Chapter 62

Two days later, I was woken up by the arrival of a Spider-Masked Anbu appearing at the Akimichi Clan Compound with a summons for me from the Hokage. Thankfully, I was easily able to dress and equip myself. I'd long since set up a system of organized and itemized storage scrolls for quick deployment. I was hastily directed to head to the Hokage tower by the Anbu as quickly as I could go there. With that in mind, I employed the Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique) to swiftly arrive at the tower. I hadn't expected to see Ino coming out of a similar Shunshin as I arrived. She clearly hadn't expected to see me, either as her expression showed as much.

"You get summoned too?" I questioned.

"Yeah, by the Cat-masked Anbu. What about you?" Queried Ino.

"Yeah, by the Spider-masked Anbu." I frowned.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." Sighed Ino.

"Yeah, if the Tower is using Anbu as messengers, it has to be bad. Come on." I nodded, heading into the Tower.

Ino followed and we were quickly waved through multiple security checkpoints to the Hokage's Office. Tsunade and Shizune were there, as was Lord Third, which was to be expected. What I hadn't expected was that Shikamaru was also there, along with Naruto, Hyuga Neji, my cousin Kiba, and Rock Lee. Jiraiya's appearance was more expected than my Teammate's, Naruto's, Neji's, Kiba's, or Lee's, though it definitely didn't mean anything good had happened. Once we'd arrived, Tsunade spoke up to start the meeting in a tired and annoyed tone of voice.

"Thank you all for coming. Time is a factor so I'll make this quick. Thanks to Choji's information, we've been monitoring Uchiha Sasuke for any signs of defection. Jiraiya has even put some of his infiltration toads on it. As of three hours ago, Uchiha Sasuke took the bait." Began Tsunade.

"He's been contacted by a group of Orochimaru's subordinates, who, having infiltrated Konoha through as yet unknown means, induced him to defect to Otogakure. Some of my Toads are shadowing them and we believe them to be heading for a base in Rice Country being used by Oto as a forward operating base. I'm sure I don't have to tell you all how our efforts to actually track down the location of Otogakure have been going thus far? The answer is they haven't been going well. Every time we manage to turn up a safehouse or outpost, it's to find the enemy has evacuated it moments earlier." Intoned Jiraiya.

"Indeed, however, if the Sound Four are bringing Uchiha Sasuke to a base, that base cannot have been pre-evacuated. Which means Sasuke's attempt at defecting may be a golden opportunity to finally pin down a location for my Wayward Student's village." Added Lord Third.

"Your job is simple. You're to join Jiraiya in shadowing the Sound Four to their hidden forward base, crush them, retrieve Sasuke, and loot the base for any intelligence you can find. Maps are highest priority, followed by documents, and Ryo or equipment a distant third." Commanded Tsunade.

"You have twenty minutes to gather whatever you need from the Armory for an S-Ranked mission. You have Jade-rated clearance in terms of Requisitions here, so make good use of it. I want you all geared up and assembled at the Gates no less than five minutes after that. My toads are currently tracking the enemy, but the sooner we get going, the better." Insisted Jiraiya.

"What are you waiting for? Go get geared up!" Barked Lord Third, as forceful as I'd ever seen him.

We rushed out of the Hokage tower for the Konoha Armory, which had already been notified of our Jade-Level Requisition Clearance. I grabbed a number of different items, including a two-ton capacity storage scroll, Jonin-level Explosive, Smoke, and Flash Tags, two holster reloads of Kunai and Shuriken, and copies of five Jutsu scrolls for the future, Kakashi's Chidori (Thousand Chirping Birds), Gai-Sensei's Omote Renge (Front Lotus) and Ura Renge (Reverse Lotus), as well as Asuma-Sensei's Fūton: Suiran Reppū (Wind Release: Verdant Mountain Gale) and Hien (Flying Swallow). I wasn't the only one who thought to abuse the Jade Clearance either. Shikamaru, Kiba, Naruto, and Ino also grabbed copies of Scrolls. Lee didn't on the grounds that he was only capable of Taijutsu, while Neji was too proud of the Gentle Fist and Byakugan to grab scrolls.

By the time we made it to the Gates, the deadline for reporting in had almost run out. Jiraiya was waiting for us all with an uncharacteristically serious look on his face. As we arrived, he nodded at us and huffed out the command to fall in, as if he hadn't expected us to take the entire allotted time. Then he practically vanished from sight in a burst of speed and we scrambled to catch up. The pace Jiraiya set was punishing, and I had to wonder if this was the normal sort of pace a Shinobi of Jiraiya's Caliber set, or if this and his serious mood were an indicator of just how important this mission was. At any rate, we didn't stop running until we'd reached the Valley of the End after the sun had set. Apparently, the head start had been necessary to let the Spund Four think they'd gotten away, but we couldn't let them get too far ahead of us. Jiraiya's toads still had eyes on them, though.

