Inside Iwa Camp, the Armory.
The Iwagakure troops were stationed in concentric circles. At the very center were the Armory, the command center, and the residences of the senior combatants.
Farther out were successive circles of stationed troops.
Hyuga Ao had landed in the darkest part of the camp—the toilet.
Unexpectedly, Hyuga Ao did not smell anything unpleasant.
She had to admit that ninjutsu was convenient. The Iwagakure toilets and Bathhouse had been built together. They had dug a large pit underground, drained the dirty water into it, and then created two enormous chimneys to vent the air.
It was simple and effective, opening Hyuga Ao's eyes.
But enough of that.
It was already two or three in the morning, when people slept most soundly. That was why Hyuga Ao had chosen this deserted place to land.
Hyuga Ao withdrew her chakra metal and shook the excess fabric into dust. Then, in the darkness, she felt her way around Iwa Camp.
Hyuga Ao gradually weakened the penetrating power of her Byakugan, reducing its presence so that anyone with a particularly keen sixth sense would not feel watched.
Keeping her Byakugan activated at its lowest level, Hyuga Ao used the cover of night to make her way toward the center of the camp.
While in the air, Hyuga Ao had roughly observed the layout of Iwa Camp.
The outskirts of Iwa Camp were filled with identical, mass-produced Barracks Camps.
The farther inward she went, the fewer and more refined the houses became. Beyond them stood several large warehouses.
Hyuga Ao guessed that the senior combatants had sharp senses, so the logistics supplies had been placed in the very center of the camp, directly under the eyes of the powerful experts, to prevent anything from going wrong.
Hyuga Ao's destination was the kitchen at the center of the camp.
The Iwagakure forces were not a people's army. They had no tradition of officers and soldiers eating and living together. The senior personnel all ate from the Officer's Kitchen.
So Hyuga Ao only needed to stake out the place, see how many people's meals were prepared each day, and then investigate those people.
Some might say that since she had already entered the camp, she could simply sweep the area with her Byakugan and know everything.
But Hyuga Ao could not do that, because it would be suicidal—like a paladin casting Detect Evil the moment they met someone.
Any moderately elite Jonin could sense the feeling of being watched by the Byakugan. Activating it in the center of the camp would be no different from taunting the entire camp.
Hyuga Ao could not fight an entire camp of ninja troops.
Thus, Hyuga Ao relied on limited Byakugan reconnaissance and her equally keen hearing to avoid detection and find the Iwagakure Officer's Kitchen.
Once she reached the kitchen, Hyuga Ao began counting the seasonings. She needed to find the kitchen with the greatest variety of them.
The more seasonings there were, the more delicious the dishes would be, and the higher the status of the people eating them was likely to be.
And in the ninja world, status was often tied to strength.
After finding her target, Hyuga Ao located the Cold Storage where the Officer's Kitchen kept its fresh ingredients and hid inside.
Although she had some free time, Hyuga Ao could not rest. She had to keep watching the kitchen, because some dishes required preparation in advance. A chef might begin working soon.
Hyuga Ao could then judge the care put into the dishes, follow them, and find out who was eating them.
Still, Hyuga Ao took advantage of the spare time to think about this mission.
Why had Orochimaru sent her to carry out this kind of mission?
First of all, did Konoha really need to know exactly how many senior combatants Iwagakure had?
No!
Since Konoha had made two preparations, it was clearly not afraid of how many people the enemy had on the front lines. In fact, the more there were, the better. As long as Konoha did not collapse instantly, Kumogakure would inevitably send troops against Iwagakure.
Then, based on what motive had Orochimaru sent Hyuga Ao on this dangerous mission?
A test?
Hyuga Ao carefully recalled Orochimaru's personality. Part of his nature involved burning bridges after crossing them. To him, only benefits and his own pursuits were real.
Then, was Hyuga Ao valuable to Orochimaru?
Apparently not much. The Orochimaru of this era could not really dissect and study Hyuga Ao, while she had already temporarily exhausted her own value. Without the possibility of further research, she was not worth much to Orochimaru.
Therefore, Orochimaru's purpose in giving her this mission was to test her—to see what value Hyuga Ao still possessed and how she would react.
Just as he would later want to know what kind of changes Sasuke could bring to the ninja world, he wanted to see what kind of person Hyuga Ao was.
As Orochimaru's partner, Hyuga Ao could have directly refused.
But Hyuga Ao had just... accepted it. Just! Like! That!
She had not even thought it through. Orochimaru told her to go, so she went.
That was an extremely dangerous signal.
It meant that Hyuga Ao currently had no ideas of her own and was simply drifting with the current. That was why she had slacked off whenever she could before, and done whatever she was told.
So, am I a naive fool? Hyuga Ao found it hard to believe.
Hyuga Ao realized that there was a serious problem with her state of mind.
Looking back over the journey, she thought about it and realized that obtaining this strength had seemed far too easy.
Shikotsumyaku had been given to her when the Golden Finger activated. Her Embryonic Breathing strength had come directly from it. Because of that Golden Finger, Hyuga Ao had started from an extremely high point.
The Wind Cloak had been comprehended by chance, and it was even related to Embryonic Breathing, relying on its foundation.
So, from beginning to end, Hyuga Ao had only put real effort into breaking the Caged Bird.
She had previously claimed that she wanted to save Minato and Kushina, but that had merely been the arrogance of a transmigrator—or perhaps an act of moving herself. She had not actually made any effort.
Hyuga Ao had indeed set a goal: I want to go home. In the future, I will save Minato and Kushina.
But those goals had remained at the stage of mere thoughts.
Even after arriving on the battlefield, she had continued slacking off whenever she could. Then, at the last moment, she had suddenly thought, I need to work hard. How similar that was to her former self, who had said she needed to study seriously, only to go back to doing whatever she pleased a few days later.
Hyuga Ao realized that she lacked something many novels from her previous life had mentioned: the heart of a strong person.
The Hyuga Ao of now merely wanted to survive until she could break the Caged Bird. She had never truly clarified her goals or responsibilities, much less worked hard for them.
The battles she had experienced before had not left a deep impression on her, either. Killing someone with a single palm strike had not felt particularly special. At most, it had been a little disgusting, but once the disgust passed, that was it. She had not gained any insight from it.
Hyuga Ao currently lacked the heart of a strong person, as well as the motivation to make clear efforts toward her goals.
This won't do! Hyuga Ao said silently.
What am I even doing? A sudden wave of frustration and shame surged through Hyuga Ao's heart, and she felt ashamed of her own behavior.
Hyuga Ao was speechless for a moment. Things she had always ignored suddenly pressed down upon her heart.
I've been jumping from one thing to another this whole time. What have I been thinking? Hyuga Ao questioned herself inwardly.
At first, the Caged Bird had forced Hyuga Ao to face reality, while Embryonic Breathing had made her drift upward.
A series of questions from within finally brought Hyuga Ao back to her senses.
It was difficult to imagine that Hyuga Ao had accepted such a mission without thinking about anything at all. That was an extreme act of irresponsibility toward herself.
Hyuga Ao felt her thoughts suddenly break free. Questions she had never considered and matters she had never thought about all surfaced in her mind, and she escaped the confusion she had been trapped in.
"I really am..." Hyuga Ao shook her head and laughed bitterly.
"All right." Hyuga Ao let her thoughts disperse. "I'll complete this mission first."
Before you continue