Arima reorganized the six-man team into two smaller squads, planning for them to act separately moving forward.
To ensure smooth communication, Arima pulled out three special scrolls from the ninja tool pouch on his back and handed them to Dodai and the other two.
"These are miniature space-transmission scrolls I prepared in advance. If anything happens on your end, use them to contact me immediately."
The three each took a scroll and tucked it securely on their person. These long-distance transmission scrolls were extremely difficult to craft, and Arima only had a limited number in stock.
Afterward, Arima made a point to find Natsuka to say goodbye. At the time, the two little girls were in the garden picking flowers to make garlands.
Seeing how happy Natsuka was with her new friend, Arima quietly walked over, knelt down beside her, and looked into her eyes.
"Little one, big brother has to go take care of something urgent. I'll be gone for a few days. Once it's done, I'll come back and get you, okay?"
Upon hearing this, Natsuka's tiny hands slackened, and the flower garland she had been weaving slipped to the ground.
Her lips trembled, and her large watery eyes welled with tears. She looked like she was about to burst into sobs at any second.
She loved being with her big brother. Only when he was nearby could she play freely, without fear or worry.
Now that he was suddenly leaving, it triggered memories of the lonely days she spent in that dark underground chamber. She didn't want him to go.
She desperately wanted to ask him to stay, to beg him, but no words would come out. All she could do was silently stare at him, as if asking. Big brother… are you abandoning me?
Seeing Natsuka so lost and helpless broke Arima's heart. Her eyes brimmed with such raw emotion.
He gently rubbed her hair, picked up the fallen garland, and placed it softly on her head.
Then, he held out his right pinky finger in front of her and said, "Then it's a promise. I'll come back for you once I'm done."
Realizing he wasn't abandoning her after all, Natsuka's sorrow instantly turned to joy.
She couldn't hold back her tears anymore, she smiled through them, hurriedly wiping her face with the back of her hand. Then she linked her little finger with his, sealing the promise.
Nearby, little Miroku had watched the scene unfold. At first, when she saw her new friend Natsuka being brought to tears by this older boy, she had been ready to stand up for her.
This was her home, after all, and no one was allowed to bully her friends.
But as she watched more closely, she realized she might have misunderstood the situation. So she just stood there blankly, watching Natsuka cry and laugh at the same time.
After comforting Natsuka, Arima turned around and caught sight of Miroku still standing there in a daze.
Her soft pink lips were slightly parted, and her delicate brows knitted in confusion, her expression was so amusing that Arima couldn't help but chuckle.
With someone like her to keep Natsuka company, he didn't need to worry about her adjusting to her new surroundings.
He pulled out the rest of the candies he had on him and split them evenly between the two adorable girls.
Natsuka obediently accepted the sweets, planning to eat just one per day and see whether her brother would return before they ran out.
Miroku, well-mannered as ever, turned to look at her mother in the distance. When she saw her mother nod in approval, her whole face lit up with joy.
She happily took the candies and thanked Arima in a sweet, lilting voice, "Thank you, big brother!"
Having settled Natsuka, Arima headed to the main hall to regroup with his teammates, who had all finished preparing for departure.
After bidding farewell to Kasumi, the group split up and set off in different directions.
Arima led Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru straight toward Uzushiogakure Village, pushing on tirelessly day and night.
During the journey, Arima shared his theories with them. He needed more brains in the mix, he didn't want to miss anything. After all, two heads are better than one.
After listening to him, Tsunade voiced her own doubts. "Arima-nii, those rogue ninja who ambushed us earlier got our whereabouts from a bounty station.
Couldn't we also use the bounty stations to gather the information we need?"
Arima shook his head and shrugged helplessly. "After what happened during that ambush, I'm sure you've noticed just how mysterious those bounty stations are.
Maybe you've wondered why this secretive organization, which has rallied so many rogue ninjas and holds so many of the ninja world's secrets, hasn't been wiped out by the Five Great Nations yet?"
All three nodded in agreement, especially Orochimaru. He flat-out didn't believe that the Five Great Nations would just let such a group grow unchecked.
But if the bounty stations were somehow linked to Konoha, that didn't make much sense either. After all, even the location of the Third Hokage had recently been openly sold there.
Orochimaru had long been curious about the power behind the bounty stations and was even planning to investigate them himself when he had the chance.
Jiraiya picked up where Arima left off and asked, "Sensei, why didn't you just send someone to destroy the bounty stations? With one strike from your giant Buddha, wouldn't they all be lining up to call you boss?"
Arima gave Jiraiya a helpless look. He really didn't know how to explain it. If it were that simple, would he have let them operate so brazenly all this time?
Orochimaru couldn't help but jab, "Idiot Jiraiya, have you been soaking in hot springs so long that your brain's turned to steam?"
Jiraiya blinked, then turned and glared at him. "You slimy snake, are you saying my brain's full of water?!"
Orochimaru smiled slyly. "The fact that you caught on so fast proves there's still some brain matter left in there. Just don't let it all leak out, or you'll be raising toads in that empty skull of yours."
Seeing the two of them about to start bickering again, Arima had to step in.
"Jiraiya, there's something you need to understand. Raw power is the fastest way to solve problems, but it's not always the best way.
For example, we could easily crush any one of the ninja villages. But all this time, we've only subdued Kumogakure. Why haven't we touched the others? Think about it."
Jiraiya went quiet, pretending to ponder seriously.
But the truth was, he didn't really keep up with ninja world politics. How could he unravel all those inter-village intricacies on the fly?
It was all for show, he figured that if he looked serious enough, even if he gave a nonsense answer later, his sensei would go easy on him.
Orochimaru, however, saw right through the act. After all these years, he knew Jiraiya's little tricks better than anyone.
Without mercy, he called him out. "Idiot Jiraiya, no matter how deep you try to look, it won't hide the shallowness of your thoughts!"
Caught red-handed, Jiraiya looked a little embarrassed. He quickly turned the tables and whined.
"Damn you, Snake Boy! Aren't we supposed to be friends?"
But Orochimaru replied coolly, "Didn't you leave all your dignity behind at the women's bathhouse?
Back when Sensei cut off your gambling funds, who knew you'd grow into a total perv instead!"
That hit Jiraiya where it hurt. His face flushed with guilt, especially with their teacher right here. How could Orochimaru just out his "artistic pursuits" like that?
Tsunade chuckled with interest. "Back in the day, Hiruzen-nii used to peep at the women's baths too.
He even invented that telescope jutsu! But after he met Biwako-nee, he toned it down a lot. Jiraiya, you got your eye on anyone?"
Jiraiya instantly shook his head like a drum, his face reddening even more.
"Nope! Definitely not! I, the Great Jiraiya, am destined to save the world, who has time for love? Totally impossible!"
Tsunade had just been teasing, but Jiraiya's overreaction was too telling.
The other three exchanged glances and broke into knowing smiles. They knew Jiraiya far too well. The louder his denial, the truer the opposite.
Watching him blush furiously, especially with his hair a little patchy from that burn by Kakuzu, and seeing him squirm awkwardly in contrast to his usual shameless self, it was too much.
The three of them finally couldn't hold it in anymore and burst into laughter.
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