Infiltrating the Enemy
After listening to Orochimaru and the other two, Yemo was taken aback and then fell into deep thought. The changes in this matter were somewhat beyond his expectations.
He originally thought he would just be experiencing war with Teacher Orochimaru and maybe have a chance to participate, but he never imagined that he would be carrying out the mission alone, and that it would be a mission far beyond the average A-rank.
Although Shikafumi Nara had given Yemo a general explanation of the dangers of the mission, Yemo knew that the real dangers were far greater than what Shikafumi Nara had described.
Although this was just a reconnaissance mission, going deep into the Kumogakure Village was a huge challenge in itself. If they could get through the heavily guarded defenses of the Hidden Kumo Ninja Village and enter the rear of the Kumo Ninja, it would be a huge challenge.
Even if he enters safely, he will then need to search for traces of Iwa Ninja behind Kumogakure and investigate whether they are indeed a force dispatched by Iwagakure. Most importantly, Yemo must not be discovered. Once discovered, Yemo will be met with attacks from countless Kumo Ninja, and Yemo will be alone without any reinforcements.
In short, if he accepts this mission, the moment he steps out of the base, he will be surrounded by endless danger, and a single misstep could lead to his annihilation.
Yemo wasn't afraid of danger. For a ninja, what mission doesn't involve a life-threatening crisis? If he were afraid of danger, he wouldn't be able to take on missions in the future. As a ninja, everyone is already prepared for death. His concern was that he had never taken on a mission before, and his first mission was such a high-level one. He worried that he might lose his life before completing the mission, which would be a huge loss.
Orochimaru and the others remained silent, waiting for Yemo to make his choice. They could sense Yemo's deep thought; after all, this mission was extremely difficult, especially for a child with no prior experience. Even if Yemo refused, it was within their expectations, and they could understand.
After pondering for more than a minute, Yemo finally spoke, "Teacher Orochimaru, although I know I have no experience in carrying out missions, I would like to take on this challenge."
"Are you sure? You won't change your mind. The danger of this mission is far beyond your imagination," Jiraiya said, slightly surprised Jiraiya Yemo's agreement, confirming it again.
Yemo nodded firmly and said, "I'm sure!"
The reason Yemo was determined to go was that he felt that although it was an extremely difficult task, it might also bring him unexpected benefits. Since ancient times, danger and opportunity have always coexisted, and ninjas have encountered countless setbacks along the way. To run away because of danger is not Yemo's way of ninja.
Yemo's resolute gaze deeply shocked Jiraiya, who, despite knowing the endless dangers ahead, still stepped forward without hesitation.
"Excellent!" Jiraiya exclaimed, turning to Orochimaru and praising, "Orochimaru, I must say you've taken on a fine disciple; even I am astonished."
Upon hearing this, Orochimaru's face flashed a rare smug smile. It was quite rare to receive praise from Jiraiya, and today he was even benefiting from his disciple's honor.
After saying that, Jiraiya looked at Yemo and said, "Yemo, if you can complete this mission and come back, I will talk to Teacher Sarutobi and have you become Chunin directly. Not only that, I will teach you a Ninjutsu on your own. I can teach you anything I know."
Ninja missions are generally divided into two types: major missions issued by the village's higher-ups and missions issued by outsiders. The latter are bounty missions, and most of the ninja's income comes from these.
Yemo belongs to the former category. These kinds of tasks usually don't have rewards; they're just issued directly from above. That's why Jiraiya said the reward was given in his own private name.
Upon hearing Jiraiya's guarantee, Yemo was slightly taken aback. The next second, his face was filled with joy. This was completely unexpected. He hadn't expected the benefits to come so quickly. Becoming Chunin wasn't what excited Yemo the most. What truly concerned him was the latter: Yemo Jiraiya teach him Ninjutsu.
But for this reason, Yemo will do his best to complete the mission. As for what Ninjutsu to learn from Jiraiya, Yemo already has an idea in mind.
"Jiraiya, this is bad! Are you trying to steal my disciple?" Orochimaru couldn't sit still when he heard that Jiraiya use the Yemo Ninjutsu. Was he trying to steal his disciple?
Jiraiya laughed and said, "Orochimaru, don't worry. Although I'm quite interested in Yemo, I have no intention of stealing my friend's disciple. I just think this kid is to my liking, so I'm just teaching him a Ninjutsu."
Orochimaru smiled but didn't say anything. He was quite in favor of Jiraiya teaching him the Yemo Ninjutsu; Jiraiya Orochimaru was a womanizer, his strength was undeniable.
Watching Yemo leave, Jiraiya sighed, "I never imagined that I, Jiraiya, would one day send a child who has just become Genin to carry out such an important mission."
This mission is of utmost importance, as it will determine the success or failure of the upcoming war. Konoha currently holds the upper hand, but the appearance of the Iwa Ninja has forced Konoha to halt its offensive. Konoha is now in an awkward situation, unable to launch an attack despite having the advantage.
If they launch a reckless attack, and Iwagakure has indeed secretly allied with Kumogakure, they will be ambushed by the two great ninja villages and could very well be wiped out.
However, if the stalemate continues, the advantage that Konoha has painstakingly built up will gradually be exhausted over time, and then it's uncertain when this war will end.
"Isn't this exactly what we need? Even we don't believe we would send a child on this kind of mission, let alone the Orochimaru Kumo Ninja with a slight smile.
After accepting the mission, Yemo set off without bringing anything with him. Everything he needed was already prepared in his bag. Because it was his first mission today, Yemo brought a lot of things just in case, which unexpectedly saved him a lot of trouble.
When Yemo left the base, he was alone, and he took a dark path. In order to prevent the mission from being leaked and for Yemo's safety, only Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Shikafumi Nara knew about the mission Yemo was carrying out.
Leaving the base, Yemo held a map that Jiraiya had given him Jiraiya he left. The map not only clearly marked the entire battlefield area, but also showed every river and mountain. It also depicted the known defenses of the Kumo Ninja, a map that had been obtained at the cost of many intelligence personnel's lives.
After carefully comparing the map with the route marked by Teacher Orochimaru, Yemo had already made up his mind and put the map into his pocket.
Looking up at the sun, which had slowly risen sometime earlier, Yemo's figure flashed and disappeared into the dense forest. Before nightfall, he had to cross the entire battlefield and reach the border of Kumogakure.
While Yemo was taking action, Jiraiya and the others weren't just waiting idly. Not long after Yemo left, Orochimaru personally led a team to attack the Kumo Ninja. Jiraiya and unable to move, so Orochimaru didn't agree to let him join the battle, allowing him to stay at the base and recover from his injuries.
Orochimaru launched the war not only to deny the Kumo Ninja time to recuperate, but also to draw their attention and create opportunities for Yemo as much as possible.
Meanwhile, the actions of the Konoha Ninja did not escape the notice of the Kumo Ninja. Although Orochimaru had no intention of hiding his whereabouts, the Kumo Ninja received news of Konoha's deployment almost immediately after the Konoha Ninja went out.
In an instant, the battle bell rang within the Kumo Ninja camp, and ninjas appeared and began to assemble. Before long, an entire ninja army had been assembled.
Knowing that Konoha had mobilized almost its entire force, the Kumo Ninja also dispatched all its strength, with the exception of a few guarding the camp, all the other ninjas were mobilized.