Eight: This Business Trip Is Truly a Wonderful Thing

Sakuya and Orochimaru were having a delightful time chatting at the dessert shop; Sakuya thought he had successfully built up enough rapport, while Orochimaru believed he had found a like-minded partner. Both sides thought they had won.

Just as the two were preparing to leave, the door to the dessert shop was pushed open silently. An Anbu ninja wearing a dog mask approached them and nodded.

"Jonin Orochimaru, Jonin Uchiha Sakuya, Lord Hokage requests your presence."

"Now?"

Sakuya was stunned.

They had just attended the Jonin meeting this morning; why go again when it was barely noon?

Did they think this was some game where they could just launch it whenever they felt like it?

Had something happened?

Sensing that something was wrong, Sakuya and Orochimaru exchanged a glance and immediately headed toward the Hokage Building.

Three minutes later, the two arrived at the Hokage Building.

Pushing open the office doors, they found the room already packed with people. Sakuya took a quick look and noticed that many Jonin were present, including Tsunade Senju, Jiraiya, and the current Ino-Shika-Cho.

Aside from the many Jonin he had caught a glimpse of that morning, there were over a dozen unfamiliar faces.

Sakuya thought carefully before realizing that these were the Jonin from the Konoha Barrier Team.

What kind of major incident had occurred?

It was enough to bring out the Jonin who spent their entire lives guarding the Konoha barriers and never left their posts.

"Have Sakuya and Orochimaru arrived?"

Seeing them enter, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. "You two, come take a look at this."

He shook the mission scroll in his hand.

Sakuya stepped forward, took it, and scanned it quickly, his brows furrowing immediately.

"...Something happened in the Land of Fang?"

"The night before last, a group of unknown rogue ninjas occupied the sugar refinery in the Land of Fang and destroyed the port our Konoha established near the factory."

Hiruzen Sarutobi explained to Sakuya, "The two Jonin guarding the site were killed on the spot, and eleven Chunin suffered heavy casualties. Two Chunin are missing, and as for those Genin..."

At this point, Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head and continued, "Beyond these casualties, the port has also been seized by those rogue ninjas."

"Are those rogue ninjas insane?"

Sakuya's face was full of disbelief.

The Land of Fang was a small nation bordering the western side of the Land of Fire, sandwiched between the Land of Rain and the Land of River. Its territory was not large, only about one-third the size of the Land of Rain.

It appeared inconspicuous, yet it was a vital sugar production hub for the Land of Fire.

Although the Land of Fire was located in the center of the continent, vast and rich in resources, it uniquely lacked suitable land for sugar production, and many raw materials for refining had long been dependent on imports.

That sugar refinery in the Land of Fang could produce nearly thirty percent of the sugar for the Land of Fire annually, and when divided for Konoha, that amounted to about forty-five percent of Konoha's internal supply.

And now, you're telling me a group of unknown rogue ninjas suddenly occupied this factory and destroyed the port Konoha built nearby?

This was the port of the Land of Fire, the strongest of the Five Great Nations!

It was the port of Konoha, the strongest ninja village!

Seeing this, Uchiha Sakuya only felt it was absurd.

This wasn't just pulling teeth from a tiger's mouth.

This was playing with the tiger's balls right in front of its face!

This was a slap in the face to the Land of Fire and to Konoha!

Their audacity was boundless.

"Uchiha Sakuya, Orochimaru, Tsunade Senju."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze swept across those present, calling their names one by one. "Prepare yourselves immediately and head to the Land of Fang at top speed."

Inside the Hokage office, the Third Hokage's voice was as biting as winter. "Wipe out those rogue ninjas completely and reclaim the port and the sugar refinery for me."

"Understood!"

The three responded solemnly.

Before they left, Hiruzen Sarutobi called out to Orochimaru. "Orochimaru."

He stared at his beloved student, his voice dropping low. "You are to lead this mission. Remember, it is not enough to simply take back what belongs to Konoha..."

The Third Hokage's gaze was fierce, hiding a suffocating, icy light. "...You must make those lurking in the shadows see clearly what price they will pay for touching Konoha's property."

"Heh, what kind of price does Teacher want?"

Looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi, Orochimaru asked.

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not reply, simply watching him quietly.

In the silent office, the golden-eyed snake and the middle-aged monkey locked eyes. A moment later, the corners of the snake's mouth curled up, and he nodded gently.

An hour later, Sakuya and the other two gathered at the village gate.

Sakuya swept a glance over Tsunade, who had changed her attire.

Unlike the light blue casual clothes she wore earlier, Tsunade was now dressed in a proper Konoha Jonin flak jacket, her long golden hair tied high with a ribbon, making her look extremely capable.

Underneath the green vest, she wore a black bodysuit, the taut fabric outlining her full, rounded curves, looking completely different from the Senju young lady he had seen before.

Noticing Sakuya's gaze, Tsunade let out a huff, looking as if she had no desire to pay him any mind.

It was to be expected; facing the person who had just retorted against her that morning, how could Tsunade possibly be willing to give him a pleasant look?

"Sakuya-kun, Tsunade."

Orochimaru looked at the two and handed them the scroll in his hand.

"What is this?"

Sakuya took the scroll and scanned it.

"Intelligence on those rogue ninjas; I got it from the Sensory Division."

Orochimaru said, "Time is tight, so I will keep it brief."

As the three walked out of the village gate, Orochimaru continued, "According to preliminary investigations, there are seventy-three of these rogue ninjas in total. Their leader is a guy who excels in Wind Release, with strength roughly equivalent to a Jonin. Aside from him, the others are just a motley crew, mostly Genin."

"...That's it?"

Sakuya raised an eyebrow.

Ever since they were in the Hokage's office, he had felt that something was off.

"The port the village established in the Land of Fang, I recall it being guarded by two Jonin and several Chunin, right?"

"Yes, one named Shiranui Tane, the other Shiranui Bo; they are brothers."

"A guy with Jonin-level strength, leading a bunch of lackeys, slaughtered our Konoha's two Jonin and several Chunin and Genin to this extent..."

Uchiha Sakuya frowned deeply.

Something was wrong.

Nine, perhaps even ten parts wrong.

One must know that although they are all called Jonin, the gap between one Jonin and another is as vast as the heavens.

An ordinary Chunin, if they can master a chakra nature transformation and learn a powerful ninjutsu, can pass the village's selection to become a Jonin—for example, a teenage Kakashi, whose Chidori alone was enough to recommend him for Jonin status.

The Jonin selection in those small countries is even more of a farce; perhaps just learning one powerful secret technique is enough to qualify as a Jonin.

In the unspoken rules of the ninja world, the strength of ninjas from small countries and rogue ninjas is generally a level lower than those from the Great Nations.

A Jonin is equivalent to a Great Nation's Chunin, and a Chunin corresponds to a Great Nation's Genin.

Yet, the intelligence from the Sensory Division now claimed that a rogue ninja Jonin had ambushed and killed two Konoha Jonin?

Even if those two Jonin were civilian ninjas and were caught by surprise, it shouldn't have been so easy to take them down.

What on earth had happened in the Land of Fang?