Discimer: I don't own Naruto or the Gamer. Please support the official release.

  Five Leaf ninjas moved carefully through the dimly lit corridors of Orochimaru's base. Their footsteps were silent as each of them focused on their mission. They had already taken dow weak meraries and disabled a series of traps along the way.

  "With Asuma and his team taking on the heavy hitters, the rest of these guys left behind aren't all that much of a threat." One of the in ninjas spoke. Even so there was an uainty in his voice. "But still…"

  It felt almost too easy, but none of them voiced that thought aloud. This building was made by Orochimaru. They knew better than to let their guard down.

  At the front was a in, Tenchi Hyuga. He activated his Byakugan, his pale eyes glowing faintly in the darkness as veins bulged around his temples.

  "I'm seeing three strong chakra signatures on the lowest floor," Tenchi muttered. He narrowed his gaze, fog. "But something feels… wrong. It's like the signatures are flickering."

  His teammate Kaito Inuzuka crouched beside him, his wolf-like features alert, witg as he she air. His trusty ninken, spicuously absent from his side.

  "You sure about that, Tenchi?" Kaito asked, gng at him. "Orochimaru's bases are full of weird stuff, but you've never mentioned flickering chakra before."

  Tenodded, his brows furrowed. "It's like there's interference. I 't get a clear read on them."

  Shin Aburame, stood calmly behind the two, his hands in his pockets as his Kikaichū beetles buzzed quietly beh his cloak. He was calm, methodical, the type who rarely spoke unless necessary. "Could be a trap," he said, his voice low and trolled.

  The other two Leaf ninjas with them—standard jonin, no bloodlines or teiques to boast of—nodded in agreement. They trusted the instincts of their rades. "This is Orochimaru's base. All kinds of traps are to be expected. Let's not fet what ander Shikaku told everyone."

  "We'll stay sharp," Kaito urning to the others. "Just because we haven't hit anything major yet doesn't mean there aren't any."

  As they desded toward the lowest floor, the tensiohicker. Tenchi kept his Byakugan active, sing for any subtle traps or seals, but his face remained set in a grim line. 'Even with my Byakugan, why 't I see who those chakra signatures belong to? How did Orochimaru even aplish such a thing?'

  When they reached the bottom, the air felt colder. There was something off about this pce—almost unnatural.

  The walls were lined with old seals, barely visible in the gloomy darkness, and the chakra signatures Tenchi had sensed were close. But before any of them could make another move, the seals activated and the grouh their feet rumbled.

  Tenchi's eyes widened. "It's a—"

  BOOM! The floor erupted.

  A massive explosion tore through the base, sending ks of stone, metal, and debris in every dire. Fire roared through the corridors, and for a moment, it seemed like the eructure was colpsing. The deafening sound of the bst echoed throughout the forest outside.

  But the Leaf ninjas caught in the explosion didn't cry out. They didn't panic. As the fmes cleared, it became evident—their bodies, torn apart by the explosion, flickered for a brief moment before dissipatiirely in different forms.

  The Aburame ninja exploded into several small is before being ed by fmes while the others ieam vanished in a puff of smoke.

  All of them were es.

  —-

  Outside, cealed he perimeter of the base was a group of 5 ninjas and a ninja dog. They were waiting patiently for information their es could uh.

  Kaito's ninken, a sleek bd-brown dog aro, growled at his side.

  "Woof woof!" The ninken growled and barked softly. Its hairs stood on edge as if it sensed something ominous.

  "Yeah. I know, boy. I'm feeling it too." His partner Kaito rubbed his bad calmed him.

  The sed an explosion tore through the building and the Leaf ninjas dodged the burning debris ing their way.

  Tenchi let out a slow breath, his Byakugan still active, his heart pounding in his chest. "We would've been vaporized if we were still inside."

