CHAPTER 77: CHAPTER 77: CLASH OF MISUNDERSTANDINGS

The ground cracked violently beneath them, sending dust and debris into the air.

Zeldris’s expression tensed—not from fear, but from recognition.

The others, however, were caught off guard.

"What the hell?!" Deidara blurted out, eyes wide. "Someone’s attacking?!"

Without hesitation, he tossed a ball of clay into the sky, his fingers flashing through a quick seal. In the blink of an eye, a giant clay bird burst forth, flapping its wings with power.

"Get on!" Deidara shouted.

No one argued. Zeldris, Scorpion, and Itachi leapt onto the bird as it ascended swiftly, just in time to avoid the forest of rock spikes that erupted beneath their previous position.

As the dust settled, a figure slowly stepped into view.

He was large and broad-shouldered, wearing the traditional Iwagakure hat. His most distinct feature—an unmistakably doughy nose.

Zeldris narrowed his eyes.

"Akatsuchi...?"

Indeed. The loyal bodyguard of the Third Tsuchikage. Deidara’s senior. Known across the shinobi world as the Tsuchikage’s Shield.

But why would he attack?

Before Zeldris could voice the question, another figure rushed onto the scene. Onoki—the Tsuchikage himself—hovered slightly above the ground, his expression shifting from confusion to barely concealed fury.

"What the hell is going on here?!" he snapped.

His eyes fell on the attacker—and froze.

"Akatsuchi?! What are you doing?! Stand down immediately!"

Akatsuchi blinked, clearly taken aback. "Lord Tsuchikage?! That’s Deidara, isn’t it? You told us to take him down on sight!"

"And who the hell are those guys with him?!"

Onoki’s face twisted into irritation. "Idiot! Use your brain! Do you see me attacking?!"

He bit back the rest of his words, glancing skyward with worry. If a fight broke out now—especially with someone like Zeldris involved—there might not be a Hidden Stone Village left to protect.

The last thing they needed was to provoke Zeldris and his group.

But what he saw next made his breath hitch.

Zeldris was floating in the air, staring down with calm detachment. But his eyes... they glowed with a faint, otherworldly purple.

Onoki’s heart skipped a beat.

"Those eyes... Rinnegan...?!"

He could barely believe it.

He had only heard of such power. And now, he was staring right at it.

What kind of person was this Zeldris?

In the air, Zeldris raised his hand. Pure white energy began to gather around his fingers—dense, bright, and overwhelming.

Itachi, Deidara, and Scorpion all turned slightly, brows furrowing.

"Wait... is he serious?" Deidara whispered.

"Is he going to attack Iwagakure...?"

Zeldris’s voice broke the silence like ice shattering.

"Old man Tsuchikage," he said evenly, "it seems your shinobi have forgotten their place."

The light in his palm intensified.

Onoki flinched. That energy—it was unlike anything he’d seen before. Not ninjutsu. Not chakra. Something else.

Panic set in. He couldn’t let this escalate.

"Wait!" Onoki shouted. "Deidara... when he left the village, I gave orders to attack him on sight. That order hasn’t been officially rescinded. It’s... it’s a misunderstanding!"

Zeldris’s hand remained raised.

But down below, both Akatsuchi and Deidara blinked in unison.

"What?!" they exclaimed.

Even Deidara was caught off guard. "That was still in effect?!"

And what surprised him even more—Onoki was explaining himself.

The old man never explains anything...

He would usually charge into a fight, no questions asked. And yet, here he was, apologizing. Almost pleading.

What the hell happened to him? Deidara thought, sneaking a glance at Zeldris.

He knew the answer.

Zeldris.

The guy was different. Dangerous. And clearly not someone to be trifled with.

Zeldris’s eyes lingered on Onoki for a moment longer. Then, with a small scoff, the white energy in his hand dissipated. He turned his gaze back to Deidara.

"Let’s go."

