Chapter 97

[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!! For $5][www.p@treon.com/zaelum] [Thank You For Your Support!]

Orochimaru, uncharacteristically, made a loss-making deal, the kind where the wool comes from the sheep itself, which was bitterly ironic.

However, Kyomu's recent performance had piqued Orochimaru's interest, and he had no immediate plans to deal with Kyomu.

Kyomu knew this well and was thriving under Orochimaru's command, gradually forming harmonious relationships with the other Leaf ninjas around him, largely thanks to the reputation he had built.

But where there is joy, there is sorrow, and this sorrow belonged to none other than Danzo, who was dead set on becoming the Hokage of the Leaf Village.

When news of Kyomu's major achievements on the frontline reached him—chasing after the Sand ninja forces single-handedly and successfully forcing them to retreat—Danzo was beside himself.

Such rapid accumulation of reputation and military achievements were even surpassing those of Sakumo from back in the day!

Danzo was in a panic but more so in a rush, seeing a golden opportunity that Hiruzen was not granting him.

"Sarutobi!" Danzo once again approached the Hokage's office, "There's been movement from the Land of Water. I must lead troops there to guard.

Our eastern coastal borders have no barriers, and should war erupt, it would undoubtedly affect our civilians.

Thus, we must prepare in advance."

Hiruzen, however, responded indirectly, "On the battlefield, Kyomu's performance was outstanding, surpassing even Sakumo's past feats."

"Sarutobi, what do you mean?"

"It's the era of the youth now, giving them more opportunities to temper themselves is undoubtedly correct." Hiruzen's tone was calm but firm, "My plan remains the same as before, to utilize the younger generation more. As for us... it's time to retire."

Danzo was furious. Who's retiring?

You can retire after serving as Hokage, but what about me?

"Sarutobi, this approach of yours is cowardice!" Danzo criticized, "And it's dangerous. Should any mishap occur, you will bear the primary responsibility. Don't blame me for not warning you!"

"If there's a problem, I'll take full responsibility," Hiruzen waved off, "Danzo, no more words. Unless the frontline situation deteriorates significantly, stay in the village and go nowhere."

"You..." Danzo slammed the table, "You'll regret this, Sarutobi!"

"I'm the Hokage. I make my decisions. Carry out your orders, Danzo."

"Just hope the frontline doesn't run into trouble, or..." Danzo turned and left, "Your days as Hokage are over!"

Bang.

The office door was slammed shut, causing Hiruzen to frown.

He could tolerate many of Danzo's antics, occasionally going overboard was fine, but the position of Hokage was out of the question.

Hiruzen was suppressing Danzo, and everyone knew it.

Letting Danzo become the next Hokage was far too dangerous, and Hiruzen couldn't be careless.

Taking some time to calm down, Hiruzen signed and stamped the promotion order, handing it to a messenger ninja for immediate dispatch to the frontline.

"Kyomu, you haven't disappointed Sakumo, nor have you disappointed me." Hiruzen found some consolation, "On the day the Ninja Academy started, I knew you had the will of fire. It seems I was not wrong."

Feeling somewhat better, Hiruzen managed to process a good amount of official business until he saw another set of documents, and his good mood vanished.

"This...sigh!" He sighed heavily, "Has the situation really deteriorated to this extent? Is the village to be dragged into a four-front war?"

His lips quivering, Hiruzen couldn't help but light his pipe, quickly filling most of the office with smoke.

"With a severe shortage of troops, do we have to send ungraduated Ninja Academy students to the battlefield?" Hiruzen frowned, "If the situation worsens further, we may have no choice."

After some thought, Hiruzen wrote an order, hoping Orochimaru could quickly eliminate the Sand ninja forces threatening the western border.

If the Sand ninja could be dealt with swiftly, then the situation wouldn't deteriorate to the point of exhausting the war potential to its limits.

"It's also time to call back Tsunade. Only she can cure Chiyo's poison." Hiruzen mused, writing another order, "And with her, progress on the Sand ninja battlefield might speed up. Hopefully, it's not too late."

