You Have No Proof

Upon hearing Tsunade apologize to him, Seigetsu Senju quickly replied:

"Tsunade-sensei, I understand. Had we known the truth, we wouldn't have spent the entire journey exhausting ourselves to protect the fake Young Master Nawaki.

Everything was for the mission; naturally, I have no complaints."

Kawadera Uchiha turned his head slightly, having overheard Ken Aburame muttering to himself.

"What a waste of those two medical ninjas from the Senju Clan..."

He whispered to Ken Aburame: "If we were any weaker, people would be pitying us instead. That's just how missions go."

"I feel the Senju Clan is too obsessed with sacrifice. This clan is going to finish itself off sooner or later."

Kawadera Uchiha was startled and immediately changed his tune:

"What are you saying! The Senju Clan is at the height of its power. It is the premier clan that founded the village and has produced two Hokage in succession.

Your worry is like fearing that the Land of Fire, the most populous nation, will perish because of a low birth rate."

Ken Aburame fell silent.

Tsunade looked over and said, "Is this the assassin you brought back? The one still being bitten by the snake? Send him to Orochimaru; he is still waiting for him."

Kawadera Uchiha carried the captive captain on his back and headed toward Orochimaru's tent.

Seigetsu Senju went to write the mission scroll, and after finishing, he found Tsunade-sensei in the medical tent.

"Sensei, we were ambushed on the return journey. Kawadera handled three enemies single-handedly; he played a key role once again, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to bring the captive back."

Tsunade took the scroll and said, "Kawadera Uchiha truly possesses some of the flair Kagami Uchiha once had. He can be cultivated as a model."

After a moment of thought, Tsunade added, "He has proven his value several times over. It is time we set aside our prejudice against his surname."

Hearing Tsunade-sensei say this, Seigetsu Senju was thrilled. Tsunade-sensei had finally recognized Kawadera.

Tsunade asked, "What is Kawadera Uchiha skilled in?"

"Genjutsu and Fire Style ninjutsu. Recently, he has been training hard in taijutsu to shore up his weaknesses."

After pondering, Tsunade said, "Why not grant him one of our Senju Clan's secret techniques? It would be a fitting reward for his sincerity."

"Understood! I'll go find Kawadera right now!"

Meanwhile, inside Orochimaru's tent, Kawadera Uchiha set down the captive captain but did not leave.

Orochimaru's hands were buried inside the chest cavity of a test subject.

The air was filled with wet, squelching sounds as Orochimaru gripped the heart, performing cardiac resuscitation on the subject.

The experiment wasn't over yet; how could the subject be allowed to die?

Orochimaru stared at Kawadera Uchiha, wondering what he wanted.

Kawadera Uchiha met Orochimaru's cold, sinister gaze and comforted himself internally.

Investigating the mastermind behind the assassination attempt on Nawaki Senju was an A-rank mission from Tobirama Senju. Be brave, don't be so afraid of Orochimaru.

Nawaki wasn't dead, and Orochimaru hadn't turned evil yet. He just liked human experimentation, he just happened to like killing, and he was just temperamental. Aside from that, there didn't seem to be anything to fear.

Kawadera Uchiha spoke:

"Lord Orochimaru, our squad protected Young Master Nawaki, and it seems we have been targeted by the mastermind.

On the way back, a force intercepted us. Their determination to kill us was even greater than their desire to silence us.

I wonder if Lord Orochimaru could inform us of the mastermind's identity so we can be on our guard."

"Hehehe." A hoarse, cold laugh emanated from Orochimaru's throat:

"Do you really want to know?

Right now, you know nothing, and they know that you know nothing, which is why you are still alive.

If you truly knew something, you would be dead without a doubt."

Kawadera Uchiha's eyes lit up as he said, "Judging by your words, Lord Orochimaru, you already know who the mastermind is?"

Orochimaru remained noncommittal.

Unable to get an answer, Kawadera Uchiha continued:

"The mastermind certainly isn't some rival Great Ninja Village; there is no need for Lord Orochimaru to cover for people from an enemy village.

