One-Tail Reappears

Meanwhile, at the Sunagakure encampment.

"Senior Bunpuku, please."

Rasa rarely brought out tea priced at two hundred thousand ryo per catty to treat Bunpuku.

This was the same brand Orochimaru had drunk earlier, seized from a noble family in a conquered border city.

The elderly monk Bunpuku pressed his palms together in a return salute to Rasa, not rushing to drink, and instead asked him:

"I wonder what business Lord Kazekage has that requires this old man to act. Facing Orochimaru, Shukaku is likely..."

Bunpuku said with some hesitation.

Ever since he was abused by Orochimaru last time, Shukaku had already been traumatized.

"There is no need for Senior Bunpuku to face Orochimaru. Elder Chiyo and I will naturally pin Orochimaru down, and at that time, I must ask Senior Bunpuku to borrow the power of the Tailed Beast to shatter Konoha's defensive fortifications."

Chiyo nodded and said:

"Terrifying though Orochimaru is, the number of Konoha Ninjas under his command is at a disadvantage. They can only hunker down in Kikyo Castle and refuse to come out. In addition, there are two powerhouses assisting them-Purple Lightning and Yellow Flash. We have attacked for many days without achieving any significant results."

Purple Lightning and Yellow Flash were the monikers earned by Shikun Mitarashi and Minato Namikaze during this war.

Orochimaru's moniker remained unchanged, still the Cold Lord.

Pakura, standing to one side, chimed in:

"During this period, we have already scavenged all the resources we could from the territories we captured. If we cannot take Kikyo Castle immediately, it will only result in the vain consumption of those precious resources."

"In that case, this old monk can still lend a meager effort."

Bunpuku pressed his palms together once more in thanks.

As long as he did not face that freak Orochimaru, Shukaku was quite formidable in a fight.

After all, before Orochimaru, no one kept targeting Tailed Beasts because the destructive power of Tailed Beasts meant those who defeated them quickly sealed them away to avoid causing greater destruction.

Like Orochimaru, who refused to seal them even when given the chance, instead just pinning you down for a round of offense without even giving you a chance to surrender-he truly was one of a kind.

The following night, Hatake Sakumo and the others arrived at Kikyo Castle, accompanied by the Third Hokage's eldest son, Shin'nosuke, his wife, and a Root Elite Jōnin planted by Danzo.

That Jōnin had no name, only a codename: Leopard.

When Orochimaru saw them, he already had a faint premonition.

This was that mission which caused the White Fang's mission to fail and drove him to suicide.

Among the others, Orochimaru had heard of and seen the Third Hokage's eldest son.

He appeared steady and reliable on the surface, but was actually rather rash.

Danzo's man probably had other schemes as well.

Judging by the timeline, the time was about right too. Kakashi had been in the Ninja Academy for almost a year...

"Orochimaru, we've decided to launch the assassination plan tonight, and we plan to set out."

Hatake Sakumo looked at Orochimaru and spoke. Over this past year, he had felt the suppression directed at him from the higher-ups.

This mission was very important, but his teammates were all connections-hires, obviously here to snatch his contributions.

He had never imagined that anyone among the higher-ups intended to harm him.

"Is there anything you need us to coordinate with?"

Orochimaru hoped Sakumo would succeed, because that way Konoha would undoubtedly win this war. Furthermore, in Orochimaru's own mission, if he became Hokage, Sakumo would make an excellent subordinate; he possessed the qualifications to become his shadow.

"No need, just provide support at the agreed-upon time."

Hatake Sakumo always wore an expression of incomparable confidence. It was hard to imagine such a person committing suicide over gossiping rumors.

Orochimaru looked at Sakumo, then swept his gaze across the other three. This mission centered on the White Fang, and the others sensibly refrained from interrupting their conversation.

"The three of you and Zixiao go make some more preparations. Sakumo and I have some things to discuss."

Leopard, who had remained silent all this time, spoke up:

"Lord Orochimaru, everyone present is completely trustworthy. If you have anything to say, there's no need to hide it."

Having received Danzo's orders, he did not wish for any variables to affect his mission this time.

Aside from the mission issued by the Hokage, he also had one issued by Root.

Orochimaru cast a cold glance at him.

"Are you teaching me how to do my job? Zixiao! Take our guest outside!"

"Understood, Lord Orochimaru."

When Hatake Sakumo finished his conversation with Orochimaru and emerged from the tent, his eyes were full of anxiety.

Not only was this mission a massive pitfall to begin with, but no matter how difficult a mission was, he had the confidence to cut through all obstacles with his White Fang. However, if someone among the higher-ups intended to hold him back...

It was not that he doubted Orochimaru's words, but Orochimaru had no reason to lie to him, as doing so would bring him no benefit whatsoever.

In fact, if Danzo truly intended to target other candidates for the Fourth Hokage, he and Orochimaru ought to be allies instead.

Hatake Sakumo set off with the three others carrying the anxiety deep in his heart. A ninja who did not abandon their mission was nothing more than a rogue ninja.

His son was still studying at the Ninja Academy, so he could not betray Konohagakure. Besides, protecting every single comrade in Konoha was his nindō, his sword dao; if that shattered, he would no longer be Hatake Sakumo.

He had to seize the time, as the insider would make arrangements at the agreed hour to facilitate their infiltration.

Orochimaru did not actually plan to merely provide support.

He knew something would inevitably go wrong on this mission, so he had brought Minato and Shikun Mitarashi along in advance.

Should any accident occur, everyone could use the Flying Thunder God to transfer out and ensure safety.

A short while later.

"Roar!" A earth-shaking roar rang out, and a massive One-Tailed beast appeared within the Sunagakure camp.

"Not good! Why has the One-Tail suddenly gone berserk?!"

Countless ninjas were startled awake; a Tailed Beast going berserk was no small matter.

"Where are Elder Chiyo and Lady Pakura? Quickly go ask them to suppress the Tailed Beast!"

"Elder Chiyo went to inspect the material reserves! Lady Pakura is also patrolling outside the camp!"

"Damn it, the enemy must have taken advantage of this opportunity to sneak in and attack!"

"Quickly go invite Lord Kazekage! Right now, only he can take action."

At this moment, the Fourth Kazekage was clutching his chest and receiving treatment.

He had been slashed across the chest by a blade from the White Fang.

However, it was not without gains. He shifted his gaze toward the captured Leopard.

As a ninja trained by Root, Leopard had not leaked any intelligence, but neither could he break free, nor could he even trigger the seal within his body to commit suicide.

He had been sealed away by Rasa's Desert Layer Great Burial-a technique devised by the Third Kazekage by studying the curse scripts on Shukaku, which had been passed down to him.

"Take him down."

Rasa said indifferently.

"Understood, Lord Kazekage."

Rasa got up, waving his hand to signal the medical ninja treating him to stop.

Ever since Tsunade established the medical system in Konoha, most of the other hidden villages had followed suit.

Even if Chiyo's medical skill was inferior to Tsunade's, she was still a top-tier medical ninja in the Shinobi World.

Though the medical system she built in Sunagakure was not as refined as Konoha's, it was still commendable and had nurtured quite a few medical talents.

Once the medical ninja stepped back, Rasa summoned gold dust to lift himself, flying toward the berserk One-Tail.