  Kaito grihough the tension hadn't quite left his face. "I've never been mrateful for Shikaku's warning. 'Always assume there's one more trap,'" he said, mimig the Nara head's calm, instructive voice.

  "es were a good call," Shin added quietly, his gaze still fixed on the crumbling base in front of them. His beetles buzzed around him in response, refleg his steady posure. "Orochimaru's traps are always lethal."

  One of the Jonin in the group wiped the sweat from his brow and nodded in agreement. "Shikaku's advice just saved our skins."

  Tenchi, still sing the area with his Byakugan, frowned. "The chakra signatures I sensed before the explosion—they're still there, but weaker now. This whole pce was rigged to lure us in."

  Kaito's grin faded, and his expression turned more serious. "So, this was just a decoy then? Orochimaru pying his mind games again."

  "Looks like it," Tenchi replied, deactivating his Byakugan. "We'll have troup a that we failed."

  "Yeah, but at least we're still breathing," Kaito muttered, patting Taro on the head as the ninken barked softly in agreement.

  One of the Jonin behind them g the sm ruins of the base and shook his head. "I wouldn't have expected anything less from Orochimaru. We'll have to be more careful moving forward."

  Shin turo the others, his usual calm demeanor unged. "We've cleared the way for Asuma's team. Let's make sure we stay alive to finish the mission."

  With a nod, the group rose from their crouched positions, silently retreating from the explosion site, wary of any more traps that might still be lying in wait.

  Leaf Vilge - Intelligence Department.

  The air ihe Intelligence Department building was heavy. At the ter of it all stood Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, his battle-worn face etched with deep lines of tration. The normally calm demeanor he carried was now shadowed with as he watched the reports e in from all seven teams sent to take down Orochimaru's bases.

  This wasn't just a typical mission. For him this ersonal. Tsunade and Shizune had been kidnapped, and every mihat passed without news of them g him.

  Hiruzen stood with his hands behind his back, the Hokage robes hanging heavy on his shoulders. Around him, the intelligence officers were w tirelessly, unig with the various teams stationed across the Land of Fire. The room was a hive of activity—officers reying orders, transcribing updates, and mapping out the seven bases. Hiruzen's keen eyes missed nothing.

  A Yamanaka operative, sitting cross-legged in the ter of the room, was deep in unication with the teams in the field. His face ale with the strain of maintainial es with so many ninja at once, but he stayed focused, reying each report with precision.

  "Team two is entering heavy resista Base 2," one of the intelligence officers reported, his voice clipped with urgency. "They're up against summonings—rge snakes. Injuries reported but no fatalities so far. Awaiting further updates."

  Hiruzen's grip tightened slightly behind his back. Orochimaru's influence was clear with those summonings, but the question g him—where was Orochimaru? And more importantly, where were Tsunade and Shizune?

  "Snakes again," Shikaku Nara murmured from his station nearby, where he was meticulously noting dowatus of each team, trag their progress, analyzing damage reports, and casualties. His brow furrowed as he gnced up at the Hokage. "This is cssiaru. He's trying to stall us."

  "We've anticipated this, but heless it's annoying." Inoichi, who was nearby, spoke. His face kept a stern expression but the ched hands at his sides gave his true emotions away.

  Hiruzen nodded, his eyes never leaving the unfolding situation map in front of him. "He's always been a master of diversions, but we 't afford to lose sight of the real objective."

  One of the Yamanaka assistants, his voice strained from maintaining multiple mental es, spoke up. "Lord Hokage, Team Seven is rep the same thing at Base 7. More snake summons. They've entered over a dozen enemies so far. No sign of Lady Tsunade or Shizune."

  Hiruzen's jaw ched ever so slightly. His mind raced, pieg together the scattered reports. 'As predicted, Orochimaru is pying his twisted games. These bases are nothing more than decoys. Still, eae has to be thhly searched. But every sed wasted here could prove fatal to those two.'

