Hyūga Harano led the young member of the Hyūga clan toward his room.
Behind him, a young voice suddenly spoke. An attractive member of the Hyūga clan, about seventeen or eighteen years old, walked up and asked in confusion, "Elder, what is so special about that Orochimaru that requires you to humble yourself and treat him with such respect?"
Hyūga Harano looked at this young leader of the main family line and patiently explained, "Nagahisa, you are destined to inherit the Hyūga Main House leadership. You must learn to view matters from a broader strategic perspective.
Orochimaru is Sarutobi Hiruzen's disciple, and from his daily words and actions, Sarutobi-sensei clearly values him highly, likely deeming him the one to inherit his legacy.
Sarutobi is the designated Third Hokage. If he successfully completes this mission, his prestige among the ninja—especially those at the top of the pyramid—will peak. Ascending to the Kage position will be instantaneous.
For our Hyūga clan to prosper, we must forge a good relationship with Sarutobi, and Orochimaru is the bridge connecting the Hyūga and Sarutobi.
Moreover, the child's own talent is that of a once-in-a-century genius. I saw something special just now with the Byakugan... perhaps..."
Harano trailed off, a flicker of memory in his eyes.
Hyūga Nagahisa nodded, taking the lesson to heart.
Inside the Uchiha clan's room.
Uchiha Tomoshige stood facing the window, looking out. His Three-Tomoe Sharingan rotated slowly, his gaze deep and uncertain. He suddenly called out, "Fugaku?"
"Foster Father!" A cold, handsome boy of about ten years old, Uchiha Fugaku, came to Tomoshige's side and bowed.
"Fugaku, what do you think of that Orochimaru?" Uchiha Tomoshige asked calmly.
A hint of caution flashed in Fugaku's eyes. He replied, "Very strong. Without activating my Sharingan, I would definitely not be his match."
Uchiha Tomoshige was satisfied with Fugaku's sincere assessment. He continued, "Observe him closely. This child is far from simple."
Fugaku nodded respectfully.
It was deep into the night. Silence reigned around the inn, broken only by the occasional distant croak of a frog or the chirping of a cicada, making the surrounding stillness even more profound.
Tonight was a heavily overcast night. Thick clouds obscured the bright moon, plunging the land into a deep, chilling curtain of darkness. It seemed as though some unspeakable event was about to occur!
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—
Threads of extremely subtle, light sounds of cutting through the air rose from the forests and bushes surrounding the inn.
Suddenly, a low voice, barely a whisper, said, "Is this the inn?"
The person next to him nodded.
The first man's voice turned cold, his low command filled with killing intent: "Kill!"
Inside the inn, Orochimaru and Sarutobi suddenly opened their closed eyes. Their bodies, lying asleep on the beds, sprang up like springs.
Sarutobi, noticing Orochimaru's quick reaction, flashed a look of appreciation. He laughed loudly: "We have guests! Let's go welcome them together!"
Orochimaru licked his lips, his eyes flashing with fierce killing intent. He gave a wicked smile and followed closely behind.
Sarutobi leaped straight out the window and onto the roof.
On the rooftop, Uchiha Tomoshige, Hyūga Harano, and the two Anbu Jōnin, each leading their elite subordinates, quickly arrived.
The magnificent Konoha squad, composed of eighteen ninja at or above the Chūnin level, stood on the rooftop, coldly observing the black-clad ninja emerging from the surrounding forest to attack under the cover of night.
Standing on the roof, each of the eighteen elite ninja's eyes were filled with killing intent. Powerful auras surged around them. Guided by Sarutobi and the other Jōnin, the combined, immense momentum and killing intent of the eighteen ninja swept forth like Mount Tai pressing down, crushing the attacking black-clad ninja.
The person who had given the earlier command felt a chill in his heart as he sensed this overwhelming killing intent. He looked up, saw Sarutobi and the others poised on the roof, and shouted urgently, "They're on the roof! Don't retreat! Force your way up!"
The black-clad ninja paused slightly under the pressure of the combined aura. Before they could react, Sarutobi fiercely struck.
His hands created streaking after-images. In a fraction of a second, Sarutobi wove several complex jutsu hand seals.
Ox – Dog – Dragon – Rat – Dog – Boar – Snake – Tiger
Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!
The same Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu, used by Sarutobi, was several times grander in scale than when used by Orochimaru.
Hundreds of sharp, spinning black shuriken, like small pinwheels with four rotating blades, flew at high speed toward the black-clad ninja. The entire air space within a hundred-meter radius was filled with a "Buzz, buzz, buzz—" sound of air being sliced.
Slice! Slice!—
Seven or eight weaker black-clad ninja were instantly pierced by the high-speed shuriken. Blood spurted from their backs, and they fell lifelessly to the ground.
A breeze passed, and Sarutobi's hand signs did not stop.
Earth Style: Earth Flow River!
The floor tiles beneath the several black-clad ninja who had already reached the roof suddenly turned into a turbulent, viscous mud.
"Ah! Ah! Ah!—"
The rolling mud, yellowish-brown and smelling strongly of earth, instantly destabilized the black-clad ninja. Screaming, they began to slip and fall.
Sarutobi's hand seals changed again, transforming the nature of the jutsu!
Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!
The jutsu, which was meant to bury enemies in a mud swamp, took on infinite variations when used by a Kage-level powerhouse like Sarutobi, doubling its power.
Suddenly, several giant Underworld Hands, meters in diameter, surged out of the churning, bubbling mud swamp!
Slamming down hard on the heads of the terrified black-clad ninja, they instantly splattered blood mixed with mud everywhere. In the blink of an eye, another five or six black-clad ninja were killed.
Standing beside Sarutobi, Orochimaru was deeply shaken, silently marveling at Sarutobi's later-earned title of God of Shinobi.
The person who had given the command to attack suddenly saw Sarutobi's figure in the darkness and shouted with a hint of panic in his voice: "A Kage-level powerhouse, Sarutobi Hiruzen! Retreat immediately!"
Sarutobi stood on the rooftop, heard the shout from the black-clad ninja, and said with an air of powerful confidence: "You are nothing but a flock of useless crows! Leave none alive! Go!"
Receiving the command, Orochimaru drew a sharp kunai from his ninja pouch. In his dark-golden eyes, a bloodthirsty killing intent surged. He fixed his gaze on the person who had given the order among the black-clad ninja, licked his lips, and growled, "Kill!"
His movement was like a ghost's. His body curled into a black shadow, shooting through the deep darkness like a black python that had spotted its prey, rushing swiftly into the fray.
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