Orochimaru paid no attention to Uchiha Yoru's gaze and continued speaking.
"Kaguya Ren is brutal and loves killing, yet you weren't beaten to death by him. That alone is the best proof that your strength is sufficient."
"You definitely can't defeat a Kage-level shinobi like Kaguya Ren, but you absolutely have the ability to hold him back."
"Then Ino-Shika-Chō will hold back the Kage-level shinobi from the Hōzuki clan. As for the remaining Kage-level shinobi from the Yuki clan, I'm confident I can take him down quickly."
Yoru shook his head repeatedly and said irritably,
"I'm not going. I only survived by relying on Miwa Masayo. I don't want to take that risk again."
Orochimaru said confidently,
"Don't rush to refuse. Hehe. And no need to look so miserable either."
"I never use compulsory orders."
"I'll add money."
Yoru's face changed immediately.
The icy expression that kept people a thousand miles away instantly became a warm smile.
"You should've said that earlier. Orochimaru-sama, if you're willing to add money, then anything can be discussed."
Seeing Yoru change faces, Orochimaru was extremely satisfied.
He loved watching smart people change expressions.
Too interesting.
He admired it with great interest for a few seconds before finally stating his offer.
"As long as you go, I'll count it as an S-rank mission for you."
"Good. I'm in."
"If you help me kill one Kage-level shinobi, I'll add another A-rank mission completion."
"This humble Bu has drifted half his life… pah. Orochimaru-sama is wise and mighty. I will go all out!"
"Hehehe. Remember to bring your cat sage with you. You alone won't do."
"Don't worry. We'll follow Orochimaru-sama closely."
Orochimaru was amused into hearty laughter.
He jumped onto the giant snake's head and chased in the direction Kirigakure had retreated.
Orochimaru left behind a shadow clone to supervise Yoru's execution of the task, as well as to communicate with the Konoha shinobi who would soon arrive.
Avoiding the gaze of Orochimaru's shadow clone, Yoru asked Miwa Masayo,
"What's wrong?"
While he was bargaining with Orochimaru, Miwa Masayo had seemed restless.
Her shock and disbelief had passed into Yoru's heart through the close connection of their natural energy.
Miwa Masayo asked quietly,
"Is that Orochimaru real, nya?"
Yoru answered in surprise,
"He's real. Rika-chan, why would you think Orochimaru is fake?"
"Orochimaru is the Cold Lord, nya. Supposedly, he's a cruel and cold shinobi. But the Orochimaru we saw today wasn't like that, nya."
"What kind of shinobi do you think the Orochimaru you saw today is?"
"Strong, no doubt about that. And his eyes are a little scary, nya. They especially look like the snake eyes I hate most."
"But he's quite kind, and very witty. Completely different from the rumored Cold Lord, nya."
"He is indeed very different from the rumors."
"But today's Orochimaru is real."
"And the legendary Cold Lord Orochimaru… is also real."
"People always have many faces."
"When facing different people, the face they use is different."
So that was it.
Miwa Masayo nodded thoughtfully.
Yoru was right.
Orochimaru facing strangers and Orochimaru facing his fellow Sannin classmates would definitely be different.
"But why is he different toward you too, compared to ordinary shinobi, nya?"
"Maybe because he discovered that I'm someone who can understand him."
"Yoru."
"Mm?"
"Are you praising yourself for being amazing and excellent, nya?"
"Ah?"
…
Since there was no danger to his life and enough benefits were involved, Yoru acted quite actively.
He soon woke Uchiha Shigenobu and told him that he had to leave to carry out a new mission, ordering him to take care of all the little brothers.
Yoru emphasized especially that the Tiger Unit would rest in place.
No matter who came to issue orders, they did not need to pay attention.
"Remember. Other than me personally returning, no matter whose order it is, don't listen."
Uchiha Shigenobu nodded in confirmation.
"I understand. We won't listen to anyone's orders."
At this time, large numbers of Konoha shinobi had also arrived at Kubota Village.
They were shocked by the tragic battlefield.
Everyone who passed by couldn't help looking sideways.
Especially the Konoha shinobi who had come to take over Kubota Village's defense.
Seeing the Uchiha sleeping in bloody muddy water, the admiration in their eyes could not be concealed at all.
