Uchiha Akaishi Tour

Chapter 148 The Land of Iron

Akaishi and Ranma objected, but of course, it was ineffective.

Akaishi even suspected that the Third Hokage might want to further observe him by "teaming up with Root ninjas".

After leaving the Hokage Building, Orochimaru said to Jiraiya, "Jiraiya, you and your student are ready, right? Is there a problem with leaving immediately?"

Jiraiya glanced at Akaishi and the other two, and seeing that they all nodded, he said to Orochimaru, "If you have everything you need, you can leave at any time."

The task roll has been signed.

The leader was Orochimaru, and the items handed over for the mission—mainly the "food" used to exchange chakra metals—were all with him.

"Then let's talk as we travel," Orochimaru said.

"?" Akaishi was taken aback upon hearing this, looking at Orochimaru with surprise: "Orochimaru, a Jonin, don't you need us to—share the burden of the sealing scroll?"

Using "food" for bartering military supplies would undoubtedly involve transporting a large quantity of goods, and even with sealed scrolls, maintaining this system would certainly be quite challenging.

"Don't worry about him. His sealing techniques are much more useful than you think," Jiraiya reminded him.

That's right. Orochimaru is extremely skilled in "sealing techniques," and he can even use advanced techniques like "cursed seals" with ease. He can maintain the sealing scroll needed this time all by himself.

"Do you need to feel more involved, Akaishi-kun?" Orochimaru looked at Akaishi and said kindly.

"No need—" Akaishi shuddered, feeling that Orochimaru looked even colder when he was "kind."

The six people who were on the mission then left Konoha Village together through the main gate.

The ninja guarding the gate looked at Akaishi and Yakushi Nono with a strange expression—clearly, the effects of the Chunin Exams were still lingering.

However, since Orochimaru was leading the team and it seemed like an important mission, they quickly completed the formalities without daring to ask Akaishi anything.

Akaishi saw similar looks many times along the way.

Akaishi speculated that this was one of the effects the Third Generation intended to achieve.

A scene from the Chunin Exams had a profound impact on the values ​​and beliefs of the people of Konoha.

Although Yakushi Nonou is a member of Root, Root was ultimately founded by the third generation leader.

Especially now, the third generation doesn't want to completely sever ties with the root system; they simply want to further control it and reduce the space for Shimura Danzo to cause trouble behind the scenes.

Therefore, the Third Hokage also wanted to use the story of "Yakushi Nonou and Uchiha Akaishi carrying out a mission together" to demonstrate that Root could be modified and that the Hokage had the ability to modify Root.

The group of six left Konoha Village and headed north.

"Wait a minute."

Orochimaru stopped after traveling for only two hours.

Orochimaru: ————

Orochimaru glanced at Akaishi and the other two without saying a word, then looked at Jiraiya.

The three of them, including Akaishi, knew what he meant, but none of them spoke up. Jiraiya even picked his nose and pretended not to see his gaze.

The formation they used while traveling wouldn't even qualify them as Chunin, let alone at the Ninja Academy!

When ninja squads are on the move, they need to cover each other and maintain a formation that allows them to support each other. Most of the time, this doesn't require special discussion, as ninjas from the same village learn the same system and naturally develop this tacit understanding.

But now—

Class 7 and Yakushi Nonou were completely out of place, excluding her from their formation, and even—unconsciously—were on guard against her!

"Nonou received some incorrect education while she was with Root. Now I am leading the work of correcting these errors within Root. I hope you can work together with Nonou." Orochimaru looked at Minato with particular attention, but his gaze eventually fell on Akaishi.

"How about you shake hands with Nonou as proof of reconciliation, Akaishi Chunin?" Orochimaru asked.

Upon hearing this, Akaishi stepped forward without flinching and said, "Speaking of reconciliation, isn't there a crucial step before that?"

Orochimaru nodded, then looked at Nonou and called out to her, "Nonou."

"Because my understanding of the Will of Fire was distorted before, I completely regarded carrying out Root missions as my life's creed. Under Orochimaru-sama's influence, I have come to understand my previous mistakes. I hope that we can become trusted comrades from now on. I am truly sorry for what happened before!"

Yakushi Nonou's words gave the impression of being a mere recitation of a script.

When it came to "apology," he bowed to Akaishi.

Jiraiya was initially just a little awkward, but upon seeing Yakushi Nonou's reaction, he frowned deeply—this doesn't seem real at all.

Seeing that Akaishi remained silent, Yakushi Nonou bowed even deeper and deeper.

After turning ninety degrees, he knelt down on the ground with his hands on the ground, as if he was prepared to put his face on the ground if he was not stopped.

so----

Was it all just a performance of an apology?

So it's just that "there was no expression of forgiveness" and it's "escalating" all of a sudden?

Although Akaishi didn't feel any sincerity, he still made her stand up—after all, there was no benefit in seeing her lying on the ground!

