Uchiha Squad (Please Follow)

Uchiha Sou's words hit hard, and they left Anko and the others with nothing to do but exchange glances and fall silent.

For Anko in particular, those words struck right at the heart of the matter.

There was no need to elaborate on Anko's feelings for Orochimaru. It was no exaggeration to say that she regarded him as the most important person in her life.

Perhaps the deeper the love, the more bitter the hatred.

After Orochimaru defected, Anko's willingness to fight to the death, even if it meant taking him down with her, said everything.

So Anko was the first to give in, and her "defection" left Morino Ibiki and Hyuga Tetsu with little choice.

Just like that, Uchiha Sou folded Anko Squad into his own team without breaking a sweat.

The outcome left him ecstatic. Not only had he gained a Byakugan, he had also gained one of Orochimaru's disciples!

He couldn't help wondering: if he took Anko to a room alone and repeated, "You wouldn't want Lord Orochimaru to find out about this, would you?" would she be willing to do anything?

But that was only a passing thought. He wasn't that bored. Right now, all he could think about was what to do next.

After all, they were behind enemy lines, and a single careless mistake could prove fatal!

"Captain, what do we do next?"

After spending several days giving Anko Squad time to recover, the newly formed team set out once more.

Along the way, Shiranui Genma came over to Uchiha Sou again and asked quietly,

"Should we find a suitable place to settle down, or keep looking for other squads?"

Having long accepted Uchiha Sou's plans and watched him grow their ranks, Genma was now ready to give him his full support.

"Genma, why don't you tell me what you think?"

Uchiha Sou tilted his head to glance at Shiranui Genma, then smiled and asked,

"I heard at the Academy that you always got good grades. You ranked near the top in both written exams and practicals, so I'm sure your ideas are worth considering."

"You're giving me too much credit, Captain. Compared with a true genius like you, I'm nothing."

Shiranui Genma shook his head. He really didn't think he could compare with Uchiha Sou, but he didn't refuse to offer his opinion.

"Still, since you asked, I think we should expand our numbers. According to your plan, we'll need to find a suitable place to settle down, but we don't know how many enemies might be there.

"So our own numbers are important, too. I don't think it'll be hard to bring other squads into the fold, since..."

Shiranui Genma trailed off, his gaze drifting to Anko, who was walking along the flank with an annoyed expression.

That gesture immediately told Uchiha Sou that Genma had reached the same conclusion he had.

They had all been sent here by one person: Lord Orochimaru!

And who was Anko? Lord Orochimaru's disciple!

With her status, wouldn't it be much easier to find other squads in the rear and ask them to join?

The other squads didn't know what orders Orochimaru had given, but they knew who Anko was.

And now that Anko had joined their team, wouldn't that mean this was Lord Orochimaru's will?

Besides, they were scattered behind enemy lines, facing danger at every turn. Without their faith to sustain them, they would never have endured it.

Now they had a chance to band together, and they were all working toward the same mission. So why not join forces?

"It won't be easy to find them, though."

Shiranui Genma sighed softly before continuing.

"So I think we should look for a good place to settle while also searching for them.

"And, Captain, you've said yourself that we can't ignore the strength of ordinary people, haven't you?"

"You're quite something..."

Uchiha Sou turned to look at Shiranui Genma. He thought he understood why the future Fourth Hokage trusted him so much.

This guy seemed even more perceptive than he'd imagined!

Not only had he quickly figured out how Anko could help, he'd also realized how to rely on ordinary people to bring the squads together.

How could they find the resistance behind enemy lines?

By relying on the civilians who had been thrown into chaos by the invaders, of course!

And Genma's proposal was much the same as Uchiha Sou's own idea. There was no reason to change anything.

"Let's do that. But we still need to think carefully about where to settle.

"We should choose a place that isn't too remote, but where we can retreat into the mountains and forests at a moment's notice if trouble arises."

Uchiha Sou made the final call, and Shiranui Genma nodded with a smile.

Genma felt that working alongside a genius like Uchiha Sou was genuinely stressful, especially since some of his ideas and actions were so unexpected.

Once this genius captain had made up his mind, he would take other people's opinions and suggestions into account, but he would still act according to his own plan.

Even so, there was no denying that this genius captain had both strength and ability!

With the plan settled, Shiranui Genma felt even more motivated. Along with his usual guard and patrol duties, he spent more time studying the map of the Land of Whirlpools.

Might Guy was still the same as ever. He didn't think it was boring at all to dart through the forests of the Land of Whirlpools, watching wild animals bare their teeth at him.

He was still full of energy. In fact, to improve their meals, he would bare his teeth at the wild animals himself.

He also knew he was a little lacking in other areas, so he never asked too many questions. He just focused on doing his own job.

But Anko and the other two couldn't stand days like this. They couldn't deny that Uchiha Sou had saved their lives, but they couldn't forget that he had also played them.

What they couldn't help was that Uchiha Sou's words still echoed in their ears.

For now, they could only follow orders and stick with the group, while waiting to see if they'd get a chance to get even later.

But the peaceful days didn't last long. Just as they were about to leave the forest, Hyuga Tetsu, who had been on guard, suddenly noticed something.

"Captain, there's movement up ahead!" Hyuga Tetsu had activated his Byakugan, his gaze fixed on the area ahead.

"Stay alert," Uchiha Sou said at once. He turned to Hyuga Tetsu as well. "Can you tell who they are?"

"It's Kirigakure, and they're Anbu, Captain."

Hyuga Tetsu frowned, his expression turning somewhat strange.

"They're fighting a Konoha squad, and..."

"It's a Uchiha squad."