  "Keep monit Base 2 and 7 closely," Hiruzen ordered. "Tell them to proceed with caution. Those snake summonings. It's proof that those operatives have a closer e to Orocihmaru than the rest. Do not engage recklessly. Ahe squads to capture a few of them alive."

  Another report came in almost immediately after. "Lord Hokage, Team Five has entered a series of plex traps at Base 5. Chakra-sealing barriers and explosive tags. They're w to disarm them, but it's slowing their advance signifitly."

  Hiruzen's eyes shifted to the map, where Base 5 was located. 'That location is 89 kilometers west of the vilge.'

  The Hokage's expression remained calm, but inwardly, he was calg the situation carefully. 'Every base is a potential death trap, and the teams are walking into them blind. Yet they couldn't afford to back off.

  "He's trying to bleed us out," Shikaku said, his voice low but steady. "Dey tactics, meant to whittle down our numbers while we waste time on decoy bases."

  Hiruzen nodded grimly. "I know."

  "Lord Hokage, despite the troubles we've entered, I doubt the teams would have too many problems." Inoichi spoke and the old Kage g him.

  "The information we were able to obtain from Rinji and Guren before their deaths and the analysis made by the early scout teams are invaluable. They've slowed us down but we still have a signifit advantage over them." Inoichi expined and Hiruzen silently nodded in uanding.

  "Perhaps I should t those two attag Daichi and his team as a blessing in disguise." The Hokage sighed and turned his attention back to the situation in front of him.

  Shikaku scribbled down another set of notes, his sharp mind already disseg the tactical situation. "s of Orochimaru's presenywhere. Nothing on Lady Tsunade or Shizune. He's keeping them somewhere else."

  "Likely far from these bases," Hiruzen said with a tired sigh, his voice heavy with resignation. "These traps are to keep us occupied. Orochimaru is several steps ahead."

  At that moment the Yamanaka operative's eyes opened slightly. "Lord Hokage… Team Three at Base 3 is rep no major resista, but they're entering more traps. Chakra-based Genjutsu. They're w to ralize them now."

  Hiruzen's brow furrowed. 'Traps, traps, and more traps.'

  He could feel the threads of Orochimaru's web tightening around his teams. 'How frustrating.'

  The old kage k was only a matter of time before something gave. 'These traps are there to stall, but I 't turn baow. We need a breakthrough.'

  "We'll have to push harder," Hiruzen said quietly, more to himself than to anyone in particur. "We don't have time to waste."

  Shikaku looked up from his notes, his sharp mind pieg together the bigger picture. "What about the other mission? We haven't received any word yet."

  Hiruzen's eyes flickered briefly. He khe underlying reason Shikaku was asking. Among all the reports of eraps aahere was also the secret mission to eliminate Root sleeper agents.

  Only Hiruzen, the Jonin ander and the team captains khe truth about that particur operation. It had to be done, and Asuma was one of the ninjas entrusted with that task.

  "Not yet," Hiruzen said quietly. "But they will ha."

  Shikaku gave a slight nod, uanding the weight of that decision without needing further expnatiouro his work, his mind stantly processing the flood of data and updates from the field.

  Another voice chimed in from the far side of the room. "Lord Hokage, Team O Base 1 has secured the perimeter. They've disabled several traps and taken down a dozen enemies. But three casualties on our side." The Yamanaka ied with a slightly saddened expression.

  "Who are they?" Shikaku asked and the Yamanaka ninja quickly gave the list of the three fatalities from team one.

  The Jonin ander looked over the names and inwardly nodded. 'The Root sleeper ninjas assigo Jonin Kozim are successfully removed.'

  "I uand." Hiruzen said with a ral tone.

  His thoughts were still on Bases 2 and 7, where the snake summons had beeed. Orochimaru's presence was strohere, but that didn't mean he was actually present. Everything poio distras.

  As Hiruzen stood silently, listening to the reports ing in, his mind wandered back to his former student.

