This Breath of Yang, though not weak, indeed enhances Yang Release while incorporating the effects of Akimichi Secret Techniques and Strength of a Hundred Seal, but it is still far from the Breath of Yang that Mokgetsu envisions, causing Mokgetsu to doubt at times whether his direction is slightly off.
Around nine-thirty, Mokgetsu's door was suddenly knocked.
Mokgetsu put down the manuscript in his hand, activated the Byakugan, and glanced towards the door, discovering it was Orochimaru.
"Why is he coming to me at this time?" Mokgetsu thought as he walked downstairs, pondering Orochimaru's purpose.
Since returning to Konoha, Mokgetsu hadn't seen Orochimaru often, as Orochimaru seemed very busy and Mokgetsu rarely saw him.
When the door opened, Mokgetsu showed a slightly surprised expression, "Orochimaru-kun, please come in."
"Mokgetsu-kun, sorry to disturb you." Orochimaru smiled slightly and followed Mokgetsu into the house.
Mokgetsu led Orochimaru into the living room and poured two cups of tea, placing one in front of Orochimaru.
"Since returning to Konoha, trivial matters have been abundant, leaving no time to chat with you like on the battlefield."
Orochimaru took a sip of tea and sighed, as if he and Mokgetsu were friends who chatted whenever free.
"After all, Orochimaru-kun holds a high position with great responsibilities, and many places in Konoha need you." Mokgetsu chuckled.
Initially uncertain, Orochimaru's attempt to bond indicated to Mokgetsu that Orochimaru likely had important matters to discuss with him.
Orochimaru put down the teacup, "The current Ninja World is in chaos; I am not the only one needed."
Mokgetsu adopted a listening posture.
"Although Hidden Mist has been repelled, they have no intention of signing a peace treaty with the village, and war is likely to break out again." Orochimaru first explained the current situation between Hidden Mist and Konoha.
An unspoken understanding had been reached between Hidden Mist and Konoha; neither side intended to make a move for now.
But this understanding is only temporary, as Konoha is under pressure from other battlefields, while Hidden Mist is dealing with a loss of ninja forces.
If either side resolves its issues, war may very well break out again.
"Hidden Cloud and Hidden Sand are fiercely engaged, and I want to take this opportunity to strike Hidden Cloud hard, to alleviate Konoha's pressure." Orochimaru explained.
Rather than waiting for Hidden Mist to recover and attack, Orochimaru definitely wanted to relieve pressure on other battlefields, freeing up forces to deal with Hidden Mist.
Even if that force isn't enough to counterattack Hidden Mist, it should at least make them hesitant to invade.
Mokgetsu understood Orochimaru's meaning, whether to join him in earning merits on the battlefield.
Orochimaru analyzing the Ninja World's situation with him late at night certainly wasn't just idleness; he clearly wanted to recruit Mokgetsu.
"Orochimaru-kun has great foresight; I'm truly impressed." Mokgetsu praised, as if he didn't catch Orochimaru's undertones.
Although Orochimaru's idea was good, Mokgetsu didn't want to join him on the battlefield.
The Hidden Cloud battlefield is much more dangerous than Hidden Mist; firstly, Hidden Cloud's strength surpasses Hidden Mist, and secondly, the Raikage is quite reckless.
The Third Raikage is someone who truly charges ahead; if a major battle occurs, it's highly likely he'd appear on the battlefield.
Mokgetsu isn't afraid of a single Third Raikage; though his defense is very strong, almost immune to a Rasengan Shuriken, Mokgetsu has many offensive methods; combining Perfect Level Armament and Perfect Level Breathing Technique could break his defense.
But once on the battlefield, there's no chance for a straightforward one-on-one; anything could happen.
Even now, Mokgetsu finds the events on the Hidden Mist battlefield quite strange; Konoha only won due to his unexpected involvement.
The last battle with Hidden Mist was too odd; their intelligence suddenly surpassed Konoha's, almost wiping out Konoha's main forces in one strike.
