The Adventurous Gamer Ninja - Daichi Hekima
Chapter 367 – At Long Last…

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Land of Earth: 8:20pm.

The night had settled comfortably over the landscape, moonlight revealing rolling hills and distant mountain silhouettes.

Kakashi Hatake, Daichi Hekima and the shadow clone of Jiraiya the Sannin were swiftly moving through the rocky terrain in the Land of Earth. Avoiding the patrol squads of the hidden stone village was time consuming but thanks to the information Danzo was able to get, it made their journey a bit easier.

The Leaf ninjas were passing through one of the rare areas where vegetation naturally grew in the Land of Earth. But unknown to them two eyes were observing their movements when they passed through that section.

"It's them," one of the white Zetsu clones whispered, peering from behind a cluster of low shrubs.

The second white Zetsu clone nodded in agreement, leaning forward. "Yes, I see them. That's Kakashi and Jiraiya. And that boy Daichi. They're in disguise but it's them." it said quietly.

They watched as the trio moved steadily northward, their outlines faint against the moonlight.

The Zetsu clones were several hundred meters away and were half submerged in the ground. From their vantage point they could track their quarry's direction without being detected.

"How interesting," the first Zetsu clone said. "They're headed north, not west."

The second clone cocked its head. "Madara expected them to pursue Orochimaru to the west. Dragon is going west, right?"

A faint breeze rustled the grass at their feet. The first clone's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Yes, Dragon was seen heading west. But these Leaf shinobi… they're going north. Why?"

The second clone shrugged its pale shoulders. "Who knows? Maybe they have their own plans or suspect a trick. Jiraiya isn't an idiot. He could be trying to outsmart Orochimaru by searching in a different location."

The first Zetsu clone considered this, crossing its arms. "Should we inform Kakuzu and Hidan right now? Pain told us to update them if something changed."

The second clone rubbed its chin thoughtfully. "Hmm… We do have new information. But telling Kakuzu and Hidan to chase these three north might be a waste of their time if the real targets Dragon and Orochimaru are west."

"Haa? Then what should we do?... All this thinking. My head hurts." The first white Zetsu clone stared blankly ahead and then looked down as if feeling tired. Suddenly he had an idea. "Wait. I know. Obito, no. Madara, he'll know how to solve this problem. He can decide what direction Kakuzu and Hidan need to go. So let's just tell him."

The second clone nodded. "Yes, you're right. We better report this to Madara first. Our orders were to keep them updated. This definitely counts as an update."

"Those Leaf ninjas are out of our range now. They sure move quickly," noted the first clone, its voice low. "We should go now and deliver our report."

The second clone agreed. "Time to vanish."

In near silence, the white Zetsu clones sank into the earth, slipping away from the spot they'd chosen for their reconnaissance.

—-

Land Of Earth: Western Region. 11:30pm.

By 11:30 pm, under the vast dome of a star-strewn sky, Jiraiya, Tobirama, and Danzo materialized within a rugged expanse of rocky wilderness. The land was strewn with jagged outcroppings of stone, broken hills, and twisting ravines.

Getting here would have taken an ordinary shinobi party hours upon hours and evading the paths of the Rock ninjas would have also added delay to the journey. But Tobirama's teleportation jutsu had reduced their travel time drastically. Just around five hours, and they were in position.

"This is the place," Jiraiya said quietly, pulling the hood of his cloak a bit lower over his face. They were all in disguise. Simple travelers, or so it would appear. Though anyone with keen senses might be able to see that there could be more.

The Toad Sannin looked around and then glanced at the disguised Second Hokage. "We reached here much more quickly than I thought. That sure is a convenient jutsu. I can understand why Minato made it his signature technique."

"This technique has its uses aside from combat. It's a shame there aren't more that could master it in the village." Tobirama nodded to Jiraiya and replied.

Danzo ignored their chatter and cast a measured glance across the dark terrain. "It's a large area to cover," he noted. "We need to look for subtle signs. Concealment barriers, disguised entrances, or subterranean structures. But Orochimaru's not one for leaving obvious clues."