Deidara nodded wordlessly and steered the clay bird away from the village.

As they disappeared into the clouds, Onoki finally allowed himself to breathe.

That had been far too close.

Akatsuchi, still standing in confusion, turned toward his master.

"Lord Tsuchikage... what just happened?"

After Akatsuchi’s words fell, his eyes met Onoki’s. A long silence followed before he finally spoke again.

"Those men are mercenaries," Onoki said calmly. "They’ve been active across the ninja world. This time... I was the one who invited them."

Akatsuchi’s expression changed sharply. His voice rose in disbelief.

"You mean... that mercenary group led by the guy called Zeldris?!"

Onoki nodded slowly, letting out a tired sigh.

"Originally, I planned to hire them to help us capture Deidara," he admitted. "But I didn’t expect them to poach him right under our noses."

Akatsuchi’s fists clenched. His voice grew heavy with frustration.

"And you’re just going to let them take a genius from our Iwagakure like that?!"

Onoki’s face remained calm, almost indifferent.

"It doesn’t matter. Deidara’s heart was never here with us to begin with. Let him go."

He paused, eyes narrowing as he looked into the distance. His next words were quiet, but laced with deeper meaning.

"Besides... the real show is only just beginning."

Somewhere in midair...

Zeldris soared calmly through the clouds, returning to base. Sasori, flying just behind him, watched his back in silence before finally asking the question that had been weighing on his mind.

"Zeldris... are you really planning to head to the Hidden Cloud and assassinate the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki?"

He narrowed his eyes, concerned.

"From what I’ve heard, the Fourth Raikage is no pushover either. Isn’t that a bit too reckless?"

Uchiha Itachi, walking just ahead, subtly shifted his gaze toward Zeldris, intrigued.

Zeldris slowly opened his eyes.

"I do intend to visit the Hidden Cloud," he said flatly. "But not yet."

The three of them looked at him, puzzled by the vague response.

Zeldris turned his head, meeting their stares with a calm smirk.

"After all, Onoki isn’t the only one interested in the Eight-Tails."

His voice lowered.

"There’s still another bidder who hasn’t named his price yet."

Itachi’s expression didn’t change, but his mind had already drawn the connection. Sasori nodded slightly in realization.

"The masked man... the one collecting the Tailed Beasts."

Zeldris said nothing, but the silence spoke volumes.

Sasori folded his arms.

"So we just sell our strength to the highest bidder, then?"

Zeldris smiled and closed his eyes again, returning to his meditation. That was all the answer they needed.

Only Deidara seemed completely lost.

"Wait—wait a second. What are you even talking about?" he blurted. "Sponsors? Bids? Am I the only one completely out of the loop here?!"

"Someone answer me already! Hello?!"

A few months later...

The mercenary organization founded by Zeldris had flourished. Their influence had grown throughout the ninja world, and their presence was impossible to ignore.

Zeldris had finally given the group a formal name—[Shadow].

Today, the base was quiet. Most of the members were away handling contracts. Zeldris, as usual, had delegated the work.

He leaned back lazily in his seat, fingers loosely interlaced behind his head.

"Nothing too tricky lately. They can handle it themselves," he muttered. "I’ll just keep counting the money."

His thoughts drifted.

"It’s been a while since Orochimaru showed up... Is he really planning something during Konoha’s Chūnin Exams?"

The idea made sense—but Orochimaru had been silent for too long. Still, Zeldris wasn’t in a rush. He closed his eyes again, relaxing.

Suddenly, a faint rustle broke the silence.

His eyes snapped open, and he turned toward the sound.

A familiar presence approached.

His lips curled slightly.

"He really showed up at this moment? What perfect timing..."

From between the trees emerged a tall, slim figure with long black hair and golden snake-like eyes. His pale face wore a twisted smile.

Zeldris chuckled.

"Orochimaru. Took you long enough."

Orochimaru stepped into the clearing, his voice raspy as ever.

