Shennong and the Floating Fortress

Explosive tags scattered everywhere, raining down onto the ground, with some of them sparking with flames.

In the flash of a lightning strike, Yakushi Kabuto rapidly formed hand seals with both hands and shouted, "Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"

A cylindrical wall of water rose from the ground, swallowing the destructive force of the exploding tags. The remaining soaked paper tags were rendered useless, preventing a chain explosion.

Glancing in the direction where the swarm of black insects had escaped, a cold light flashed across Kabuto's eyes, but he quickly withdrew his gaze to check on Orochimaru's condition.

Through the glass of the nutrient tank, Orochimaru cast a sideways glance at him before slowly closing his eyes once more.

In truth, Orochimaru had not regained consciousness at all. In order to heal his damaged soul, he had fallen into a deep sleep, entirely impervious to the petty maneuvers of the Root ninja.

What had just happened was merely the Djinn controlling Orochimaru's body to put on a bluff and frighten the intruder away.

If the Root ninja had insisted on staying, the Djinn would have had no choice but to demonstrate what it meant to "kill people in one's dreams."

Of course, that would have caused too much of a commotion, and unless absolutely necessary, the Djinn had no desire to interrupt Orochimaru's recuperation.

"It seems it will still take some time."

Realizing this, Kabuto strode over to the inner chamber of the laboratory, activated the protective barriers guarding the area, and recalled all the temporarily dispersed snakes, turning the laboratory once more into an impregnable fortress.

Watching Kabuto scurry back and forth, the Djinn nodded in satisfaction.

The defenses of this laboratory clearly could not withstand Root ninja who were determined to break in, but since the thieves had already obtained what they wanted, the probability of them returning as pillagers had drastically decreased. It was entirely likely that they could hold out until Orochimaru woke up.

Unlike Guy, Yakushi Kabuto was indeed a fellow who knew how to use his brain.

...

Deep within a forest near the border of the Land of Fire, two Konoha squads had surrounded a merchant caravan of about twenty people, maintaining a tense standoff from a distance.

Guy, whom the Djinn had dismissed as "brainless," had unexpectedly encountered a situation that required him to exercise his wits.

Staring at the white-haired, white-bearded elderly man before him who wore a kindly and benevolent expression, Guy furrowed his thick eyebrows and asked in skeptical astonishment,

"You know me? Why don't I know you? Shennong... I've never even heard that name."

"Cough, cough, cough... You were still young back then. I even treated your father, Might Duy, for his injuries. I remember he practiced the Eight Gates Dunban."

Shennong let out a few dry coughs, uttering words meant to appeal to emotion.

In the ninja world, six-year-old children were sometimes sent to the battlefield, and eight or nine was certainly not considered young, but the fact that the man didn't remember him gave him quite a headache.

However, it was precisely because of this kind of simple personality that he had been able to easily get his hands on the Eight Gates Dunban back then.

Shennong narrowed his eyes slightly, revealing a grandfatherly smile,

"I truly am just a wandering physician, and these people have nothing to do with bounty hunters; they are merely attendants guarding me."

Having a family secret technique called out by a complete outsider made Guy scratch his head, leaving him feeling somewhat uncertain.

Yet, he knew his own intellect wasn't as sharp as others', so he cast his gaze toward Kakashi, leaving the decision to him.

Kakashi frowned slightly, sweeping his gaze across the members of the merchant caravan.

He could perceive the scent of blood lingering on these people. With the Land of Fire in such turmoil, it was plausible that they had encountered an attack by wandering ninja.

Still, Kakashi had a lingering sense that something was amiss, especially regarding this Shennong—how could a mere physician make him feel such a palpable sense of danger?

After a moment of silent deliberation, Kakashi made up his mind. He waved his hand at the two ninja squads and commanded, "We're pulling back."

Watching the Konoha ninja vanish into the thicket, Shennong's previously narrowed eyes suddenly snapped wide open, burning with deep-seated hatred.

The hatred of a destroyed village was irreconcilable; one day, he would make Konoha experience the very fate that befell the Village of Artisans.

He swept his gaze over the caravan and said in a deep voice, "Pick up the pace. Evacuate the Land of Fire as soon as possible. That excuse won't fool them for long."

Had it not been for the materials needed to repair the airborne fortress Ancor Vantian, Shennong would never have wanted to meddle in Konoha's operation to eradicate the Land of Fire's black market. He understood the formidable power of this village better than anyone else.

...

On the other side, after running for a short while, Kakashi halted on a tree branch, raised his hands to summon the Ninken pack, and dispatched them to gather the surrounding Konoha squads.

Witnessing this, Guy immediately understood, "Kakashi, was there something wrong with those people earlier?"

Kakashi nodded. "The one leading them, Shennong, is very dangerous. He gave me a very bad feeling."

He had a premonition that they might have brushed shoulders with a massive fish, but precisely because that fish was so large, he could not afford to act rashly.

Not to mention, the opposing side possessed superior numbers, while he and Guy were still encumbered by trainees. To act blindly—leaving aside himself and Guy—would undoubtedly result in heavy casualties among the genin.

Before long, the ninja squads scattered in the vicinity were summoned back by the eight ninja hounds.

Kakashi briefly recounted the situation and his suspicions. The others held absolute faith in Kakashi's judgment and immediately followed him in tracking down Shennong.

Guided by the Ninken, the party was led all the way to a towering mountain.

Kakashi's suspicions toward Shennong intensified, yet he couldn't fathom why a group with ulterior motives would choose to flee toward a mountain.

Could they have set an ambush there?

The group advanced cautiously, but by the time they reached the edge of a cliff, they still hadn't spotted a trace of the enemy.

The captains of the ninja squads looked to Kakashi, who in turn cast his gaze toward Pakkun, the leader of the Ninken pack.

Pakkun spoke in human language, "Kakashi, I certainly didn't lead us astray. Their scent is still here."

Lifting a paw, he pointed toward the space beyond the cliff. "From what I can tell, the target likely possesses some form of flight capability."

Could all twenty-some members of a merchant caravan possess the ability to fly?

Kakashi's eyes darkened. He did not doubt Pakkun's assessment, but it gave him a sharper realization of just how elusive their target was.

This pursuit ended fruitlessly as the enemy successfully escaped the borders of the Land of Fire, yet Kakashi firmly etched the name Shennong into his mind.

Guy, on the other hand, was different. Having experienced the exact same wild goose chase, he promptly forgot all about it shortly afterward.

...

In the blink of an eye, another half-month passed.

During this period, Kumogakure dispatched yet another ninja squad to Konoha, but this time, before even leaving the Land of Lightning, they were hunted down by bounty hunters.

Kakuzu, Sasori of the Red Sand, and several other rogue ninja engaged in a fierce battle with the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Killer Bee. Though they suffered heavy losses, they managed to ruthlessly assassinate the leader of the peace delegation.

This threw the entirety of Kumogakure into a rage. Much like Konoha, they began aggressively purging the black market within their own borders.

Simultaneously, the two major ninja villages of Konoha and Kumogakure jointly pressured Sunagakure and Takigakure, forcing these primary sources of rogue ninja to participate in the extermination campaign.

After several major battles, Kakuzu and Sasori were heavily injured and forced to retreat, temporarily going into hiding and slipping into obscurity, which brought a measure of calm back to the ninja world.

Peace talks between Konoha and Kumogakure resumed once more, and Kumogakure dispatched a third delegation.

With the adage that "lightning does not strike thrice," both sides attached immense importance to the safety of this particular squad.