Chapter 81: I'm Currently Practicing Teacher Sarutobi's Guidance
Kakashi recounted the entire affair from beginning to end in complete detail. Nohara Rin, Uchiha Aika, and Hyuga Akiba supplemented from the side. Then Ritsu also told Minato about his own experiences, helping clarify the complete context of the entire matter.
After listening, Minato's face was dark as water. This affair had been filled with calculation from the moment the mission was issued. Whether Rin or Ritsu, both were prey being targeted. Under certain people's arrangements, they'd been sent into the Mist ninja's jaws.
The Mist ninja's target should have been Rin.
While Ritsu should have been the mutual target of certain people in the village and the Mist ninja.
Then—
The two sides colluded. Certain people in the village specifically arranged such a mission, selling out Kakashi's team's intelligence in exchange for the Mist ninja moving against Ritsu.
However—
They'd underestimated Ritsu's capabilities.
Just like at the Hyuga clan compound, where he'd acted twice without success—even Minato himself wasn't certain just how strong Ritsu truly was. Moreover, he felt Ritsu now seemed even stronger than before. Forget everything else—just sensing Ritsu's chakra presence, it felt even more substantial than previously.
"Ritsu-kun, please help inform Lord Orochimaru that I'm taking Kakashi and the others back to the village now."
Minato said in a heavy voice.
"Understood."
Ritsu agreed.
Honestly, he clearly understood that those people in the village should only have been targeting him. They probably hadn't sold out Team Kakashi. The true mastermind behind the scenes was Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu, whose purpose was to push Uchiha Obito to awaken his eyes.
But the problem was that aside from Ritsu, no one knew about this third party's existence.
Therefore—
This blame naturally fell on those who wanted Ritsu dead. Ritsu was happy to see this happen and had no intention of revealing Black Zetsu and Uchiha Madara's intelligence, because he felt maintaining this situation was more advantageous for himself.
Just like that—
Minato took Team Kakashi and departed using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Uchiha Aika and Hyuga Akiba were also brought along. Before leaving, Akiba left behind Ao's severed head. Ritsu still needed to use Ao's head to boost the morale of his frontline clansmen and strengthen his own authority as clan head.
After Minato and Team Kakashi left, Ritsu didn't linger either. Carrying Ao's severed head in one hand and dragging Suikazan Fuguki with the other, he walked out of the tent. Opening his Byakugan to look, he found Orochimaru together with Teacher Hiruko.
The two were gathered as though discussing something, with Aburame Torune also nearby.
Oh yes—
There was also a corpse on the ground.
He narrowed his eyes and walked over.
"Teacher, has something happened?"
Ritsu called out loudly.
"Ritsu."
Hiruko turned to see Ritsu, the anger on his face temporarily receding. "Ritsu, there's been an incident!" He placed particular emphasis on the word "incident."
"What incident?"
Ritsu pressed.
"I'd only just begun the investigation, preparing to check everyone who knew the specific details of your mission. But I'd barely arrived when Deputy Commander Aburame Torune told me this person had committed suicide."
Hiruko pointed at the corpse lying on the ground.
A kunai was thrust into the corpse's chest, looking as though self-inflicted. Simultaneously, red and white matter flowed from the corpse's nose and ears. The brain appeared thoroughly destroyed as well. This way, it would be impossible to extract any useful intelligence from the corpse.
"Lord Orochimaru, what a coincidence!"
Ritsu smiled.
"Indeed quite the coincidence."
Orochimaru also wore a cold expression, staring at Aburame Torune opposite him. "Torune, if I remember correctly, this was someone you brought. You owe me an explanation for this matter."
"He should have been a Mist ninja spy planted here."
Aburame Torune answered in a heavy voice.
"And then?"
"What 'then'? This guy deceived me. Now seeing he was about to be exposed, to avoid interrogation and torture, he committed suicide. What's the problem with that?" Aburame Torune calmly countered.
"So your meaning is this matter doesn't concern you, has nothing to do with you whatsoever?"
Hiruko sneered.
"Poor supervision, inadequate restraint, failing to see through the Mist ninja spy's true face—this is my responsibility. Therefore, I've already prepared to resign from the deputy commander position and return to the village to accept disposition." As Aburame Torune spoke, he actually produced a letter of resignation and handed it before Orochimaru.
"Aburame Torune, you bastard..."
"Teacher, don't lower yourself to his level."
Ritsu reached out to restrain his furiously angry teacher, speaking right in front of him: "Aburame Torune is just a chess piece in the end. Arguing with him is utterly meaningless. If he wants to return to the village, let him go. Perfect—the frontlines will be clean here, and we won't have to worry about being stabbed in the back when we counterattack the Mist ninja."
Saying this—
He looked at Orochimaru, asking with a smile: "Lord Orochimaru, don't you think I'm making sense?"
"That's the logic."
Orochimaru slowly responded. He reached out to receive the resignation Aburame Torune handed over. "Torune, if you want to return to the village, go ahead! However, I might as well tell you—this matter can't be settled just by throwing out this one corpse. Don't think you can turn this page simply by returning to the village and receiving some painless punishment. As I said, I'll investigate this matter to the end."
Hearing this—
Aburame Torune's zombie-like face rarely showed change. He frowned, saying with some anger: "Orochimaru, don't forget you're the Hokage's student!"
He couldn't understand why Orochimaru insisted on standing with Ritsu. As a student of the Third Hokage and a strong candidate for Fourth Hokage, Orochimaru should have been on his side.
"So what?"
Hearing this, Orochimaru sneered mockingly. "What I'm doing now is precisely practicing Teacher Sarutobi's guidance from years past!"
With words reaching this point, Aburame Torune understood that saying more was meaningless. He no longer hesitated, turned and left. At this point, staying at the frontlines held no meaning. The mission to kill Ritsu had completely failed. What needed consideration now was how to clean up this mess.
Though unwilling to admit it, Orochimaru was right. With things escalating to this degree, it was no longer something he could easily gloss over by throwing out a subordinate's corpse. How great a price would need to be paid depended on the final outcome of political maneuvering.
Perhaps—
He himself might become that price.
Carrying the awareness he might be sacrificed, Aburame Torune still firmly set out on the return journey. Simultaneously, his conviction strengthened even more—Hyuga Ritsu truly was an unstable factor requiring elimination, just like Uchiha Madara once was. The stronger this type of person became, the greater the disaster they posed.
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