Another fight?
Hiroki took a deep breath, deftly brought his emotions under control, and calmed himself as he waited for Orochimaru to negotiate.
How long had they even been at the border?
Was the Land of Fire's border really this unstable?
Orochimaru stared coldly at the two ninjas before him.
They were Sanshouo Seiju and Seisei!
Hanzo of the Salamander's two adopted sons, and his personal guards!
They were two of the strongest ninja in the entire Amegakure. Orochimaru had never fought them and had no idea how strong they were.
"You're a disciple of the Third? What are you doing here?" Seiju asked, his face showing a hint of wariness.
They all knew who Orochimaru was. At their level, as elite jōnin still fighting on the front lines, there was no one who didn't know the opposing side's top brass.
They just didn't know how strong Orochimaru really was.
"That's what I should be asking you. This is still the Land of Fire. You're the ones who came here!" Orochimaru asked in his hoarse voice, slowly adopting a guarded stance.
"We received word that your outpost had been attacked. After conferring with Outposts 98 and 97, we entered the country to help investigate, with your permission." The two Rain Ninja elite jōnin watched Orochimaru with some apprehension.
Orochimaru said nothing, remaining on guard.
The claim that they had Konoha's permission was a lie. He had come on the Third's direct orders to investigate Amegakure's troop deployments and movements.
The Third was afraid the Land of Rain might strike first. Why would he possibly let them in?
Even if his teacher agreed, Konoha's Council of Elders and Danzo would never approve.
How could Konoha allow two squads from Amegakure to enter the Land of Fire at a time like this?