"What an ugly beast."
"You bear the most dangerous power for your comrades, you risk your life protecting them on the battlefield, and yet your own companions still see you as an uncontrollable monster."
"Shut up!"
"Look at the way your comrades look at you, Blue B. They fear you. They fear you losing control. They fear you going berserk. They fear you tearing them apart along with everything else."
"ROOOAR!!"
...
Inside the command tent, Orochimaru withdrew from his thoughts and looked at the boy before him, the smile on his lips deepening slightly.
"After the last clash with the Eight-Tails jinchūriki, I discovered something interesting. Blue B's mental state is extremely unstable. He's abnormally sensitive to the gazes and whispers of his fellow villagers—so sensitive that he's become paranoid about every little thing."
"So he fears the Eight-Tails' power. The more he uses that power, the more terrified he becomes. Even though he's someone capable of controlling the tailed beast remarkably well, those meaningless looks and rumors have driven him into self-restraint and self-torment, pushing himself right to the brink of collapse. Hehe..."
Shinichi listened quietly. Only after Orochimaru's laughter faded did he calmly ask, "What does Orochimaru-sama intend to do?"
Orochimaru turned around, his slender finger pointing at the location of Kumogakure on the map.
"According to my intelligence, the Eight-Tails jinchūriki is no longer on the front lines. A few days ago, he secretly returned to Kumogakure for psychological treatment."
"So Orochimaru-sama plans to...?"
Shinichi did not ask where Orochimaru's information came from. That snake-like man always managed to obtain all kinds of intelligence—some known to Konoha, and far more that even Konoha itself did not know.
"To completely ignite the fear inside him and force the Eight-Tails into a rampage." Orochimaru withdrew his hand and turned around, golden snake-like eyes gleaming with fascination.
"Kumogakure's strength is nothing like Sunagakure's. I'm sure Shinichi-kun understands that very clearly. Even though their previous offensive was repelled and the Third Raikage was wounded, Kumogakure's war machine was never truly crippled. They'll reorganize soon enough and launch another offensive."
"And that moment will most likely come once the Eight-Tails jinchūriki completes his treatment and returns to the battlefield."
"What we need to do is strike first and completely destroy Kumogakure's trump card."
"Next, I'll find a way to infiltrate Kumogakure and trigger the Eight-Tails' rampage, throwing the entire village into chaos."
He turned his head toward Shinichi, a sharp glint flashing through his snake-like pupils.
"And you, Shinichi-kun."
"I need you to lead the Shinichi Battalion. The moment the Eight-Tails goes berserk and Kumogakure falls into disorder, you will launch a surprise assault. Your first targets will be Kumogakure's logistics equipment division and medical division—completely shattering their logistical and medical support capabilities for the remainder of this war. And..."
At this point, the amusement in Orochimaru's eyes deepened even further.
"Kumogakure's Ninja Academy and orphanage as well. If those two places are destroyed... then Kumogakure will lose at least seventy percent of its reserve military manpower for the next ten to twenty years."
Hearing this, Shinichi frowned and immediately said, "I will carry out the assault on Kumogakure's logistics and medical divisions. But attacking the Ninja Academy and orphanage... Orochimaru-sama, forgive me, but I must refuse."
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, seemingly unsurprised. After a moment, he let out a faint mocking chuckle.
"Shinichi-kun is still too kind. But surely you understand that most of the students in the Ninja Academy will one day become shinobi. They will take up weapons. They will stand on the battlefield against us. Even the orphans in Kumogakure's orphanage are raised under militarized training and absolute obedience from childhood."
"If you do not eliminate them now, then ten years from now, they will appear on the battlefield as your enemies."
"I'm sorry, Orochimaru-sama, but I still refuse to carry out this mission."
Shinichi shook his head again, offering no further explanation.
Of course he understood Orochimaru's reasoning. Those children really would become enemies in the future. They really would take up weapons. They really would stand on the battlefield one day.
From a purely logical wartime perspective, wiping them out now truly was the most efficient solution.
But he could not do it.
Because he knew that if he truly carried out such a mission, his reputation would be utterly ruined.
What had he said before the Hokage Building?
What had he called for?
"Let children learn how to read before they learn how to grip a blade."
Those words had come from him.
But if he turned around and slaughtered someone else's children right after saying that, then what would that make him?
Just because "they might become shinobi in the future" or "might one day point their blades at Konoha"?
On the battlefield, shinobi from opposing nations fought for their respective sides. No matter how many Kumogakure shinobi Shinichi killed in direct combat, no one could truly condemn him from a moral high ground.
Because that was war. A brutal law of survival where both sides crossed blades knowing full well they might die by the sword.