  'Orochimaru… Once upon a time, I had been so proud of your talent. Your ambition. But now, you're just a thorn in the heart of the vilge, stantly testing the limits of my patiend resolve.'

  The Yamanaka operative, still mentally lio the field teams, opened his eyes again, s down his face from the strain. "Lord Hokage, Team Seveed that they've ralized the snake summons at Base 7. Two fatalities but… still no sign of Lady Tsunade or Miss Shizune."

  'Damn it.' Hiruzen's heart sank slightly but his expression remained calm.

  He felt the weight of leadership bearing down on him more than ever in that moment. Tsunade—his other former student, his apprentice—was still missing, along with Shizune.

  And the realization was growing stronger with every passing moment: 'There was the ti hope in my heart that he would think that we wouldn't waste our time with those obvious decoys and would hide in one of those locations but… I have to abandon that thought. He isn't in any of these bases.'

  But Hiruzen had to keep pressing on. There was no other choice.

  "Keep me updated on all teams," Hiruzen ordered with a stern voice. "We'll find them."

  Shikaku gnced up from his notes, his sharp eyes meeting Hiruzen's. "When we do, Orochimaru won't be far behind."

  Hiruzen nodded. "I'm aware. When we find him… I will end this war."

  —-

  Land of Fire – Unknown Location

  The forest surrounding Orochimaru's 8th base was dense and foreboding, its arees t high above like sentinels, their branches entwio form a natural opy that let in only slivers of sunlight. The silence was unnerving—no birds, no wind, just an oppressive stillness. Deep beh this seemingly serene woodnd y Orochimaru's true ir, hidden from the world by powerful barriers and cloaked in secrecy.

  Anbu ander Ox crouched low on a sturdy branch, his hawk-like eyes sing the area. His mask, adorned with the signature markings of the Leaf's elite bck-ops unit, hid his focused expression as he studied the terrain.

  'It seems the intelligence we received from Guren is accurate. Orochimaru's defenses here are unlike anything at the decoy bases the others are currently attag… There are multiple traps and subtle yers of barriers surrounding this area and this subterranean base, eae cleverly masked to blend with the natural chakra flow of the nd. Incredible.'

  Ox had seen his share of plex jutsu over the years, but this—this was something else entirely. The barriers were woven so tightly into the envirohat, without Guren's inside information, it would've been nearly impossible to detect them.

  'I know why Orochimaru chose this location. It's a perfect fortress.'

  He stood, keeping himself hidden behind the leaves of a massive tree, sing for any patrols ns of movement. But the area seemed devoid of life. A faint flicker of chakra deep below the ground caught his attention.

  As he began analyzing a possible entry point, his instincts fred. Something—no, someone—deep ihe base sensed his presence. Ox's body tensed as his years of battle-honed intuition screamed at him to stay alert.

  'I've been discovered.'

  Author's Note.

  Ok. To recap things so far. Orochimaru has created 7 decoy bases and an 8th secret base where Guren was supposed to take Daichi after capturing him.

  Orochimaru had secretly leaked the locations of the 7 bases to a root ninja spying on his movements.

  It was because he wahe Hokage to attack those bases and waste time,weaken the leaf ninjas and for Danzo to take that opportunity to attack hiruzen and start a civil war (Which didn't happen)

  Now, Hiruzen knows these 7 bases are decoys guarded by Orochimaru's experimes but he 't just let hundreds of orochimaru's men roam the Land of Fire without doing anything. It is bound to cause chaos. And he also needed a way to get rid of Danzo fanatid loyalists.

  SO this mission was absolutely necessary.

  chapter – A Sannin, an Anbu ander and a reanimated kage walk into a hidden base… With two toads….

  If you enjoy my story then please take a moment to review and rate. A thumbs up always helps.

  And if you are ied in reading ahead, then chey patreon site. I’ve uploaded up to 30 additional chapters there…

  https:///Monken