"Orochimaru," Jiraiya paused, then asked in a deep voice, "Have you dealt with the cursed seal on the Root?"

Before the apology, Jiraiya was not on guard.

"Of course, Shimura is indeed very knowledgeable about sealing techniques, but—he's still a little bit less skilled than me," Orochimaru said with a slight smile.

"Are you sure—" Jiraiya said, glancing at Yakushi Nonou.

The problem with the cursed seal is "technical," but now, to determine it, it is undoubtedly a matter of subjectivity.

At this moment, Yakushi Nonou had an expression that said, "I have cleansed myself of my wrong ideas, decided to live towards the sun, and will abide by the Will of Fire from now on."

Orochimaru knew what Jiraiya was going to say, and smiled slightly, saying, "Nono is a good child, but because of the way Root was raised, she is not very good at expressing herself."

Jiraiya: ————

Although Akaishi had serious doubts about this, since Orochimaru had already said so—

"Alright then, I hope we can become comrades." Akaishi said, extending his hand, his tone just as insincere as Nono's.

"Yes! It's my honor!" Nono also grasped Akaishi's hand, her face showing a formulaic surprise.

"That Shimura Danzo, he didn't give you any other tasks, did he?" Akaishi suddenly asked directly.

"No." Nono's expression remained unchanged.

"Akaishi, have some manners." Jiraiya casually reminded Shimura Danzo that he was still nominally the "Hokage's assistant," not dismissed, but merely reflecting on his actions at home.

However, Jiraiya only gave a light reminder, and after he said that, Orochimaru couldn't say anything more.

"Why don't you loosen your grip first?" Lan Wu suggested.

Akaashi let go of Nonou.

Whether you call her "Shimura Danzo" or ask her if she has any secret missions, Nono's expression and the muscles in her hands remain unchanged.

All I can say is —

It's only been a few days, and things have changed so much. It all looks like an act!

They're not even acting anymore.

On the surface, both Ranmai and Minato also shook hands and made peace with Yakushi Nonou.

"Alright, now that everyone has made up, let's take this opportunity to rest." Orochimaru said, seemingly pleased.

Akaishi:————

Akaishi discovered that Orochimaru was quite the "fake" person. Could you really call this kind of "reconciliation" a real reconciliation?

Just to get by, right?

Orochimaru then took out the sealing scroll—

Thud—

Orochimaru summoned pots and pans from the scroll, and then—Orochimaru created two shadow clones and began to work.

"I'll help—" Minato said, showing his keen insight.

The problem with Akaishi and Ranma isn't a lack of awareness; they genuinely don't know how!

As a ninja, you could easily grill or cook something simple, but looking at all these pots and pans, Orochimaru clearly wasn't looking for something simple to prepare.

"No, Minato-kun, sit down. Take this opportunity to tell you about the Land of Iron." Orochimaru said, walking behind Minato and pressing his shoulder, making Minato look uncomfortable.

Seeing this, Jiraiya's eyes became wary.

"How much do you know about the Land of Iron?" Orochimaru asked.

"The Land of Iron is located in the northernmost part of the continent, in a cold region, bordering the three great nations of the Land of Fire, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Lightning. Its population is mainly concentrated around the Three Wolves Mountain, while the rest is mostly in extremely cold regions with a sparse population," Lan Wu replied.

After her mission to the Land of Waves, Lanmai made a special effort to study the basic information about each country.

"That's correct, but that's in terms of geography. What about in terms of the abstract concept of a nation?" Orochimaru nodded and continued to ask.

"This—" Lan Wu hasn't had that much tutoring yet.

"The Land of Iron has no ninjas, but it has a special group called samurai who fight with chakra, but do not know ninjutsu. They directly control the country."

"Furthermore, because of its abundant chakra metal resources, it maintains trade relations with major countries. Moreover, in the early days of the ninja village system, the Land of Iron declared permanent neutrality and would not intervene in any ninja wars. The five great hidden villages also recognized this at the time," Minato said.

"Absolutely right, back then," Orochimaru said calmly.

Seeing that everyone looked like they understood, Orochimaru continued, "Now it's clear that some great hidden villages no longer accept this, such as—a certain great hidden village that has just experienced a coup and where the pro-war faction has come to power."

Compared to Jiraiya, Orochimaru speaks more directly; he has already indicated his identity, except for not mentioning names.

"Huh? Isn't it Amegakure that's attacking the Land of Iron right now?" Akaishi asked in confusion.

"That's right. What if a certain hidden village said to the ambitious Hanzo of the Salamander, 'I want to attack Konoha, but if I take the route through the Land of Iron, it will not only violate the First Hokage's promise, but it will also make me vulnerable to an attack by Iwagakure and Konoha in alliance with the Land of Iron. I'll give you a chance. You attack the Land of Iron, and then our village will recognize all your gains and territories in the Land of Iron. After that, we'll join forces, and you can pass through our territory so we can conquer the Land of Fire together.'"

Orochimaru described it vividly.

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