Speaking of Toads, Jiraiya headed out of camp for a few minutes and returned with a small, mottled, gray and brown speckled toad in a ghillie suit sitting on one shoulder. He nodded at the Toad, apparently named Gamanobu, and told him to tell us what he'd just told Jiraiya.

"Well, like I was saying, the Guys you've had my boys and I tracking are camped about forty minutes or so northeast of the Valley, just over the border into Rice Country. Apparently, their base is another forty minutes or so east of there that they plan to reach in the morning. The problem is, there's a number of those Oto Shinobi watching the border crossing some twenty minutes up ahead. If you try to cross there, it's likely the base will be cleaned out by the time you arrive." Informed Gamanobu.

"Which means that we'll need to bypass the enemy checkpoint at the border somehow. What are you planning, Jiraiya-Sama?" Asked Shikamaru.

"Yeah, Ero-Sennin! I know you, you wouldn't bring us out here without a plan, Dattebayo!" Exclaimed Naruto a bit louder than he probably intended.

"For Kami's sake, Naruto, keep your voice down!" Hissed Jiraiya.

"The point still stands. You're Jiraiya of the Sannin. If you don't have a plan, I'll eat my sandals." Insisted Ino.

"You're not wrong about that. In my time as the Village Spymaster, I've had to make friends with a lot of people who could help get things and people across borders. It just so happens that there's a village not too far from here where a contact I know lives that can do such a thing." Grinned Jiraiya.

"Yakuza. You're talking about using one of the Yakuza Syndicates that have their fingers in human trafficking." I frowned.

"The Hyuga do not truck with such common thugs." Sneered Neji.

"Indeed, it would be unyouthful." Agreed Lee.

"I don't really see much of a choice here, do you?" Demanded Kiba.

"Kiba's right. We can't exactly just blow through the Oto Checkpoint without alerting the base. This is our best shot." Concurred Shikamaru.

"If Jiraiya-Sama thinks his contact can be trusted not to sell us out, that's good enough for me." I nodded.

"Yeah, Jiraiya of the Sannin wouldn't steer us wrong on this, right?" Questioned Ino.

"I dunno about trustworthy, but they at least know better than to pull something on folks who can crush them without breaking a sweat. Everyone here applies." Shrugged Jiraiya.

"Then it sounds like we've got our in." Remarked Naruto.

"I still don't like it." Huffed Neji.

"Indeed. Such men's unyouthful spirit might outweigh their self-preservation instincts if enough Ryo is offered." Insisted Lee.

"Well, if they do, they'll be sorry, right Akamaru?" Queried Kiba, getting an affirmative yip from his Ninken Partner.

"You two don't have to like it, you just have to go along. Your objections are noted, but we're doing it this way. It's my call, after all." Intoned Jiraiya to Neji and Lee.

With that, we settled down to camp for the evening. I made my way out into the Valley after a dinner of gyoza and miso ramen from one of my storage scrolls to practice one of the new techniques I'd grabbed. I chose the Hien, since it was the easiest for me to get down in the current scenario. After around four hours of practice, as the clock struck half-past ten, I finally managed to get it down. Making my way back to camp, I passed by a returning Naruto and Shikamaru, who'd apparently also had worked on their requisitioned techniques. I nodded at them as we ran into each other.

"Working on a Jutsu?" I asked.

"Working on three jutsu. Shadow Clones are broken, dattebayo!" Chirped Naruto.

"Troublesome. It sounds like you really have a hell of a training tool, there Naruto." Groused Shikamaru.

"I managed to figure out Asuma Sensei's Hien technique. What about you two?" I questioned.

"Ressenpū (Violent Whirlwind) for me. It's one of the Jutsu we traded another village for. Supposedly it's good for fighting groups, which sounds like it'd come in handy attacking a base." Shrugged Shika.

"I figured out the Kazanami (Wind Waves), the Fūton: Shinkū Taigyoku (Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere), and the Bakuhatsu Honō Dangan (Exploding Flame Bullet)." Grinned Naruto as we entered into the camp.

"You guys are lucky the valley camouflaged any jutsu practice seen from outside. It sounds like you tore up half the Valley, Naruto." Scoffed Ino as she spotted us.

"So? We wanted to be prepared! Why didn't you do any training?" Retorted Naruto.

"Who says I didn't?" Shot back Ino, as she gestured toward Kiba who was slumped against a tree stump unconscious, the same as Akamaru.

"What'd you do to them?" I queried.

"Nehan Shōja no Jutsu (Temple of Nirvana Technique). It knocks groups unconscious with Genjutsu if they can't dispel it in time." Grinned Ino.

"Is that what Orochimaru used on the Arena Audience at the start of the invasion?" Asked Shikamaru.

"Yeah. I found a copy at the Arsenal and knew I had to learn. Still can't get more than a couple people at a time with it, but baby steps, you know?" Shrugged Ino.

