Orochimaru's Plan and the Bait

Upon hearing the tremendous noise, Jiraiya and the others immediately dispersed the mist and rushed to Sen's side.

They followed Sen's gaze.

They saw Kushimaru Kuriarare being helped to his feet by his subordinates, blood hanging from the corner of his mouth. His left hand was tightly gripping his right arm, which was already twisted and deformed, with bones exposed—

This was the price he paid for instinctively blocking with both arms at the last moment.

If that punch had landed squarely on his abdomen, he would likely be deader than dead by now.

Kushimaru Kuriarare looked at Sen with eyes so cold they seemed on the verge of bleeding. He panted, squeezing a single word from between his gritted teeth: "Retreat!"

Two smoke bombs exploded instantly, covering the escape of the surviving Mist Ninja.

"Let's check Sen's condition first!" Jiraiya immediately reminded them.

"Sen! How are you? Why are you so red? Did you get hit by a Fire Style jutsu?" Kushina asked anxiously.

At this moment, Sen's skin was flushed red from forcibly opening the Eight Inner Gates, as if he had been scorched by intense flames.

He didn't have Might Duy's hardened physique; just opening the third gate had pushed his body to the brink of collapse.

As soon as the duration ended, he felt every single bone marrow screaming in agony.

Sen even felt that if it weren't for the Uzumaki Clan's physique, he would likely be lying here today as well.

"The problem... isn't big." Sen forced himself to stand, but his body was wracked with pain, causing him to frown deeply.

Jiraiya was a bit conflicted. Their team's mission was to kill these Mist Ninja, and now they had only managed to injure one at most.

Just then, Uchiha Chizuru and the others also arrived as reinforcements.

"Sen, Senior Jiraiya, how are you doing?"

Seeing so many people, Jiraiya immediately gave instructions: "Sen and another Mist Ninja were injured fighting earlier. You guys come with me to pursue them."

He turned and instructed Minato and Kushina, "Take Sen back. He can't help right now and will likely be bedridden for a long time. We're enough to handle them."

Jiraiya knew at a glance that Sen's condition was due to using a forbidden jutsu, but he didn't expose it.

Minato and Kushina nodded. After listening to Sen quickly brief them on the enemy's information, they each took an arm and hurried back with him.

On the way back, Minato couldn't help but ask, "That thing you used, it was a forbidden jutsu to forcibly increase your abilities, wasn't it?"

"Something like that. Being able to fight like this against a Jonin is worth it." Sen looked at Kushina's face, which was full of worry, and comforted her, "It's okay, I'll recover in a week at most."

Once they reached the safety of the boat, Minato was still puzzled. "It's strange. You're usually so calm, why would you suddenly use a forbidden jutsu to fight desperately today? What happened in the dense fog?"

"Don't ask so many questions." Sen plopped down on the boat, changing the subject. "By the way, do you think Kushimaru Kuriarare can reattach his severed hand?"

Minato rowed the boat while analyzing, "Judging by the extent of the fracture, it can probably only be transplanted. But transplants often have rejection issues, unless he has a blood relative..."

Minato scratched his head, realizing his train of thought was off. "Even if they were brothers, they wouldn't just chop off a hand to give to the other, right?"

Hearing this, Sen suddenly remembered that in the original story, Kushimaru Kuriarare was known for slaughtering his comrades, including his own elder brother...

Konoha's rear medical department.

Relying on his Medical Ninjutsu and the Uzumaki Clan's monstrous physique, Sen recovered and was back on his feet in just five days.

Through Minato and Kushina's visits, he also learned the latest battle situation:

Konoha had successfully occupied the main island, but the Mist Ninja's harassment had never stopped.

They neither launched a full-scale assault nor retreated, merely buzzing around Konoha's ninja like flies, constantly harassing them.

That afternoon, as Sen was instructing Uchiha clan members in the training grounds, Orochimaru's figure silently appeared behind him.

He looked at the system prompt for his reward and claimed a [+1 Spiritual Power], as it was the weakest stat on his current panel.

Just as he was about to spar with the other person again, Orochimaru's figure appeared there.

Seeing Orochimaru approach Sen, the other clan members tactfully moved elsewhere to continue their training.

"Truly surprising. I thought you would need at least half a month to recover." A hint of curiosity flashed in Orochimaru's pupils before he asked, "You've been keeping an eye on the battlefield situation recently, haven't you?"

"Mhm," Sen nodded. "The Mist Ninja have been harassing us, but not actively attacking."

"Not entirely," Orochimaru said slowly. "I think they're looking for something."

His gaze fell meaningfully on Sen.

Sen yawned. "They're probably looking for me, or this sword in my hand."

"Clever." A hint of excitement appeared on Orochimaru's face. He handed Sen a scroll. "Interested in taking a big gamble with me? Our mission is to stabilize the surrounding islands.

Dragging this out like this is very disadvantageous for us."

Sen opened the scroll and, after carefully reading it, his expression turned grave. "This is gambling with my life."

"High risk, high reward," Orochimaru's voice carried a hint of temptation. "I'm also very curious. You've completed missions outstandingly several times and escaped danger. Why do I always have this feeling..."

He paused for a moment, then said word by word, "The village seems to really want you to die on a mission?"

Orochimaru couldn't help but ponder, Normally, juniors with great potential should be prioritized and trained by the village. But this mission feels like sending Sen to his death.

Sen shrugged. "Probably because some people in the village don't like us Uchiha."

"So, do you accept the mission or not?"

"I accept it," Sen replied crisply. "However, I have one request: have Kushina and Minato undertake some simpler missions. The Mist Ninja are too deep a pool to wade into."

A flicker of surprise flashed in Orochimaru's eyes. This mission was a matter of life and death, and he didn't want teammates? Did he intend to complete it alone?

A flicker of surprise flashed in Orochimaru's eyes. "You're going alone?"

"No," Sen said after a moment's thought. "Teacher Jiraiya should also be assigned to another mission."

He was just a little worried that, given Jiraiya's personality, he might tell the higher-ups, including Sarutobi Hiruzen, everything that happened.

Since this mission was mostly about escaping, Jiraiya wouldn't be of much use anyway.

Orochimaru was lost in thought for a moment, then actually chuckled softly.

"Sen, you truly are the boldest person I've ever met. Even I feel a bit inadequate in comparison."

Sen ignored Orochimaru's praise and said, "Those Uchiha clansmen who came as support, they haven't been sent back yet, have they? I'd like to borrow them, no problem, right?"

Seeing Orochimaru agree, a plan formed in Sen's mind.