Tobirama nodded. "We'll spread out, but not too far. If Orochimaru's here, he's likely employed traps or sensory nets. Make sure not to trigger any barriers."

His eyes then turned to Danzo and his voice took a menacing tone. "No tricks Danzo. Remember why you're here. If you do anything to jeopardize this mission-"

"I won't. I understand my position, Lord Tobirama. I only want to help." Danzo, despite the situation, looked calm and replied to his former teacher. 'They don't trust me. Well, it's just as I expected.'

Jiraiya also glanced at the one armed elder of the village and then began with his search. 'I still can't believe sensei let him come out here. But then again with all the contingency seals placed on his body, if Danzo tries anything he'll be in a world of hurt.'

They moved in a silent formation, eyes keen, chakra senses extended. Each step was chosen with caution as they meticulously searched the surroundings.

—-

Land Of Earth: Northern Region.

Meanwhile, far to the north, Daichi, Kakashi, and the Jiraiya shadow clone navigated a very different challenge. It was 1:10 am when they finally arrived in the region of the northern mines. The journey had been longer, nearly six hours and forty minutes across unfamiliar terrain.

"This place isn't nearly as heavily patrolled as the others. Looks like the information that warlord Sanada gave was correct." Kakashi murmured, ducking behind a rocky ledge.

"Yeah. We're on the outer edge of the Intelligence minister's territory. From here onwards it'll be his guards patrolling the area. Not the Hidden Stone Shinobi." Jiraiya nodded and glanced at the few Rock ninjas a short distance away from them.

"We need to go deeper into the territory to reach the mines, right?" Daichi asked as he kept his senses on alert.

"Yeah." Kakashi nodded.

"We need to go much deeper but make sure to keep a low profile. No direct confrontations if we can help it." Jiraiya reminded the two.

The Sannin looked at the Hidden Stone Shinobi and quickly created a plan. "Once we bypass these guys and go deeper, we'll need to cover more ground quickly. We'll have to split up. Do you guys have any problems with that?"

"No." Kakashi and Daichi shook their heads.

Jiraiya glanced at the Genin from the corner of his eyes for a moment. He knew just how skilled the boy was from the reports he read from his teacher so he knew he could trust the kid to move without alerting anyone.

Kakashi handed each of them a discreet communication headset. "Let's stay in touch. We can't afford to wander too far apart," he said softly.

"If you find anything unusual make sure to report it." Jiraiya spoke and they quickly finalized their plan. The three Leaf ninjas maintained a loose formation and easily bypassed the unsuspecting Stone ninjas.

After moving away from the range of the patrolling squads they quickly went their separate ways.

Daichi kept silent and was keeping an eye on his Mini-map at all times. 'Come on. Where are you two?'

Daichi moved forward and several minutes later two green markers appeared on his Mini-map. Seeing their appearance his heart gave a sudden thump. Joy and relief filled Daichi as he saw two familiar names appear on his map.

Tsunade Senju/Shizune Kato.

'Yes. Finally, Ohh I'm so glad I found you two.' The Genin had a big smile on his face. He quickly looked zoomed in on his map to see where they were.

'Looks like they're a little over 10 kilometers away from my current position. Orochimaru must be there as well.' But Daichi saw no other names show up on the screen aside from his teachers and a few ninjas roaming several kilometers away from that area.

'Hmm… It must be because I'm so familiar with them that their location appeared even if they're so far away.'

Daichi's hands went up to the communication device and he was about to let the others know but suddenly stopped. 'Wait. Not yet. I can't just tell Jiraiya and Kakashi sensei that they're in that direction. I need some proof.'

His heart pounded with relief and tension mixing in. He was now one step closer to rescuing his teachers. He regained his composure and quickly moved with measured and careful steps. He evaded the few ninjas who were near his path and moved towards the markers. 'I can't make it obvious that I know their exact location.'

Daichi knew that any change in his behavior would tip off the enemy or puzzle his allies.