"Ah... Mr. Zeldris. It’s been quite a while."

He smiled wider.

"It’s time to begin our plan."

Zeldris raised a brow, arms still folded.

"I was beginning to think you were just messing with me," he said. "I almost forgot what you looked like."

Orochimaru let out a soft chuckle, eyes gleaming.

"You wound me, Mr. Zeldris. With the strength Shadow possesses now, I’d be a fool to toy with you."

He tilted his head, voice almost admiring.

"These days, just the mention of your group sends people into a panic."

Zeldris smirked faintly.

"Enough with the flattery. Let’s get to the point."

He met Orochimaru’s eyes squarely.

"What do you need from me?"

Orochimaru stepped closer, lowering his voice.

"As cold as ever, I see. Very well."

He leaned in.

"During the Chūnin Exams... all I need is for you to keep everyone else busy. Leave Sarutobi Hiruzen to me."

Hearing this, Zeldris raised an eyebrow, a hint of doubt flashing across his face.

"That’s it?!" he asked, voice tinged with disbelief.

"Just the two of us?!"

"What exactly is the plan?!"

Orochimaru chuckled darkly, his tone laced with amusement.

"Don’t be so impatient, Mr. Zeldris," he said, his golden eyes gleaming. "I wasn’t finished."

He let the silence hang for a moment before continuing.

"Of course, this operation isn’t just the two of us. I’ve already made arrangements with Sunagakure."

Zeldris blinked.

"Sunagakure?"

Orochimaru nodded, his smirk widening.

"In two days, the Fourth Kazekage himself will lead an assault on Konoha. Once the chaos begins, that’s your cue to move. You’ll step in to suppress the situation from within."

Zeldris’s expression twisted into something between irritation and surprise.

"You reached out to them?" he said, frowning. "You do remember the... history I have with Sunagakure, right?"

His voice sharpened.

"And you’re seriously placing your hopes on them—when they don’t even have their biggest weapon anymore? You’re counting on a village that’s already lost its Jinchūriki?"

There was a short pause as Zeldris thought back. Gaara—Sunagakure’s one-tailed Jinchūriki—had been taken by Shiroha. The only real power left in the village was the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.

Don’t tell me this bastard... is planning to target Rasa himself...?

Before he could voice that thought, Orochimaru’s raspy voice broke through his reflection.

"Of course I’m aware of all that," he said smoothly. "Sunagakure doesn’t even know about you being involved. So you don’t need to worry."

Zeldris narrowed his eyes, still not convinced.

"And as for why I reached out to them..." Orochimaru trailed off for a moment, his grin turning wicked.

"I have a personal interest in the Kazekage’s Kekkei Genkai. Gold Dust... such a curious technique, don’t you think?"

He let the words linger before adding coldly, "And Sunagakure still holds a grudge against Konoha because of you. I’m simply giving them a chance to act on it."

Zeldris was silent for a moment. He stared at Orochimaru, then slowly chuckled.

"So... that’s what you’re after."

His smile sharpened.

"In that case, let’s move on to the real topic, Orochimaru-san."

The pale man tilted his head. "Oh?"

Zeldris stepped forward, arms crossed, tone casual but firm.

"My price—500 million."

The silence that followed was deafening.

"...Five hundred million?" Orochimaru muttered, stunned.

His expression twitched as he tried to process the number. "You... what?"

His mind spun. Five hundred million?! He barely had two hundred million scraped together over the past two months—and most of that came from that stingy fossil Danzo.

Now this guy wanted more than double that?

Why not just rob the Daimyō while you’re at it?!

He bit the inside of his cheek, glaring at Zeldris, who only continued to smile like it was the most natural demand in the world.

Tch... damn it...

Looks like he’d have to wring more money out of that decrepit old man again.

Grinding his teeth, Orochimaru finally exhaled.

"Fine," he said flatly. "Deal."

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