Ten-pull
"That's the basic situation. What we can confirm is that Orochimaru did indeed operate in that area, but he has since left." Tsunade, sitting in her chair, said seriously, "Your mission is to explore Orochimaru's remaining base. If you find any remaining data, scrolls, documents, or anything else of value, bring them back. If you encounter any remaining Sound Ninja, try to capture them alive. Before you leave, destroy the base."
"A reconnaissance team will stay nearby to keep watch. If they spot any sign of Orochimaru returning, they will sound the alarm. You must evacuate immediately without hesitation!"
"These are your mission briefing and sealing scrolls." Tsunade handed several envelopes and a huge scroll to Shino and the captains of the remaining two teams. "Be careful, Orochimaru's abandoned base is not as valuable as yours!"
She glanced at the Anbu standing solemnly before her, her gaze lingering on Sakura for a few more seconds.
It was as if they were asking her, "Are you ready for the next battle?"
The girl quietly unscrewed the mask, nodded gently to her master, and revealed a confident smile with her pink lips curving upwards.
After resting for a few days, the Yin Seal has stored up some Chakra again. Cherry Blossom Impact - Stage Two has also been fully developed.
I can't beat Orochimaru in a fight, but if I can exchange a few blows with him and then run away, it shouldn't be a big problem.
Her purpose in joining the Anbu was to fight against strong opponents and improve herself in real battles, rather than hiding in a safe place developing Ninjutsu in isolation. Of course, Sakura would not resist such a mission.
Tsunade nodded to everyone.
"Let's go!" she shouted, waving her hand sharply.
The Anbu Body Flicker Technique teleported away, disappearing from the Hokage's office in a blur.
We hurried towards our destination.
Since it wasn't a time-sensitive rescue mission, this time they adopted a more energy-efficient cruising speed, which was considerably slower than last time.
As night fell, the group finally arrived near the site of their previous battle with Kimimaro.
With a considerable distance to go before their destination, the three team leaders naturally decided against traveling at night and instead stopped to camp in the wild.
It was supposed to be a camping trip, but it was really just finding a secluded spot, using Earth Release to build a few houses, and the team leaders took out some simple bedding from the scrolls, so everyone just made do.
The life of a ninja is not always filled with bloodshed, nor is it always a leisurely and easy life spent hiding in the village. Sometimes, they live a simple and rough life, subsisting on the elements.
Sakura, covered by a thin blanket, listened to the whispers of her teammates outside, lost in thought.
If this happened in another world, a girl as beautiful as her sleeping in such shabby conditions for one night would probably be accused of abusing a beautiful young girl.
However, Sakura Haruno is now a ninja and used to be a man, so she is neither pretentious nor a delicate flower. She doesn't need, and doesn't want, to receive special treatment because of her appearance and being a woman—and the Anbu would never do something so pretentious.
The solid, hard ground beneath her, the rough blankets and mattress, and the soft snoring and breathing all around her reminded her of the pleasant dormitory life she had in her student days, sleeping on a hard bed. In the darkness, her teammates quickly finished discussing Ming's mission and turned back into the earthen house, leaving only the ninja on guard duty.
Nothing more was said that night.
As dawn broke, Sakura, who was on the second night shift, rubbed her legs, which were a little numb from standing, had a quick breakfast with her teammates, and then set off again.
They arrived near their destination around noon, where the reconnaissance team of ninjas had been waiting for a while.
The team leaders took out the mission sheets and checked them with the ninjas who were there to meet them. They nodded to each other silently, said nothing more, and then dispersed in three different directions.
"This is one of Orochimaru's bases." The one leading the Fourteenth Squad was probably a ninja from the Inuzuka clan, accompanied by a majestic white Ninja Dog. He led the Fourteenth Squad to a seemingly unremarkable hill and stamped his foot on the grass.
"Kotaro smelled Orochimaru's snake scent here," he explained, patting the big white dog's head. "Its sense of smell is incredibly sharp; it's never been wrong. There must be Orochimaru's base underground."
"An underground base without an entrance?" Shino looked around but couldn't see any obvious opening.
However, this kind of completely enclosed underground base with only a few ventilation openings is no challenge for the Anbu who possess Ninjutsu.