For about twenty minutes, Daichi maneuvered carefully through the rocky gullies and over narrow ridges, inching ever closer to the distant blips on his mini-map. The terrain tested his endurance: loose gravel underfoot, sharp stones, and a chill wind that cut through his cloak.

Yet the Genin persevered. 'I've faced far worse in the dungeons. Thanks to the Light Step skill, navigating even this terrain won't be difficult.'

At 1:40 am, Daichi found himself standing atop a low rise overlooking a slight depression in the land. The mini-map confirmed it.

Orochimaru's base lay beneath that mound of earth, cunningly concealed. He sensed faint traces of chakra, carefully muffled, but his heightened senses and the system's guidance left no doubt.

Daichi used Observe skill and immediately saw barriers covering an underground hideout. At that moment four more names appeared on the map.

Orochimaru: Snake Sannin / Ukon / Sakon / Tayuya.

Daichi's eyes narrowed as he looked at the names. 'So they're all here huh.'

[Quest 'Infiltrate and Locate' Completed.]

Suddenly a system prompt came. Daichi recalled the conditions for completing this quest. 'Finding the location of Orochimaru's hideout, not letting the Hidden Stone ninjas sense my presence or identify me. Evading detection from Orochimaru and his guards and completing this quest 2 hours before the timer for the main rescue quest runs out. Looks like I fulfilled all conditions.'

But then a thought suddenly came to his mind. Daichi opened the quest and looked at two specific conditions.

[Do not let the Hidden stone ninjas sense your presence or identify you.

Escape from Orochimaru and his guard's senses.]

'Why didn't the quest say all enemy senses or something like that?... Wait. There is another group that should be keeping watch over this situation. The Akatsuki… Hmm.. There is a possibility that I might be under their radar right now...'

Daichi immediately extended his Mana scout skill to the extreme and sensed no one was spying on him. He felt a bit of relief. 'Until I rescue sensei and Shizune, I don't want anyone else to interfere and mess this up.'

Daichi then looked at the rewards for completing this quest.

[Rewards]

12350 Exp.

1852.5 Exp.

Intelligence stat - 7 points.

Sense Stat - 10 points.

Luck - 4 points.

[Increase in reputation to people who know your deeds.]

[Increased chances of rescuing Tsunade Senju and Shizune Kato.]

'I'm gonna need all the luck I can get right now.'

He then immediately contacted 'Dragon' and the shadow clone disguised as Kimimaro stationed in Orochimaru's hideout in the Sound Village. "Hey. I found sensei and Shizune."

"Yes. I knew we could do it." Came the reply from 'Kimimaro'.

"Where are you right now?" Dragon asked his original.

"A few kilometers deep into the mining territory. Orochimaru and his guards are here too."

"I see. What about Kakashi sensei and Jiraiya?"

"I'm about to call them over. Have you reached the western region?"

"Almost. I'm nearing my location but there might be a small problem?"

The real Daichi frowned. "What is it?"

"I've been sensing Zetsu a couple times on my way here. I think they're tracking me. I have a feeling the Akatsuki isn't far behind.'

"I see…" Daichi was silent for a few moments before he made a decision. "If you get into a confrontation with them, no need to hold back. Use that jutsu and annihilate them. Reducing their numbers is to our advantage."

"Understood. Just make sure to bring those two back home safely." Dragon replied and closed his connection.

"Hey. What do you need me to do here now? Should I dispel?" The clone posing as Kimimaro asked.

"No. Not yet. Once I rescue Tsunade sensei and Shizune, kill Kimimaro and take his body. Then destroy that base." Daichi gave his instructions.

"Alright. Oh yeah. Almost forgot. There is something you should know."

The original was about to close his connection but then his shadow clone spoke. "What is it?"

"Someone from the Leaf might be sniffing around here. My map showed someone at the outer edges of the village here. Based on his movements I'd say he's gathering information."

"If he's from the Leaf, it might be someone the Hokage had sent. Don't mind him. After you're done, blow the place sky high."

"Got it."

The real Daichi closed the connection and focused on the area in front of him. 'Time to call for backup.'

Author's Note.

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