"Hm?"
Mid-march, Orochimaru suddenly paused.
Through the subtle connection of his summoning technique, he sensed a faint strand of his chakra dissipate silently.
A slight smile curved his cold face.
"How interesting. It seems Amegakure isn't entirely made up of useless fools."
Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.
Now that they had penetrated deep into Rain territory, the small white snake he dispatched wasn't meant to kill—only to track Rain's intelligence movements.
He hadn't expected it to be discovered so quickly.
Beside him, Jiraiya—who had finally recovered from his existential IQ crisis—asked loudly,
"Orochimaru, what are you muttering about? Who're you calling useless fools?"
"Shut up," Orochimaru snapped. "I'm talking about you."
By all rights, Orochimaru was the chief commander of this mission, with Jiraiya as his deputy.
Logically, he should be the one delegating tasks.
Yet along the way—
Orochimaru had practically become a nanny, overseeing everything.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya strolled along like it was an Academy field trip.
Jiraiya blinked—then burst out laughing.
"That's right! Useless fools talking about me!"
Orochimaru: "..."
Damn it.
He'd walked straight into that idiot's trap.
Refusing to engage further—since arguing only dragged him down to Jiraiya's level—Orochimaru halted and turned to the assembled shinobi behind them.
"Everyone. We part ways here."
He issued the order cleanly.
"The battle plan remains unchanged. Tsunade, Jiraiya, and I will intercept Hanzō of the Salamander. The rest of you will disrupt Amegakure's forward positions and throw their defenses into chaos."
He clasped his hands and let his gaze sweep across them.
"The outcome of this battle determines whether we can press deeper—perhaps even counterattack into the Land of Rain itself."
"We entrust everything to you."
He bowed deeply.
"May your fortunes in battle be strong."
"Strong fortunes in battle," the ninja echoed softly.
After that brief blessing—
The hundreds of shinobi dispersed like streams branching into the forest.
Jiraiya watched silently as they vanished.
His earlier laughter faded.
Orochimaru glanced at him.
"Jiraiya. Out of those eight hundred… how many do you think will return alive?"
Jiraiya swallowed.
"With Tsunade's antidotes… at least half?"
Orochimaru gave a low, amused laugh.
"Two hundred at most."
He raised two fingers.
"And that's if the First and Second Hokage are watching from heaven."
Jiraiya's voice grew heavy.
"What are you trying to say?"
Orochimaru met his eyes calmly.
"I mean this: if you want more of them to survive, don't hesitate later."
"I know you dislike killing. But this is war. Kill or be killed."
"For every extra minute we tie down Hanzō and his ANBU, perhaps one more of them lives."
He withdrew a plump white slug from his robe.
"And besides… you don't want the old man—or Danzo and the advisors—questioning you afterward, do you?"
Jiraiya sighed.
"I'm not that foolish. I know what matters."
He lowered his head.
His resolve hardened.
Child of Prophecy…
Peace for the shinobi world…
The words of the Great Toad Sage flickered in his mind.
Orochimaru bent slightly toward the slug.
"Lady Katsuyu, please use Reverse Summoning to bring Tsunade here."
The slug's voice was gentle, childlike.
"Please don't say it that way, Orochimaru-sama. It is my duty."
Seals spread across the ground.
Bang!
White smoke billowed.
A young woman stepped out.
Blonde ponytail. Light green short-sleeved top over black mesh armor. Red bracers on her wrists.
Poised. Radiant with confidence.
A much larger slug rested on her shoulder.
"So we're in the Land of Rain already?"
Tsunade cracked her fists together.
"I've been waiting for this."
"Need to rest?" Orochimaru asked mildly. "Making antidotes must've drained you."
Because speed was critical, they had moved separately.
Orochimaru and Jiraiya advanced first with the elite unit. Tsunade remained behind preparing antidotes, to be reverse-summoned once infiltration was complete.
"I'm fine," Tsunade waved him off. "Let's move."
"I can't wait to test myself against the so-called Demigod."
Orochimaru nodded.
Compared to Jiraiya, Tsunade was highly reliable—
So long as gambling wasn't involved.
"In that case…"
He looked northeast, voice turning cold.
"Target: Hanzō of the Salamander. Move out."
———
"So Konoha made the first move?"
After hearing Ayane's report, Captain Night Crow paced excitedly inside camp.
He had already sent the intelligence back to Rain's headquarters via summon.
Though no reply had arrived yet, he could already smell merit.
His ambition flared.
If not for the short acquaintance with his team, he might've shouted, Brothers, our time to shine has come!
Outwardly, he maintained composure.
"Utter incompetence at the front line! Letting such a force penetrate so deeply!"
"Captain," Woodpecker analyzed calmly, "Konoha deployed only about eight hundred."
"That's insufficient for a decisive battle. Likely an advance force to open the way."
Night Crow sneered.
"How arrogant. Crossing the river with eight hundred men—do they think we can't swallow them whole?"
Ayane, aware of future events, couldn't help but caution,
"What if Konoha prepared thoroughly? For example… sending top-tier experts to restrain Lord Hanzō?"
"Impossible! Lord Hanzō is invincible!"
Night Crow's voice brimmed with fanaticism.
"Not eight hundred—"
"Even if the so-called Professor Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi came personally, along with White Fang Sakumo Hatake, and the clan heads of Uchiha and Hyuga—together—they would not defeat Lord Hanzō!"
…Does Hanzō himself know he's this overpowered?
Kid, you've been eating too many rainy-season mushrooms.
"But…" Night Crow shifted tone. "Swan raises a fair point. As ANBU, we must consider all variables. Perhaps we should head to Lord Hanzō's side and assist."
Assist?
You mean show your face and earn favor.
Woodpecker suppressed his anxiety.
"Captain, Hanzō-sama is important—but the enemy has already infiltrated. If Recon collapses, we'll be blind. That could be disastrous."
Night Crow frowned.
That was reasonable.
At that moment, his summoning bird descended with new orders from headquarters.
Four words:
Hold the line.
Exactly what Woodpecker suggested.
Night Crow made his decision.
"As usual—split into two teams. I'll take three to reinforce Lord Hanzō. The other three remain and assist Recon in clearing infiltrating Konoha shinobi."
He scanned them.
"Who goes? Who stays?"
Obviously—
Hanzō's side was safer.
Yet Woodpecker immediately raised his hand.
"I'll stay."
Ayane thought:
With my current abilities, what am I supposed to do at a battlefield featuring Hanzō versus the Sannin?
Be a bloodthirsty spectator?
"I'll stay too," she said.
Eagle looked between them, confused.
But since Swan had volunteered—
"I… I'll stay as well!"