Orochimaru felt incredibly unlucky. He couldn't even remember the last time he was beaten so badly.

But his current situation was truly awful. Not only did Manda die right in front of him, but his body had also collapsed.

Left with no choice, he could only perform Reanimation Jutsu.

"Orochimaru-sama."

In the underground laboratory of Otogakure, Kimimaro helped Orochimaru unwrap the bandages from his body while speaking remorsefully.

"I'm sorry, not only was I unable to assist you, but I also failed to become your vessel."

"This isn't the time for that. Has Kabuto's message arrived?"Orochimaru's voice was a bit low.

Kimimaro hesitated, then nodded. "Yes, Orochimaru-sama, not only Kabuto's, but also a message from Konoha."

"Tell me."

"A message was sent from Konoha, unsigned. It only asked if you had gone to the Land of Wind and to be wary of Konoha's reaction."

"Heh heh..."

Hearing this news, Orochimaru sneered. He knew this information was from Danzo, but he no longer trusted Danzo.

"As for Kabuto, his intelligence indicates that Konoha seems to have reached a cooperative agreement with Sunagakure, but he couldn't ascertain the specifics."

"Besides that?"

"Besides that, everyone outside believes that you, Orochimaru-sama, attempted to steal the treasure of the Land of Wind, which led to a massive explosion and caused a tragedy. Both Sunagakure and Konoha have issued a warrant for your arrest."

"..."

Hearing this, Orochimaru fell silent.

He didn't care about being wanted. He'd been wanted by Konoha for so many years without a problem.

But he realized something. He seemed to have been framed for someone else's crime?

Was this really his doing?

"Orochimaru-sama, what's wrong? Are you alright?" Kimimaro watched Orochimaru fall silent and asked in a low voice.

Orochimaru instinctively licked his lips amd said, "I'm fine, I've just made some decisions."

Orochimaru could still feel the discomfort from his body and soul.

This Reanimation was completed prematurely, which was a torment for him, but he had no other choice.

Fortunately, he had already made up his mind. He was truly seething with rage now.

"Kimimaro, send a message to Kabuto. Tell him to investigate the Konoha Chunin Exams next year and to start preparing in advance."

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama."

Kimimaro didn't ask further. He nodded and immediately went to prepare the message.

Orochimaru sat in place, recalling Takemi's words. Ever since Jiraiya had blocked his way in the Land of Hot Water, his fists had been clenched tight.

He was never a good-tempered person. Being set up like this, he couldn't pretend nothing had happened.

What he wanted to do now was take revenge! However, he quickly thought of the young man he had fought.

"Takemi is truly not simple. How are his abilities so similar to Pain's techniques?"

"And that Chakra explosion was also caused by him. This young man..."

"He hides his true strength very well!"

Orochimaru was silently plotting something, while in the Land of Rivers, Kakashi, Guy, and Takemi had finally embarked on their journey home.

"Finally, it's time to go back."

"Speaking of which, the Akatsuki's actions this time were a bit strange."

After Guy left the Land of Wind and no Anbu followed him, he began to speak freely.

"Although they were still incredibly troublesome, they felt less problematic than I had imagined."

"Perhaps their main focus was on the treasure in Rōran."

Kakashi had recovered quite well. He thought for a moment before speaking, "Of course, their performance was indeed abnormal, somewhat like they were testing us."

"Indeed."

Takemi had also noticed the anomaly early on. From what he saw in the anime, it took a long time for the Akatsuki to be targeted by Jiraiya.

After all, not everyone was like him, knowing all these miscellaneous pieces of information.

"The intelligence we received was a bit too simple, and at the same time, a bit too precise, as if it was intentionally given to us."

"Moreover, during this operation, I also discovered something: two units from Sunagakure and Kumogakure rushed in while Orochimaru and I were fighting."

"They attacked both Orochimaru and me simultaneously, indicating that their stance and objective were unusual. There's likely a big problem here."

He still remembered those guys who launched a death charge, but unfortunately, they arrived at the wrong time and ran to the wrong location.

Almost when the Tenseigan artillery roared down, they ran to the closest position, resulting in their complete annihilation.

"They're all dead, so let's not mention this matter."

Kakashi was quite vigilant. He pondered for a moment before speaking, "After we return, I will inform Hokage-sama. As for Sunagakure, since they haven't said anything themselves, we'll just pretend we don't know."

"Takemi, you must remember that besides our own comrades, we must be cautious of others, even allies."

"Yes, I know, Kakashi-sensei."

Takemi nodded. He understood these things without needing to be told.

After all, in the future, Sunagakure had openly violated the alliance agreement and attacked Konoha with Orochimaru.

"Indeed, visible betrayal isn't terrifying. What's truly terrifying is invisible betrayal." Takemi muttered casually.

This remark made Guy a bit curious, while Kakashi nodded thoughtfully.

"That's a very philosophical statement, but why did you think to say that?"

"Hmm, Uchiha..."

"..."

"Itachi!"

Seeing Kakashi's eyes about to roll, Takemi decisively blurted out the name 'Itachi'.

"That's right, who would have thought that he would do something like that? It's all invisible betrayal."

Guy, who was beside them, nodded upon hearing this, then looked full of curiosity.

"By the way, Kakashi, speaking of Uchiha, I just thought of something."

"Huh?"

"The dead last of our class, he had spiky hair, right? Could it have been Obito?"

"..."

Kakashi pressed his hand to his forehead. Guy was a bit face-blind and forgetful. He couldn't remember people he didn't frequently interact with.

And his good disciple, it seemed he had really been led astray by Jiraiya.

The three chatted and laughed along the way, and a few days later, they finally returned to Konoha.

"Takemi, do you want to come with us to report?"

Standing at the village entrance, Kakashi thoroughly checked his physical condition.

After confirming he didn't need to go to the hospital, he spoke, "Anyway, you're almost a Jonin, so getting used to it in advance isn't bad."

"Indeed, if nothing unexpected happens, this year's assessment should be conducted by Tsunade-sama or Jiraiya-sama."

Guy stroked his chin beside them, looking at Takemi and smiling.

"No matter who it is, I believe you can pass smoothly. Your promotion speed is rare!"

Becoming a Jonin just one year after graduating—such a thing might have happened in Konoha's history, but it was indeed very rare.

"Forget it, I'll just go back and rest."

However, after some thought, Takemi finally shook his head with a smile.

"Let's talk about it when I'm promoted. It won't be long anyway, so it's not bad to take some time off and be lazy."

"Then suit yourself."