Orochimaru's Favor

"We're finally back!" Seeing Konoha's camp, Yueguang Xingye finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, we're finally back. If it weren't for that boy from your clan, we might not have made it back at all this time." Hearing Yueguang Xingye's wistful remark, Mitarashi Shika sighed as well.

"I wonder if that boy has made it back yet!" At that, Yueguang Xingye couldn't help worrying again.

"I got back two days before you. But let me make this clear: I didn't return right after we parted. I only came back at dawn. You were just too slow." Young Han's voice rang out above them. He jumped down from a tree beside them. There was a hint of teasing in his words, but his voice remained as cold as ever, and he still wore no smile.

"You've been waiting here for us ever since you got back?" Yueguang Xingye had grown used to Young Han's expression by now and asked with a smile. He assumed Young Han had deliberately waited there for everyone so they could return together.

"No, I'm not that stupid. Lord Orochimaru had someone tell me that you were back," Young Han said. "So I came here to wait for you. Let's go in first. Lord Orochimaru is still waiting for you to report the details of the mission."

"Lord Orochimaru, that is everything that happened during the mission." In the command center, Yueguang Xingye finally finished reporting the entire course of the mission after an hour.

Under normal circumstances, the reporting ninja should have omitted unimportant details and condensed the report to within ten minutes. It shouldn't have taken this long. However, whenever the battle involving Young Han came up, especially his Bloodline Limit, Orochimaru repeatedly asked for more details. He even asked about the Sand Shinobi's deaths and overlooked nothing, which was why the report took more than an hour.

"In other words, not only did you fail this mission, but aside from killing a few Sand Shinobi, all the others were killed by Young Han alone." After hearing the report from the three of them, Orochimaru asked coldly.

"Uh! Y-yes!" Yueguang Xingye answered awkwardly.

Mitarashi Shika and Kurama Watanabe also lowered their heads in perfect unison, not daring to make a sound.

This mission had not only ended in failure, but the three clans' more than one hundred members had killed only seven Sand Shinobi in total. They had also lost six people and suffered ten injuries, while Young Han had killed nearly a hundred Sand Shinobi alone without suffering so much as a scratch. Compared with him, the results of their hundred-plus members were truly too embarrassing to mention.

"Young Han's abilities were the key to whether this mission succeeded. I previously told you to take Young Han's opinions into greater consideration. Did you take them seriously?" Seeing that the three remained silent, Orochimaru continued questioning them. His meaning was clear: had the mission failed because they had not promptly adopted the advice of the key figure?

"Lord Orochimaru, everyone adopted my suggestions and helped me refine them." Before Yueguang Xingye could answer, Young Han spoke first. He had already given Orochimaru a brief report on the mission. Orochimaru clearly knew that the mission had failed because Rasa had severely countered his Bloodline Limit and because of the overwhelming difference in strength and numbers between the two sides. By questioning Yueguang Xingye and the others like this, Orochimaru would likely punish them.

"No, Lord Orochimaru. I was the one who failed to adopt Young Han's suggestions in time!" Hearing Young Han, Yueguang Xingye hurriedly spoke. If they had listened to Young Han from the beginning and charged together at the Sand Shinobi outpost in the valley, they might truly have taken it. Unfortunately, they had not placed enough trust in Young Han's Bloodline Limit. Even after Young Han had demonstrated his ability to kill enemies from an extremely long distance, they still had not fully trusted him, causing them to miss their best opportunity. By the time they truly believed in Young Han's abilities, they had already lost their chance. Then Rasa arrived, and the mission failed outright.

"As the captain of this mission, your command error led to its failure. However, considering that your entire body is covered in burns, the Gekko Clan will be responsible for escorting the wounded back to the village from now on. Young Han will stay. He participated in the frontal battle, and I will command him personally," Orochimaru said.

"Ah!" Yueguang Xingye was stunned.

"Uncle Xingye, accept the punishment!" Seeing Yueguang Xingye standing there blankly, Young Han hurriedly reminded him. Young Han finally understood: Orochimaru intended to move the Gekko Clan to a safer position while also sending Yueguang Xingye away so that he could perform at full strength. Orochimaru was not only doing him a favor but could also rely on him to bring in more battle achievements.

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru." Reminded by Young Han, Yueguang Xingye hurriedly acknowledged it, delight in his heart.

... Mitarashi Shika and Kurama Watanabe looked at Yueguang Xingye with both envy and speechlessness, envious that the Hayate Clan had produced such an incredible genius. Orochimaru had called it a punishment, but he was clearly just finding an excuse to transfer the entire Gekko Clan to the second line, where they would not have to fight on the battlefield. Their two clans even had to be grateful, because all three clans had acted together in this mission, yet only the Gekko Clan was being punished.

In truth, they wanted this kind of punishment too. Wouldn't it be nice if everyone were treated equally? Who would want their clan members to suffer heavy casualties? But how could it be that easy? The battlefield was still short of manpower. Even those who had made great contributions could not withdraw to the second line unless they were crippled.

"Enough. You may leave. Young Han will stay. From now on, I will command him directly," Orochimaru said.

"Yes!" Yueguang Xingye and the other two acknowledged him and left Orochimaru's command center.

"Thank you, Lord Orochimaru." After the three of them left, Young Han thanked Orochimaru.

"It was nothing. Just a small favor," Orochimaru said with a smile.

"Young Han, you're on your own here. Whether you're fighting on the front lines or carrying out missions, you must be careful. On the battlefield, watch out for corpses on the ground. Some gravely wounded enemies will pretend to be dead, then look for a chance to take you down with them. Those people often disregard everything. When carrying out missions, be especially wary of traps. And if you encounter an unfamiliar Konoha team, be careful as well. Always make sure you keep a trump card in reserve." In the tent where the Hayate Clan lived together, Yueguang Xingye prepared combat supplies for Young Han while repeatedly warning him to be careful on his own.

"I'll remember. You all need to be careful too. Escorting the wounded is dangerous as well," Young Han said seriously.

"Of course we'll be careful! I'm an old hand on the battlefield," Yueguang Xingye said with a smile.