113 Chapter 113

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Elsewhere, in the Hokage's office.

"Hiruzen!" Danzo slammed the table for the third time, "Say something, will you!"

Extinguishing his pipe, Hiruzen lifted his head amidst the swirling smoke, "Danzo, we are at war. Kyomu's actions may have been improper, but they're not to the extent of recalling him for punishment."

"Today he dares to falsely issue frontline military orders and lead his men into battle on his own accord, tomorrow he might dare to falsify your commands to undertake even more dangerous actions!"

Danzo was genuinely upset and also felt that Kyomu's contributions had grown too significant, making him difficult to control in the future, potentially becoming a tail that wags the dog.

"This was a mistake in orders issued by Orochimaru." Hiruzen had already made a decision in his heart, "The squad led by Kyomu is very strong overall. Abandoning them outright would dishearten our forces.

Moreover, I've already drafted orders to promote Minato as the general commander, leading four elite ninja squads to support the battlefield against the Sand ninja."

Hiruzen sighed, "We can't wait any longer. Other battlefronts have not yet opened up, and we can't allow the Sand ninja to continue depleting our forces.

We must strike the Sand ninja hard and significantly deplete their fighting strength to ease our efforts in future multi-front operations."

"You're sending Minato to the front lines but not me?" Danzo's anger grew, "Hiruzen, what do you mean by this!"

"Danzo, now is not the time for you to enter the battlefield." Hiruzen didn't want to argue with Danzo on this matter, "There will be a time for you to act when the battles intensify."

"Hmph, it better be!" Danzo huffed, "But regardless, I still insist on dealing with Kyomu, as well as Kakashi and Obito who followed him to the Sand battlefield without authorization!"

"I will give them a verbal reprimand once the war situation stabilizes."

Hiruzen's attitude was clear; he did not wish to impose any real punishment on Kyomu and the others.

Although he knew that discipline was necessary, given the current special circumstances, punishing Kyomu or questioning his actions would not be conducive to winning the war.

It wasn't that Kyomu and his ninja squad could determine the direction of the war by themselves, but rather that orders from the leadership must be respected.

In the midst of a tense war situation, issuing an order to discipline a squad leader who has made numerous contributions would be unthinkable for anyone with a clear mind.

Any punishment would have to wait until after the war.

"Hiruzen, you disappoint me!" Danzo gritted his teeth, "You're coddling Kyomu and the others, you will regret this in the future!"

"I am the Hokage!" Hiruzen slammed the table, "Danzo, don't push me!"

Glaring at Hiruzen, Danzo was silent for a moment, once again suppressed by Hiruzen using his status as Hokage.

Turning around and slamming the door, Danzo left in large strides.

"Sigh!"

Hiruzen slumped into his chair, overwhelmed by both internal and external affairs.

At the same time, Hiruzen placed his hopes on Minato, "Minato, I hope you won't disappoint me, at least don't let Kyomu monopolize the glory on the Sand battlefield."

Not only was Danzo worried about Kyomu becoming too powerful in the future, but Hiruzen was concerned as well.

Kyomu had already shown some signs of independence, causing Hiruzen to worry.

Was the death of Sakumo really only affecting Kyomu in the ways he's shown?

Hiruzen wasn't sure, nor would he act rashly, but that didn't stop him from playing a balancing strategy. And Minato was one of the best choices for that role.

"Minato, I believe your Flying Thunder God Technique will make you shine on the battlefield."

---

Elsewhere, at the Leaf Village's camp on the Sand battlefield.

Orochimaru frowned upon reading the message sent by Hiruzen.

While it wasn't an official order and didn't explicitly blame Orochimaru, the message still implied some disapproval.

"This old man, always thinking too much." Orochimaru scoffed, crushing Hiruzen's message, "And Kyomu, your actions are making things difficult for me."

Kyomu's actions displeased Orochimaru.

"I could afford to abandon you, trusting that you could handle the situation and break out alive. But if you fail, that's on you. What was the point of all this?"

"But how could Ichikishimahime tolerate such actions from Kyomu?" Orochimaru couldn't understand, "This is definitely not her usual style, and the summoning contract scroll…"

Orochimaru spat out a large scroll and unfolded it, feeling even more disheartened, "Ichikishimahime gave Kyomu the summoning contract scroll with higher priority than me… Does she intend to abandon me?"

