Bleach x Naruto: Shinigami in Konoha

Jiraiya, who had just exited the Hokage's office, walked back in again. Just as he was about to close the door, he overheard a name that immediately seized his attention.

"If you have any information about Orochimaru, please tell me." Jiraiya addressed Sasuke and the others with a rare seriousness, his usual playful demeanor completely absent.

Even though he knew it was inappropriate to interrupt, the matter concerned a dear comrade—he couldn't ignore it.

Shisui glanced at Minato, who gave a nod in response.

He understood his teacher's feelings about Orochimaru. Even if they chose not to share, Jiraiya would search for clues on his own.

Receiving Minato's approval, Shisui began his report.

"Some time ago, I followed a lead to the Land of Sound while tracking the remnants of the Uchiha rebellion. After spending some time investigating, I discovered that something was very wrong in the area.

Children had been disappearing across the Land of Sound. I frequently heard eerie, unnatural cries—voices that were human, yet not. What truly raised alarm was the newly established Otogakure—Hidden Sound Village. Not only did they refuse to take requests from local villagers, they actively blocked any attempts by civilians to request help from other hidden villages.

That struck me as deeply suspicious. After conducting further reconnaissance, I discovered that the shinobi of Otogakure were engaging in secret human experimentation. They created bizarre beings—creatures stronger and faster than normal humans, but utterly mindless, driven solely by bloodlust."

Listening from the side, Jiraiya clenched his fists tightly. He had a strong feeling Orochimaru was behind this. After all, his defection from Konoha had occurred after his inhumane experiments were exposed.

Shisui continued.

"Realizing the situation was beyond my capabilities alone, I sent a letter to Itachi, hoping he could assist if available. Meanwhile, I remained hidden and kept monitoring the village's activities."

Shisui turned toward Itachi, who picked up where he left off.

"I wasn't free at the time the letter arrived. However, the very next day, our team was assigned a mission to investigate the disappearance of children from the Land of Sound. The request came from a couple residing in Tanokuni. Recalling Shisui's warning, our team decided to take on the mission."

Sai stood there dazed. He had originally analyzed that their team should avoid that mission. He had come to that conclusion using only logic, unaware that the decision had already been made—he had been left out of the loop.

Now Sai felt overwhelmed by disbelief, like everyone around him had been lying.

"When we arrived in the Land of Sound, our findings matched Shisui's. Additionally, we learned that foreign shinobi were vanishing under strange circumstances in the region.

Eventually, our team located a secret underground chamber where the missing children were being held. They were guarded by abominations—creatures and Otogakure shinobi altered through grotesque experiments. After rescuing the children, we were ambushed by two S-rank Konoha rogues.

Together, we fought and defeated Uchiha Setsuna. Orochimaru managed to escape but not before taking all remaining Otogakure shinobi with him. It seems likely that he was the founder of the village."

Itachi finished his report. Minato stood in silence, brows furrowed in contemplation. Jiraiya, however, burst out anxiously.

"The place where you confronted Orochimaru—it was in Tanokuni, right?"

Shisui nodded.

"Tch... Orochimaru's trail is too cold now. I have to find him. I will bring him back."

Jiraiya turned to leave in haste, but Minato raised a hand to stop him.

"Jiraiya-sensei, I understand how you feel. But please, stay in the village for now.

According to Shisui and the others, Orochimaru has already escaped the Land of Sound. We don't know his current location. The shinobi world is vast—tracking him now would be nearly impossible.

More importantly, the Chūnin Exams, hosted jointly by the five great villages, are about to begin. Other villages will undoubtedly use the occasion to gauge Konoha's strength. There may be unrest or threats during the event. I hope you'll remain during this critical time.

And..." Minato's expression softened. "Naruto has wanted to see you for a long time. He still doesn't know who you really are. I'd like you to spend more time with him. After all, he bears your name."

Jiraiya paused. Minato's words pulled him back from his emotional spiral. He had reacted too rashly to Orochimaru's name.

"Hahahaha, well... if you're begging me like that, I guess I can stay a bit longer," Jiraiya said with his usual bravado. "Guess I'll help train Naruto while I'm here!"

He gave Minato a hearty laugh and a thumbs-up.

"Thank you, Sensei." Minato smiled gratefully.

Jiraiya then exited the office, dragging away Naruto, who had been eavesdropping from behind the door.

From the hallway, Sasuke could still hear Naruto shouting in disbelief, "No way! No way! How could that pervy old man be the hero I look up to?!"

The door shut, and Minato turned to Shisui once more.

"You mentioned that one Uchiha renegade remains unaccounted for. Do you think this has anything to do with Orochimaru?"

Shisui hesitated, unsure how to explain.

"When we fought Orochimaru, he had a pair of Sharingan."

Minato's eyes widened slightly.

"Could it be that Orochimaru transplanted Sharingan from your clan?" he asked, recalling Kakashi—his student who bore a single transplanted Sharingan.

Shisui shook his head.

"Unlikely. If someone outside the Uchiha clan receives a Sharingan transplant, their body rejects it. Not only is its power severely diminished, but they can't deactivate it—just maintaining it drains chakra constantly. That's what happened to Kakashi.

But Orochimaru could activate and deactivate the Sharingan at will. It was as if... he had taken over an entire Uchiha body. As absurd as it sounds, that's the only explanation that fits. It might also explain why we haven't found the missing Uchiha renegade."

Shisui admitted his own uncertainty.

Minato remained silent for a long moment. Then, a flash of understanding lit his expression.

"...You might be right. Orochimaru may have fully transferred himself into the body of that Uchiha rogue."

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