## Hokage Office ##
"You're kidding, right Granny Tsunade? You're really giving me an A-rank mission?"
Tsunade stared at Naruto,
"It was Yuugao who recommended you for ANBU, and Kakashi says your performance in the squad deserves consideration. This is a perfect chance to test your abilities. Any objections?"
Naruto thought for a moment and shook his head,
"Nope, but could I ask you for a favor before I leave?"
Tsunade raised her eyebrows,
"What kind of favor?"
Naruto smiled,
"Take care of Tamako. She's safe with all those sealing techniques in the dorm, but she might get lonely. Just keep her busy—she can help you develop various sealing techniques."
"Of course," Tsunade replied. "Now let's talk about your mission. You need to make full use of that brain filled with Orochimaru's secrets. What information do you remember?"
Naruto sat down, stroking his chin as Shizune placed a piece of paper and a pen in front of him.
"The details have faded over time, but besides what I know about the Cursed Seal, I remember some names of his subordinates and the approximate locations of several bases scattered around." He said while jotting down everything he recalled.
After Naruto finished, Tsunade picked up the paper and scanned it.
"This definitely surpasses the information we gathered on Orochimaru years ago. That settles it then. You'll be accompanying an ANBU team to search out and destroy these bases you've listed."
Naruto grinned.
"Does this mean a promotion?"
Tsunade set the documents aside and gave him a slight frown.
"Maybe. We'll decide after you return. And don't tell anyone exactly what you're doing."
Naruto asked another question.
"It's been two weeks already—I haven't received my payment from Sasori yet."
Tsunade rubbed her temple.
"Since he turned himself into a puppet, even though your weapon carried his signature poison, there wasn't physical proof to confirm it was really him."
Naruto blinked.
"You want DNA? Why didn't you say so sooner? I kept the torn pieces of the shirt I wore during our fight—he bled all over it."
"If you can provide that DNA, I'll handle the rest. For now, rest up and prepare for your mission."
"Understood, Lady Tsunade."
Naruto saluted and left through the window.
## Five Months Later — A Secret Location Between the Land of Earth and the Land of Valleys ##
Naruto sat tucked inside a small crevice on the edge of a cliff, eyes closed with his sword resting across his lap, catching a quick nap to prepare for the operation.
Naruto exhaled slowly as he sensed approaching footsteps, signaling that he had returned to full awareness.
A man wearing a cat-shaped mask entered the cave and glanced at Naruto.
"You're awake. Good. Time to get started, kid."
Naruto smiled.
"No time to catch your breath, huh, Yamato?"
Yamato sighed and removed his mask.
"You've done remarkably well on this mission. Who'd have guessed a fourteen-year-old could be so outstanding when storming enemy bases. When the Hokage assigned you to my team, I thought she'd gone crazy."
Naruto gave a nonchalant shrug.
Yamato gave Naruto's shoulder a firm pat.
"You'll be going in alone this time. You've memorized every layout of Orochimaru's bases, so there's no one better suited for this mission than you. Stay low."
Naruto took off his forehead protector, slipped it into his pocket, and pulled on his hat.
"All of Orochimaru's bases follow the same basic design. Once you get used to the eerie vibe, they're actually kind of boring," he said.
Yamato put on his mask.
"Well then, let's begin. No ninjutsu, and keep your chakra use to an absolute minimum."
Naruto saluted Yamato.
"Roger that, Captain."
With that, Naruto left the cave and began climbing the cliffside beneath the setting sun.
This was the opportunity he had been waiting for. Tsunade had finally given him a proper mission, and although he felt a bit rusty at first, he quickly found his rhythm again.
As night fell, Naruto climbed farther along the cliff face until he finally discovered a narrow crack in the rock wall.
"Looks like a regular cave entrance. This guy really knows how to hide things."
The entrance looked deserted, but Naruto wasn't fooled. The base was still operational—meaning guards had to be close by.