His thoughts were scattered as Orochimaru recalled his early adulthood when he went to Ryuchi Cave for trials.

He failed.

Actually, with Orochimaru's physical condition and chakra at the time, he was only a bit short of completing the third trial. But that slight difference led to his failure and becoming a potential meal for Ichikishimahime.

However, when Ichikishimahime was halfway through consuming him, the White Snake Sage intervened, suggesting that if Orochimaru died, it would be a long time before Ryuchi Cave could have another contractee.

And since Orochimaru was so close, the White Snake Sage wanted to give him another chance.

The problem was, Orochimaru was nearly consumed by Ichikishimahime by then, so the White Snake Sage had to personally intervene, transforming Orochimaru into a half-human, half-snake being.

Because of this, Orochimaru was able to freely modify his body and develop bizarre jutsu like the "Orochimaru-Style Body Replacement Technique" and "Orochimaru-Style Substitution Technique" with strong life-preserving abilities.

Orochimaru even gained some abilities of the white phosphorus snake, not only transforming into a giant snake but also housing his soul in white phosphorus small snakes.

This also marked Orochimaru's first realization of life's fragility, sparking his exploration into life. The death of his parents and the Second Ninja World War deepened Orochimaru's contemplation on life.

With a flicker in his snake-like eyes, Orochimaru felt both reluctant and fearful, "I can't let this happen, otherwise… I might really die."

As he pondered, Orochimaru had another idea, "And the plan needs to be moved up. This body contracted with Ryuchi Cave needs to be replaced soon, or the threat of Ryuchi Cave will never be removed."

This was the only solution Orochimaru could think of.

As long as the summoning contract scroll is signed and smeared with his blood, no matter where he is, the powerful summoning beast can sense him and use Reverse Summoning Technique to bring him to its lair.

Similarly, this is the foundation for a contractor to summon the summoning beast at any time for assistance in battle.

But Orochimaru didn't want to be reverse summoned to Ryuchi Cave; he loathed the feeling of his life being controlled by others.

The only way to break this was to change his body. If the blood and physique are entirely different, how could he be reverse summoned?

And if the soul remains the same, Orochimaru could exploit loopholes, paying a little or no price to continue summoning snakes from Ryuchi Cave to serve him.

Isn't this a profitable venture without any cost?

Thinking this, Orochimaru couldn't help but lick his lips, muttering, "Kyomu, although you are the 'wind' I've recognized, I'd rather replace you and become that 'wind' myself."

Suddenly smiling, Orochimaru felt his path had broadened. "To life, the flesh only brings decay, while the soul can live forever. I seem to have found the answer to immortality.

And perhaps, this is the meaning of life.

Kyomu, I think our relationship can go a step further.

For instance…"

Silently laughing, excitement twinkled in Orochimaru's eyes, feeling almost mad.

Ryuchi Cave really torments people.

But Kyomu didn't feel the same and had to say, Orochimaru's way of opening Ryuchi Cave was incorrect.

Although Kyomu's approach wasn't 100% correct either, from what can be seen so far, Ryuchi Cave has been a significant help to Kyomu.

Of course, if he fails the adult trial later, everything Kyomu has obtained so far would have to be given back without exception.

Ryuchi Cave does not shelter the idle!

But that's a concern for eight years later. Right now, Kyomu feels great about himself, especially wearing the reverse scale inner armor forged by the Shinobi Cats Clan, feeling like a second skin—comfortable, breathable, and with unparalleled defense.

Patting his chest, Kyomu felt immensely reassured; this was his second artifact.

Although it currently doesn't match Yoei in terms of power or upper limit, its defense is strong, and it has been enhanced with the special properties of Kyomu's previous rare equipment, making it already quite formidable.

"Kyomu, let me touch your reverse scale armor," Obito approached, reaching out to touch Kyomu's chest, comparing it to his own, "The feel is similar, but it seems to be missing something."

"Be content," Kakashi, who had also changed into his Dragon Shed inner armor, said, "It can withstand direct stabs from blades and resist most C-rank and some B-rank jutsu. What more could you want?"

