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( Translator: I miss some paragraphs for almost all the chapters and I added them sorry )
The two left the location of Team 7. Karin activated her Kagura Mind's Eye and followed Orochimaru's chakra signature.
A slight smile appeared on the corners of Mujie's mouth. He was looking forward to seeing what effect that little joke would have.
"You seem quite happy," Karin rarely saw Mujie with such an expression.
"Hmm, I'm just looking forward to what happens next."
"Is that so."
"Yes."
The two didn't intend to hide themselves, so after just a few minutes, Orochimaru stopped in place, waiting for the unknown pursuers behind him.
Mujie and Karin burst out from the dense foliage and landed on a wide branch, keeping a certain distance from Orochimaru.
"Mr. Orochimaru, um, good afternoon."
Hearing Mujie call out his identity, Orochimaru revealed a playful smile. "That hair color, are you a descendant of the Uzumaki clan? I thought it was some ignorant brat. Since you know who I am and still dare to chase after me, state your purpose. I hope you don't make me feel like these few minutes were wasted."
Are two redheads really that conspicuous?
Mujie didn't want to waste time either. Gaara wasn't close to them, so he spoke directly, "Mr. Orochimaru, we're here to make a deal. I want to exchange information for the ninjutsu you possess that can steal other people's faces."
Orochimaru had previously stolen the face of a Konoha ninja, and it was burned off by Sasuke's flamboyant attacks during the battle, so he wasn't surprised that the two knew about this technique.
"Oh, let's hear it," Orochimaru became slightly interested. He seemed to sense a hint of conspiracy; this Chunin Exam seemed to be getting interesting.
"Hmm..." Mujie pondered the bargaining chips in his hand for a moment, then tentatively offered a low price. "We received news that Jiraiya has already followed your trail back to the Land of Fire and may reach Konoha within a few days. No matter what you plan to do, Jiraiya will be a big problem."
Mujie wasn't just offering a low price. Just as he said, Jiraiya was a big problem. He hoped to remind Orochimaru of this, preferably getting him to lure Jiraiya away when the plan started.
"Is that all? This was already within my expectations. This little bit of information isn't enough to exchange for my ninjutsu."
"Is that so?" Mujie had no choice but to continue adding chips. "Then please let me add some more. I heard that you've been researching ninjutsu for immortality. Coincidentally, I've heard of some methods that can revive the dead, perhaps they can provide some reference for your research. Hmm... I've heard of three ninjutsu in total: Reanimation Jutsu, Dragon Life Reincarnation, and Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique. All three of these ninjutsu can revive the dead without any side effects."
"Resurrection jutsu," Orochimaru repeated.
Mujie's information had indeed caught Orochimaru's attention. Although his Living Corpse Reincarnation could achieve a similar effect, the two previous reincarnations had made him feel like he had lost something.
This technique was not yet perfect.
However...
"Is it just a name?" Orochimaru pressed.
"Of course. After all, the ninjutsu you possess isn't something of great value either."
"But this way, I have no way to confirm the authenticity of the information. Maybe you just randomly made up a few names to deceive me."
Mujie sighed, covering his forehead. "I didn't expect you to be such a shrewd businessman. Since that's the case, I'll provide a little more information. The holder of the Reanimation Jutsu is Chiyo-baasama from Sunagakure. It's said that this jutsu can mend the souls of the dead. Alright, this is really the last piece of information."
Soul?
Orochimaru seemed lost in thought, and said slowly in a hoarse voice, "The information you've provided is indeed valuable and enough to exchange for the ninjutsu I possess, but... why should I agree to your deal?"
At this moment, behind Mujie and Karin, a giant snake over a hundred meters long was staring at the prey before it!
The corner of Orochimaru's mouth curved. "Swallow them."
Whoosh! The giant snake stirred up a vicious wind, opened its bloody maw, and instantly lunged at the two!
But!
Karin turned around, clenched her right fist, and struck fiercely at the giant snake's head!
BOOM!!!
A violent gust of wind erupted, and a circular shockwave spread in all directions. The colossal snake crashed as if it had slammed into an impenetrable mountain, its massive body curling up in agony!
Karin leapt high into the air, her right leg slicing through the sky like a descending mountain peak, smashing down toward the serpent's head!
With a thunderous crash, the snake's head exploded into a mess of flesh and gore.
A rain of blood poured from the sky, drenching the surroundings. Mujin rested his chin thoughtfully for a moment before speaking calmly. "Perhaps… it's because we're simply more interesting."
Karin stood by Mujin's side again, as if she'd only done something trivial. She leaned on him affectionately, like a little bird seeking shelter.
Orochimaru's smile widened further at the sight of their demeanor.
"Hehe, how intriguing." His interest was indeed piqued. A long snake slithered out from within his robes, opening its mouth to reveal a slimy scroll. "Here's the jutsu you requested."
Slimy…
Mujin caught the sticky scroll tossed by Orochimaru and opened it. Sure enough, it contained the Disappearing Ink Technique he needed.
At this moment, Karin gently tugged on Mujin's sleeve. Understanding her meaning, Mujin carefully stowed the scroll away. He then turned to Orochimaru and said, "I hope our next meeting will be just as pleasant. But since someone is coming to see you, we'll take our leave now."
With that, the two turned and departed.
Orochimaru watched them leave, his smile growing even wider. "Someone's coming to see me? Anko, perhaps? Hehe, it seems this Chunin Exam will indeed become quite entertaining."
Time was tight.
Nearly an hour had passed since they began. Mujin hoped Gaara hadn't wandered too far.
---
Mujin and Karin raced through the forest at full speed, no longer needing to conceal themselves. Their pace was significantly faster than before.
Suddenly, Karin spoke. "Mujin, I sense many chakra signatures near Gaara."
"He must be in battle. How far are we?"
"About five minutes."
"Prepare our disguises first."
The two stopped and retrieved what they needed from their backpacks.
They donned long cloaks, masks, and wrapped their red hair with scarves. Finally, they removed their Grass Village forehead protectors and replaced them with dark goggles. Even someone familiar with them wouldn't recognize them now.
Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time to find forehead protectors from another village.
Karin stomped her foot, creating a deep pit in the ground. They dumped everything they didn't need into it and buried it. Mujin added a sealing technique to ensure no one would detect anything unusual.
Mujin whispered, "Gaara won't be easy to handle. Remember our plan—one strike and retreat. Avoid drawing suspicion about our intentions."
"I understand."
The two accelerated again, their movements so fast that the wind they generated snapped thin branches in their path.
After about two minutes, they arrived at Gaara's battlefield. They hid behind bushes and began regulating their breathing.
Perfect timing—Temari and Kankurō were watching from afar while two Rain Village ninja knelt before Gaara, begging for mercy.
Mujin and Karin crouched behind the bushes, observing the situation. Karin pointed toward another patch of grass, signaling that Team 8, led by Hinata Hyūga, was hiding there.
Mujin's mind briefly considered Hinata's Byakugan but dismissed the thought after weighing the potential reactions of Konoha and the Hyūga clan.
There would be other opportunities to cross paths on the battlefield.
Meanwhile, in the other bushes, Hinata also spotted Mujin and Karin through her Byakugan. She quietly informed her teammates, "Kiba, Shino, two more people have arrived."
Akamaru, nestled in Kiba's arms, sniffed the air and growled softly. "Are they here to scavenge? Hopefully, they'll lure away that terrifying sand user."
"Look!" Shino suddenly interrupted Kiba.
The three quickly turned their attention to the scene unfolding in front of them, just in time to witness Gaara using his sand to mercilessly kill the two pleading Rain ninja!