But Hiruzen still prepared for the worst, with the third order demanding the Ninja Academy to speed up the training of ninjas, preparing for an influx of soldiers.

—

In just a few days, Hiruzen's orders reached Orochimaru.

Reading the promotion document and Hiruzen's latest orders, Orochimaru couldn't help but smirk coldly.

Now they're anxious. Before Sakumo's death, why wasn't there such decisive action?

But in an instant, Orochimaru returned to his usual demeanor, looking around with a frown.

"Where's Kyomu?" His voice carried dissatisfaction.

"Lord Orochimaru, I'm right in front of you," Kyomu's voice sounded, "Um, three meters to your left, the one standing at the front, that's me."

Following the direction of Kyomu's voice, Orochimaru's frown deepened, "When did you sneak in?"

"I've always been here, you just didn't notice," Kyomu said, somewhat helplessly.

Orochimaru glanced around, seeing confusion on everyone's faces.

Not bothering to expose Kyomu's little trick, Orochimaru read the promotion order.

"Special Jonin Aragami Kyomu, for your outstanding military achievements and exceptional performance, you are hereby promoted to Jonin and appointed as the commander of Orochimaru's personal ninja squad."

After Orochimaru finished reading the promotion order, the room burst into applause.

Though still two months shy of ten years old, Kyomu's promotion to Jonin at the age of nine was unprecedented in Leaf Village history. Moreover, as the commander of a ninja squad directly under Orochimaru, his authority was unmatched among his peers.

Indeed, this promotion was facilitated by the war, but without the requisite skills, Kyomu would not have had the opportunity for such rapid advancement.

Opportunities abound in times of war, provided one can grasp them and survive until the end.

Clearly, Kyomu had done just that, and there was a high probability he would survive the war and achieve an even higher status and authority within the village.

But as the applause died down, Orochimaru suddenly threw the promotion order to the ground, "Kyomu! Where have you gone now?"

Normally, Orochimaru wouldn't be so irritable, as it didn't fit his behavior. But with so many ninjas present, he had to maintain his authority as a leader. Without showing some irritability, how could he lead the team?

"That... I've always been here," Kyomu replied, even more helplessly.

After taking a few deep breaths, Orochimaru no longer addressed Kyomu, allowing him to come forward and pick up the promotion document from the ground.

In truth, Kyomu was suffering internally.

This month's passive skill was somewhat absurd.

While powerful in terms of assassination and clandestine operations, this passive skill severely impacted Kyomu's daily life.

[Passive Skill: Sixth in Line]

[Skill Description: During the skill's duration, your presence will be minimized, backstab damage bonus increased by 100%, and will produce critical hits, with a rate of 150%.

Note: Once you make a sound, maintain eye contact for an extended period, attack, or make sudden movements, the reduced presence will return to normal levels]

[Skill Duration: 30 days]

[Message: Sneaky boi~! Rise your inner Altair, and become the king of assassins!]

A powerful passive skill, ideal for sneak attacks or engaging in unsavory activities, practically invincible in some respects.

Even a ninja of Orochimaru's caliber couldn't detect Kyomu standing three meters away, provided he made no noise.

Plus, with the critical hit property of backstabs.

A single strike could end Orochimaru!

Even if not fatal, it could seriously injure him. Even if attacking revealed Kyomu, allowing Orochimaru to react in time, the attack would still scare him half to death.

But when it comes to assassinations, the sunny boy Kyomu felt he could just about accept it, especially if he could remain undetected while doing so.

With these thoughts, Orochimaru finally concluded the meeting, dismissing everyone from the tent.

"Lord Orochimaru, I still..."

Before Kyomu could finish speaking, Orochimaru's serpent-like eyes suddenly narrowed, turning around swiftly as a murderous intent involuntarily enveloped Kyomu.

Feeling targeted made it hard for Kyomu to breathe, lacking the last month passive skill, leaving him feeling slightly underpowered.

"When?" Orochimaru quickly reined in his aura and warned, "Kyomu-kun, your behavior just now was very dangerous."

I know that.

Kyomu thought to himself, but apologized aloud, "I'm sorry, Lord Orochimaru. My state has been off these past few days, causing you trouble."