"As expected of Uchiha clan shinobi. They actually survived Kirigakure's encirclement."
"Not just survived. From the look of it, they won."
"I roughly counted. There are definitely more than three thousand corpses on the battlefield. I really don't know how they did it. This is too unbelievable."
"Three thousand? That's insane."
"More than three thousand. I heard many corpses were burned beyond shape. The total might exceed four thousand."
"Four thousand! This… this…"
"The Uchiha clan really deserves to be Konoha's number one great clan."
"I used to be unconvinced, but now I really have nothing to say."
"Yeah."
"Hehe. Compared to this, the Hyūga clan's shinobi really don't measure up."
"Although their eyes are very powerful, I can't imagine them killing this many enemies at once."
"Hey, there are Hyūga clan shinobi nearby. Stop talking."
"They activated their Byakugan. Hurry, hurry…"
The discussing shinobi quickly ran off, leaving only a few Hyūga shinobi with strange expressions and bulging veins.
This wasn't because they had activated the Byakugan.
It was because their blood was surging with anger after hearing their clan questioned.
The struggle between Hyūga and Uchiha for the title of number one great clan had existed for a long time.
Ever since the Senju clan had been tacitly equated with Konoha Village itself, this argument had begun.
If this were the Warring States Period, such a boring dispute would be easy to solve.
Both sides would fight.
The side that died out would be nothing.
The side that survived would naturally be number one.
After all—
There was no first in literature, and no second in martial strength.
But under the unified environment of Konoha Village, they could only use words to fight.
Naturally, no one could explain it clearly, and neither side could convince the other.
The Sharingan was powerful in single combat.
The Byakugan had unparalleled strategic value.
Uchiha shinobi were overwhelmingly strong.
Hyūga shinobi were numerous.
Their advantages were not even in the same field, making direct comparison difficult.
But today—
There was no need to compare.
No matter how powerful the Byakugan's reconnaissance ability was, it could not match the shock of a hundred-man unit challenging Kirigakure's army against the wind.
Not to mention, the Uchiha clan's shinobi had actually won.
They had fundamentally reversed the battlefield situation in the Land of Hot Water.
Being unconvinced—
Was impossible.
Precisely because they could not refute it, the Hyūga clan shinobi split into two extremes.
Those who accepted it were fine.
They were branch family anyway.
Lying flat was enough.
The ones truly suffering were this small squad before them.
The leading shinobi was a teenager, and his smooth forehead showed that he belonged to the Hyūga main family.
As a main family shinobi—a slave owner—he was accustomed to all kinds of flattery and obedience.
He had never experienced being questioned as "not good enough."
Humiliation and innate pride made him stubbornly unwilling to accept it.
Yet he could not find a single reason to support his refusal.
So he suffered to the extreme.
A middle-aged Hyūga shinobi in the squad couldn't help asking,
"When did the Uchiha clan's shinobi become this strong?"
"And they're even a group of children…"
After hearing his subordinate's words, the Hyūga main family shinobi felt even more displeased.
He couldn't help letting out a cold snort.
But that cold snort angered Uchiha Kazushi not far away.
As an Uchiha shinobi, he already disliked the Hyūga.
Not only because of the rivalry between the two clans, but also because back then, his own awakening had been far away, and he had been very unhappy with the Hyūga, who almost all awakened the Byakugan.
Later, Kazushi awakened his eyes with Yoru's help.
The reason for his dislike vanished.
But he was also influenced by Yoru's contempt toward the Hyūga clan.
His attitude toward Hyūga clan shinobi shifted from dislike—
To looking down on them.
So the Hyūga main family shinobi's cold snort made Kazushi angry.
He sprang up with a whoosh, pointed at the Hyūga shinobi older than himself, and cursed,
"You little Byakugan bastard, what are you snorting for?"
Hearing someone curse him, the Hyūga shinobi's anger ignited.
He glared fiercely toward the person who had cursed him, wanting to see who dared insult him.
Then he was frightened.
Uchiha Kazushi had not activated the Sharingan.
But after barely sleeping two hours, he had been pulled up to replace Shigenobu's watch duty.
Thus, his eyes were full of bloodshot veins.
His pupils were black.
