Night fell.
Right after finishing dinner, Tsunade hurriedly sought out Ryun, intending to drag her little brother into playing cards. Even though they were on the battlefield in an enemy nation, she couldn't suppress her gambling addiction...
"Stop fooling around, Tsunade. If you're so free, go refine the antidote further. Playing a few rounds occasionally to relax is one thing, but who thinks about gambling every day in the middle of a war?"
Orochimaru scolded with a stern face.
"You're so nagging. I came to find my little brother, not you."
Tsunade pouted and muttered, her large eyes like hooks as she kept winking at Ryun beside her.
"No time tonight. Maybe another time..."
Ryun spoke indifferently, not even glancing at her as he applied a small packet of moisture-proof powder to his chakra longsword.
Tsunade froze for a moment, then knelt directly in front of Ryun, staring at him with wide eyes as he polished his blade.
In just a few short months, the sharp edge of this treasured sword had already developed numerous tiny nicks, proof of the intensity of Ryun's daily battles.
Even the finest weapon couldn't withstand prolonged slashing and wear. Moreover, due to the hardness of the material, the chakra longsword was difficult to sharpen and reuse.
Ordinary sandpaper or whetstones couldn't polish such a hard alloy. Unless sent to the Land of Iron for professional blacksmiths to restore, the nicks couldn't be removed.
Of course, despite the many small chips on Ryun's chakra longsword, with the enhancement of lightning chakra, it remained a deadly weapon!
In terms of kills alone, Ryun had taken more Rain-nin lives than even Tsunade, possibly even more than Jiraiya.
Orochimaru often took him out for dirty work. Killing in the rain was routine for him, sometimes fighting twice in a single night.
Since the war began, Orochimaru had the best combat record in the Konoha camp, with the highest enemy kill count.
But Ryun's tally could easily rank in the top five. Though he arrived half a year later than others, his fearless and aggressive fighting style made up for it.
The reason Ryun fought so unusually hard was to test whether he could awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan through life-and-death battles!
Between life and death lies great terror, but also great opportunity. Even Orochimaru acknowledged this, having confirmed its feasibility with the Black Dragon.
He wanted to see if intense emotional fluctuations from near-death experiences could trigger his Mangekyō without losing someone he loved.
He was calculating and cold by nature, not as obsessive or extreme as the Uchiha clan. Thus, awakening the Mangekyō might be far harder for him. So far, he had no leads.
Methods like Indra's—killing close friends to awaken the Mangekyō—never even crossed Ryun's mind. Besides, he didn't have any companions he cared about enough to trigger it...
Unless something happened to the two women at home, or Orochimaru and Tsunade died right before his eyes.
The two women at home were safe in Konoha, while his teacher and Tsunade... even if he died in battle, they'd likely still be alive...
Since joining the war, Ryun had faced plenty of dangerous fights, yet there were still no signs of the Mangekyō awakening, which frustrated him greatly.
"Are you heading out again tonight? Another combat mission?" Tsunade asked softly, watching the boy before her.
This youth had an innocent, harmless face, yet showed no hesitation when killing. His resolve was decisive and cold.
She felt he had clearly been influenced by Orochimaru, becoming somewhat bloodthirsty...
This stark contrast left a deep impression, especially on sensitive, observant women like her.
Ryun's eyes were calm as still water, always composed. Such a person seemed reliable, and his strength proved he was a dependable ally.
After today's battle, Tsunade's trust in Ryun rose several levels. She even felt he was more reliable than Jiraiya... or even Orochimaru...
After prolonged interaction, no one in the Konoha camp still treated him as just a child.
"Not a combat mission. Mainly reconnaissance and intelligence gathering."
Orochimaru answered her question directly.
"The antidote has been distributed, almost one per person. The poison issue is mostly resolved. The commander believes it's time for another full-scale battle!"
Hanzō's deadly poison had been a major obstacle for Konoha's forces. Now that it was neutralized, following the battle strategy devised by the Yūhi Clan leader and Orochimaru, Konoha couldn't possibly lose.
After all, Konoha's military strength far surpassed Rain's.
"Ryūmon Town. If we can capture this strategic stronghold, we can sever most of Rain's waterway transport capabilities. From there, we can dismantle Rain piece by piece, eventually threatening Amegakure..."
Orochimaru pointed at the Land of Rain's terrain map on the wall and spoke quietly.
"Taking Ryūmon Town means we're halfway to victory!"
As the two discussed strategy, Ryun focused on checking his equipment, uninterested in wasting brainpower on tactics or plans.
Orochimaru gave orders, and he simply followed them.
Sometimes, Orochimaru would ask Ryun's thoughts on the war, testing his insights or if he had any strategies.
But Ryun's answers were always the same:
The antidote was key.
Avoid Hanzō of the Salamander.
As long as Konoha did these two things, victory was assured unless the commanders were idiots.
Orochimaru agreed with the first point but not the second.
When asked why he thought so, Ryun countered, "Can you beat him? Even the Sannin together aren't enough."
With no one to counter the "Demigod," Konoha's morale would waver while Rain's would soar. Any large-scale battle would be unpredictable.
The Third Hokage sent his three disciples to the Land of Rain precisely to counter Hanzō.
At this stage, Hanzō was the spiritual pillar of Rain's forces. Unless he was defeated, Konoha couldn't end the war with just one or two major battles.
"Lord Orochimaru, Lady Tsunade, Ryun..."
A Hyūga branch family member entered the room.
He was part of tonight's reconnaissance team, accompanying Orochimaru and Ryun to Ryūmon Town.
"Good, since you're here, let's move out."
"Yes!"
Ryun stood up from the tatami and slung his chakra longsword across his back.
Tsunade stepped forward to adjust his flak jacket, patting his shoulder with a serious reminder:
"Ryūmon Town is a heavily guarded enemy stronghold. Be extremely careful."
"I know..."
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