Chapter 48
Chapter 48
It was almost time for Kaen to make his move. The third test will begin in a week, but there are still many things to prepare. Shino did well with his training, incorporating sealing jutsu with his bugs. His chakra control was better than before, too. Yet Kaen knew Sasuke would exploit his physical strength as it was Shino's biggest weakness.
Still, Shino improved a lot, and it won't be easy for Sasuke to win. Shino was very intelligent and was already planning his strategy to fight Sasuke. Of course, Kaen provided help where Shino needed it. The training Kaen had prepared for Shino was almost done, and there wasn't much Kaen could do for him anymore. Shino had to learn on his own now.
Before he could leave the village, Kaen had another thing to take care of—Anko's cursed seal. Kaen had spent most of his time devising a way to break the cursed seal. After analyzing and studying it, Kaen finally managed to form a plan to break the seal. Now, it was time to test the method he came up with. Anko had agreed to it immediately, trusting in Kaen's abilities.
"Sit tight, Anko, and don't move," Kaen instructed Anko, who sat in a sealing circle in his basement.
"Is it going to hurt?" Anko asked.
"Badly," Kaen replied. "But nothing you can't handle."
Kaen worked for a long time to make sure everything was fine. His basement would ward off interference from outside forces. The circle that Anko sat on would protect her if something went wrong and suck foreign chakra that didn't belong to Anko. But the real work would start now. And it would be the hardest part.
Firstly, Kaen prepared to find the source of Orochimaru's chakra that held the cursed seal together. For now, it was impossible to nullify it. So, Kaen first separated Orochimaru's chakra from the seal. And Kaen then worked to dismantle the seal. It was a painful process, but it wouldn't leave any lasting effect on Anko.
Kaen ignored Anko's painful grunts and continued to work. Once the cursed seal was dismantled, Kaen created his seal to replace it and store Orochimaru's chakra. It was a complicated and dangerous process. If Orochimaru's chakra leaked into Anko's chakra system, it might be damaged beyond repair. She might lose the ability to mold chakra and use any jutsu.
But Kaen wasn't too concerned. He knew the dangers and prepared for them. Once his seal was made, Orochimaru's chakra went into that seal. Now, for the last part, Kaen had to move the seal from Anko to himself before burning Orochimaru's chakra with his own. It was hard, but with the help of the seal under Anko, Orochimaru's chakra couldn't leak out.
While studying under Tsunade, Kaen tried to replicate the Hundred Healings jutsu she used on herself. However, he found it not working well for him, so he created a different version more suitable for him. To call it a different version would be wrong, as Kaen made a copy of his chakra network on his body. Using various seals on himself, Kaen could absorb, hold, and mold his chakra inside the seal.
So, Orochimaru's chakra was absorbed into Kaen's outside chakra network. And it was soon devoured by his chakra, leaving no trace of Orochimaru. Finishing with Orochimaru's chakra, Kaen turned his attention to Anko. The cursed seal still managed to leave a scar on Anko, but it wasn't something Kaen couldn't heal from what he had learned.
"How do you feel?" Anko asked.
"Tired," Anko replied.
"Good, it is done."
"Really?" Kaen could hear the disbelief in Anko's voice.
"Yes, now go and rest," Kaen answered. "I will check on you tomorrow."
Kaen himself was exhausted, too. Separating foreign chakra and dismantling a complicated seal took much of his concentration. He was drained mentally but otherwise fine. After checking if Orochimaru's chakra didn't damage his body's sealing, Kaen climbed out of his basement and took a nap. Ash soon joined him, laying on top of his head.
…
The next day, Kaen checked up on Anko and found she was fine. Even better than ever. Without the cursed seal holding Orochimaru's chakra, her chakra control became easier. Kaen was glad that he was able to do it for Anko. She looked a lot better, and not only physically. It felt like a significant burden was relieved from her. Kaen could tell that Anko felt free from Orochimaru's clutches finally.
Still, it wasn't the end. Now, it was time to face Orochimaru and finish him once and for all. Kaen wouldn't take any chances this time. He couldn't let Orochimaru escape this time, but he knew that wouldn't be easy. Firstly, Kaen didn't believe even from the moment that Orochimaru wouldn't have prepared for him to interfere again.
Going alone this time, too, would be risky. Orochimaru knew of Kaen well by now, not speaking of Orochimaru's knowledge of sharingan. So, Kaen had to make a team. A team that he could trust and work well together with. It wasn't so that Kaen needed help while fighting Orochimaru. It was for people that Orochimaru would come with.
Kaen needed to prepare an antidote for various poisons, too. Like Kaen, Orochimaru dabbled well into poison and venom, so Kaen would be a fool not to prepare for it beforehand. And Kaen had to prepare his poison against Orochimaru and his minions. Something strong that would make Orochimaru suffer.
"I heard you were going after Orochimaru," A familiar voice spoke from behind Kaen.
"How did you get in here?" Kaen asked, not turning away from his work.
"The seals are well done. This basement might be even more secure than the Hokage Tower," The voice replied proudly.
"You still haven't answered me, sensei," Kaen said.
"It might be impossible for someone else, but I taught you all these seals, even if you change quite a few of them," Jiraiya replied.