Shino used Earth Release to open an entrance, and the three members of Fourteenth Squad filed in, leaving the ninja with the Ninja Dog to keep watch above.
The gloomy, dark underground base was not as mysterious and full of traps as Sakura had imagined.
On the contrary, it looked unusually rough, even more rudimentary than the mud hut she had slept in the night before—at least the latter had a blanket.
"There are quite a few rooms, but there aren't even any daily necessities." Sakura couldn't help but complain after wandering around for a long time without finding anything.
The girl picked up an oil lamp with her fingertips. It was the only man-made object she could find in the room. The broken lamp disintegrated the moment she picked it up, crashing to the ground with a loud clatter that echoed for a long time in the silent room.
Shino turned around, glanced at Sakura Haruno, and said with a hint of helplessness, "It seems we've come to the wrong place. No one has been here for at least a few years."
"Aside from some snakeskin shed by giant snakes, we didn't find anything of value." Yugao, returning empty-handed after searching around, replied languidly. She had been hoping to find some weapons or Secret Technique left behind by Orochimaru. "Should we take the snakeskin back, Shino?"
"Let's forget about the snakeskin..." Shino's lips twitched, and he quickly said.
After wandering around for a while to make sure nothing was missed, the three returned to the surface. Shino used Earth Release to completely destroy the underground base.
"An empty base?" The Inuzuka clan ninja shrugged, crossed out a mark on the map, and unsurprisingly said, "Let's go, let's go check out the next one."
A cunning rabbit has three burrows. Orochimaru left more than one or two bases in this area.
In fact, with the existence of convenient Ninjutsu like Earth Release, building a semi-permanent base is just a matter of lifting a finger for a powerful ninja like Orochimaru.
However, most of these bases, or underground caverns, were abandoned after a period of use for various reasons.
The second underground base that the Fourteenth Squad went to was like this.
"It's absolutely impossible for anyone to live here," Shino asserted as soon as they arrived at the base.
He wasn't standing on solid ground, but on a waterway that had half-submerged the corridor. Groundwater had seeped in, turning the entire base into a vast expanse of water.
Orochimaru might be able to live in such a place, but he has many weak ninjas under his command who probably wouldn't be able to survive in such waters.
"I'll do it," Sakura said, stepping forward. This environment was perfect for her to use Ninjutsu.
"Water Release: Legion Water Clone Technique!"
The girl drew some Chakra and channeled it into the water, creating blurry, crudely crafted Water Clone. The last time she used this Ninjutsu was during the Chunin Ninja Exams, six months prior, when she sparred with Naruto using the Shadow Ninjutsu. [Note]
For this simple yet tedious task, the Legion Water Clone were clearly the most cost-effective choice. Before long, the Water Clone that had scattered to search for useful items returned to Sakura one after another.
Brought back: 5 soaked chairs, 7 broken oil lamps, and several wet rags of unknown use...
"Is that all?" The pink-haired girl's face darkened, and she sighed inwardly: The Legion Water Clone are too crude, and their thinking ability is a bit low. They were asked to collect valuable things in the base, but they ended up finding this pile of junk.
She soon realized she had wronged the Water Clone —in the end, the clone hadn't brought back any other truly useful items, and the only thing of value left in the base was clearly the pile of junk in front of her.
Sakura silently disbanded her Water Clone, realizing she had made a foolish mistake; it was no wonder there was nothing useful to be found in the abandoned base.
She reached inside her mask and scratched her face, sensing that they weren't on a dangerous ninja mission.
It's more like doing a ten-pull gacha in some low-quality mobile games.
Moreover, it's the kind of ten-pull gacha where the winning rate isn't revealed, and the first two golden eggs you get are all junk.
When Sakura emerged from the underground base, she felt she had seen through the true nature of the mission.
As usual, the base was destroyed, and the Fourteenth Squad continued to the next location.
[Note: The Legion Water Clone is an original Ninjutsu created by Sakura; see Chapter 58 for details.]
(This is the second update for Kun, who isn't a foodie. This is the third update today. I'm just asking for comments and chapters~ I don't really care about recommendation votes!)