Chapter 87 (Patreon)

At Konoha’s main gate, Kakashi and the members of Teams 8 and 10 held a brief strategy meeting.

The usual lazy look had vanished from Shikamaru’s eyes, replaced by complete seriousness.

“If this were only a simple search mission, the Fifth Hokage wouldn’t have needed to mobilize all of us. She certainly wouldn’t have assigned Kakashi-sensei as well,” he began. “With Mihawk’s strength and Hinata and Shino’s tracking abilities, Team 8 could have completed a mission like that on their own.”

Shikamaru paused before continuing in a heavier tone.

“So, even if it sounds pessimistic, we need to prepare ourselves for a difficult battle. Our enemies may include the shinobi of Otogakure, Orochimaru of the Legendary Sannin, and…”

His gaze settled deliberately on Kakashi.

“Uchiha Sasuke.”

“I’m guessing the Fifth Hokage gathered both teams with that possibility in mind.” Shikamaru’s expression grew even more solemn. “If Sasuke is there, I hope you won’t hold back against him, Kakashi-sensei.”

“Because I don’t want to see any of my comrades get hurt again.”

Among the Konoha Eleven, Naruto and Sakura were the only ones who still shared a particularly deep bond with Sasuke.

Even Ino, who had once competed endlessly with Sakura over him, had long since outgrown her childhood infatuation.

Shikamaru, however, had no fond feelings toward Sasuke at all.

The failed mission from years ago had happened because Sasuke had chosen to leave the village.

Had Orochimaru abducted him, that would have been another matter.

Instead, Sasuke had willingly defected to join Orochimaru, and the others had nearly been killed by the Sound Four while trying to bring him back.

Once was already more than enough.

Shikamaru would never allow his comrades to suffer because of Sasuke again.

“Yeah…” Kakashi nodded slightly after hearing him. “If he chooses to stand against us, I’ll handle him myself.”

Shikamaru lowered his head in acknowledgment before turning toward Shino, Hinata, and Ino.

“We’ll leave the search to the three of you. Shino’s insects will take the lead. If they lose the trail, Hinata will continue the search with her Byakugan. We can also use the same method as last time—my Shadow Possession Jutsu combined with Ino’s Mind Body Switch Technique.”

Once he had finished assigning their roles, Shikamaru turned toward Mihawk with a faint smile.

“I’ll leave sensing any enemies around us to you, Mihawk.”

Mihawk nodded.

“Leave it to me.”

Standing off to the side, Kakashi quietly watched Shikamaru take command of the team.

Mihawk made no attempt to compete for authority. Instead, he placed complete trust in Shikamaru’s judgment and willingly followed his plans.

Kakashi could not help feeling impressed.

With the two of them working together, their team truly possessed an exceptional combination of strength and strategy.

The Fifth Hokage had probably assigned Kakashi to the mission merely as an additional precaution.

Even without him, the combined strength of Teams 8 and 10 should have been enough to complete most difficult S-rank missions.

Once Shikamaru finished making the necessary arrangements, all seven shinobi moved out.

They passed through Konoha’s gates and disappeared into the distance.

According to the intelligence transmitted by the ANBU, Orochimaru’s hideout was located somewhere in the Land of Rice Fields.

When shinobi used the Body Flicker Technique purely for travel, they could move at extraordinary speed. In a little over a day, an experienced team could cross all the way from the Land of Fire to the Land of Wind.

Even so, the Land of Rice Fields was still some distance away, and reaching it required time.

They continued travelling throughout the night.

Shortly after two in the morning, Mihawk and the others finally entered the territory of the Land of Rice Fields.

A dense forest stretched out before them.

The seven shinobi landed atop the branches of a towering tree.

Shino withdrew one hand from his pocket. Countless tiny black insects crawled across the back of it as he spoke in his usual emotionless voice.

“I’ll release a large number of kikaichū. They’ll search for the strongest chakra signature within a one-kilometre radius.”

Shikamaru removed a map from his pack and pointed to a location he had marked before leaving the village.

“Based on the intelligence the ANBU sent back, I considered dozens of possible locations for Orochimaru’s hideout. This area has the highest probability.”

His expression remained grave.

“But don’t relax just because we’ve reached the most likely location. There’s an extremely high chance that the ANBU unit was killed. The Fifth Hokage also said that Orochimaru is approaching the time when he needs to transfer into a new body. This should be when he’s at his weakest.”

“If his hideout was discovered, he would most likely do one of two things. Either he abandoned it and relocated, or he remained behind and prepared an ambush for anyone sent to investigate.”

Shikamaru folded the map and returned it to his pack.

“If it’s the first possibility, then we’ve only wasted some time. But if it’s the second, then they’ll be waiting with the intention of killing us. No one should lower their guard.”

Aside from Mihawk, everyone present—including Kakashi—wore solemn expressions after hearing his warning.

A moment later, all seven of them leapt forward and disappeared into the depths of the forest.

Half an hour later, they discovered the entrance to Orochimaru’s underground hideout.

No one entered immediately.

Instead, Shikamaru turned his attention toward Mihawk.

Mihawk spread his Observation Haki through the structure before speaking calmly.

“There’s no need to search inside. I can’t sense anyone in there.”

“It looks like they relocated.”

Shikamaru did not appear disappointed. On the contrary, he released a quiet breath of relief before turning toward Kakashi.

“Kakashi-sensei, we’ve found Orochimaru’s hideout, and the worst-case scenario didn’t happen. What do we do now? Withdraw or continue investigating?”

Their assigned mission had been to locate Orochimaru’s stronghold.

They had found it, but the occupants had already abandoned the place.

Depending on how one looked at it, the mission could be considered either a success or a failure.

Shikamaru was responsible for developing their strategy, but Kakashi remained the official captain and held the authority to decide their next move.

Kakashi considered the situation for several seconds before turning toward Shino.

“Shino, send your insects inside. See whether they can find any scents or traces left behind by the people who were here.”

“Understood.”

Shino nodded and raised his hand slightly.

Tens of thousands of insects surged forward in a dense black swarm, pouring through the entrance like a cloud of locusts.

Nearly two minutes passed before Shino spoke again.

A faint tremor entered his normally composed voice.

“The lower levels are filled with corpses.”

Everyone’s expression shifted.

“But…” Shino continued, “fortunately, my insects also found several scents that don’t belong to the dead.”

Shikamaru grinned and patted Mihawk, who had raised his head toward the sky.

“Looks like this mission isn’t over yet.”

Mihawk frowned slightly.

“The air is heavy with moisture. A downpour will begin soon.”

The moment those words left his mouth, the expressions of Kakashi and the others changed slightly.

Screech—

At that moment, several bats flew over their heads.

Mihawk’s eyes narrowed.

“Shino, have some of your insects memorize their scent. We’ll find shelter from the rain first.”

“Yes.”

Compared to Kakashi and Shikamaru, Shino had known Mihawk far longer. He trusted Mihawk’s judgment without hesitation.

Whoosh!

Just as Mihawk had predicted, less than half an hour later, torrential rain began pouring over the forest.