I'm in Naruto, but the system says I'm in One Piece.

From Hoshino Yu's perspective, a tall figure appeared in the distance, wearing a black coat, with half of his face covered by a black mask, long dark brown hair covered by a gray headscarf, and red eyes with green pupils and a cold gaze.

At this time, Kakuzu had not joined the Akatsuki organization, but his strength was definitely at the elite level.

As for his age, he was around ninety years old when he joined the Akatsuki organization. Going back more than thirty years, he would be in his sixties now.

After he massacred the high-ranking officials of Takigakure and became a rogue ninja, it's quite normal for him to be seen in the Land of Rivers.

Kakuzu, who possesses the Earth Grudge Fear, is not someone to be trifled with. Although we haven't heard of his deeds during the Second Shinobi World War, he amassed a fortune by assassinating ninjas from various countries and selling intelligence.

The border region of Chuanyu was a no-man's-land, and the leak of news about Hanzo's military expansion budget naturally made it his target.

Hoshino Yu merely glanced at this "ruthless person" who could throw shuriken at him when the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, was still alive, and then paid no further attention to him. At this stage, they had no reason to clash.

After pondering for a moment and figuring out the whole story, he randomly went into a shop to fill his stomach, and then, using his Observation Haki as a supplement, he headed north to investigate the information Orochimaru had left him.

They traveled swiftly, the sky growing darker and darker, and the number of civilians on the road gradually dwindled.

At this moment, Hoshino Yu stood on a tree branch, gazing at the huge rain cloud in the distance, and couldn't help but ponder.

"That should be the border area of ​​the Land of Rain. Orochimaru got here so quickly..."

In his perception, Orochimaru was alone, surveying intelligence at a location two kilometers ahead.

As for why I didn't invite him to come along earlier, I guess it was because he was sleeping soundly and I didn't want to disturb him.

Although Orochimaru's personality wouldn't usually lead him to do such heartwarming things, Hoshino Yu accepted them gladly.

However, the distance of just two kilometers is something he can reach in an instant.

Hoshino Yu glanced sideways at the tail following behind her, then vanished from the spot in a flash.

At the same time, Kakuzu, who had been following behind him, suddenly narrowed his eyes and tensed up, becoming alert instantly.

"Who on earth is this person? This kind of teleportation technique... no, it can't be teleportation."

After realizing that Hoshino Yu was no longer around, Kakuzu began to wonder whether he should continue following.

He had already noticed Hoshino Yu's gaze when Hoshino Yu saw him earlier.

As a seasoned ninja, his sense of smell is incredibly sharp, far surpassing that of a newcomer like Hoshino Yu who has just left the village.

He knew that the bounty on his head in the black market was as high as ten million taels of silver, so he immediately assumed that Hoshino Yu was there to take his head, which is why he followed him closely.

However, the speed that Hoshino Yu displayed this time made him doubtful for a moment.

He had only ever seen such a speed, invisible to the naked eye, in the Second Hokage of Konoha, Tobirama Senju.

Now that someone has appeared whom I can't even see with the naked eye, and whose target doesn't seem to be me, it's questionable whether it's still necessary to follow them.

......

On the other side, Hoshino Yu was naturally unaware of Kakuzu's thoughts. Kakuzu's massive chakra aura had long been detected by Hoshino Yu's Observation Haki, so he was naturally aware of its existence.

Since I'm not following along, there's no need to stir up trouble.

Orochimaru was crouching in a dense forest, quietly watching the location of the border watchtower of the Land of Rain in the distance, while comparing it with the intelligence he had previously obtained.

Noticing Hoshino Yu's presence beside him, he said in a low voice:

"woke up?"

"Hehe, if I sleep a little longer, you'll probably finish all the tasks by then, teacher," Hoshino Yu chuckled softly, watching Orochimaru's retreating figure.

"A three-layered sensing network has been set up along the border between Chuanyu and Yu. The visible sentries are hidden at the passes, while the hidden sentries are disguised as refugees from the Land of Rivers. As soon as they detect anything unusual, the Yu ninja will surround them."

Orochimaru said coldly.

"Is the security so tight? Does that mean we can't get in?"

"Hehe~ Gathering intelligence doesn't necessarily require going in."

As soon as he finished speaking, several small snakes darted out from Orochimaru's sleeve, disappeared underground, and moved quickly along the ground.

"What a bizarre infiltration..." Hoshino Yu murmured to himself.

But to be fair, Orochimaru's approach was indeed the safest and most appropriate choice, just like Jiraiya's escape from the frog's mouth.

It's nature, so what if a few small animals appear?

Moreover, even those sensory ninjas on the other side might not be able to sense the small snakes Orochimaru put in.

As expected, according to Hoshino Yu's Observation Haki, the small snakes scattered in various places, except for a small number that were intercepted by the Rain Ninja, had already entered the nameless village.

"retreat."

Orochimaru gave a command with his right hand, and then the two withdrew from the jungle and took a detour back to the Nikko camp.

Upon returning to his temporary lodgings, he condensed the information he had gathered along the way onto a scroll, and then, speaking in a deep voice to Hoshino Yu, said:

"Yu, go and investigate the western border of the Land of Wind."

"Huh? Me?"

Hoshino Yu was somewhat bewildered.

How could a teacher be so unloving towards their student, forcing them to do dangerous things?

I'm just starting out, so it should be Orochimaru who takes me along, right?

"You possess all the qualities of a qualified ninja, more than enough to stand on your own." Orochimaru turned to look at Hoshino Yu, a slight smile playing on his lips, his tone brimming with certainty. "Just figuring out their deployment and movements—that's what you're after, isn't it?"

Upon hearing this, Hoshino Yu was somewhat speechless.

He did say he wanted to quickly improve his experience as a qualified ninja, but he shouldn't be training like this.

If they were to encounter the Third Kazekage, who is said to be the strongest, they wouldn't even be able to escape.

"Go and come back soon. Once the mission is complete, go straight back to the village. Don't come looking for me." With that, Orochimaru raised his right hand, a small white snake coiled around his fingertips. "Take this. If you encounter any danger, I'll know."

Hoshino Yu obediently accepted it, while secretly harboring some resentment.

If you really encounter any danger, by the time you arrive, it will probably be a buy-one-get-one-free deal.

Putting everything else aside, in terms of survival ability alone, Orochimaru is still inferior to him.

......

The land area of ​​the River Country is not considered large.

In just half a day, Hoshino Yu had already arrived at the Gobi Desert, where the Land of Rivers and the Land of Wind meet.

As night fell, a fierce wind whipped up sand and gravel that stung his face, causing a continuous, fine, stinging pain.

The wind-eroded rock pillars in the distance stand in a staggered pattern, which can block the view and also become a natural hiding place.

Hoshino Yu's figure blended into the darkness, concealing his chakra and hiding behind a rock pillar. He could vaguely see a patrol team of Sand Ninja searching the surrounding area.

Within the range of Observation Haki, the chakra aura was scattered, indicating that the defenses were not loose.

"How can we investigate this? Do we have to go inside?"

"But what's Kakuzu doing here...?"

When he encountered Kakuzu during the day, he had already memorized the other's chakra aura, so he naturally knew of the other's presence when he detected the situation.

Just then, a violent explosion occurred in the area where the Sand Ninja patrol team was located!

Then began a dazzling clash of colorful ninjutsu, which caught the eye of Hoshino Yu, who was watching the show like a spectator.

"Is Kakuzu really that fierce?"