At the Konoha front in the Land of Rivers, the moonlight was poor tonight. The clouds obscured the sky, making it hard to see, and a few scattered raindrops fell. No wonder Orochimaru had decided to act tonight. In this weather, the pitch-black night was the best cover for the Konoha Ninja.
As the leader of the Vanguard Unit, he stood ready with a group of cannon fodder, waiting for the order to attack. He could hear the heavy breathing of the people behind him, proof that their emotions were running high and fear was spreading through their hearts.
At this early stage of the war, Konoha wasn't yet at the end of its rope. Some members of the Vanguard Unit had been chosen by lottery, some were Ninja who had made mistakes in earlier battles, and others were elderly Ninja hoping to contribute what they could to the village.
Perhaps he was the only one who had been targeted by Orochimaru and assigned to the Vanguard Unit.
Orochimaru had done this to reassure the cannon fodder who knew they were as good as dead. He was Jiraiya's student and a direct member of the Hokage's Anbu. With him there, these people had no reason to resist, making this suicide mission seem perfectly legitimate.
Orochimaru had learned the Third Hokage's hypocrisy inside and out. No wonder the Third Hokage favored him as the Fourth Hokage.
As he turned, he could even see the twisted faces of Ninja staring blankly toward the direction of the attack, muttering, "I'm going to die... I'm going to die... I don't want to die..."
Their fear of war had pushed them to the brink of collapse.
"Calm down. You're more likely to get yourself killed acting like this." Kaede pressed a hand firmly on his