After traveling for about two hours, Orochimaru and the others, following Sarutobi, converged in a clearing within the forest.
Sarutobi stood in the center, encircled by over three hundred ninja who were packed into the small open space.
The Konoha ninja stood in the front row, silent and still like statues. However, a profoundly restrained killing intent emanated from them, subtly exerting immense psychological pressure on the surrounding rogue ninja.
Under this pressure, the habitually unruly rogue ninja were forced to restrain themselves, not daring to make any extra noise.
Over three hundred ninja of varying ranks stood quietly in the small clearing, and a dull, deadly atmosphere began to brew.
The sky was still dark, with only a faint glimmer of light appearing from the east.
Sarutobi glanced at the sky and frowned slightly. The low marching speed of the rogue ninja had caused him to miscalculate the time slightly, making them a little late.
He turned to face the dense crowd of ninja, lowered his voice, yet spoke with intense authority: "Asō, Asaoka!"
The only two Jōnin among the rogue ninja, who were also their leaders, stepped forward silently with solemn expressions, bowing slightly to Sarutobi, awaiting orders.
Sarutobi looked at the two and continued, "When we reach the destination, the two of you will take the rogue ninja and form a perimeter a hundred meters out. I do not want a single 'fly' to escape. Otherwise, the two of you will disembowel yourselves!"
Asō and Asaoka shuddered. They exchanged a look, seeing fear and helplessness in each other's eyes. They bowed and consented.
Rogue ninja at the level of Asō and Asaoka could feel Sarutobi's terrifying presence and accepted the order out of necessity. However, this didn't mean the common rogue ninja, who normally behaved like thugs, would be so obedient. They immediately started to argue among themselves, and those with poor temperaments began cursing loudly.
Faced with this group of rogue ninja, who were more like hooligans than street thugs, Sarutobi grew impatient. A terrifying, mountain-like oppressive aura emanated from him, enveloping the entire gathering.
Except for the Konoha ninja, everyone else was shaken.
Sarutobi's cold voice quickly reached everyone's ears: "Orochimaru!"
Orochimaru abruptly looked up, understanding the cue. He gave a wicked smile and vanished.
His entire body streaked through the rogue ninja like a ghostly, black snake-shadow. Apart from the few Jōnin, no one could clearly see his movements. In just three breaths, Orochimaru was back in his place.
However, the faint scent of blood on him, along with the sudden, muffled collapses of several rogue ninja clutching their throats or hearts, all indicated what Orochimaru had done in those brief three breaths.
Excluding the Konoha Jōnin, everyone else, including the elite Konoha Chūnin, looked at Orochimaru with astonishment and fear. They had failed to see Orochimaru's movements. Even Asō and Asaoka had only vaguely caught a trace of his after-image.
The rogue ninja who had collapsed were the ones who had openly questioned Sarutobi's command and used profanity.
This act of killing the chicken to scare the monkeys was remarkably effective.
The scent of blood gradually permeated the air, combined with Sarutobi's terrifying, mountainous pressure. Not a single rogue ninja dared to voice any further dissent. The few who had previously questioned the order but avoided using profanity and survived were now deathly pale, trembling uncontrollably.
Sarutobi's cold tone rang out again, low and clear, in everyone's ears: "I don't care what kind of treatment you had or what kind of life you lived before. Here and now, during this mission, anyone who disobeys my command—Sarutobi Hiruzen's command—will meet this fate!"
Seeing no one had any further objections, Sarutobi continued, "Asō, Asaoka, your only job is to form a tight perimeter. The rest will be handled entirely by us, the Konoha ninja!"
Asō and Asaoka bowed and nodded again. Unlike before, their current posture and movements were clearly more respectful and sincere.
"Uchiha Tomoshige, Hyūga Harano!" Sarutobi called out.
Tomoshige and Harano stepped forward from the Konoha formation.
Sarutobi looked at the two and commanded, "During the attack, your teams will serve as the reserve force, ready to respond to any sudden developments!"
"Yes, Lord Sarutobi!" the two bowed and answered.
Sarutobi's eyes narrowed, and his aura surged again: "The rest of the Konoha forces will attack the stronghold with me. We must resolve the battle within half an hour!"
"Yes, Lord Sarutobi!" The two squads of Anbu elites and Orochimaru affirmed in low voices.
As Sarutobi finished giving the commands, the restrained killing intent on every Konoha member involuntarily surged, restlessly permeating the air.
Sarutobi finished his orders, activated his ninja footwork, and leaped, quickly bounding toward the enemy stronghold.
After traveling for another half hour, the group finally reached the location of one of the three strongholds.
Approximately two hundred meters from the stronghold, Sarutobi, who was leading, suddenly raised his right hand, making a gesture to halt their advance.
The three-hundred-person team dared not defy him and immediately stopped.
Orochimaru knew Sarutobi must have sensed something unusual in the dense forest ahead. He immediately released his spiritual sense and swept it forward.
As expected, in the forest a hundred meters ahead, there were many restrained, shifting auras, indicating the presence of enemy sentries outside the stronghold.
Sarutobi nodded to Hyūga Harano.
Harano understood immediately. Chakra instantly surged around his pupils, filling his eye sockets. Pale veins bulged out, and the unique vision of the Byakugan instantly penetrated the dense forest obstacles, revealing the locations of the enemy sentries. He pointed them out to Sarutobi one by one.
At Sarutobi's signal, the two squads of Anbu elites, along with Orochimaru, stepped out. With the aid of the Byakugan, they circled the stronghold, silently eliminating all thirty-two sentries surrounding the camp.
After eliminating the sentries, Orochimaru's group followed Sarutobi to within a hundred meters of the stronghold.
Orochimaru, standing just behind Sarutobi and the other Jōnin, still carried a faint scent of blood from the recent killings. He quietly concealed himself behind a towering tree, wide enough for several people, and cautiously peered out. His dark-golden eyes carefully surveyed the enemy stronghold a hundred meters ahead, which was alive with noisy activity.
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