Kiba and Juzo Biwa

"Lord Orochimaru, the offensive from Kirigakure has seemed to slow down recently."

Inside the Konoha camp in the Land of Whirlpools, Nara Shikani held a file and reported in a low voice to Orochimaru.

This situation had been reported by ninjas on the front lines, and it wasn't just one group of ninjas providing this feedback!

They were astonished to discover that for some unknown reason, the Mist Ninja, who had previously been attacking with ferocious momentum, had begun to change their tactics.

In some areas, the Mist Ninja, who clearly held the advantage, had even begun to retreat for no apparent reason, ceding territory they had originally occupied.

Even without knowing what was happening, this news was excellent for all the Konoha ninjas!

Nara Shikani had initially felt the same, but as he reported these details, his brow couldn't help but furrow slightly.

Because along with this situation, another piece of news had been sent back that he found difficult to handle.

Konoha ninjas had gathered and rounded up a large number of civilians within the area controlled by Kirigakure, and most crucially, they had even trained these civilians!

If an ordinary ninja heard this news, they wouldn't think there was any problem; the Konoha ninjas currently participating in the war were exactly like that.

They were even discussing who could have possibly accomplished such a feat, managing to cause the Mist Ninja so much trouble.

Of course, there were also some who were worried.

But their concern was that involving civilians in a ninja war might lead to a large number of civilian casualties.

Konoha was a righteous force, and war was a matter for ninjas; naturally, they did not want to see significant civilian casualties.

However, Nara Shikani was different from them. As a member of the Nara Clan, there were many things they were well aware of.

For instance, he was very clear on how Konoha—or more accurately, the Third Hokage and his circle—viewed the Land of Whirlpools!

"This is good news, isn't it?" Orochimaru tapped the table lightly, licking his tongue as he spoke with a smile.

"It is, but Lord Orochimaru." Nara Shikani was somewhat conflicted, but eventually, he whispered, "You must have heard some rumors about this matter."

"A very bold idea, isn't it?" Orochimaru paused, then softened his smile and spoke quietly.

"Indeed very bold, but also too bold."

Nara Shikani sighed slightly, then hesitated before lowering his voice to the absolute minimum.

"Lord Orochimaru, the Hokage of Konoha is still the Third Hokage, and the person who initiated such an operation behind enemy lines is very likely someone you sent out. I am worried that this might cause some repercussions for you, leading to unexpected complications later on."

Having said this, Nara Shikani stopped, while Orochimaru continued to tap his fingers slowly against the table.

The rumors of the Third Hokage stepping down had actually been circulating for a long time; it was just that they were intensifying now.

With such rumors and inclinations, there would naturally be people waiting for an opportunity to act. Orochimaru was well aware that the Nara Shikani before him was essentially an investment from the Nara Clan in his own future.

Of course, he was even more aware that the other candidates likely had similar figures around them.

But this was perfectly normal; after all, every Hokage candidate had to build their own team once they truly ascended to power.

The current situation was simply a matter of making connections in advance.

Once he truly took the position, the person he would be dealing with, aside from Nara Shikani, would be the head of the Nara Clan.

At this moment, Orochimaru still had significant ambitions for the Hokage position, although the sheer amount of death he had witnessed due to the war had already begun to shift his perspective.

But it was also because of the war that Danzo had not yet invited him to join Root.

Even though Danzo had allowed him access to the cells of the First Hokage years ago, and even had him inject them into infants to observe the experimental samples, he had not allowed him any further operations or independent research since then.

Therefore, he was still very cautious about certain matters at this time and had not completely given up, nor was he acting with a "so what if I did it" attitude.

But it had to be said that his teacher's disregard for the lives of the civilians in the Land of Whirlpools really made him feel more and more how insignificant life truly was.

"To disregard so many lives for the sake of certain goals." Orochimaru tapped the table lightly and suddenly said indifferently.

"Lord Orochimaru!" Before he could finish, Nara Shikani interrupted him: "You cannot say such things lightly. This is for the sake of the village. If you truly want to change things, you should..."

As he spoke, Nara Shikani pointed his finger upward, the implication being self-evident.

Orochimaru laughed dismissively. He felt that the people of the Nara Clan were sometimes incredibly clever, but at other times, not so much.

However, he couldn't be bothered to say anything more. He thought for a moment and said, "Do not report this matter to Konoha for the time being. At the same time, dispatch a trustworthy team to go in and make contact with those people."

"Lord Orochimaru, are you planning to..." Nara Shikani hesitated before asking: "Help them?"

"At the very least, find out what exactly they have done." Orochimaru said meaningfully. "And since we are still in a time of war, regardless of anything else, let's resolve the war first."

"This..." Nara Shikani thought for a moment, then nodded earnestly: "Yes, Lord Orochimaru!"

"It should be around here."

Might Duy glanced at the map in his hand, then stood up and continued running forward. He seemed somewhat anxious now.

He truly hadn't expected his son to take on such a dangerous mission, heading into the Kirigakure-controlled area to carry out sabotage operations.

Although he was naturally proud of Might Guy for performing such an important task as a Konoha ninja, Guy was his only son and his only spiritual successor.

No matter what, he did not want anything to happen to his son; no matter what, he had to find him!

Fortunately, his luck was good. After Lord Orochimaru learned of his situation, he had actually granted him permission to act alone and enter the Kirigakure-controlled area.

Furthermore, while he was running around blindly after entering, he actually encountered a resistance organization from the Land of Whirlpools, and there were even Konoha ninja among them!

After a complicated verification process—and given that he was quite famous in Konoha as the eternal genin who only knew taijutsu—he gained their trust.

Through them, Might Duy learned the approximate location of his son, so he ran rapidly in that direction.

"I'm so lucky; I haven't run into any trouble along the way."

As Might Duy watched himself getting closer and closer to his goal, he couldn't help but think happily to himself.

The members of the resistance had warned him more than once to be careful on the road and never to be captured, even suggesting he commit suicide if necessary, because he possessed some secrets he shouldn't know.

Might Duy knew the importance and danger of this mission, and he had prepared for everything, but he hadn't expected it to go so smoothly.

"Keep it up, I'm almost there."

Thinking this to himself, he couldn't help but increase his speed once again.

Yet, what he didn't know was that a group of ninja was silently watching him from behind!

"Are you sure this guy can lead us to the location?"

Raiga Kurosuki crossed his arms over his chest, looking at Might Duy's back from afar as he spoke coldly.

"I don't know, but we've followed him for so long, and he seems to have had contact with those resistance members, so I believe he should have gained something."

Juzo Biwa's voice was also extremely icy; watching that figure gradually disappear, he spoke indifferently.

"Let's go, let me see what other tricks this guy has up his sleeve."

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