The Battle Begins, the Killing Ends
Unprovoked by Danzo's attitude, Orochimaru merely gave a cold laugh.
"It seems Tsunade didn't agree to your plan, Danzo!"
If this plan to lure the snake out of its hole was orchestrated by Danzo and Tsunade together, then Tsunade wouldn't actually Sasuke's life. After all, Orochimaru isn't alone! Even if she cornered him, her Sound Five could surely capture Sasuke!
Tsunade and Danzo were indeed unable to get along... Orochimaru knew his former teammates and superiors well enough that he could deduce the truth from their words with just a little probing.
"My plan can proceed without her consent." Even though Orochimaru had guessed this, Danzo's expression remained unmoved, like a stubborn rock.
He seemed completely unconcerned that Orochimaru had guessed part of the truth.
It's truly intriguing to wonder what he cares about, and what could possibly move this man shrouded in darkness!
The snake-like man then grinned maliciously.
"Without the Anbu, you think you can take me down with just your Root? When did you become so ruthless... Danzo, you old bastard!"
The killing intent overflowed, as if it had solidified into a tangible form, as if the air itself had frozen.
With a cold snort, and without any visible Hand Seals, he suddenly opened his mouth and unleashed Ninjutsu—
"Secret Technique: Myriad Snake Net Formation!"
An endless sea of snakes, layer upon layer, piled up into waves tens of meters high, with sharp swords protruding from their mouths, surging towards Danzo!
On another battlefield.
Swords clashed, figures clashed, and the sounds of battle shook the air.
Swish, swish, swish!
An Anbu figure clad in a black bodysuit flashed through the crowd, her sword flashing like a crescent moon or a bolt of lightning!
Fierce, ruthless, and deadly with every strike!
A black figure swept through the crowd, and the ninjas behind him let out short, sharp screams as they were cut down one by one by the sharp swords.
The swaying, flying heads and the gushing blood from throats intertwined to create a symphony of death.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
The Anbu Ninja wearing a white demon mask landed on the tree, his hands on his knees, panting heavily.
The blood dripped from the sharp sword in his hand, and the lingering power of the deadly blade caused the remaining Sound Ninja to take a step back in unison.
"Earth Release: Earth Spear!"
Sharp rock spears suddenly rose from the ground, piercing through all the enemies who were distracted and wary of Yugao, and embedding them in the stone pillars.
Perfect teamwork!
"Is it over, Shino?" The long-haired ninja in the tree asked his companion on the ground, who was still in the Hand Seals position, breathing heavily.
"We've taken care of this wave of enemies!" Shino was also panting heavily, sweat soaking his short hair. "Yugao, are you alright?"
"Thankfully, you're not hurt. How about you?"
Yugao jumped down from the tree and helped Shino up.
"Same here. These Sound Ninja are no match for me." Shino shook his head and put his arm around the female ninja's arm.
He struggled to his feet, waved his hand, and walked to sit down on a clean stone to the side.
He said wearily, "But there are too many of them."
"The further we go in, the more people there are," Yugao said solemnly, sheathing her sword and gazing into the distance. "This is good news... at least it shows we haven't gone the wrong way!"
"Yes, but we need to be even more careful from now on. There will be more and more people behind us, and they will be stronger and stronger..." Shino said, resting against a rock with his eyes closed. "They have already discovered us and are surrounding us!"
"And over Sasuke, I vaguely sensed someone using Kakashi's Lightning Blade technique just now. It seems like a fight has broken out there too..."
Shino hesitated for a moment.
"The Sound Ninja are all rushing this way. Akira and the others have a lot of confidence in the ninjas fighting Sasuke, which is why they entrusted Sasuke to them... It seems Sasuke might be in danger!"
Yugao took out the few remaining energy pills and swallowed them all in one gulp. "So we have to get there right away!"
"Yugao, haste makes waste!" Shino shook his head, taking out Military Ration Pill from his pocket and munching on them with water. "We're both almost out of energy. We can't get past the Sound Ninja's defenses in this state. Even if we manage to get through, we won't have the strength to fight anymore, and we'll only be a burden to Sasuke. We need to rest for ten minutes to recover our strength and wait for the Military Ration Pill to take effect..."
"By the way, Yugao, do you still have any energy pills? These are really awful..." He frowned, ate a few bites of Military Ration Pill, glanced at the energy pills Yugao was eating, and shamelessly asked.
"Just finished eating!" Yugao mumbled, pouting, shaking the empty bag in her hand. She rolled her eyes at Shino through her mask, "Didn't you say you weren't interested in sweets?"
"It's better than Military Ration Pill, right?" Shino said with a bitter face, chewing on a mouthful of bitter Military Ration Pill.
Military Ration Pill have consistently topped the list of Konoha Ninja' least favorite foods. Their bland texture and bitter taste have been criticized by countless people. That's why the improved version, energy Military Ration Pill, was later developed. Cocoa powder is dissolved in them during production, giving them a chocolate flavor. Their ability to replenish energy is not much worse than Military Ration Pill, making them very popular among ninjas—especially female ninjas who love sweets.
Of course, energy pills also have drawbacks—they are several times more expensive than Military Ration Pill. The latter are a free supply provided to ninjas for every mission, especially for high-ranking ninjas like Jonin, who often can't even finish the Military Ration Pill they're given...
According to reports--
Because everyone had a lot of complaints about the Military Ration Pill, the Third considered improving the taste of the Military Ration Pill. Later, they created a chocolate-flavored Military Ration Pill —the predecessor of the current energy pills. Although it wasn't as delicious as the current energy pills, it tasted quite good as a free ration, and everyone was very excited at the time!
Then the plan was ruined by certain people.
Their reasoning to the Hokage was that if the Military Ration Pill tasted too good, some ninjas would eat them like snacks, putting a lot of pressure on the logistics system. During battles, a shortage of Military Ration Pill could easily lead to insufficient stamina and ultimately, defeat. Conversely, if the Military Ration Pill consistently tasted terrible, everyone would save them and only eat them when absolutely necessary in a critical moment...
In short, Military Ration Pill are Military Ration Pill, and they should be positioned differently from delicious food!
The reasons were very valid, well-founded, and inspiring... So, after careful consideration, the Third Hokage agreed to halt the plan!
The Konoha Ninja, whenever they went out on field missions, were filled with groans and cries of despair.
Then, naturally, someone was once again secretly recorded and made into straw dolls by countless people...
Of course, this is just a rumor; its reliability and veracity are not guaranteed. The point is, everyone knows someone's been scapegoated again...
However, those chocolate-flavored Military Ration Pill were later improved into better-tasting energy pills, which were sold commercially and exported in large quantities—presumably because it was thought this would effectively reduce the enemy's fighting capacity?
Sakura has also bought these energy pills—especially recently after joining the Anbu, her finances have become much better, and she can afford such a luxury item.
Taste is greatly influenced by the body. In her previous life, she hated chocolate and wasn't particularly fond of sweets, but after being reborn into a female body, she actually found the taste quite good.
At that moment, Yugao also thought of Sakura Haruno.
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