With the Flying Thunder God, Mokgetsu wasn't worried about his survival, but protecting his disciples was another matter; thus, Mokgetsu didn't want to go to the battlefield.
His disciples had just completed a major breakthrough; it was a crucial time for a new phase of cultivation. Even if Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted Mokgetsu on the battlefield, he'd find an excuse, let alone Orochimaru.
Orochimaru stroked the teacup with his fingers, maintaining the same expression, and directly said:
"Mokgetsu-kun, on the Hidden Mist battlefield we cooperated well, so I want to invite you to join me on the Land of Hot Water battlefield to eliminate Hidden Cloud."
Finding a subordinate as capable and talented as Mokgetsu isn't easy; even if Orochimaru guessed Mokgetsu was playing dumb, he didn't want to give up.
Orochimaru could sense Sarutobi Hiruzen's favoritism towards Jiraiya, but Orochimaru believed as long as his contributions were significant enough, gaining adequate support, Sarutobi Hiruzen would have no choice but to select him.
Mokgetsu showed a look of sudden realization, then regretfully said, "Orochimaru-kun, though I'd love to achieve glory with you, I truly can't spare the time recently."
Orochimaru's expression remained unchanged despite Mokgetsu's clear refusal.
Orochimaru smiled apologetically, "Sorry, I didn't consider your side's circumstances."
Orochimaru didn't leave immediately after Mokgetsu's refusal; instead, they discussed the Ninja World's situation for a while longer before he said goodbye.
"Is Danzo aware of my actions, using this as a warning?" Orochimaru's eyes glowed coldly as he left Mokgetsu's house.
Normally, he should first inform Shimura Danzo when taking Mokgetsu to the battlefield, as Mokgetsu belongs to Shimura Danzo.
Mokgetsu's previous assistance for Orochimaru was also due to Shimura Danzo's efforts.
Then why did Orochimaru bypass Shimura Danzo to approach Mokgetsu directly?
Orochimaru's main goal was to test Mokgetsu's intentions; if Mokgetsu agreed, it indicated his willingness to leave Shimura Danzo to side with Orochimaru; if not, it meant Mokgetsu maintained his allegiance to Root.
Orochimaru didn't want Shimura Danzo having too much power.
It's not that Orochimaru couldn't wait to critique the Hokage without even becoming one; rather, too much power on Shimura Danzo's side would disrupt their cooperative balance, which is unfavorable to Orochimaru.
To assess whether Mokgetsu's displayed attitude was his own or influenced by Shimura Danzo, Orochimaru discreetly asked Danzo about Mokgetsu.
Orochimaru was cautious, asking inconsequential questions under proper pretenses, curious about the talented ninja who clicked so well with him.
However, Orochimaru underestimated Shimura Danzo's level of caution.
Shimura Danzo immediately sensed something amiss, quickly investigating Orochimaru's movements, discovering his multiple private engagements with Mokgetsu, unknown to Danzo.
"Well, Orochimaru, you even want to poach my most perfect creation in Root." Shimura Danzo was a bit angry.
He's gone through great lengths, negotiating with Sarutobi Hiruzen multiple times to get Mokgetsu to support Orochimaru on the battlefield.
Yet this is how Orochimaru repays him, aiming to steal his people before becoming Hokage.
If not deeply intertwined with Orochimaru, sharing each other's dirty secrets, Shimura Danzo would have rebuked Orochimaru as a Leader of the Root.
Yet Shimura Danzo couldn't because, nominally, Orochimaru was a Root Ninja, his subordinate, while in reality, they were equals, collaborators.
"Heh, Mokgetsu is loyal to me, a futile effort." Shimura Danzo inwardly smirked; Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't achieve that, and he doubted Orochimaru could.
Despite his confidence, Shimura Danzo thoroughly investigated Mokgetsu, always preferring caution.
When Shimura Danzo found out Mokgetsu never initiated contact with Orochimaru, he relaxed, assured Mokgetsu remained his loyal subordinate.