Eavesdropping Really Was Thrilling

"That bastard Orochimaru has been exposed!"

Hinata covered her mouth with both hands, somewhat surprised. But then she thought about it again and felt that it didn't make sense.

Who is Orochimaru?

He was someone who excelled at concealment throughout the entire Shinobi World. He had betrayed Konoha and Akatsuki, and was wanted by the entire Shinobi World, yet he still managed to live a good life.

Do those lowly soldiers and generals of Sunagakure even think they can discover Orochimaru's whereabouts?

It's not that Hinata looks down on Sunagakure; the Sunagakure's ninjutsu tradition is quite powerful. The key issue is that Sunagakure is poor and lacks talent...

The only one Gaara, isn't that strong anymore.

Was it intentional?

Hinata stopped thinking about it and continued eavesdropping on Shikamaru and Temari's conversation.

Upon hearing Temari's words, Shikamaru's expression also turned serious.

Temari is right. Orochimaru is not so easy to deal with. Once Orochimaru and Hinata start a big battle in Sunagakure will really be finished.

These two individuals are just as destructive as the Tailed Beasts.

Most importantly, no one knows what Orochimaru's true intentions are in appearing in the Land of Wind.

"Orochimaru... is it possible that he has already joined forces with Kumogakure?"

Shikamaru quickly realized the key to the matter: two years ago, Konoha Crush Plan, Orochimaru first joined forces with Sunagakure and then killed the Fourth Kazekage Rasa.

This time, it's hard to guarantee that Orochimaru won't resort to the same old tricks again.

Temari and Shikamaru exchanged a glance. Between two intelligent people, some things are better left unsaid.

If Orochimaru really killed the Raikage, it might actually be a good thing for the entire Shinobi World.

After all, that old rogue Raikage hasn't been well-behaved in recent years. He's either invading minor Shinobi Village to plunder ninjutsu or frantically expanding his military and training ninja on a massive scale.

The number of active ninjas in Kumogakure today exceeds that of Konoha.

However, if Orochimaru really does that, then Sunagakure will definitely suffer.

Shikamaru pondered for a moment, then shook his head in rejection, saying, "Orochimaru probably won't kill the Raikage, and the Sunagakure... probably doesn't have anything Orochimaru wants."

Temari analyzed, "I heard that Orochimaru has joined the Akatsuki. Could it be that the Akatsuki is plotting something?"

"It's not impossible!"

Shikamaru said in a deep voice, "If Orochimaru is carrying out a mission assigned by Akatsuki, then his appearance in the Land of Wind is understandable..."

"Etc!"

Suddenly remembering something, Shikamaru hurriedly asked, "How did you find Orochimaru?"

Temari was taken aback upon hearing this. She was about to say that it was discovered by patrolling ninjas, but before she could say it, Temari heart skipped a beat.

Temari knew perfectly well what level the patrolling ninjas were. They were just a Chunin squad, not even comparable to the Anbu.

However, even the Anbu of Sunagakure failed to detect Orochimaru's whereabouts, but a patrol team did...

"Orochimaru deliberately leaked his whereabouts!"

After a pause, Temari asked, somewhat puzzled, "But why would he do that?"

Shikamaru shook his head and said, "Orochimaru not only deliberately leaked his whereabouts, but he also deliberately let us know that he deliberately leaked his whereabouts."

Temari slightly.

If Orochimaru simply wanted to expose something, he could have done it much more discreetly.

Orochimaru was so careless this time that he allowed the Sunagakure patrol team to discover his whereabouts... Clearly, Orochimaru deliberately made the Sunagakure think of this.

Temari asked in confusion, "Why would Orochimaru do this?"

Shikamaru's expression turned grim. "He wants to instill fear in us!"

Hinata, who was eavesdropping from behind a corner, nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

In the Original Story, Obito Uchiha was able to convince the Five Kage of the authenticity of the "Infinite Tsukuyomi Plan" simply by mentioning the name "Madara Uchiha," which demonstrates the intimidating power of Madara Uchiha's name over the entire Shinobi World.

If someone else had mentioned the Infinite Tsukuyomi Plan, the Five Kage would probably have treated them like a lunatic...

Now that Madara Uchiha is no longer around, the name 'Orochimaru' has become synonymous with war and slaughter.

Despite Orochimaru's seemingly obedient and well-behaved demeanor in front of Hinata, countless people in the Orochimaru Shinobi World tremble with fear of him.

Although Hinata is stronger than Orochimaru, Hinata has always been more sensible and has never indiscriminately killed innocent people, except during missions. While the major Shinobi Village are wary of Hinata, the Shinobi World generally holds Hinata in high regard.

Do you think the title of 'Byakugan Princess' came for nothing?

The princess always represents justice!

While Orochimaru may seem like a weakling to Hinata, he is a terrifying figure who could wipe out the Sunagakure any moment.

"Fear..."

Temari's expression changed repeatedly.

Indeed! When the so-called high-ranking officials in the village heard the name 'Orochimaru,' they even suggested recalling all the ninjas from Sunagakure to guard the village.

If Gaara hadn't insisted, Sunagakure would probably have had a huge backlog of missions during the month between now and the Third Exam in August.

A month's worth of funding may not seem like much, but what about the reputation and prestige that Sunagakure loses?

The purpose of Sunagakure in holding the Joint Chunin Exam this time is to enhance the village's prestige. If all the ninjas are forced to cower in defense, Sunagakure's prestige will drop to its lowest point in history.

That's not all. If the ninjas guarding the Land of Wind are recalled, the Land of Wind's defenses will instantly have a loophole, giving the enemy village an opportunity to take advantage.

And how could ordinary ninjas possibly withstand Orochimaru?

Sending more ninjas back to the village would only increase unnecessary casualties!

Sunagakure is indeed in a state of panic.

Even Gaara wasn't entirely confident. Although he wanted to kill Orochimaru to avenge his father, he wasn't one to act impulsively. Gaara was well aware of the vast difference in ability between him and Orochimaru.

More importantly, no one knows what Orochimaru's true purpose is.

Does Orochimaru have a grudge against Sunagakure?

Have!

But that's because Orochimaru killed the Fourth Kazekage. Even if there was a grudge, it should be Sunagakure that hated Orochimaru.

What is it about Sunagakure that Orochimaru is interested in?

Is it Impure World Reincarnation)?

Even if Orochimaru destroyed the Impure World Reincarnation, it wouldn't matter, since Konoha still had a complete Impure World Reincarnation.

Is this part of Akatsuki's mission?

The Akatsuki has always maintained a low profile, and now it is completely in hiding, so there seems to be no need to take action at this time.

Shikamaru pondered for a moment, then said in a serious tone, "Temari, what we need to do now is to find Orochimaru's whereabouts immediately, and then have Hinata take action to keep the battlefield outside of Sunagakure."

Temari nodded in agreement; this was indeed the best solution at present.

"But... we've lost track of Orochimaru." Temari said, her face grim.

Shikamaru said in a deep voice, "I must report this to the Lord Hokage immediately..."

"Now that things have come to this, we have no choice but to send Hinata away from Sand Village to track Orochimaru down!"

Turning his gaze to Temari, Shikamaru said, "Temari, you must immediately report to Lord Kazekage. Without Lord Kazekage's orders, Hinata cannot act on her own in the Land of Wind!"

Temari nodded and said, "I understand!"