After a night of rest, Orochimaru began deploying his troops the next morning.
He summoned all members of the Hyūga clan as well as the sensory-type ninja.
He formed a squad consisting of one jōnin and three chūnin, then personally led a large force of Konoha ninja north of the camp to search the area.
Kawakaze volunteered to stay behind to guard the camp—mainly because such a large-scale search operation was not suitable training for the two children.With their lack of experience, they would only be burdens. Their sensory abilities as young chūnin were still far too weak.
At the camp gate, Orochimaru intended to take Shengshu with him.
"Shengshu, do you want to come with your teacher?"
"No need. I still want to teach Shengshu more—he still has a lot to improve."
Kawakaze quickly blocked him, pushing Shengshu behind his back, looking a little panicked—as if afraid Orochimaru would simply take him away.
If Shengshu were to die again in front of Orochimaru, he would fall completely into darkness.
How am I supposed to explain that to Tsunade afterward?
Shengshu stared curiously at Kawakaze. It seemed his elder brother praised him last night.So why wasn't he good enough today?
He opened his mouth, but didn't dare say anything; the memory of being scolded earlier still burned in his mind.
"Very well. Let's go."
Fortunately, Orochimaru did not insist on taking Shengshu. After bidding Kawakaze farewell, he led the main force away.
Kawakaze returned to camp with the two boys.Naturally, Sakumo didn't want to be left out of such an exciting mission.
He requested that the Hyūga chūnin join the operation as well, then left with the team.
"Sensei, do you think we'll find any Rain ninja this time?"
Minato followed obediently behind Kawakaze and asked.
"We should be able to find them—but I can't be sure how many we'll be able to eliminate."
Kawakaze acknowledged the strength of Konoha's troops, but defeating Rain ninja who were fully prepared on their home turf would not be easy.
After all, the Land of Rain was their own territory.
"Go train. I'll take a walk around the camp."
Kawakaze lifted each boy's head with a hand, patted them both, and sent them to practice.
He personally patrolled the camp—fulfilling his duties for the day.
～～～～～ Scene Break ～～～～～
Deep within the rainforest, near the border of the Land of Rain—
A Rain-nin stumbled forward. His mask had fallen off, and his clothes were torn to shreds.
Blood stained the corner of his mouth—he looked like he had just survived a fierce battle.
He stopped before a massive tree and dissolved into a pool of water, sinking underground.
Below was a huge underground cavern—spacious enough to hold nearly a thousand Rain ninja.
This was roughly one-third of the total ninja population of the Land of Rain.
It was clear from this that Hanzō's war against the three great nations was not an impulsive decision, but one long prepared.
Such a cavern couldn't have been built in a short time.Hanzō likely began preparing for war back when the various nations passed through this region.
As for negotiations, they had merely been a stalling tactic.
Once preparations were complete, Hanzō declared war without hesitation.
After the Rain-nin entered the cavern, people immediately rushed to treat his injuries.
"Chiya, weren't you out on patrol?"
"I have something important to report to Lord Yamamaru."
Supported by his comrades, the Rain-nin named Chiya approached Yamamaru.
Chiya knelt on one knee. Yamamaru wore a gas mask, hiding his expression.
"Lord Yamamaru, Konoha's main forces have entered the forest and begun a large-scale search."
"Judging from their movements, the commander is Orochimaru, disciple of the Third Hokage."
"Most of our men outside have been wiped out. Only a few of us remain."
Chiya coughed blood as his emotions rose.
"Damn Konoha…"
Yamamaru slammed his fist on the armrest, shattering the chair as he stood.
"Continue shrinking the patrol perimeter. Avoid direct confrontation with Konoha."
"Jiichirō—take your men out and set more traps. Kill as many as possible."
"We need eyes outside. Be careful. Do NOT die."
The moment Yamamaru finished speaking, a thin ninja stepped forward, took the order, and led his team out.
"Just wait—when Lord Hanzō returns, he'll teach those Konoha brats a lesson."
After his subordinates dispersed, Yamamaru muttered to himself, full of admiration and trust toward Hanzō.
Jiichirō and his elite team emerged from the underground cavern.
By that time, Konoha forces had already cleared the surrounding areas—of the eighty Rain ninja active earlier, only one had escaped.
"Orochimaru-kun, I haven't seen any Rain-nin for quite a while."
Sakumo approached Orochimaru, and the two conversed.
"They must have a large hiding place somewhere. Unfortunately, the Rain-nin we released earlier has vanished."
"Otherwise, we might have discovered their nest."
"Now that someone has already reported back, our chances are slim."
"If we search a bit longer with no results, we'll return to camp."
"We'll rest a few days, create some noise, and then stage a fake large-scale attack."
Orochimaru's battlefield intuition was excellent—but unfortunately, the escaped Rain-nin was adept at evasion, leaving no trail.
"All right, I'll go take a look."
"Sakumo-kun, be careful."
Sakumo and Dai left the main forces to act on their own.Given their strength and fearlessness, Orochimaru didn't stop them.
If he hadn't witnessed the power of the Eight Gates with his own eyes, he would never have believed a ninja dressed like Dai could be so strong.
In all his years in Konoha, he'd never even heard the name Maito Dai.
If Sakumo and Dai were ever trapped, even the army he led might face disaster.
"Sakumo-brother, what are you thinking about?"
Dai noticed Sakumo drifting off in the middle of their patrol.Although Dai was fine for now, they were still on a battlefield.
"I miss my wife."
Sakumo replied without thinking.
In such an environment, he missed Nashi and the child in her belly more and more.
"Haha, I miss my wife too."
Dai laughed. Both men, fighting far from home, shared the same longing.
"When our children are born, they can train together."
"The sooner this war ends, the more time we'll have to go home."
Sakumo regained his focus and even began planning to let their children train together in the future.
Poor Kakashi was being scheduled for hardships before he was even born.Sakumo wondered whether Kakashi would blame his father.
He really couldn't withstand young Gai's enthusiasm!
"Yeah, I hope this war ends soon."
Dai agreed. The two continued their patrol.
Whether by luck or misfortune, a Rain-nin in the middle of planting explosive tags didn't even get a chance to react before Sakumo's short blade slit his throat.
The Rain-nin clutched at his neck and collapsed with a muffled groan.
"Looks like the Rain-nin have already received word. We need to go back and warn the main force."
Sakumo understood immediately, took the explosive tags, and pocketed them.
"Okay, let's head back."
Dai kicked aside the corpse and helped Sakumo clean up the scene.
These were strategic supplies, after all.
When the two returned to Orochimaru, they reported everything they found.
Orochimaru made a swift decision—ordering the forces to return to camp and avoid unnecessary casualties.
Even seasoned ninja could die instantly if caught in a mass-triggered explosive tag trap.
"Tighten the formation. Return to camp."
Under Orochimaru's orders, the dispersed Konoha forces regrouped and began retreating along their original route.
The Rain-nin traps ultimately failed, but the spies managed to escape with their lives.
Just as Orochimaru had hoped.
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