Leveling up was the only way to solve most of his problems.
As long as he leveled up fast enough, he could cycle through more passives.
Big Eyeball was already a sufficient meat shield.
Instead of stacking more defenses until it became an immovable lump of iron, it was better to let it endure some hardship and handle other tasks.
Hide-and-Seek.
This passive would allow Big Eyeball to level up while not in combat, saving the active experience gain for his other Pokémon.
Little Heart needed experience, Kidney needed experience, and in the future, there would be the Liver, Lungs, and Spleen...
With Big Eyeball leveling up on its own, the other five could soak up all the combat experience.
With this passive, the first to level up would carry the rest, making his growth strategy truly viable.
Motomu took a deep breath.
"System, select Hide-and-Seek."
[DING!]
[PASSIVE MOVE ADDED]
The system prompt rang out.
Motomu focused his senses for a moment.
There was no visible change in Big Eyeball; it seemed as if nothing had happened.
Motomu wasn't in a hurry. He would have plenty of time to research it later.
For now, he needed to return to Konoha.
Time passed quickly during his journey.
Motomu crossed the increasingly tense border, and by the time he arrived back in the village, it was already the afternoon of the third day.
After registering with the Chunin at the gate, Motomu headed straight for the Anbu base.
The base was built three floors beneath the Hokage building. The light was dim in the pitch-black corridors, and many Anbu ninjas hurried past him.
The air in the base was thick with a heavy, somber atmosphere.
Motomu located the office his captain had mentioned previously.
When he pushed the door open, Captain Hyuga Hayaka was sitting at a desk organizing reports.
She had changed into a clean black robe, and her empty left sleeve was wrapped in bandages.
A look of deep exhaustion hung on her weary face.
"You're back?"
Hyuga Hayaka looked up at him and gestured for Motomu to sit.
"I thought you'd died in Loulan."
"Almost."
"Captain, your arm?"
"It's gone. From now on, your captain will be Yamanaka Kazama."
"Don't worry. No matter how short-staffed Konoha gets, new teammates will be assigned to fill the gaps in the Anbu squads."
"I just didn't expect to retire so early."
Hayaka put down her pen and sighed, leaning back against her chair.
Motomu nodded.
He understood she was saying this because she was worried he'd be concerned about the team's strength.
Compared to Root, the Anbu still retained some degree of humanity.
Seeing that Motomu didn't respond for a long time, Hyuga Hayaka pulled a draft from a drawer and handed it to him.
"This is the version of the mission report I've already submitted."
"Take a look and see if there's anything you want to add."
"The mission objective in Loulan was to investigate the kingdom's intent regarding the war."
"We encountered an unknown attack. The attackers clashed with Loulan's forces, which supposedly triggered a rampage of the Dragon Vein."
"This resulted in massive destruction across Loulan City."
"According to the investigation by a Wandering Priestess planted by Root among the Sand Ninja, this incident was caused by the Suna rogue ninja Mukade."
Motomu scanned it quickly. There was no mention of the White Snake Sage, the One-Tail, or the Third Kazekage in the report.
Only the mysterious S-rank rogue puppet master, Mukade, was left to take the fall for everything.
Motomu hadn't disposed of Mukade's body, and he hadn't expected it to lead to such a misunderstanding in Suna's subsequent investigation.
But a misunderstanding was perfectly fine.
At least it didn't lead back to him.
As for Mukade finally serving a purpose by taking the blame... well, the man was dead anyway.
Dead men tell no tales.
"What about Captain Yamanaka?"
"Kazama?"
"He has no objections to this mission report."
Hyuga Hayaka rubbed her temples.
"Kazama was hit by an unknown toxin from the mysterious figure."
"He was in the hospital for three days and was just discharged yesterday."
"I spoke with him, and he agreed to this version."
After confirming that the content was indeed as his former captain described, Motomu returned the report to her.
"Did Lord Orochimaru ever come to ask about me?"
Hayaka nodded, neatly folding the report before walking out of the office with Motomu.
"Lord Orochimaru came once and never returned."
"But compared to the other Anbu ninjas, the Commander-in-Chief already cares about you quite a bit."
"You... you're probably the disciple he took in, aren't you?"
Motomu was momentarily stunned.
He wasn't surprised that his relationship with Orochimaru had been guessed.
However, he was surprised to learn that Orochimaru was already the Anbu Commander-in-Chief.
*Was this a wartime change?*
After saying goodbye to Captain Hayaka, Motomu stepped out of the base.
The sun had already sunk behind the Hokage Rock, casting long shadows.
The golden afterglow spilled over the roof of the Hokage building, creating large patches of shade.
Motomu took a deep breath.
*Should I go home first, or head over to Orochimaru's?*
After a moment's thought, he turned and began walking toward the Forest of Death.
He had completely ignored the task Orochimaru had assigned him while in Loulan.
Even the mission target, the Dragon Vein, had been sucked dry by Little Heart.
Now that he was back, he had to give Orochimaru some kind of explanation.
Inside the Forest of Death, the entrance to Orochimaru's base opened.
Before Motomu's finger could even touch the stone door, Orochimaru's raspy voice drifted out from inside the dwelling.
"Enter."
Motomu walked inside.
Orochimaru was sitting at an experimental bench, holding an ancient book made of yellowed, fragmented pages.
Several notebooks were spread out neatly on the table, filled with theories that Motomu couldn't understand.
"You're back?"
Orochimaru set down a reagent and turned around.
His golden snake pupils glowed brightly in the dim light.
"How did the mission go?"
Motomu sat down on a prayer mat opposite him.
"The mission in Loulan is mostly complete."
"The investigative report on the Dragon Vein is here."
He pulled a scroll from his tool pouch.
This was something Motomu had written on the way back, blending what he had seen at the Dragon Vein with some half-truths and guesses.
Orochimaru took it but didn't open it immediately.
"I have already seen the Anbu report," Orochimaru said.
"I will have another task for you later."
"As for your actions this time, I won't hold them against you."
*I have to do this again? No thanks!*
While he gained a lot from every mission Orochimaru gave him, it always required him to put his life on the line.
Now that he could idle-level, he'd rather play it safe for a while.
After thinking it over, Motomu spoke to Orochimaru frankly.
"There were some accidents in Loulan. The White Snake Sage appeared near the Land of Sand."
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed slightly. "The White Snake Sage?"
Motomu gave a brief account of the events in Loulan, omitting the details about the Mangekyo and Shukaku. He only said he was hunted by the White Snake Sage and finally managed to escape when the Suna ninjas intervened.
Orochimaru remained silent for a long time after hearing this.
"The White Snake Sage personally hunted you?"
"Yes," Motomu nodded.
"It believes I killed Garaga."
"Garaga?" Orochimaru's brow furrowed slightly.
"The Third Kazekage's summoning beast?"
"Correct."
"I've been researching how to obtain Senjutsu in Ryuchi Cave recently."
"Unexpectedly, the White Snake Sage blamed the death of its subordinate on me."
"I suspect the Third Kazekage's disappearance is related to Garaga's death."
"Just as it was about to kill me, the Sage suddenly sensed something and clashed with the Third Kazekage's team and Shukaku, who had also arrived."
Orochimaru's eyes locked with Motomu's sincere, wide eyes.
Three seconds later, he gently closed the ancient book.
"My disciple is hiding something, but he isn't lying."
"Interesting. The Third Kazekage is missing, and the Sand Ninja have their hands full."
"Their internal strife is greater than our high command imagined."
"War with the Sand Ninja is now inevitable."