Not to mention, he himself had grown up in an orphanage.
The person Shinichi intended to become in the future was a reformer who would change this cruel system, a leader who would bring an end to this era of endless war—perhaps even the savior of the entire shinobi world.
He wanted people to believe that "Higashino Shinichi" represented hope, change, and a better future. He wanted the hearts of the entire shinobi world to gather around him.
Not for him to become an accomplice to this twisted system, solving future threats by slaughtering the next generation.
For a moment, he even wondered whether Orochimaru thought his image was simply too perfect, too bright.
So bright that he deliberately assigned this mission in order to stain him with a few necessary blemishes.
Hearing this, Orochimaru stared at him for several seconds before finally letting out a low chuckle.
"Very well. Then we'll do as Shinichi-kun says. The logistics division and medical division will be entrusted to you. As for the other two targets... we'll forget about them."
Shinichi fell silent for a moment before bowing slightly.
"Thank you, Orochimaru-sama."
Orochimaru gave no reply. He merely raised his hand, and a small black snake slithered out from his sleeve, flicking its scarlet tongue as it slowly crawled toward Shinichi.
"Then the time is set. Five days from now, at midnight, gather at Thunderclap Canyon, several kilometers southeast of Kumogakure. I'll be waiting for you there."
"I trust that with Shinichi-kun's abilities, you should have no trouble bringing your men there on time."
By then, the little black snake had already climbed onto Shinichi's wrist, coiling itself into a ring like a black bracelet.
The snake raised its head, its cold vertical pupils meeting Shinichi's eyes for a brief moment before affectionately nudging against him and obediently lowering itself again.
Shinichi studied the black snake for a moment before lifting his head to look directly at Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru-sama, I have one more request."
"Speak."
"We don't have enough manpower." Shinichi spoke bluntly. "I need reinforcements."
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. "How many?"
"Five hundred."
"Five hundred?"
"Four hundred would also work," Shinichi added.
Orochimaru fell silent for a while, lightly tapping his fingers against the table twice.
"I'll give you another two hundred men and expand the Shinichi Battalion to five hundred personnel. This is an infiltration mission, not a frontal assault. Too many people would only make things more troublesome."
"And one more thing—this mission is top secret. To prevent any leaks, no one besides you, me, and the personnel directly participating in the operation is allowed to know about it. Even Sarutobi-sensei will receive a different explanation from me."
Shinichi thought for a moment before nodding.
"Understood."
Orochimaru said nothing further and merely waved his hand, signaling that Shinichi could leave.
…
After returning to his tent, Shinichi picked up a map and began studying it, considering how to lead his men into the Land of Lightning without anyone noticing.
Five days.
Five hundred men.
Infiltrate Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning.
Launch a surprise assault on the logistics and medical divisions.
No matter how he looked at it, this was a mission that bordered on impossible.
But he had to succeed.
Because this was the best opportunity to cripple Kumogakure's wartime potential—and also the single most strategically valuable action he could take in this war.
If he succeeded, then combined with his achievements on the southwestern battlefield, his military accomplishments would instantly make him the undisputed number one contributor since the war began.
Shinichi's gaze slowly moved across the map before finally stopping at the southeastern region of the Land of Lightning. He extended a finger and tapped a point along the coastline, already sketching out a rough route in his mind.
Depart from the northeastern coast of the Land of Fire, circle around the southeastern peninsula of the Land of Lightning, land on an uninhabited stretch of shore, then cross a vast mountainous region to reach the outskirts of Kumogakure.
The distance was considerable, but with a shinobi's speed, five days would be enough.
Next came selecting personnel.
The additional two hundred men had to be elites. Reliable ones.
And finally... he had to bring as many of them back alive as possible.
…
Five days later, deep into the night.
Kumogakure.
Inside Blue B's home, the lights were dim. After taking the medicine prescribed by the doctor, he lay down on his bed.
Today's medicine was different from before, but the effects were clearly much stronger.
Blue B's chaotic thoughts quickly began to calm. His eyelids grew heavier and heavier as his consciousness gradually blurred.
From the shadows in the corner of the room, two figures slowly emerged.
Orochimaru lowered his head to glance at the man lying on the bed, whose breathing had already steadied, before turning to look at Shinichi beside him and letting out a low chuckle.
"Shinichi-kun, as expected of a genius. You mastered the Transformation Technique I taught you so quickly. This disguise..."
Orochimaru paused, the curve of his lips deepening slightly.
"I imagine it should be enough to fool everyone, wouldn't it?"
Whether intentional or not, Orochimaru lingered slightly on the word "disguise."