"It makes sense. Orochimaru was once a Konoha Shinobi. It would stand to reason that the Armory would have several of his techniques." Huffed Neji from nearby.

"Still, practicing on fellow Konoha Shinobi seems unyouthful, but I suppose lacking alternatives we all must make do." Added Lee, doing push-ups off to the side.

"If you're all quite finished, you ought to get some sleep. We'll be going across the border with my contact in five hours." Intoned Jiraiya.

With that, we each went to our tents to grab a few hours of sleep. Kiba and Akamaru stayed sleeping where they were, knocked out by Ino's Genjutsu. They only woke up when hit with a dispel as we prepared to head out, forcing us to practically break camp around them. Jiraiya's toads reported back that the Sound Four were doing the same and would be heading for their forward base momentarily, which was our cue to get to Jiraiya's Yakuza Contact and have him smuggle us across the border to Rice Country. If all went well, we'd arrive at the Otogakure Forward Operating Base not too long after the Sound Four and Sasuke did.

As it turned out, Jiraiya's Contact was a Yakuza Affiliated Merchant with the Oki Alliance, a Syndicate that operated in Southern Rice, Northeast Fire, and Southwest Hot Springs Countries. They'd spread from Oki Province in Southwestern Hot Springs Country on the backs of their attractive buy-in scheme. The Oki Alliance preferred to affiliate with local gangs and merchants rather than try and take them by force. Like any large, trans-border, Criminal Syndicate, the Oki Alliance did a lot of smuggling. Jiraiya's contact was a Wine Merchant named Hachiro of Mutagawa. His warehouse in the aforementioned Mutagawa, the village Jiraiya had taken us to, contained a hidden tunnel that ran under the border a good two miles and came up in the cellar of an Oki Alliance-Owned Tavern in the Village of Sekimori in Rice Country.

We used it to bypass the checkpoint at the border a half-mile south of Sekimori, along with the Oto Shinobi watching over it. Soon enough, we were making our way east, out of Sekimori and towards the Otogakure Forward Operating base in the hills twenty minutes east of Sekimori as the Shinobi runs. As we stopped near the base, just out of sight of the Oto Guards, who were still visible standing outside the cave entrance that served as the way into the Otogakure Forward Operating Base, Jiraiya went over a few ground rules for the assault. First and most obvious was to not engage Orochimaru if he was present and to wait for Jiraiya. Second was to take out any of the Sound Four present in the base. Third was to prioritize the capture of intelligence, especially maps, including acting to prevent intelligence from being destroyed. Finally, fourth was to capture Sasuke alive to be taken back to Konoha for a court martial.

Apparently, Tsunade refused to indulge in the same sort of favoritism games that Lord Third had allowed the Council to run with. Sasuke was going to answer for this temper tantrum, unlike how his attempt to defect had gone the first time around. That necessitated him being alive to stand trial, though. Beyond those four rules of engagement, though, the plan was simple. Crush the Oto Garrison, loot the base, collect Sasuke, and bug out. We were allowed to use whatever methods we thought would allow the mission to be a success. This would effectively be the opening salvo of war with Otogakure.

It was best to make it count. . .

XXXX

AN: The next chapter is already up on my Patreon, so check the link in the threadmarked post if you guys feel like throwing me a couple bucks to get chapters in advance. Everyone who does is super appreciated and I can't thank my patrons enough.

All right, so here we see the start of the Alternate Sasuke Retrieval Arc. His defection didn't go unplanned for this time, thanks to Choji warning the Tower about it earlier. Now, Tsunade and Jiraiya is hoping to use Sasuke's potential Defection to get the location of Otogakure, which has thus far proved elusive. What safehouses they thought they had the locations for turned out to be duds, and any captured agents proved unable to divulge information due to Fuuinjutsu rendering them comatose if they tried to talk.

Here, there's an actual chance, though, to loot an active forward base for intel. Jiraiya is grabbing that chance with both hands. He's brought Choji and everyone along for the ride as a strike team. It's a decent mix of newly-promoted, talented, Chunin and Seasoned Genin, led by a Kage-class Shinobi. It should work out all right, and then they can finally move on Otogakure. Expect fights with the Sound Four, including their new member, plus fights with Kimimaro and potentially also Orochimaru ahead.

At the same time, the new administration is largely unwilling to give Sasuke the same clemency he would have gained in Canon. She wants the last Uchiha to stand trial for attempted defection to Otogakure, though whether he does or not depends largely on how the battle at the Otogakure Forward Operating Base goes. Even if he does get captured to stand trial, his fate will largely depend on what Councilors are present for his trial. He might get Danzo, which would let him skate by, only to be forced into joining Root, after all.

At any rate, the next chapter will be the start of the Otogakure Forward Operating Base attack.

Stay tuned. . .