Waving to his companions, Orochimaru started off at a good speed, but this time there were only jonins in the group, just in case of unforeseen situations and not having to hold back too much. It was just a short walk to the Sand, and soon the ninjas would appear to guard the village, which was to be taken to the gate. The sannin was sure that he could find the right way, but the locals could do it much faster and without winding through the desert.
With his feet moving steadily and the edge of his consciousness tracking his surroundings, Orochimaru allowed himself to get a little distracted and dream about meeting the new nuke-nin of the sandmen and the owner of the kekkei genkai.
So far, the serpent sannin had not come across such test specimens, but he wanted to, because unlike ordinary ninja, albeit with the rank of jonin, S-rang shinobi were extremely hardy and would not die from a couple of experiments.
Or maybe they'll be able to adapt and show completely unexpected results, which would also be very promising. Unfortunately, the personalities at this level available in the Book of Discovery are quite strong to capture alive, even with careful preparation, or belong to a great village, which only makes it harder to capture.
The Rasa that appeared on this list only about four or five years ago, despite the variation in gold sand control, was a preferable target in this regard, being at the bottom of the list to the Third Kazekage, who possessed the same kekkei genkai.
Gold melts much easier than iron and is much harder to obtain. Now that the supply of fugitive shinobi had dwindled, Rasa was a tidbit and Orochimaru was determined to use all his connections to get to him first.
The three shinobi of the patrol team appeared in the distance, and the Hokage's apprentice put his thoughts aside for later, slowing down and stopping - it was better to be polite, even if this team and two others, hidden from view by high quality genjutsu, would be as good as his teeth.
- Orochimaru-san," the leader of the three bowed his head in greeting, recognizing the sannin at once, and approaching at a sufficient distance, "may I ask the reason for your return?
- A message from the Hokage and to discuss some issues concerning the relationship between our villages," the shinobi nodded and showed the patrolman the official papers.
The shinobi nodded and waved his hand, inviting him to follow, and Orochimaru felt the sources of attention on the sides of the delegation begin to move away, apparently returning to their previous tasks.
Assessing the calm, working demeanor of the Sunagakure ninja, he concluded that news of the leader's betrayal had not yet spread beyond the walls, meaning that the current leadership of the Sand was quite busy and should not delay the Hokage's assigned mission.
This was perfectly in line with Orochimaru's plans to make sure that the alliance and agreements made were still in force, then return home to the laboratories immediately.
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