Everything happened in an instant.
Realizing that Toroi was under attack, the young A endured the pain and delivered one final elbow strike. However, after successfully landing a hit, Takeshi had already used the Flying Thunder God kunai planted earlier to teleport back to his original position. The massive elbow strike hit nothing but air.
"Brother, what now? Do we go on the offensive, or fall back?"
Killer Bee guarded the injured young A closely, asking for his decision.
Hearing Killer Bee's question, young A felt the pain of his injuries. Though unwilling, he knew full well that in their current state, they were in no shape to continue tangling with the enemy.
Meanwhile, Takeshi, wary that reinforcements might be on their way for young A, took advantage of the brief hesitation. He threw several smoke bombs and called out to Shimura Ikku and Yamanaka Akira to make a run for it.
"Phew..."
As the smoke cleared, young A saw that Takeshi and the others had already fled. He didn't give chase, instead turning to check on Toroi's condition.
He pulled the senbon out from Toroi's side and felt its icy chill. Nodding in understanding, young A muttered,
"I see. An Ice Release senbon—no wonder it could pierce through Toroi's body, even though he's a Magnet Release user."
"And it's laced with poison too?"
Toroi's face was turning paler by the second, and purplish veins began appearing across his skin. Alarmed, young A didn't dare delay. He ordered Killer B, the one in the best condition among them, to carry Toroi and head back toward the camp immediately.
"Shimura Takeshi, huh... I'll remember you."
Casting one final glance in the direction Takeshi had fled, young A swore silently to himself: the next time they met, he would personally sever that brat's head!
...
Three days later.
Inside a tent at the Konohagakure encampment.
For the first time, Takeshi met the great scientist who had singlehandedly advanced the scientific progress of the shinobi world.
"Shimura... Takeshi?"
Orochimaru stared blankly at Takeshi, his snake-like pupils scanning him up and down, as if he were prey.
Cold sweat trickled down Takeshi's forehead before Orochimaru finally looked away, turning instead to examine Yamanaka Akira and Shimura Ikku.
The two of them looked terrible—not only had their masks been smashed, but their faces were swollen like pig heads.
Thankfully, Yamanaka Akira knew a bit of medical ninjutsu, which kept them at least somewhat recognizable.
"You encountered the son of the Third Raikage?"
Seeing that neither of them was critically injured—or perhaps thinking even if they were, they could die after reporting—Orochimaru began questioning them for details.
Since this wasn't some top-secret mission, Orochimaru quickly got a clear picture of what had transpired.
After hearing their report, Orochimaru gave a sideways glance at Takeshi, who, though a bit disheveled, had no serious injuries. He couldn't help but doubt the story's credibility.
After all, what they described was simply too outrageous—Danzō's twelve-year-old son not only took on two Jōnin and a Jinchūriki by himself, but even seriously injured two of them and escaped unharmed? Even Orochimaru hadn't possessed such strength at twelve.
Could this be Danzō trying to build hype around his son?
A sliver of doubt crept into Orochimaru's heart, but he quickly dismissed it. Such lies were too easy to expose—it wasn't Danzō's style.
After all, the Kumogakure witnesses were still alive. Verifying the truth would be child's play.
What an interesting little brat.
Orochimaru finally grew genuinely curious about Takeshi. His second glance was no longer driven by curiosity about Danzō's son—it was about Takeshi himself.
Feeling the chill at the nape of his neck, Takeshi watched Orochimaru nervously, wondering whether he'd offended this creepy man somehow. Why else was he staring like that?
"Are you scared of me?"
Sensing Takeshi's unease, Orochimaru found things even more amusing.
"Uh, no! Not at all! It's admiration—yes, pure admiration! I greatly admire you, Orochimaru-sama."
Forcing the ugliest smile imaginable, Takeshi's tone was as humble as could be.
"Is that so..."
Orochimaru licked his lips with a grotesque flick of his tongue. He then extended a hand, aiming to touch Takeshi's face.
The next second, Takeshi couldn't hold the awkward smile anymore. He quickly stepped back to create distance.
"That's admiration?"
Orochimaru's hand froze in midair as he looked at it with interest.
"Orochimaru-sama..." Before Takeshi could respond, Shimura Ikku finally spoke up.
"We've just returned from battle. We urgently need to rest."
"I've already notified the medical ninja."
Orochimaru's cold gaze landed on Shimura Ikku. Feeling its chilling pressure, Ikku struggled to breathe but still met his eyes head-on.
"Huh? That voice sounds familiar... It really is you, Takeshi!"
Just as the atmosphere froze to an icy silence, a bright and cheerful voice broke in. A familiar figure threw herself into Takeshi's back.
Feeling the softness pressing into him, Takeshi froze for a moment, then quickly realized what was happening.
Who... who's ramming into me chest-first?!
He didn't even need to look back—he recognized her voice immediately.
"Anko?"
"Hehe, long time no see!" Anko clung tightly to Takeshi and bounced a few times before finally letting go.
"Ack—what are you doing here?"
Completely ignoring Orochimaru's presence, Takeshi rubbed his neck and asked curiously.
"Oh, I came looking for Orochimaru-sensei."
Anko finally remembered her mission thanks to Takeshi's reminder.
"Orochimaru-sensei, the village has sent a messenger to see you."
"I know."
Having been interrupted by Anko, Orochimaru no longer cared to engage with the trio. He shot a glance at Anko to signal her to follow, then turned and left the tent.
"Ah, I'll be back later! Let's catch up then!"
Seeing Orochimaru leave so quickly, Anko hurriedly waved goodbye to Takeshi and followed after him.
...
Konohagakure, Root Headquarters.
Danzō was feeling especially irritable lately.
Even Aburame Tatsuma could sense the tension in the air.
"That brat... doesn't know his limits."
Staring at the frontline battle report just delivered to the village, Danzō searched it thoroughly but found nothing he wanted.
Ever since Takeshi had headed to the frontlines, Danzō had heard nothing from his son.
His original plan was simple: have Takeshi take two Jōnin and lurk on the battlefield's outskirts, picking off isolated enemies to rack up military achievements. But then came Yamanaka Akira's message, which nearly made Danzō leap out of his seat.
That damned brat had taken his team and charged deep into Kumogakure's rear lines, claiming he was targeting their supply lines!
That kind of operation—even Danzō himself would only dare attempt it with the full strength of the Root division.
During large-scale battles, even the supply convoys alone could spark small-scale wars.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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