The cleanup of the aftermath was completed. Escorted by Orochimaru, the surviving Konoha ninja and the wounded were moved to a valley closer to the heart of the Land of Fire, where a new temporary medical point was established.
The defenses here were more stringent, and it was also closer to the main force.
Orochimaru did not linger. After arranging the basic defenses, he prepared to leave.
Before departing, his golden snake eyes once again fell upon Sora, and he meaningfully licked his lips.
"What an interesting little fellow. I hope you can still bring me surprises the next time we meet. Don't die easily on the battlefield."
That cold gaze seemed penetrating, making Sora feel as if he were being watched by a poisonous snake, sending a slight chill down his back.
'So, I've been noted by this snake after all...'
Sora sighed inwardly, but on the surface, he maintained a respectful demeanor, bowing his head in response. "Yes, thank you for your concern, Lord Orochimaru."
Orochimaru gave a light laugh, said nothing more, and his figure transformed into a wisp of smoke and vanished.
Watching Orochimaru disappear, Sora felt utterly helpless.
Orochimaru's words were far from mere concern. They sounded more like marking and anticipating a potentially promising "experimental subject."
In short, 'I have marked a location.'
Fortunately, the current Orochimaru was in the early stages of his "human cell vitality research" and had not yet ventured into the later, wildly forbidden areas. His craving for "subjects" had not yet reached the point of taking any means necessary.
Additionally, his core collaborative project with Danzo, Wood Release, was also consuming a significant portion of his energy.
Moreover, with the tense situation on the Konoha frontlines, Orochimaru, as a core combatant of the village, had to focus most of his efforts on battlefield command and jutsu development for now. He likely had no extra time to keep an eye on this "potential stock."
...
After Orochimaru left, Squad C Five continued their mission of guarding Tsunade and the new base.
The Third Great Ninja War remained deadlocked. Konoha faced immense pressure from fighting on two, even three, fronts.
After failing to sneak attack the medical base, Iwagakure did not give up on harassing Konoha's rear facilities. Small groups of elite ninja would occasionally bypass the frontlines, attempting sabotage.
However, having learned from the previous lesson, Sarutobi Hiruzen clearly placed greater importance on this new medical base. He dispatched more personnel and reinforced the defensive barrier.
Therefore, although several small-scale skirmishes occurred afterward, they were all repelled without major incident.
...
Meanwhile.
Kumogakure, the Raikage's office.
The Third Raikage sat in his large chair, glaring at Muchi standing before him and speaking loudly.
"Muchi! Three months! What have you found out about 'Green Snake' and 'Azure Dragon'? Don't tell me you still have no leads!"
Muchi quickly stepped forward, presenting a compiled scroll with both hands.
"Lord Raikage, please review this first. This is intelligence we have gathered by mobilizing most of our spy network within Konoha, at a great cost."
The Third Raikage snatched the scroll, his eyes quickly scanning the contents, his brow gradually furrowing.
"Sora... a twelve-year-old kid? White hair... entered the Anbu at age seven? That old fool Sarutobi Hiruzen sure recruited a 'genius'!"
His tone was full of sarcasm, but more so suppressed rage. He looked at Muchi.
"Is that all? What's the connection to 'Azure Dragon'?"
Muchi wore an awkward expression. Having only uncovered this information in three months was truly helpless. Sora hid his trump cards too deeply. The power of the Azure Dragon Fruit was never displayed before others. On the rare occasions he was forced to reveal it, he would annihilate all witnesses on the spot, utterly destroying them.
But he quickly composed himself and responded in a low voice.
"Lord Raikage, please calm your anger. Regarding 'Azure Dragon,' there are no records within Konoha of any unit, jutsu, or summoning beast by that name. We suspect this might be misleading information left by Captain Black Crow before his death, or... it could be a codename for some individual power we completely fail to understand."
