In a certain location in theLand of Rivers.

Inside a dark room stood six men with strong auras. Their faces were indistinguishable. One man stood in the middle with his hands clasped behind his back, while the others stood with bowed heads and slightly bent backs, all in a posture of respectful listening.

Knock, knock, knock—

"Come in!" said the man standing in the center with his hands behind his back. His voice was oddly deep and resonant, as if being amplified through something.

The door opened, and a respectful man wearing aRain Villageforehead protector walked in. He did not dare to be presumptuous, bowing as he presented a paper scroll to the man in the center, speaking rapidly and clearly: "Lord, a message from theLand of Fire!"

A black shadow swept by, and the scroll was already in the man's hand. As he opened and read it, the aura around him grew increasingly sinister. The surrounding men felt an inexplicable chill.

Bang!—

The man fiercely slammed his fist onto a wooden table next to him. A sharpcracksounded, and the table instantly splintered into pieces.

The man could not help but curse: "Trash!Uttertrash!ThreeChūninwere actually defeated by threeKonoha Geninbrats! I want to know, are theKonohaninja too strong, or are ourRain Villageninja too inept?"

The man stressed the words'strong'and'inept'heavily.

The six men around him did not dare to answer and remained silent.

The man sighed inwardly at their reaction. After a moment, he regained his composure and calmly instructed: "Immediately relay the message to the remaining members in theLand of Fire. Send the two mostelitesquads to intercept them. Do you understand, the two mostelitesquads? Everyone else is to immediately abandon all supplies, bring only the map, and return. Tell them to execute this command without delay. Go!"

"Yes, Lord!" TheRain Villageninja who had delivered the message bowed and left to carry out the order.

Just then, one of the five men standing in bowed reverence stepped forward and tentatively asked: "Lord, I don't understand why only two squads will suffice."

The man standing in the center saw his aura gradually soften.Finally, someone teachable,he thought, and answered faintly: "That location is not far fromKonoha Village. Under extreme pressure, they could enterKonoha'swarning perimeter in half an hour. If even these two squads can't stop these three strangeGenin, then sending more people would just be sending them to their deaths once they reachKonoha'swarning perimeter! Furthermore, at that point, moving from the shadows to the light means it's no longer espionage; it'swar!"

The man who had stepped forward bowed as if having received instruction, and then retreated to his place.

The room fell silent once more.

Orochimaruand the other three quickly left the bandit camp and found a small town where they rested first.

AlthoughOrochimaruknew that rushing toKonohawithout stopping would put them within the village's warning perimeter in half an hour, he didn't dare to gamble. He couldn't risk not making it in time, especially while draggingChi, an 'ordinary person,' and he couldn't risk an ambush during that critical half-hour.

AfterOrochimaruand the three'sChakraand stamina were mostly recovered, they walked together to the town entrance.

Orochimaruspoke sternly toChi: "Chi, I have no need for trash, so I'm giving you a test. Do you understand?"

Chinodded resolutely, his dark eyes fixed intently onOrochimaru, waiting focusedly for him to continue.

Orochimarucontinued: "You must now make it toKonohaalone, using your own strength. Then, find my house. Remember my name: I amOrochimaru. Can you do it?"

Chimaintained his stubborn and determined expression, nodded seriously, and then turned and walked away without looking back. His young figure possessed a firm resolve, like someone who would not turn back until the goal was reached.

Tsunadesaid indignantly: "Orochimaru, he's just a normal child! Aren't you being too cruel?"

"Yeah,Orochimaru, letting him come with us wouldn't hurt anything!"Jiraiyachimed in.

Orochimarugave a wicked smile: "That child is not ordinary..."

Orochimarustopped himself.If he can reachKonoha, he will become the sharpest sword under my command!

Shaking off his thoughts,Orochimarusaid calmly: "Alright, let's plan this out. The two of you go first, rushing towardKonohawith all your strength. I'll shadow you from the darkness behind, about a hundred meters back. If you encounter an ambush, if you can just hold them off for a moment, I can immediately rush in and launch a surprise attack from the shadows. We'll seize the chance to kill the enemy with one blow!"

JiraiyaandTsunadeheardOrochimaru'swords. Although they knew this was the best method for the current situation, they couldn't hide their displeasure at being used as bait byOrochimaru.

The atmosphere suddenly became heavy, with anxiety over the dangers ahead and internal discord among the group.

Orochimarukeenly sensed the change in atmosphere. He glanced at their expressions and immediately guessed their thoughts. He turned back and said softly: "I'm sorry."

The two were momentarily stunned, but their eyes quickly showed relief.

Jiraiya, arguably the person who understoodOrochimarubest, rememberedOrochimaru'scontributions during the bandit camp raid. He felt a bit ashamed of his recent thoughts. He rushed forward, casually slung an arm aroundOrochimaru'sshoulder, and laughed loudly: "Haha, don't worry! With I,Jiraiya-sama, here, we'll all make it back to the village safely!"

Tsunadeflashed a brilliant smile.

Orochimarusmiled wryly.I truly have changed,he thought.

The three prepared themselves, activated theirShinshin, and set off towardKonohaas planned.

OrochimarushadowedJiraiyaandTsunadefrom about a hundred meters behind in the distance, employing his masterful anti-tracking and reconnaissance skills. His small body concealed all killing intent and his faint, nearly inaudible body odor. He moved like a massive python slithering through the forest, fully utilizing every shadow in the woods, advancing silently without leaving the slightest trace.

JiraiyaandTsunadecarefully and cautiously used theirShinshin, weaving swiftly between the trees. One massive tree after another was quickly left behind. The distance toKonohagrew shorter, but the unease in their hearts grew stronger.

Whoosh, whoosh!—

JiraiyaandTsunadeleaped over another large tree, continuing their rush forward without stopping.

What they didn't notice was a pair of eyes watching their every move from a shadow beneath the tree.

The person hiding in the darkness waited untilJiraiyaandTsunadehad moved far away, then pulled down the headset they wore and whispered: "Calling Team One and Team Two. Moth calling Team One and Team Two!"

"Team One here, Moth speak!"

"Team Two here, Moth speak!"

The person identified as "Moth" was about to speak, when he suddenly froze!

Support me on Patreon:/c/MistaQuartz

Explore up to10 chaptersin advance!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com