Princess Tsunade hasn't made a move, which proves that Lord Orochimaru knows who it is, but the Senju Clan does not.

In other words, Lord Orochimaru believes that the identity of the mastermind is not only unsuitable for a small fry like me to know, but it would be best if even the Senju Clan pretended not to know.

The mastermind's status and position must be even higher than that of the Senju Clan.

If the status is higher than the Senju Clan, the mastermind can only be one of the village's top brass...

I can rule out Advisor Utatane Koharu; she is in charge of internal affairs. That means it is either Commander Mitokado Homura or Advisor Shimura Danzō.

It couldn't possibly be the Hokage, haha..."

Kawadera Uchiha abruptly stopped speaking. Why wasn't Orochimaru laughing? Was that joke not funny?

Orochimaru's mouth stretched wide—it wasn't a smile, it was a sneer.

His lips compressed his other features, making his face look like it was made of rubber; it was inhuman and terrifying.

Nawaki hadn't died, so why was Orochimaru still acting so sinister?

"Guess again."

Hearing Orochimaru's goading, Kawadera Uchiha didn't dare to speak.

Within the sea of his consciousness, he said to Tobirama Senju:

"Lord Second, did you hear that?

Orochimaru didn't deny it; the mastermind is either Shimura Danzō or Mitokado Homura.

I don't dare to guess anymore.

Mitokado Homura is the commander-in-chief of the Land of Grass front; if he wants me dead, he only needs to assign me a mission I absolutely cannot complete—it would be effortless.

Advisor Danzō controls the dark forces of Konoha; if he wants to kill me, I wouldn't even know how I died.

It's so hard to guess, Lord Second. The people who used traps to kill you, and the ones who tried to assassinate Nawaki, are all your disciples."

Tobirama Senju paused for several seconds before saying, "You have no evidence. Your deductions are all built upon Orochimaru's ambiguous answers."

"If you don't give me Mind Reading, where would I get evidence? You can't expect a Chūnin from the Uchiha Clan like me to investigate several advisors, can you? That wouldn't be the price of an A-rank mission."

Tobirama Senju fell into silence.

"Regardless, I have completed the investigation into the mastermind. The culprit is the Konoha high command. The mission is over; I want Mind Reading."

"No. The strategic significance of Mind Reading is too great. If you possess it, you would have intelligence-gathering capabilities that transcend conventional means, allowing you to extract information from any unconscious person or corpse. I will only grant you one Mind Awakening."

A tremor of the soul occurred, and Kawadera Uchiha felt his soul grow a fraction stronger.

He hurriedly checked his Eight Ninja Stats panel.

[Genjutsu] had increased from 8.0 to 8.1, and [Spirit] from 6.9 to 7.0.

Having been diligently training his Taijutsu lately, his physique had improved, and with this current boost in spiritual energy, his chakra reserves had also risen.

Orochimaru's mouth slowly closed as he said:

"Kawadera Uchiha, in this boring frontline, you have piqued my interest a little more.

Follow me. I will give you power, I will give you Ninjutsu, I will give you everything you need."

If Tobirama Senju weren't in his sea of consciousness, Kawadera Uchiha would have dropped to his knees in submission right then and there.

If your knees aren't red, you aren't loyal enough.

Setting aside whether there was a fishhook involved, I couldn't resist this bait—I really wanted to take a bite.

Kawadera Uchiha reminded Orochimaru, "Lord Orochimaru, your test subject is practically dead; he seems to be convulsing."

Dissatisfied with Kawadera Uchiha changing the subject, Orochimaru exerted force with his palm, crushing the test subject's heart.

Kawadera Uchiha watched the blood splatter onto Orochimaru's clothes and said:

"As expected of Lord Orochimaru, you have such profound attainments in Medical Ninjutsu. You instantly cured the test subject's convulsions; he has quieted down."

Just then, the voice of Seigetsu Senju came from outside.

"Lord Orochimaru! Master Tsunade sent me to bring Kawadera Uchiha over!"

The tent suddenly fell into silence.

Orochimaru did not answer Seigetsu Senju outside the tent, but instead stared fixedly at Kawadera Uchiha.