Heading to the Battlefield

"What? You're taking me to the battlefield?!"

Yemo pointed a finger at himself, his face full of shock and bewilderment. Taking him to the battlefield? That was ridiculous.

It wasn't that Yemo didn't believe him, but no matter how he thought about it, it seemed impossible. To go to the battlefield, he had to be a ninja at the very least. Yemo wasn't even a Genin, so how could he possibly qualify?

Besides, war had always existed only in his imagination, and he knew about it only from what other people said. If someone suddenly told you one day that they were taking you to the battlefield, that was a lot to take in.

"What, you don't want to go? If that's the case, it's all right," Orochimaru said, watching Yemo's dramatic reaction.

Orochimaru wasn't surprised that Yemo didn't want to go. For people who lived in times of peace, war was too remote, and it wasn't impossible for them to refuse.

Besides, Yemo was still young. Orochimaru was taking him to the border battlefield this time only to let him experience the cruelty of war, and had no intention of making him take part in it. Konoha hadn't reached the point where it needed to send a child to war.

"That's not it," Yemo hurriedly said, shaking his head when he saw that Orochimaru was about to change his mind. "It's just that the news came so suddenly that I wasn't mentally prepared. Of course I agree to go to the battlefield."

How could Yemo refuse such a good opportunity to visit the border and witness a real war in the Shinobi World? He also wanted to see what a war between ninjas was really like.

"All right, then." Orochimaru nodded and instructed him, "You don't need to practice this afternoon. Go home and get everything you need ready. We'll have to set out early tomorrow morning."

"But, Teacher Orochimaru..." Yemo scratched his head and hesitated, not knowing how to say it.

"Do you have any concerns?" Orochimaru asked, somewhat puzzled by Yemo's behavior.

Yemo gritted his teeth and finally said, "It's like this, Teacher Orochimaru. If I go to the battlefield, I know my sister definitely won't allow it. So I was wondering if you could come to my house and talk to her."

Yemo could imagine it: if he went home and told his sister he was going to the battlefield, she would fly into a rage and flatly refuse.

He knew his sister's temper. If she refused, she wouldn't budge no matter what he said.

After hearing Yemo out, Orochimaru suddenly laughed. Yemo stared at him in confusion. What's Teacher Orochimaru laughing at? Was what I said funny? I don't think so.

"I wondered what it was, but it turns out that's all," Orochimaru said with a laugh. "Don't worry, I've already taken care of it for you."

"You took care of it?" Yemo asked again in disbelief. "My sister actually agreed? How is that possible?"

His sister had actually agreed. It was hard to imagine, and Yemo was both surprised and delighted.

"When the Third summoned me, Kushina happened to be there too, so I brought it up. The process was difficult, but in the end, I managed to get your Kushina to agree." Orochimaru made it sound simple. It had been far more than difficult; it had taken tremendous effort. Even Orochimaru still felt uneasy when he thought about what had happened in the Hokage's office earlier.

In the Hokage's office, Kushina had flatly refused the moment Orochimaru brought it up. Orochimaru had talked at length to no avail, and in the end, the Third Hokage had spoken up. But even that hadn't helped; Kushina simply refused to agree.

Not only that, but Kushina had flown into a rage and nearly started a fight in the Hokage's office. Even the Third Hokage's desk had nearly been overturned. That was the first time Orochimaru had truly seen the Red Hot Habanero live up to her name. When she flew into a rage, she showed no one any consideration.

She could give Tsunade a run for her money. As far as Orochimaru knew, only two people had ever overturned the Hokage's desk, and both were women: one was Tsunade, and the other was Kushina.

If an ordinary person had caused trouble in the Hokage's office, they would have been restrained long ago. But Kushina was different. The Nine-Tails was sealed inside her, and even the hidden Anbu didn't dare act without the Third Hokage's orders. If Kushina lost control of her emotions and something went wrong with the seal, no one could bear that responsibility.

In the end, the Third Hokage had managed to calm Kushina, who had nearly flown into a rage, by speaking to her gently. He had also persuaded her to agree to let her younger brother go to the battlefield.

Hearing Teacher Orochimaru say his sister had agreed, Yemo felt a weight lift from his heart, and his only worry vanished. "Great, Teacher Orochimaru! I'll go back and get ready right away. See you tomorrow morning!"

With that, Yemo turned to leave, already eager to get going. But he had only taken a few steps when Orochimaru suddenly called out to stop him. "Wait!"

Yemo quickly stopped and turned around. "Teacher Orochimaru, is there anything else you need to tell me?"

"There's nothing else I need to tell you, but there is something you need to do," Orochimaru said.

"What is it?" Yemo thought for a moment. Apart from going back to pack, he shouldn't have anything else to do.

"Your status." Orochimaru pointed at Yemo's forehead. "According to Konoha's rules, you have to be a ninja to go to the battlefield. In other words, you have to be a Genin at the very least, but you aren't even a basic Genin yet."

Yemo instinctively touched his forehead. "So, Teacher Orochimaru, you want me to prepare to become a Genin?"

Orochimaru grunted in acknowledgment. "Normally, the rules say you have to graduate from the Ninja Academy to become a Genin, but you don't need to. You haven't even attended the Ninja Academy. With my guarantee, and since these are special circumstances, the Third Hokage has agreed to let you become a Genin without taking the exam."

"That's great!"

After hearing that, Yemo couldn't contain his excitement. He clapped his hands and shouted. Becoming a Genin without taking the exam would save him a great deal of trouble.

Orochimaru scolded him, "Don't celebrate too early. I vouched for your strength in front of the Third Hokage. If you don't perform well, you won't be the only one who loses face. I will too."

Yemo didn't take it to heart. "Don't worry, Teacher Orochimaru. You know how strong I am. There's absolutely no problem with me becoming a Genin. I'm confident I could even defeat a Chunin."

During these past days under Orochimaru's instruction, Yemo had not only learned two powerful A-rank Ninjutsu, but had also mastered the Shape Transformation and Nature Transformation of Lightning Release, as well as those of Fire Style. Having two Chakra natures was generally something only Jonin could achieve.

Yemo was a genius to begin with, and having a teacher like Orochimaru allowed him to make the most of his talent. Although Orochimaru hadn't taught him for long, Yemo could feel his strength changing every day, growing stronger with each passing day.

Although Orochimaru had said Yemo could become a Genin without an examination, the Third still had to sign off on it personally. So Yemo followed Orochimaru to the Hokage's office for the second time.

"You're here!"

As soon as Yemo entered with Orochimaru, the Third looked up and smiled. He had clearly been waiting for Yemo to arrive.