The next morning, Orochimaru's unit set out for the Land of Ash. Their guides were the father and daughter that Kano had met the night before. Their names were Fukai Shimuki and Fukai Yenaha.
As soon as Yenaha saw Kano, a warlike light flashed in her eyes. And if it weren't for her father's menacing gaze, she probably would have immediately challenged Kano to a duel. This girl was a real battle demon.
She kept her rapt gaze on Kano the entire way, but he seemed completely unaware of her attention. This strange behavior attracted the attention of Kushina and Haru, who began to secretly watch them, thereby trying to figure out what had happened the night before when Kano left the camp. And frankly speaking, their guesses were not far from the truth.
Kano tried to ignore Yenaha's not-so-veiled challenges, but he still felt a little confused about her. After all, even if she was obsessed with fighting, it would be more logical for her to target Kushina, a girl like her, than him. However, he had no idea that Yenaha had targeted him because he was the first ninja from a large country she had ever fought.
"If we move at this speed, then by evening, around nine o'clock, we should reach the border of the Land of Ash," Shimuki turned to Orochimaru, who was moving level with him.
Orochimaru nodded, glancing out of the corner of his eye at Yenaha, who seemed to be taking this mission seriously, before a look of obvious disapproval flashed across his gaze, which did not escape the girl's father.
Shimuki smiled bitterly. This mission was very important, and for Yenahi, who had no experience with difficult missions, it was a serious test that could completely change her attitude towards work. It had taken him a lot of effort to bring her along. But he had never expected that on the eve of the mission, she would decide to challenge Kano, one of the members of the Konoha team. And not only had she challenged him to a fight, but she had also not won convincingly. Because of this, she had acted somewhat frivolously this morning, which had caused Orochimaru's displeasure.
Mistrust between mission participants is a highly dangerous destabilizing factor. Orochimaru understood this. He acknowledged Shimuka's strength, but he was unsure of Yenakhe, who acted as if she was going for a walk.
Shimuki understood this too, so he began to think about how he could quickly demonstrate Yenahi's value to Orochimaru in order to dispel his doubts.
The trees on the sides of the road rushed past. Shimuki looked ahead, his gaze focused on something. After that, he finally decided that Yenaha would take the vanguard and eliminate the first line of the Land of Ash's guards.
They walked in silence. Only when night fell and a small moon appeared in the sky did Orochimaru's squad reach a pre-designated point - far enough from the Land of Ash outposts to make a short rest stop.
Although the enemy sentries were still quite far away, it would be unwise to light a fire at night. So everyone found a place to sit down and began to rest, snacking on dry rations to restore their strength.
Shimuki and Orochimaru studied the map of enemy outposts in the dim moonlight. By checking the terrain, they tried to determine the approximate location of the sentries. It is worth noting that this map was not entirely accurate and served only as a guide, since many of the outposts were not marked on it.
"We can only pinpoint seven fixed posts. The rest are patrolling unspecified areas. There are presumably around thirty unmarked posts," Shimuki said, pointing to seven circles highlighted in color.
Orochimaru studied the rough map of the area, his gaze sliding along the dotted lines connecting the circles. After a while, an idea flashed through his eyes. He pointed to the right side of the map, where the outposts were most densely packed, and said, "The breakthrough must be made here. This is the weakest point in the chain of stationary outposts."
Shimuki was taken aback. This side of the map looked like the most difficult to navigate, and he didn't understand why Orochimaru had chosen it.
The rested Kano and the others also approached them, and hearing Orochimaru's words, Yenaha clenched her fists and said with a slight excitement in her voice: "This is already interesting!"
Orochimaru looked at her coldly, and then turned his gaze to his students, after which they thought, as if they understood something.
A closer look at the map showed that the seven stationary posts formed a hub around which a dense surveillance network was woven. This was obvious from the diagram, but no one knew exactly how often the posts exchanged information. Therefore, any careless action could cause a chain reaction.
Orochimaru chose the right side, which seemed the most difficult to break through, precisely because it was the farthest away from the stationary outposts. However, given the specifics of the assassination mission, one had to be prepared to face numerous opponents after the mission was completed. After all, it was simply unavoidable.
The only difference was that every second gained before the enemy discovered the missing sentries gave an extra second to complete the mission. Moreover, this second could prove decisive for a successful retreat.
Shimuki was the first to understand his intention and nodded, "I understand."
Simply put, going deep into enemy territory to assassinate a ruler is a path of no return. It would be unrealistic to expect to simply slip in, kill the target, and walk away. You'll be facing multiple enemies anyway.
It was a chance that only came once. The first task was not to increase the probability of completing the mission, but to increase the chance of safe return.
Even before the mission began, Orochimaru had an idea of Shimuka and Yenahi's strength. So, he looked at Shimuka and told him, "There are ninja with good reconnaissance skills in my team. They will locate the sentries, and then it's up to you."
Shimuki nodded, then looked at his daughter and said seriously, "In terms of silently eliminating opponents with poison, Yenaha is far superior to me."
There was no hint of a recommendation in his words, he was simply stating a fact.
Orochimaru looked at the excited girl in surprise and thought. He did not feel any trust in her, especially in such a state. After all, it was simply difficult for him to believe in her abilities.
"I! I can do it!" Yenaha exclaimed, raising her hand, her face radiating confidence.
Shimuki rubbed his forehead in frustration. At the moment, he was having a hard time convincing Orochimaru that this girl was truly fit for this task.
"Orochimaru, maybe she really can do it," Kano suddenly intervened. After which everyone present looked at him in surprise.
Kushina and Haru looked at each other, then at Kano, and then at Yenaha. Honestly, after thinking about the situation, they were inclined to entrust this task to Shimuka, after all, this was the most important stage. But Kano, who had just spoken out, turned his piercing gaze to Yenaha, and sternly said: "The time gained by silently eliminating the sentries can become a saving barrier for us, ensuring a timely retreat. If the task fails, then you will simply die here."
In the art of killing, Kano considered himself no worse than Yenahi, but in order to carry out a lightning attack, he would inevitably have to create a lot of noise. This was especially noticeable when his body was enveloped in lightning, not to mention the sound, where the glow itself was like a beacon in the darkness. Therefore, he could not take on this critical stage.
The excitement on Yenahi's face gradually faded. She turned her gaze to Kano and said with complete seriousness, "I understand. If the mission fails, I won't return alive."
Orochimaru, who had been silent until then, smiled slightly upon hearing her words. The guarantee backed by life was enough for him to gain initial trust in Yenaha.
Shimuki, hearing his daughter's words, did not show the slightest concern. Apart from some confusion about her behavior, he had complete confidence in her abilities.
"She is a rising star of the Grass ninja. Just wait, the day will come..." Shimuki thought to himself.
I have more translations that exclusive to only patreon
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Demon slayer :seraphim
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