"No problem," Mikoto's mother smiled warmly, glancing at Orochimaru before nodding.
The Three Legendary Sannins were well-known in Konoha.
In terms of reputation within the village, the Sannins were far more famous than Takuya. After all, they'd earned their status step by step, while Takuya's rise had been sudden, and his recent lull hadn't helped either.
With the village's subtle promotion, the Sannin became role models for many shinobi, icons of hard work and dedication.
"Is this your place?"
Orochimaru had been away, moving around the Land of Rivers and hadn't heard about Konoha's latest popular spot—a hotpot restaurant.
As they walked in, several patrons greeted Takuya enthusiastically, making it clear to Orochimaru that he had some kind of connection to the place.
Takuya sat down, cracked open a bottle of chilled juice, and took a sip. "Ahh, it's good to be back in the village."
"The restaurant isn't mine. It's Kushina's, but I contributed the recipe, so I get a share of the profits."
"It's mainly to support the Uzumaki clan. They didn't want to accept jobs from the village, and having Kushina support them long-term wasn't a good solution. So, we opened this place, and now they run it. Every month, the Uzumaki clan gets a share of the profits."
"That's a solid plan," Orochimaru agreed. "It's definitely better than just letting them live off her. No matter how wealthy Kushina is, things would've gone bad eventually."
Soon, the food was served, and the broth started bubbling. Takuya grabbed a slice of meat and dipped it into the spicy red broth.
"So, what's this mission about? Let's see if I'm interested," Takuya said, chewing on the meat.
If it piqued his interest, he didn't mind going out for a while. He'd been cooped up in the village for quite some time, and maybe he could even take his team with him, and give them a taste of the real world.
If the opportunity arose, Takuya wouldn't mind taking them on a trip to the Land of Rain, to show them how harsh reality could be.
Orochimaru glanced at the two kinds of broth but chose the clear one.
"You're aware of the recent internal investigation in the ANBU, right?"
"Yeah, of course! Whew, that's hot!" Takuya responded between breaths, fanning his mouth after taking a bite of the hot broth. "I was there, helping guard the interrogation department with some of the Shimura and Sarutobi clan ninjas. We were preventing anyone from escaping."
This is getting interesting.
Orochimaru's signature smirk widened.
"During those interrogations, some interesting intel came to light: the Hidden Cloud Village is planning to kidnap Kushina."
"....."
Takuya froze mid-bite before quickly resuming his meal.
"And?"
He didn't need Orochimaru to spell it out for him. Takuya had already been preparing for the Hidden Cloud's moves on Kushina.
Luckily, they were both well-prepared.
If the Hidden Cloud tried anything, they'd regret it.
Takuya could imagine the chaos when they tried to abduct Kushina. With access to the Nine-Tails' chakra, she'd be terrifying.
Plus, the Nine-Tails itself might even step in to help.
The moment the Hidden Cloud ninjas tried to sneak into her home, they were in for a big surprise.
Wait a minute—didn't the investigation uncover some Hidden Cloud spies?
Without insiders helping from within, could the Hidden Cloud really pull off an abduction? That possibility seemed slim.
"So, the village has decided to retaliate. I've been assigned the mission, and I want you to come with me to strike back at the Hidden Cloud."
"Pfft—"
"Cough, cough, cough!!"
"Water!" Takuya sputtered, the piece of meat flying out of his mouth as he choked. His eyes watered as he fought to catch his breath.
Getting a hit of spicy broth in his throat was not pleasant.
Things were getting more interesting now.
Seeing Takuya's reaction, Orochimaru's grin only widened.
Takuya downed half a bottle of water before finally recovering, his throat and nose burning.
He swallowed and asked in disbelief, "You're telling me the village wants to hit back?"
This was crazy. Was this even the same Konoha leadership?
When had Konoha's higher-ups ever been this aggressive?
In the original timeline, the leadership was never this bold. Orochimaru's revenge against the Hidden Cloud was a personal vendetta, not an official village mission.
But now?
The leadership had actually assigned this mission to Orochimaru.
This was next-level. Since when did Konoha's leaders grow a backbone?
The leadership had no problem with passive responses—Takuya knew that. After all, that's what led to the war with the Hidden Rain Village.
But to actively strike back? That wasn't Konoha's usual style.
"Is this Danzo's idea?"
After thinking it over, Takuya could only come to one conclusion.
The only way the leadership's approach would change so drastically was if Danzo was behind it.
The Third Hokage, along with Koharu and Homura, didn't have the guts for something like this. But Danzo, with his hawkish tendencies, was always pushing for a hardline approach.
So, it had to be his doing.
Whether it was attempting to assassinate the Third Hokage, trying to control the Kage with Kotoamatsukami, or leaking intel about the jinchūriki—Danzo would stop at nothing.
Compared to that, a little revenge mission against the Hidden Cloud was nothing.
"So, are you interested, Takuya?"
"When do we leave?"
Did that even need to be asked?
Of course, he was interested.
Kushina was his to protect. If the Hidden Cloud wanted to mess with her, then he'd gladly raze their village to the ground.
When Orochimaru had taken his revenge on the Hidden Cloud in the original timeline, he'd released the Eight-Tails, wreaking havoc on the village.
So why not go a step further? Maybe he could control the Two-Tails' jinchūriki and set that loose too.
If they were going to cause chaos, why not make it a full-blown spectacle? Let the Eight-Tails and Two-Tails tear through the Hidden Cloud and put on a real fireworks show.
"Tomorrow."
"Alright, come get me in the morning. You'll have to handle the higher-ups, though. I just refused their request to negotiate with Hanzo, so leaving the village might stir things up."
Since Orochimaru was the one inviting him, he could handle the fallout with the higher-ups.
Having secured Takuya's agreement and enjoyed a good hotpot meal, Orochimaru was in a great mood.
"Lord Hokage, Takuya has agreed to come with me to the Hidden Cloud. As for Hanzo, you'll have to send someone else."
"Why do you insist on bringing him along?" the Third Hokage asked, confused. With Orochimaru's skills, even if he couldn't complete the mission, he should at least be able to get away safely.
Why was he so adamant about bringing Takuya?
Orochimaru's response was calm but clear.
"For my own safety, and to ensure the mission causes enough chaos."
"If we're going to retaliate, we need to hit the Hidden Cloud hard—enough to make them feel it. Besides, Kushina is important to Takuya. His desire for revenge will be stronger than mine."
"...."
Kushina belongs to the village!
Not to any one person!
The Third Hokage wanted to shout that out, but he held his tongue.
**********
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