"Furthermore, we have intensified our investigation into Kirigakure. However, feedback indicates Kirigakure has had no unusual large-scale operations recently, and no clues related to 'Azure Dragon' have been found. We can essentially rule out Kirigakure involvement in the destruction of the Black Crow squad."
"To obtain this intelligence, we lost over five deeply embedded agents. Two of them were exposed while trying to access more core Anbu files and were eliminated by Konoha's Root." Muchi's tone carried a hint of grief.
After listening, the Third Raikage's chest heaved violently a few times, clearly on the verge of an outburst.
They had paid a considerable price, yet received a pile of information that seemed detailed but was essentially useless regarding the key point.
The mystery of that "Azure Dragon" lingered in his mind like a ghost, robbing him of sleep and appetite.
A force capable of silently devouring one of his elite "Raven" squads—if they couldn't figure it out, it was like a sharp sword hanging over Kumogakure's head, not knowing when it might fall again.
Suppressing his rage, the Third Raikage spoke.
"So, you're saying we now only know that this 'Green Snake' is Sora, we know what he looks like, but we still don't know exactly how he took down Black Crow?"
"Yes, Lord Raikage." Muchi lowered his head in admission.
The Raikage took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the impulse to immediately go to Konoha and drag the kid out himself. "Where is he now?"
Muchi said with a troubled expression.
"Based on scattered intelligence, after the Land of Lightning incident, Sora's Anbu Squad C Five underwent rest and recuperation. Recently, they have been mainly active on the battlefield in the border region between the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth. However, Anbu movements are secretive, and mission contents are highly classified. It's very difficult for us to pinpoint his exact location and timing."
"If we want to grasp his movements in real time, unless... we activate those 'deep cover lines'."
Mentioning the "deep cover lines," the Raikage's eyes narrowed slightly.
Those were Kumo's ultimate spies planted at the highest levels within Konoha, almost never activated. They were a final card to be used only in matters of the village's life or death, possibly never used even once in a lifetime.
"No. The 'deep cover lines' absolutely cannot be activated lightly." The Raikage decisively rejected. "We must think of another way to lure him out!"
Muchi pondered for a moment, his finger sliding over the network of names on the scroll, finally stopping on one.
"Perhaps... we can start with people he cares about. There happens to be one person who is both closely connected to him and active on the battlefield..."
"Who?" The Raikage's gaze sharpened.
"Might Duy." Muchi pointed to the name.
"Konoha's Eternal Genin, currently a Chunin. According to intelligence, Sora's taijutsu originated from him. They have a teacher-student and friend relationship. Most importantly, Might Duy is currently active on the battlefield along the border between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire."
The Third Raikage immediately understood Muchi's meaning, a fierce light flashing in his eyes.
'If we can't catch Green Snake, force him out! Use someone he cares about as bait!'
Indeed, rather than searching aimlessly for the elusive Anbu, it made more sense to proactively set bait—using an insignificant Konoha Chunin to fish for a hidden big fish. This deal seemed profitable no matter how you looked at it.
The Third Raikage abruptly stood up, making a decision.
"Muchi, arrange personnel immediately! Send an Anbu squad over! Capture that Might Duy alive for me! If capturing alive is difficult, eliminate him on the spot! Then spread the news. I want to see if that 'Green Snake' Sora will show himself for his 'teacher'!"
"Yes! Lord Raikage!" Muchi bowed, received the order, and quickly turned to leave and make arrangements.
In the office, the Third Raikage walked back to the window, looking down at the cloud-shrouded village, his fists clenched tightly.
"Azure Dragon... Green Snake... No matter what you are, the price for killing my Kumo ninja must be paid in blood!"
He could almost picture the scene: that white-haired kid recklessly charging into a trap to save someone, only to be torn to pieces by the elites he dispatched.
At this moment, Sora naturally had no idea of the arrangements the enraged Third Raikage was making to deal with him. If he knew, he might also sigh with emotion, pondering what terrifying power was hidden within that "insignificant" Eternal Genin Might Duy in his eyes.
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