Naruto: The Hidden Shadow Style

"Did I end up in another mess again?" Haseo stared at the training field where someone had just stood, now eerily empty. A moment of stunned silence passed before he realized he might've dragged himself into another problem... As someone who had witnessed Jiraiya's reckless self-destruction from start to finish, the question was—would Haseo be held responsible for the other's recklessness?

Apparently... it wasn't easy to say.

Firstly, though Haseo believed Jiraiya had just gone to his destined place—Mount Myoboku—his reasoning couldn't be explained rationally to anyone else. In other words, when reporting to the Hokage, he'd have to play it safe and just say Jiraiya's whereabouts were unknown—or else he'd be in even deeper trouble.

Secondly, even Haseo himself couldn't be completely certain that Jiraiya had really arrived at Mount Myoboku. Since this kind of spatial teleportation was so random, there was no guarantee Jiraiya hadn't ended up in Ryuchi Cave instead. And if they considered the worst-case scenarios, there was even a chance Jiraiya was already dead—and that possibility looked the most likely.

At this point, all Haseo could do was hope Jiraiya's luck held out.

Fate was a nebulous concept. Honestly speaking, Haseo didn't truly believe in it. Yet somehow, when applied to Jiraiya, it seemed to carry unique persuasive power. "'The prophesied guide to the world-changer'—this label clung to Jiraiya." But was this an inborn destiny tied to his life since birth, or had Jiraiya become that way only after receiving the prophecy from the Toad Sage? The truth remained unclear to everyone.

Thinking about it, Haseo suddenly gave a bitter chuckle. Lately, his way of thinking had grown too deeply immersed in this world. It was natural, admittedly, for someone living here to change their perspective—it was a universal issue among transmigrators adapting to locals. He should blend into this world, but he must never fully surrender to it... That wouldn't be good. At the very least, he couldn't afford to lose the outsider's perspective that allowed him to rise above and look down upon everything here.

"Just as the space portal opened, I felt like the aura on the other side was somewhat familiar," Katsuyu, still half-asleep, climbed onto Haseo's shoulder and whispered softly into his ear.

"You say familiar?" Haseo shook his head. Unless Katsuyu could definitively confirm the other side led directly to Mount Myoboku, such an ambiguous response meant nothing at all.

But Katsuyu was only a summoned beast from Shikkotsu Forest. Even if fully awake, she probably wouldn't know the exact spatial coordinates of Mount Myoboku... unless there was a hidden link between the Three Secret Regions.

"In any case, we should report this to the Hokage as soon as possible," Haseo continued. Since he'd personally witnessed what happened with Jiraiya, he couldn't pretend he saw nothing. Therefore, he had no choice but to inform the Hokage about it, leaving all further decisions to the latter's judgment.

At this moment, the Third Hokage should have been receiving the envoy from the Uzumaki Clan. This was a rather serious diplomatic event, and generally speaking, one shouldn't interrupt such affairs. However, news concerning Jiraiya's life or death probably didn't count as "routine business," right?

Haseo quickly left the training field, heading toward where the Hokage should be. The catch was that he currently had no idea exactly where the Hokage was. He first went to the Hokage Office but found it unusually quiet—hardly the atmosphere of an ongoing reception. By inquiring among the ninjas there, Haseo confirmed the Hokage wasn't actually inside.

At this point, the first person Haseo thought of was Sansho-sensei. Naturally, she would know the Hokage's whereabouts. But whether it was Sansho or Tsunade, people like them who were related to the Senju and Uzumaki Clans should currently be together with the Hokage and the Uzumaki envoys—and therefore unreachable as well. Thus, at this moment, the only person Haseo could turn to was... Orochimaru.

Luckily, Haseo knew where Orochimaru lived.

When Haseo finally located Orochimaru's residence and knocked on his door, the door opened just slightly, leaving only a narrow gap.

"Who is it?" Orochimaru's somewhat muffled voice came from within.

Looking through the gap in the door, Haseo saw that the other man's face was covered by a thick towel, revealing only his eyes. At the same time, a strange and pungent smell emanated from inside Orochimaru's room.

Haseo immediately understood—it seemed this wasn't the only place where someone had been working hard during the New Year period. Here was another individual fanatically devoted to various dangerous biochemical experiments.

"It's me. I've got an emergency situation, Orochimaru. You know where the Third Hokage is now, right?"

"Mm, today the Third has to meet the envoy from the Uzumaki Clan. The Hokage, the Uzumaki members here in Konoha, and even Tsunade will all be there... they're gathered at the Sarutobi Clan estate." Orochimaru had originally looked wary, but upon recognizing Haseo outside the door, his suspicion eased somewhat—though not completely.

"That's perfect. Then you come with me—we need to report something urgent to the Hokage." Haseo said.

No wonder I couldn't find the Third. Turns out he's at his clan estate. That was kind of weird. The Uzumaki were here on an official diplomatic visit, so why host them at the Sarutobi estate instead of the Hokage Office? It probably meant things were getting more personal between both sides.

"Another report to the Hokage? Is it really that urgent?" Orochimaru glanced behind himself, seemingly unwilling to interrupt his ongoing experiment… Hmm, why did he say "another"?

"It is urgent," Haseo nodded. "To put it simply—if you don't come out willingly, I'll kick down this door and drag you out."

He stood his ground with unwavering determination. Orochimaru's pupils slightly contracted. Was he the kind of person who would easily yield under pressure and threats?

So, Orochimaru took off his headband and slipped out through the ten-centimeter-wide crack he had opened, just like a gecko.

Then he quickly bolted the door shut behind him.

At the moment, Orochimaru couldn't defeat Haseo, so he was playing along nicely.

But his transparent attempt at secrecy—acting like nothing was off—made it clear something fishy was going on in that room. Haseo's eye started twitching. That guy was totally up to no good—and obviously didn't want anyone finding out.

But this wasn't the time to dwell on it.

After leaving home, Orochimaru led Haseo through a maze of twisting alleys and narrow lanes until they reached Sarutobi's residence. Thanks to his well-known charisma, he got them both inside without a problem.

And only after Haseo reported everything to the Hokage did Orochimaru learn that his beloved frenemy had actually gone MIA—when just earlier, they'd promised each other they'd fly side by side…

Hmm... Anyway, at that very moment, the Hokage's face turned instantly serious.

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