"Then it seems I have more work to do," Kaen said. "Why did you come to me? Shouldn't you be busy teaching a certain blonde?"
"And who put me in this situation?" Jiraiya asked.
"Don't be so sour. You probably spent most of the time peeping on women anyway," Kaen replied. "Did you at least teach anything to Naruto?"
"That little rascal won't leave me alone otherwise," Jiraiya said.
"Or you can't leave him alone," Kaen replied. "Did he manage to get to two tails?"
"Not yet, but one time, he was close," Jiraiya answered. "The seal seems fine, but who knows what will happen if he continues. All I could teach the brat was how to control the power best."
"Did he make contact with the fox?" Kaen asked.
"That's why I am here," Jiraiya replied. "I know I can handle it alone, but it is better to be safe than sorry. With your help, we could try to contact the fox."
"I don't think the fox will like an Uchiha, but I could stand by and watch over the process," Kaen replied.
"That's all I ask," Jiraiya said. "If worst comes true, we must make another seal to suppress the fox's power."
"We won't need it," Kaen replied. "There is a reason why the Fourth made a seal that the Nine-tails power could be used."
Jiraiya didn't disagree, but Kaen could tell he still had some reservations about it. Kaen didn't see anything wrong with it. The Nine-Tails Fox Demon was the most powerful of the tailed beasts, and it wouldn't be good if his power went out uncontrollably. But Kaen knew that Naruto would need that power soon to survive what would come.
…
It was hard to tell what kind of a deal Naruto made with the fox. Neither did he see it necessary to pry into it. The fox probably didn't want anything to do with a Uchiha and had warned Naruto not to interact with Kaen. It was fine. The most important thing was that the seal was still fine and showed no signs of degradation.
"My job is done here," Kaen said after one final check on the seal. "I have other things to take care of."
"Thanks for the help, Kaen-san," Naruto replied with a satisfied smile.
"I didn't do much," Kaen responded with a smile before leaving.
He didn't have much time for them, as there were other things he had to do. I would need to leave soon to meet with the Fourth Kazekage before Orochimaru did. He didn't know what to do with the Kazekage. It would be more troublesome to kill him, but leaving him be after he conspired to attack Konoha didn't sit well with Kaen.
Kaen had to meet with Kazekage first and subdue him before Orochimaru could do anything. Or he had to be on time to save Kazekage from Orochimaru and make him indebted to him. It wouldn't be easy either way, but he had to try. But first, he had to assemble the team quietly so Danzo couldn't hear about it and notify Orochimaru even if Kaen didn't think Danzo kept contact with Orochimaru since he learned their plan.
"Do you not need my help?" Jiraiya asked before Kaen could leave.
"Hokage-sama would need you more than I do," Kaen replied. "The enemy within the village is more important than the enemy outside it."
"Don't die," Jiraiya said. "Your opponent is a tricky one. He will have many things in his sleeves."
"I know it very well," Kaen replied.
He has been agonizing over it for a long time. Kaen didn't need to be reminded of it but appreciated Jiraiya's concern. There were few people Kaen trusted in this world, and Jiraiya was one of them. With one last goodbye, Kaen left. It was better not to interrupt Naruto's training. Jiraiya would take care of him on his own.
…
Kaen didn't have trouble finding the people he wanted for the mission. He knew them well enough to track them down. It would be a small team of four, but that should be enough. Kaen only needed support, not power. Seeing the three women sitting before him, Kaen addressed them and told them of their mission.
"Remember, Orochimaru is a crafty shinobi," Kaen said. "He will not fall easily and probably won't be alone. Orochimaru is infamous for using forbidden jutsu, which can be highly dangerous and difficult to counter. So, we must always be vigilant and react properly to his ever-changing tactics."
"Orochimaru's affinity for snakes is a significant threat in battle," Anko added. "He can summon and control a variety of serpents, ranging from small snakes to enormous and powerful ones. We must be cautious of Orochimaru's snake-based attacks, venomous bites, and constricting maneuvers."
"Hokage-sama has warned me that Orochimaru has experimented extensively on himself, resulting in various body modifications," Yugao said. "We know that he can extend his limbs, change his physical appearance, and shed his skin to heal injuries. We must be prepared for Orochimaru's uncanny ability to alter his body and launch surprise attacks from unexpected angles."
"Yes, yes, we all know how dangerous he is," Hana didn't seem to have much to add and broke their serious tone. "What I am concerned about is his uncanny ability to escape."
"Nothing can be done about it," Kaen replied. "Even though we will face Orochimaru, our priority is Kazekage. Depending on the situation, we must secure or dispose of him."
"Fighting two Kage-level shinobi at once doesn't give me much confidence," Hana said.
"Don't worry, for I am here," Kaen smiled, not faking his bravado. "You three are only to give me support. Leave everything else to me."
Kaen didn't feel like he was overstating his strength. He truly believed he could take on both Orochimaru and Kazekage at the same time if needed. But Kaen didn't think Kazekage would risk fighting them when Konoha held his children and jinchuriki of One-tail. Kaen was more concerned about Orochimaru's trump card.
A.N. With this chapter, I finished reuploading the fanfic from FF.net. Now I will be updating this story once a week. If you want up to seven chapters, check my Patreon, at patreon.com/Ironwolf852.
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