His sclera were red.
That was much scarier than the Sharingan.
The Hyūga shinobi was startled when he saw those eyes.
The killing intent rushing toward him made their entire squad's hair stand on end.
The Hyūga main family shinobi even unconsciously assumed the Gentle Fist combat stance.
After humans experienced large-scale slaughter, because they had killed too many of their own kind, they unknowingly became stained with killing intent.
This was a mysterious feeling.
It could invisibly intimidate those they looked at.
But the killer themselves might not even realize it.
Uchiha Kazushi was exactly like this.
He had no awareness at all that he was releasing killing intent.
Seeing the Hyūga shinobi's nervousness, he first froze—
Then laughed loudly.
"Hyūga clan shinobi, that's it?"
"You go weak in the legs and hands just from me looking at you. How does that look like Konoha's number one great clan?"
"I'm dying from laughter."
"Hey, your forehead is bare. You're Hyūga main family!"
"Hmph. You only noticed now? Rude Uchi—"
"No wonder you're so useless. Turns out you're main family trash."
"You trash from the Hyūga main family came to the battlefield for what? To increase our burden?"
The Hyūga main family shinobi was driven mad with rage.
He opened his mouth to curse.
"Bastard!"
Kazushi's voice suddenly rose, drowning out the Hyūga's.
"You're the bastard!"
"You don't even know how much you're worth."
"You're clearly trash, yet you think you're an expert and ran onto the battlefield to cause trouble for others!"
The more he spoke, the angrier Kazushi became.
He released thick killing intent, making the Hyūga main family shinobi's scalp go numb and his limbs weak.
The Hyūga refuted in a mosquito-like voice,
"I… I haven't caused trouble for anyone…"
"Ha!"
"You're one Hyūga leading two Hyūga in a squad. What kind of garbage arrangement is this?"
"No ninjutsu. No breakthrough ability. Using you for reconnaissance is a waste."
"If this isn't delaying things, what is?"
The more Kazushi spoke, the angrier he became.
He took two steps forward, staring with crimson eyes at the Hyūga main family shinobi, and roared,
"Because you're a piece of trash who can only team up with Hyūga branch family members, at least three Konoha squads lost reconnaissance ability!"
"This is a battlefield against Kirigakure shinobi."
"A Konoha squad without Byakugan is the easiest to ambush by Kirigakure shinobi."
"And the easiest to die under Hidden Mist Technique."
"And you still say you didn't cause trouble!"
By the end, Kazushi's voice was deafening.
His killing intent grew even more brazen and unrestrained.
Step by step, he approached the Hyūga main family shinobi.
The young Hyūga main family shinobi grew afraid.
He subconsciously took one step back, wanting to get away from this terrifying Uchiha shinobi.
Unexpectedly, his foot went weak.
He fell backward onto the ground.
Fortunately, his teammates were two experienced Hyūga shinobi.
They didn't care at all about Kazushi's killing intent.
The middle-aged Hyūga supported his captain in time.
The other young Hyūga stepped forward, cutting off the line of sight between the two.
He met Kazushi's eyes with pale eyes as calm as stagnant water.
Instead, Kazushi felt his heart tighten.
It felt as though the one looking at him wasn't a person—
But a monster seeking death.
Kazushi backed down.
He didn't want to talk to a monster seeking death.
What if this fellow suddenly tried to drag him down together?
Sure enough—
The soft fear the hard.
The hard fear the reckless.
The reckless fear those who don't want to live.
But one person who didn't want to live could not scare off a group of reckless people.
Behind Kazushi, one figure after another sat up.
Their bodies looked stiff, but their blood-red eyes were bright and piercing.
Their thick killing intent, fueled by the anger of being woken up, connected together and formed a terrifying aura.
Kazushi, who had woken everyone up by shouting loudly, obediently joined them.
The Uchiha supported and relied on one another, forming an unshakable collective.
No matter how insane one madman was, he could not make a strong collective feel fear.
Nor would the Uchiha sheltered by the collective fear one madman who wanted to die.
Quite the opposite.
The young Hyūga madman himself retreated.
In his dead, stagnant eyes, a trace of envy flashed at some unknown point.
The small conflict ended with the Hyūga squad backing down.