"I am quite content, but I can't help but envy the piece Kyomu wears," Obito withdrew his hand but still expressed his admiration, "Artifacts, huh? There are only a few artifacts in the ninja world, and Kyomu alone possesses two. How is anyone else supposed to live?"

"Don't the Uchiha have several artifacts?" Kyomu nudged Obito's shoulder, "Bring them out when you have time, and you'll be just like me, or even have more than me."

"Right!" Obito's eyes lit up, "After the war, I need to take a good tour of the ninja world and retrieve all the lost artifacts of my clan."

Then, glancing at Kakashi, "Kakashi, you were pretty impressive as a kid, but now you need to keep up. Don't let yourself get beaten a hundred times over by me."

Kakashi couldn't be bothered with Obito and turned his head away with a huff.

Not pursuing Kakashi further, Obito suddenly turned serious as the remaining team members got dressed in their Dragon Shed inner armor.

"The real business is about to start."

"Listen up, everyone," Kyomu clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention, "Since Kakashi and Obito have joined our team, I'd like to make some personnel changes. Does anyone have any objections?"

"As you wish, Captain!"

No one objected, not just outwardly but inwardly as well.

Some were even looking forward to being led by Kakashi or Obito.

It was clear to everyone that Kyomu's closest relationships were with Kakashi, Obito, and Guy, followed by Genma and Ebisu.

Guy wasn't much of a talker, and sometimes his conversations were hard to follow. While people thought highly of him, he was just a bit short of being extremely close.

Kakashi and Obito, on the other hand, seemed more suitable to be team leaders. With their relationships, becoming a member of their teams meant becoming the core of the core.

Additionally, one was the son of Sakumo, and the other was an Uchiha who awakened the a 2 tomoe Sharingan at once. Following them promised a bright future.

Adding everything together, it was clear how one should choose.

"Kakashi will lead Team One, Obito will lead Team Two, and Guy will lead Team Three," Kyomu directly arranged, and the three demoted team leaders had no complaints.

"However, you three lack experience in leading. Ask the former team leaders for advice," Kyomu added, finalizing the team assignments.

After instructing on various matters during the journey, Kyomu led the team out of the underground cave.

Outside, in the small capital of the Kingdom of Roran, the hallucinogenic fog left by Ichikishimahime still lingered, but it was much thinner than before.

"Ren, how are things?"

"Captain, I checked on those suspected to be Sand ninja intelligence agents. Two of them were confirmed by me.

After interrogation, I found no evidence they leaked our information, or perhaps the surrounding fog made them overlook us."

Kyomu nodded in relief, "In that case, we can remain secure for a while longer. When we clash with the Sand ninja, our strength will be even stronger."

Waving his hand, Kyomu led the team out of Roran, traversing the deserted desert towards the Hidden Sand Village.

Meanwhile, Minato, appointed by Hiruzen as the overall commander, had already led four ninja squads, totaling 280 people, to support the battlefield against the Sand ninja.

The arrival of reinforcements from the Leaf Village naturally boosted morale, preparing them for a counterattack against the Sand ninja.

Kyomu was unaware of these developments. On the second day of his team's departure, a new passive skill refreshed, coinciding with New Year's Day.

Perhaps it was the festive spirit of New Year's Day, or maybe it was because Kyomu turned ten, becoming a young adolescent. Regardless, the quality of the refreshed passive skill was quite impressive.

[Passive Skill: Poised for Action]

[Skill Description: During the passive skill's period, the longer the interval between combat and non-combat states, the first attack when entering combat will receive a crit multiplier bonus based on the duration of the interval.

Note: Actual crit multiplier = Number of hours of attack interval x 0.1.

Crit effect is fixed at 150% of initial attack power]

[Skill Duration: 30 days]

[Message: Wait, just wait, don't rush... Alright, now you can go, let me show you how I break the heavens with a single strike]

"If I don't act for 29 days, can I end it all on the last day?"

Whether a grand finale was possible or not, Kyomu wasn't sure, but he knew one thing for sure: the Hidden Sand Village was in trouble!

(End of Chapter)