After Kotarou defeated Kiyoshi, the members of the Uchiha clan began looking at him very differently.
The sneers and scorn were gone, replaced by heat and respect.
Everyone present acknowledged that Kiyoshi's strength ranked among the top of the jōnin (elite ninja). Yet the one who defeated him, Kotarou, was only eighteen years old. What did that say?
It said Kotarou's talent far surpassed Kiyoshi's. The Uchiha clan revered strength. Even with Madara having left Konoha, that pride in their bloodline meant they still bowed only to the strong.
"You all heard me, didn't you?
From this moment on, the Five-Kill Prohibition Order is in effect. I don't care who you are or which clan you're from, you will obey it to the letter. If anyone tries to provoke Tsunade-sama's authority, you won't need to die on the battlefield. I'll send you to the Pure Land myself."
Kotarou's words were not only directed at the Uchiha, but at every ninja present.
All of them shouted in unison, "Yes!" their voices booming.
The Uchiha clan in particular straightened up, intent on strictly following the command.
Seeing this, Kotarou nodded in satisfaction. Then he called out, "Nawaki, step forward!"
"Here!"
A boy who looked about ten stepped out of formation. His features were a bit goofy, and he stared at Kotarou with open admiration.
He had just watched Kotarou's entire fight with Kiyoshi from beginning to end. Handseal-less ninjutsu!
Until now, only his grandfather and his grandfather's rival could do that.
And this man could as well. Didn't that mean he was a ninja who could stand on equal footing with Grandpa?
Being called by name, Nawaki was excited to the point of exploding, but he forced himself to maintain some composure. Everyone was watching him right now. He couldn't embarrass Grandpa or the Senju clan.
Kotarou glanced at him, then smiled. "Come with me."
He crooked a finger at Nawaki, then turned toward the assembled troops.
"Everyone else, dismissed in place. Go rest and get yourselves into top condition. We still have one more hard battle ahead of us!"
With that, he led Nawaki toward the command office.
Inside the office, the future Legendary Sannin were already discussing how they should deploy their forces. Jiraiya believed they should go straight for the head, a frontal strike to challenge Hanzo of the Salamander directly.
Orochimaru, on the other hand, looked speechless. How was it that he and this guy were disciples of the same master? Hanzo of the Salamander was a ninja even their teacher might not be able to deal with easily. Aside from his exquisite kenjutsu (swordsmanship), there was also his highly toxic body and his Kuchiyose (Summoning) beast, the giant salamander.
That salamander was so powerful it could even clash with a tailed beast. If they went head-to-head, the three of them might have a chance of winning, but what about the vanguard detachment?
Wouldn't they just be sending those people to the slaughter?
These were the elite of every major clan. If they simply let those elites be wiped out, when they returned to the village, Danzo would absolutely slap a "gross negligence in command" label on them.
Once that stuck, the position of Hokage would be completely out of reach.
"Tsunade-sama, Kotarou and Nawaki request permission to join the meeting."
Kotarou's voice sounded from outside, steady and serious.
Orochimaru's train of thought was cut off. Kotarou… Tsunade had mentioned him earlier. This kid supposedly had some kind of trick that let the army predict danger in advance.
Orochimaru looked toward Tsunade, and Jiraiya did the same. As visitors here, they were technically the guests; Tsunade, in command, was the host.
Tsunade nodded. "Come in."
"Yes, ma'am!"
After the guards opened the door, Kotarou walked in with Nawaki in tow.
"Nawaki! You brat! You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"
Tsunade came over with a concerned look, running her hands over him as she checked his body, terrified that he might have been injured somewhere.
"Big sis, I'm fine. And this time, I took out three… maybe four Rain ninja!"
Nawaki scratched his head and laughed.
Tsunade rolled her eyes at him, then turned to Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru, thank you. I feel much more at ease with Nawaki under your care."
Orochimaru waved a hand dismissively.
"Nawaki is very clever and very sensible. He's gotten to this point through his own hard work."
As he spoke, he glanced at Nawaki, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
Nawaki was his student; of course he ought to look after him.
Tsunade snorted. "Don't praise him too much. I know exactly what my little brother is like."
Orochimaru laughed out loud.
At this time, he was not the shadowy seeker of immortality he would later become. Like most people here, his goal right now was to become Hokage.
Jiraiya, grinning from ear to ear, slung an arm around Nawaki's shoulders and dragged him to the side.
"Ahem. Those books I lent you, did you finish them yet?
Once we're back in the village, I'll give you a few more!"
Nawaki's eyes lit up instantly.
"Thank you so much, Jiraiya-senpai!"
Watching this scene, Kotarou couldn't help smiling. The bonds between the three Sannin and Nawaki, and the boy's bright smile… he had only ever seen them in the anime before. Now that he was experiencing it in person, he couldn't help feeling genuinely happy.
At that moment, Tsunade walked up to Kotarou and waved a hand in front of his face.
"Kotarou-kun? Kotarou-kun?
What are you spacing out about?"
She sounded a little puzzled.
Kotarou snapped back to himself. Seeing Tsunade right in front of him, his face suddenly flushed red, and he dropped to one knee immediately.
"Tsunade-sama, my apologies. I was rude."
Tsunade blinked, then tapped him on the forehead and helped him back up.
"I just saw you staring at everyone and smiling. I was curious what you were thinking."
Kotarou said a little shyly, "Seeing Nawaki, and Tsunade-sama, Orochimaru-sama, Jiraiya-sama getting along so well… it makes one feel envious."
Orochimaru walked over as well and said to Kotarou, "Kotarou-kun, Tsunade tells me you have a ninjutsu that can foresee danger. Would you let me see it?"
He was very interested in Kotarou. What kind of jutsu could allow the Senju army to march with almost zero casualties?
Hearing that, even Jiraiya and Nawaki stopped fooling around and looked over.
Kotarou first glanced at Tsunade for confirmation. Tsunade smiled and nodded.
"Everyone here is one of us."
Only then did Kotarou nod. On the surface, it might have looked unnecessary for him to seek Tsunade's approval, but that small gesture spoke volumes about his grasp of human relationships and protocol.
Kotarou raised a hand and covered his left eye. The dust in the air began to gather, condensing into an eyeball that hovered in midair, circling the people inside the office again and again.
Orochimaru's eyes lit up.
"So this is a Jiton (Magnet Release) detection-type ninjutsu, isn't it, Kotarou-kun? You can share its field of vision to gather intel, reduce casualties… I wonder what its range is. And if the technique is destroyed, what kind of backlash does it cause to the user?"
Orochimaru truly was Orochimaru. Even though he hadn't begun his formal research phase yet, his observational powers already ranked among the very best.
"The range is ten kilometers. Even if the eye is destroyed, it only means I can't use this ninjutsu again for three hours. As for the backlash… it's mostly just a sharp sting."
Kotarou answered calmly.
Orochimaru nodded. No wonder none of the people Tsunade led had been seriously injured. With such a god-tier scouting technique, as long as you knew how to avoid danger and choose favorable terrain, it was almost impossible to blunder into disaster.
He glanced at Tsunade and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Mito-sama's eye for people was truly sharp. To pick such a prodigy as Tsunade's close aide…
(End of Chapter)
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