This matter had no impact on Konoha Village.
It was merely treated as a joke among Konoha shinobi for a while, then drifted away like wind.
But for the Hyūga main family shinobi involved—
This matter could not pass.
Nor could he let it pass.
He had to prove himself.
Prove he was stronger than Uchiha shinobi.
Prove he was not trash.
Prove he had not caused trouble for others.
"Move. We're going to the coast to intercept Kirigakure shinobi."
"Master Hideki, our mission is to clear scattered Kirigakure shinobi and ensure the supply line's safety…"
Before the middle-aged Hyūga shinobi finished speaking, Hyūga Hideki interrupted him with a slap.
It wasn't that he couldn't dodge.
It was that he knew very well that if he dodged, he would suffer a more severe Caged Bird punishment.
He could only endure it.
Hyūga Hideki roared,
"Do you think I don't know my mission?"
"But no matter how well I do this kind of chore, can it prove I'm stronger than the Uchiha clan's shinobi?"
"Master, the Hyūga clan's strength isn't about fighting enemies head-on—"
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"
"I'm no longer a child who knows nothing."
"I know!"
"If we can't produce results by fighting enemies head-on, people will look down on us."
"Remember this clearly."
"The Hyūga Byakugan was not born only for reconnaissance."
"If we Hyūga rely only on reconnaissance, we will never surpass the Uchiha!"
"Master Hideki, you can't do this. It really is dangerous."
"I'm the captain."
"You're only a member."
"I am main family. You are branch family."
"You should obey my orders."
"Mine!"
"…Yes, Master."
Following the furious Hyūga Hideki, the middle-aged Hyūga shinobi grew more and more desperate as they walked.
He couldn't help complaining to his teammate beside him,
"Why didn't you help me persuade him? Master Hideki is going to his death."
The young Hyūga shinobi unexpectedly revealed a smile.
He answered with a smile,
"One slave's failed persuasion plus another slave still can't change anything."
"If the two of us slaves work together, there's only one result."
"We roll on the ground together."
"You…"
"Besides… death is wonderful."
"…Yeah. It's just my son…"
"What are you worrying about? The clan won't waste a slave. Someone will raise him."
"That's true. Then death is death."
…
Konoha's pursuit of Kirigakure's army did not achieve much.
The main reason was that no one expected Kirigakure to be so decisive.
They abandoned all their supplies and did not even consider returning by ship.
They rushed straight to the coast and ran across the water.
Once they reached the sea, Kirigakure shinobi returned to their absolute home field.
Even though they had only a little over four thousand shinobi left and lacked combat supplies, they were still not something Konoha's army could handle.
If Konoha forced the issue regardless of reality, they would definitely suffer a costly defeat, causing the situation in the Land of Hot Water to change again.
Konoha Village once had such a Kage-level shinobi—
He used the lives of over a thousand Konoha shinobi to prove that he was not material for commanding a shinobi army.
Fortunately, today's Konoha commander was Orochimaru.
This cunning, cautious, resourceful man immediately ordered the pursuit to stop.
Very soon, Konoha's shinobi split into two routes.
Orochimaru led a small number of top Konoha shinobi to continue chasing, seeing whether they could gain a little more advantage or kill a few more Kirigakure shinobi.
The other Konoha shinobi turned back and began cleaning up the shattered situation in the Land of Hot Water.
Konoha had much work to handle.
Large numbers of refugees, bandits, wandering shinobi, and missing-nin all had to be dealt with one by one.
Destroyed military buildings also had to be rebuilt.
The hard work was still ahead.
However—
The Kirigakure shinobi who fled to sea did not meet their fleet.
Instead, they received news that the fleet had been annihilated.
Kaguya Ren grabbed a Kirigakure shinobi who had originally stayed behind with the fleet and roared,
"What exactly happened? Who attacked our fleet?"
The Kirigakure shinobi answered with a crying voice,
"It was Kumogakure. We were attacked by Kumogakure!"
Kaguya Ren roared,
"How is that possible? Our fleet was far away from shore."
"Did you violate orders for comfort and stop near the coast?"
The Kirigakure shinobi answered in grievance,
"We really were cruising in the open sea."
"But Kumogakure shinobi attacked us from the sea!"
"What?"
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