On the golden beach, countless colorful seashells shimmered in the sunlight as they lay quietly in the sand. With his feet sinking into the soft sand, Uchiha Yoru gazed at the beautiful seaside scenery and could not help narrowing his eyes with a smile.
They were not far from the Land of Sea now, and the Land of Sea had appeared in the anime.
Thinking back, Orochimaru had a human experimentation base in the Land of Sea, and Mitaraishi Anko had received her Cursed Seal there. (Episode 169)
No wonder Orochimaru had established his experimental base in the Land of Sea. At this time, he happened to be stationed here at the border.
"Brother Yoru, we're here. Lord Orochimaru's Camp is up ahead."
As the captain of the Uchiha Eight-Man Genius Squad, Uchiha Shisui immediately smiled upon seeing the Camp in the distance. Watchtowers could clearly be seen along the shore, with even more hidden within the dense forest.
The group headed toward the Camp. Naturally, they noticed quite a few hidden sentries along the way, but Uchiha Shisui secretly made hand signs and exchanged coded signals with them as they passed.
In the end, the eight of them entered the Camp without obstruction. The Camp seemed somewhat disorderly, but Uchiha Yoru had long grown used to it. Shinobi were not an army, especially shinobi in this world who wielded ninjutsu. This scattered style of encampment instead allowed each shinobi to better use his advantages.
"Brother Yoru, come with me to report to Lord Orochimaru. The rest of you, prepare to set up camp."
"Yes!"
On the battlefield, shinobi were tools for carrying out missions. The Uchiha shinobi answered in deep voices, but they were somewhat suspicious of Uchiha Yoru, whom the clan's geniuses all addressed as big brother along the way. Some were even dissatisfied.
Uchiha Shisui was the pride of their clan. At only thirteen, he was already a Jōnin, just one year later than Kakashi. More importantly, Shisui already possessed the Three Tomoe Sharingan.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Yoru had only just awakened his Sharingan and had not possessed even a One Tomoe Sharingan for long, yet he had received such honor. It would have been strange if they were not doubtful.
However, Uchiha Yoru and Uchiha Shisui followed the guide toward the center of the Camp. As they walked, Uchiha Yoru quietly observed the state of the Camp and began muttering inwardly.
Sure enough, no one was stupid. The front line had already begun bringing in more shinobi. He had seen plenty of new tents along the way. Clearly, they had arrived only in the past day or two, and some had even arrived today. They were all shinobi transferred here from elsewhere.
"Lord Orochimaru is inside."
After bringing them to their destination, the guide respectfully nodded in indication, then leaped away and vanished into the distance as a black dot.
"Brother Yoru, let's go in."
Though Uchiha Shisui's expression was calm, he could not hide the excitement in his eyes. In his heart, this was the future Fifth Hokage, and he had come bearing the mission of the Uchiha Clan.
Uchiha Yoru, meanwhile, secretly surveyed the surroundings. Sure enough, Orochimaru's name was no mistake. Even his Camp had been set up in such a gloomy place. It truly suited his personality.
No one announced their arrival. Or rather, a shinobi's five senses were too sharp. The fact that no one had stopped the guide when he came here earlier proved that Orochimaru was inside and had time to receive them.
That said, when they reached the slightly larger tent, Uchiha Yoru and Uchiha Shisui both stopped. Together, they said in deep voices, "The Uchiha have come to report."
This had nothing to do with the etiquette of a great clan. It was simply the etiquette of this world.
"Come in."
After that hoarse yet magnetic voice, one that sent a chill down their spines, sounded out, Uchiha Shisui took a deep breath. He was clearly entering with a heavy responsibility on his shoulders, while Uchiha Yoru muttered inwardly, I'm finally going to see the real person behind that voice today.
Once they entered the tent, it was just as expected. Snakes really did like darkness. Even the inside of the tent was somewhat dim.
A map of the surrounding terrain hung inside the tent. Orochimaru was speaking with a member of the Hyuga Clan. Upon seeing the newcomers, he merely waved casually, and Shisui and Yoru stood to one side to wait.
"Hizashi, the burden on your Hyuga Clan won't be light this time. But don't worry. The Uchiha's elite shinobi have arrived as well, so you can form patrol squads with them."
Although Orochimaru had not yet defected and still carried an air of gloom in his temperament, his unique personal charm made his every word and gesture reassuring.
The man opposite him was Hizashi Hyuga, the younger brother of the Hyuga Clan's head and the future father of the genius Neji.
Hizashi Hyuga respectfully nodded to Orochimaru. "Lord Orochimaru, rest assured. The Hyuga Clan will not disappoint you."
The Hyuga Clan's Byakugan was the foremost Kekkei Genkai for reconnaissance in the Shinobi World. Especially in war, being able to discover enemy movements early meant seizing the initiative and avoiding enemy ambushes.
After speaking, Hizashi Hyuga discreetly glanced at the two young Uchiha Clan members who had entered. A sharp glint flashed through the depths of his eyes before he lowered his head and respectfully said, "Lord Orochimaru, I will go assign the tasks first."
"Go."
After waving Hizashi Hyuga away, Orochimaru finally turned and studied the two Uchiha Clan members before him with interest. After a long while, he licked his lips and could not help praising, "A thirteen-year-old Jōnin. As expected of a clan of geniuses."
Uchiha Shisui did not grow excited at Orochimaru's praise. Instead, he respectfully held out a scroll with both hands, lowered his head, and said, "Uchiha Shisui leads eight members of the Uchiha advance unit to report to Lord Orochimaru."
Taking the scroll, Orochimaru looked through its contents with interest before letting out a hoarse laugh. "One Three Tomoe Jōnin, three Special Jonin, and four Elite Chunin. All are Uchiha who have awakened the Sharingan, and they are all young."
Uchiha Shisui respectfully nodded. "The follow-up forces will arrive as well."
Orochimaru smiled at those words. An eerie look appeared in his pale golden snake-like eyes, making Uchiha Yoru secretly alarmed. The Sannin's presence was truly powerful, especially the oppressive feeling of his Chakra. At last, he understood the pressure Hozuki Suigetsu had felt in the original story when facing the Second Hokage's burst of Chakra.
"Not bad. Very good. Is this the Uchiha Clan's investment?"
Orochimaru looked at the two young men before him with an interested smile. At this point, he had not yet suffered the beating of the Mangekyo, nor had he developed that morbid obsession with the Sharingan.
Orochimaru's blunt words immediately made Uchiha Shisui somewhat awkward. They were too direct, and he seemed unsure how to respond. Perhaps not caring about the opinions of others was what truly made Orochimaru himself.
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