage Regions were nothing more than a gamble.

Only rigorous experiments would suffice, and Orochimaru, accustomed to the fragility of life, didn't want Muzan to take unnecessary risks.

"Thank you, sensei," Muzan said.

After bidding farewell to Orochimaru, Muzan set out to execute his plan.

Under the moonlight, the only things visible were his scarlet eyes and long silver hair.

Not far behind, a group of ANBU closely followed him. They wouldn't interfere with Muzan's choices but would act if he were in danger.

The leader of this group was Hatake Sakumo.

At this time, he had already demonstrated his prowess, and even a tiny grain of sand couldn't escape his notice.

The port city in the Land of Wind wasn't far from the Konoha camp, but as ninjas, they couldn't openly attack it.

The world of Naruto is a strange one—a world where strength surpasses even that of the Hokage, yet still must respect the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.

Likewise, ninjas couldn't openly attack cities under the Daimyo's jurisdiction, as it would spark a war between nations.

So, the city's inhabitants remained unaffected by the conflict.

However, when Muzan arrived, the city wasn't as picturesque as he had imagined.

"The Land of Wind is known as the poorest country," Muzan observed.

"Without any disrespect, its barren land and sparse population make the Land of Wind the weakest of the Five Great Nations."

It was more of a town than a city.

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