Shinichi's expression did not change. He merely replied calmly, "You flatter me, Orochimaru-sama. With the Eight-Tails jinchūriki right before us, we should complete the task at hand first to avoid any accidents."
"Hehe..."
Orochimaru let out a low laugh and said nothing more as he stepped forward.
The Blue B lying on the bed suddenly snapped his eyes open. He wanted to turn over, to sit up, to shout for help—but he discovered that his body felt nailed to the bed, utterly unable to move.
"Let me fill the emptiness in your heart, Blue B."
Orochimaru!?
The moment Orochimaru's voice sounded beside his ear, Blue B's pupils violently contracted.
He struggled with all his strength. Muscles bulged, veins swelled across his forehead, yet his body still could not move in the slightest.
Orochimaru stretched out a hand and gently covered his mouth.
"It's useless. What you consumed was a genjutsu drug specially prepared by me."
Blue B's eyes widened even further, fury surging within them.
"Living is painful, isn't it?" Orochimaru's voice was soft, almost like he was comforting an injured child. "The gazes of your comrades, the whispers behind your back, those fearful eyes... day after day, night after night, they torment you."
"So let me free you from the pain and fear of being a jinchūriki."
The instant those words fell, sealing formula light flared within Orochimaru's hand as he slammed it toward the Iron Armor Seal on Blue B's chest.
"Come out and wreak havoc, Eight-Tails!"
"AAAH!"
Blue B let out a short, agonized scream. Then an enormous mass of pitch-black chakra erupted violently from within his body.
Like a volcanic eruption, that chakra instantly blasted through the stone house's ceiling and walls, reducing the entire structure to fragments that exploded into the night sky before swelling and twisting into shape.
Before the dust and rubble had even settled, a dark-purple colossal beast with eight wildly thrashing tails had already appeared above Kumogakure.
The complete Eight-Tails—Gyūki.
Its eyes were blood-red, scorching breath pouring from its mouth, looking as though it had completely lost all reason.
"Blue B-sama!?"
"Th-That's the Eight-Tails!?"
"This is bad! The Eight-Tails has gone berserk! Notify A-sama immediately! Inform all jōnin! Activate the highest-level emergency response protocol!!"
Shouts, screams, and alarm sirens exploded simultaneously throughout every corner of Kumogakure. Firelight, lightning, and rushing figures surged frantically through the streets.
And the purple beast had already begun swinging its massive tails, sweeping them toward the nearest buildings.
BOOOOM!
Rubble exploded outward as smoke and dust shot into the sky.
Standing at the edge of the ruins, Orochimaru looked upon the chaos and let out a low laugh.
"Well then, Shinichi-kun, I'll leave the rest to you."
Without even sparing a glance toward the corpse on the bed that had already lost all signs of life, his figure slowly melted into the night and vanished.
Shinichi remained where he stood, his gaze withdrawing from the Eight-Tails before falling upon Blue B's body. He quickly stepped forward and retrieved a storage scroll from his clothing, sealing the corpse inside it.
Though he did not know why Orochimaru had abandoned Blue B's corpse, it was extremely valuable to Shinichi.
The possible intelligence hidden within his memories was secondary.
The truly important point was that Blue B had trained in Kumogakure's Lightning Release nin-taijutsu.
If studying the corpse allowed him to glimpse even a fraction of the secrets behind Kumogakure's Lightning Release nin-taijutsu—
then it would undoubtedly help further perfect his own Fire Release nin-taijutsu, while also laying a solid foundation for Isshin's future Lightning Release nin-taijutsu.
After rolling up the scroll, Shinichi handed it to the small black snake resting on his shoulder.
The snake opened its mouth and swallowed the entire scroll whole before turning into a puff of white smoke and disappearing.
Almost at the same instant, Shinichi's own figure also dissolved into white smoke, scattering into the night wind.
Behind him, the Eight-Tails' roars shook the heavens.
Kumogakure had descended into complete chaos.
At the same time, outside Kumogakure, atop a towering mountain—
Five hundred silent figures hid among the darkness and forest like a frozen black tide.
Standing at the very front, Shinichi faced the brilliantly lit village below. Beneath his feet lay steep cliffs, while countless glass-like lights flickered deep within his eyes, capturing every detail of the distant chaos.
"Everyone!"
Shinichi withdrew his gaze, sweeping his eyes across the five hundred shinobi before making a hand signal.
"Move out!"
"Yes, sir!"
The instant the words fell, all five hundred figures vanished simultaneously from where they stood, leaving the mountaintop silent once more save for the mournful wind and the distant roars of the Eight-Tails.
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