"Hey, Nine-Tails, can you help me lock down those sentries' positions? I know they're around here somewhere, but I can't tell exactly where."
He waited a moment before receiving a response.
"One's hiding with a cloaking technique, around twenty meters from the entrance. The other's right inside the tunnel, out of view."
Naruto created a shadow clone and transformed it into a spider. He pulled out a spool of ninja wire. The spider clone clutched the end of the wire and crawled toward the cave, undetected by the hidden sentry.
It climbed up the wall, jumped onto the sentry's shoulder, looped around silently a couple times, found a protrusion to secure the wire, and then vanished.
Receiving the signal from his clone, Naruto tightened the wire. He felt the wire tighten as it cut deep into the sentry's throat. He kept pulling until the wire snapped free, confirming the sentry's death.
After releasing the wire, he grabbed a rock and tossed it into the cave mouth. The underground sentry peeked out to look, and Naruto quickly dropped him with a kunai.
The first corridor was unguarded, which meant traps were likely present. Naruto ran along the walls, skillfully avoiding them.
Orochimaru really needs to invest in some proper lighting in these bases.
Although torches added a dark, creepy atmosphere, the low light worked in intruders' favor—like Naruto.
Eventually, Naruto entered a room filled with communication equipment. He knew this room had to be completely wiped out.
A radio operator had his back turned. No need to kill him, though.
Tracing the cables, Naruto followed them to a corner of the ceiling and guessed they connected to the antenna outside the base.
With a quick flick, he severed the cables with a shuriken. Then he left the room and continued down the corridor.
******
##Outside the Base##
Two masked Konoha Anbu crouched on the cliffside, watching the spot where Naruto had vanished inside.
"Captain, do you think he'll need much time to finish this mission?"
"I'm not sure, Yugao. Depends on how many Otogakure ninja he runs into. Either way, he's got this."
Even if he gets caught, he can get himself out of trouble. When we return to Konoha, I'll personally recommend him for the Anbu. He's performed exceptionally well."
******
## Inside the Base ##
Naruto made his way down the corridor when a ninja suddenly appeared.
Naruto swiftly delivered a kick, snapping the man's neck. Strangely, the man didn't cry out about an intruder.
To hide the body, Naruto positioned the body as if the man were simply dozing off against the wall.
But this wouldn't hold for long, so Naruto had to act fast.
Only one key area remained: the lab.
Naruto was especially interested in the lab because he had promised Anko he'd remove the cursed seal from her neck.
The lab door was secured with nothing more than a standard lock. Naruto easily picked it and entered. He took a deep breath, rolled inside swiftly, and shut the door quietly behind him to avoid detection by patrolling guards.
The lab was empty, evidently already stripped clean.
Destroying this base now would only make Orochimaru more cautious.
As he prepared to open the door, he found the door locked from the outside. Naruto shook the handle and realized he'd need to pick the lock again.
Just as he pulled out his tools, a voice came through the intercom.
"If you're really so curious about my work here… go ahead and ask, hehehe…"
The back wall opened, revealing three men in prisoner uniforms. This room appeared to connect directly to the prison cells…
They bore the marks of cursed seals.
They stepped into the empty lab, and the cell door closed behind them.
These people were now nothing but mindless savages, useless to him, but he needed to eliminate them before he could reach the door.
Naruto swiftly sliced off an attacker's arm and cleanly severed his head. He slammed into the second assailant with his shoulder, shoving him backward, then kicked the third prisoner away, slamming him into the wall. Then, Naruto quickly retreated, reversed his grip on the sword, and drove it through both of them, pinning their bodies to the wall.
Naruto watched coldly as the cursed seals faded from their lifeless bodies. He withdrew his blade, wiped the blade clean on the dead men's uniforms, then sheathed his sword and quickly worked the lock mechanism, opening the door.
"Damn it… time to fall back." Naruto glanced back at the room one last time and shook his head.
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