Orochimaru realized something, "Your presence... suddenly..."

As he spoke, Orochimaru's eyes lit up, and he immediately instructed, "Kyomu-kun, stand still for a moment. I want to take a look."

What else could Kyomu do but comply?

Staring in Kyomu's direction for less than a minute, Orochimaru suddenly felt bewildered.

He could see Kyomu right in front of him, but instinctively chose to ignore him for a moment.

Had he not kept his eyes on Kyomu, he might have completely overlooked him, leaving his back defenseless to Kyomu.

This was a grave taboo for a ninja, applicable to everyone.

"Kyomu-kun, can you tell me what's happening to you?" Orochimaru steadied his mind, asking for specifics.

"It's a side effect from the last time I used a forbidden jutsu." Kyomu could only find this excuse, "The overuse was severe, reducing my presence to a very touching level."

"You call this a side effect?" Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, "This is a state all ninjas dream of for assassination missions."

"I know, but it indeed is a side effect."

Hearing Kyomu's certainty, Orochimaru seemed to understand, "You overused a combination of life force and soul power?"

See, that's the charm of a scientist, finding the answer himself.

Kyomu nodded repeatedly, "That's right, otherwise my presence wouldn't be so low, as if I didn't exist at all."

"Is there a chance for improvement?"

Orochimaru tightened inwardly; he had planned to use Kyomu as a 'wind' to stir the essence of life, but just as things were getting started, it couldn't end like this.

"Should improve next month."

"That's good." Orochimaru nodded, but still uneasily mentioned, "If nothing goes wrong, Tsunade will be here in a few days. You can have her check your body then."

There's no need for that.

Kyomu inwardly resisted, immediately shaking his head in refusal, "I'm aware of my own body. As long as I don't use that move again, my body will recover next month."

Orochimaru said no more, letting Kyomu leave the tent while still worriedly instructing, "Kyomu-kun, it's best not to appear so silently behind me. I'm worried I might lose control of myself."

"I understand." Kyomu grimaced, nodding and turning to leave.

Returning to his own tent, Kyomu saw Genma holding his promotion order and chuckling foolishly, unable to resist the urge to tease him.

Patting Genma on the shoulder.

"Ah!"

Genma , startled, dropped his senbon and leaped forward in a defensive stance.

"Captain Kyomu, you scared me to death..." Recognizing Kyomu, Genma sighed in relief while patting his chest hard, "I almost had a heart attack just now."

"Ha ha, you still need to improve your vigilance, but your reaction was not bad."

Kyomu laughed mischievously, "Congratulations, Genma-squad leader, your position and strength match well."

Genma , Ebisu, and Might Guy all received promotions, transitioning from class members to class leading ninjas, each commanding three subordinates.

And Kyomu's former subordinates also advanced a rank, becoming squad leaders, fitting Kyomu's status as the squad commander.

Additionally, after Kyomu's promotion to squad commander, the squad needed expansion, with many ninjas from other teams voluntarily demoting themselves to join Kyomu's ninja squad.

No one was foolish; they all saw a bright future in Kyomu, knowing following him was the right choice.

Among them was a member of the Hyuga branch family, Ren.

"Captain Kyomu, congratulations on your promotion." Ren entered the tent, "And I'm grateful to continue serving under your command."

Kyomu nodded, but his smile was faint.

"Ren, come outside with me. I think you have something to tell me."

Ren was startled but followed.

When they were alone, Ren smiled wryly, "Captain Kyomu, you're very perceptive. When did you notice?"

"When you kept staring at Yoei," Kyomu looked into Ren's eyes, already having a guess.

"So it's called Yoei?" Ren pondered, then suddenly asked, "Captain Kyomu, do you believe in fate?"

"I believe in fate, but not in resigning to it." Kyomu's answer was straightforward.

Ren stood frozen for a long time, her voice turning hoarse, "I don't want to resign to it either, but the shackles are always there... I can't break free..."

Looking at Ren, Kyomu slowly spoke, "You can talk to me about it. Maybe... I can help you find a solution."

(End of Chapter)