Under the cover of night, Kikyo Mountain was unusually quiet.
Pakura stood alone atop a high ridge, gazing down at the bustling camp below. Her eyes were filled with complicated emotions.
The mistake made during the daytime battle at Kikyo Mountain had caused Sunagakure heavy losses, and the weight of that responsibility pressed hard on her.
At that moment, a black-haired youth appeared behind her. Wearing his glasses, he looked at Pakura's state and stepped forward to comfort her.
"Pakura-sensei, there's no need to blame yourself too much. Battlefield command is inherently complex, and Orochimaru is a veteran powerhouse. Being suppressed by him is not unusual."
Although Shiraishi found some of Pakura's decisions difficult to understand, he still felt it was necessary to help her regain emotional stability. Otherwise, similar mistakes at Kikyo Mountain could easily happen again.
"I understand. Now is not the time for sorrow or self-reproach."
As if amused by Shiraishi's appearance and words, Pakura composed herself. She turned around, removed the boy's glasses, and promptly grabbed his cheeks with both hands, rubbing them vigorously.
"You're far too mature. Look at how cute Maki is."
Shiraishi was completely unprepared for this. After freezing for a moment, he took back his glasses. Seeing that Pakura had clearly returned to her normal state, he quickly put them back on.
"Maki is cute," he replied calmly, "but she's also very strong now."
After Shiraishi left, Ebizō emerged from the side with a faint smile.
"I didn't expect even you would have trouble dealing with that little fellow."
Ebizō had originally been worried about Pakura's condition. He had just happened to see Shiraishi guiding her out of her emotional slump and chose to step in only after their exchange ended.
Mentioning Shiraishi—the student who was mature beyond his years—Pakura shrugged helplessly.
"He's too mature. Sometimes I don't even know how to teach him."
Hearing this, Ebizō's smile widened.
"The main issue is that he hasn't mastered Fire Release chakra yet. Otherwise, he'd be the perfect successor to Scorch Release."
"With his potential," Pakura said thoughtfully, "mastering four or even five chakra attributes wouldn't be strange at all. If Scorch Release were in his hands, it would surely shine even brighter than with me."
Ebizō turned his gaze toward the distant horizon.
"What's done at Kikyo Mountain is already done. The focus now is how to make up for it, not endless self-blame. The war has only just begun, Pakura."
War was unforgiving—there was no room for mistakes. Ebizō, a veteran who had lived through multiple Great Ninja Wars, was reminding Pakura while also urging her to shoulder the full responsibility of Kikyo Mountain as soon as possible.
"I understand, Ebizō-sensei."
"Reinforcements from the Yamanobe Clan will arrive shortly."
At the mention of the Yamanobe Clan, Pakura's expression immediately soured. She had never liked dealing with major clans, especially Yamanobe Ryōko. That woman's attitude was truly unbearable.
Seeing Pakura's reaction, Ebizō could only shake his head helplessly.
"Just treat Yamanobe Ryōko as a human puppet."
Elsewhere, after putting his glasses back on, Shiraishi continued training his psychic force and iaijutsu. Even though the proficiency indicators in his glasses had already exceeded 100%, he had no intention of stopping.
Psychic energy swirled all around him. His body gradually lifted off the ground as he carefully practiced movement control. His iaijutsu strikes combined with countless Wind Blades, carving powerful slashes through the forest.
In times of peace, Kikyo Mountain had occasionally been used as a joint Sunagakure–Konoha Chūnin Exam site. Though the training grounds and facilities were old, they were still usable.
After sustained practice, the proficiency of Water Release: Bubble increased rapidly, and the firing speed of the bubbles had noticeably improved. Their individual power was not great, but they were excellent for concealing other methods of attack.
After completing his daily training, Shiraishi casually opened the card exploration function in his glasses to survey the card distribution around Kikyo Mountain.
With the front line under constant pressure, Ebizō was temporarily unable to take him back to Sunagakure. Shiraishi thus began scanning the local card locations.
A detailed topographical map of the Kikyo Mountain region appeared in full, with card coordinates lighting up across it.
According to the distribution map, there were six cards on the Konoha side, each located in a different position—likely equipped to certain ninja as weapons or converted into ninja tools for battlefield deployment.
In the ninja world, these indestructible cards had become popular weapons and prized collectibles among major clans. The fact that Sunagakure had no card indicators on the Kikyo Mountain front clearly highlighted the gap between Sunagakure and Konoha.
Soon, however, Shiraishi noticed something else.
Two card markers were rapidly approaching the Kikyo Mountain area.
He recalled that reinforcements from the Yamanobe Clan were scheduled to arrive tonight.
That meant these two cards belonged to the reinforcement unit—most likely the Yamanobe Clan.
One of the Sand Release Three Lineages.
Shiraishi's impression of Yamanobe Ryōko—the diehard "true love fan" of Sasori of the Red Sand—was far too deep. Deep enough that he genuinely could not understand how someone with her level of intelligence had survived this long.
Even the stereotypical foolish side characters in novels were smarter than her.
Reality, it seemed, could always be more absurd.
Inside the Konoha camp, Tsunade's expression was grim.
This operation at Kikyo Mountain had not truly been authorized by the village. It was, in essence, an action initiated by Orochimaru himself—though not entirely unauthorized, given the arrival of those special jōnin squads.
That complexity was precisely why Tsunade was angry.
"Orochimaru, what exactly are you plotting this time?"
The strike against Sunagakure had not even been fully reported to the Third Hokage. Yet assassination units kept arriving from within the Land of Fire, making it obvious that Orochimaru had the backing of a certain faction.
That was the real source of Tsunade's fury.
Under the night sky, Orochimaru stared ahead, his half-lit face looking especially sinister.
"Tsunade, if you're interested, you could go to the Iwagakure or Kirigakure borders instead—rather than staying at Kikyo Mountain."
"You bastard…"
In that instant, Tsunade nearly lost control and felt the urge to punch him.
Orochimaru's implication was clear: if she also had ambitions regarding the Fourth Hokage position, she could go build her own war record on the other borders.
Tsunade understood the political undercurrents surrounding the Fourth Hokage all too well. If not for the tense situation within the village, she would never have stayed here in the first place.
Yet Orochimaru was deliberately provoking her.
"I have no interest in that nonsense," Tsunade snapped. "But you still need to consider the old man's position!"
At the mention of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Orochimaru's face filled with impatience.
"Heh. And how long will it take him to make a decision—three months, or three years?"
"So you're hijacking the village with tactics like this?" Tsunade shot back.
Orochimaru remained unconcerned.
"To completely take Kikyo Mountain, one month is enough. Tsunade—care to make a bet?"
Tsunade raised an eyebrow. She knew full well this was one of Orochimaru's schemes, but she still accepted.
"Fine. Then I'll watch and see whether you can take Kikyo Mountain within one month."
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