Sakura Fortress was a defensive stronghold of Konoha, built around a permanent defensive fortress.
The fortress's top floor held the commander's office, which also served as the operations room and the highest observation post.
A little snake emerged from a corner of the office. It opened its mouth and spat out a larger snake, which opened its mouth and spat out a slimy Orochimaru.
Seeing that distinctive entrance, Yamanaka Chujiu laughed on the spot. "Orochimaru-sensei actually came a whole day early. That's very considerate of you."
Orochimaru straightened up and asked with a smile, "Oh? How so?"
Yamanaka Chujiu said, "I know you have a lot to take care of, and ten days is a tight schedule. Yet you still managed to squeeze out another day."
"You must have given up a lot to come rescue your student."
Yamanaka Chujiu truly hadn't expected Orochimaru to be willing to sacrifice his own interests to save him.
That completely changed his opinion of Orochimaru. He genuinely began to respect him as his teacher, and his attitude naturally changed.
Orochimaru noticed the change in Yamanaka Chujiu's attitude and laughed smugly. "Oh-ho-ho-ho..."
After he'd had his fill of laughing, he said with a sigh, "You've done a fantastic job, my good student."
"Not only did you hold your own against superior numbers, you even left the Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki at a loss."
"I knew you were a strong commander, but I didn't realize you were this good."
"If I'd known, I would've spent two more days on my work. We could've avoided losses, and I could've finished a few more experiments I'd had to abandon halfway through."
Yamanaka Chujiu said, "How could I have held out for another two days?"
"After two days, I'd have to retreat to within a thousand kilometers of Konoha. The Third Hokage would have a fit."
Orochimaru shook his head. "Teacher Sarutobi isn't that patient. By the time I left, he was already throwing a tantrum in the Hokage's office."
Yamanaka Chujiu: "..."
"Orochimaru-sensei, how did you ever win battles under a Third Hokage like that?"
Orochimaru stuck out his tongue and licked his cheek. "There wasn't any other way. I had to clash head-on with the enemy and gamble with the children's lives—and my own..."
"Besides, Teacher Sarutobi wasn't as impatient back then as he is now."
"Enough. Tell me your next move."
"Yes, Orochimaru-sensei."
Yamanaka Chujiu explained the entire plan without holding anything back, including the crucial strike they would make against the supply-transfer center of the Cloud Village's army.
As he spoke, his eyes gradually lit up with excitement. Before he knew it, he'd stuck out his tongue and licked his cheek.
Watching Orochimaru do the same thing left Orochimaru himself slightly stunned, and he instinctively stuck out his tongue too.
Just then, Anko pushed open the door and hurried in. "Orochimaru-sensei, the intelligence you wanted is here..."
"Huh?"
"Sensei, why are you making a clone...? Ah! That's not a clone!"
"T-two Orochimaru-senseis!"
A trace of helplessness flashed through Orochimaru's eyes. "Sigh. You've had a hard time these past few days, Chujiu."
Yamanaka Chujiu shrugged helplessly. "I only had to look after Anko for a few days. Compared to what you've been through, it was nothing."
Mitaraishi Anko was cute and had decent talent, but her personality was extremely difficult. She was gluttonous, lecherous, hyperactive, and reckless, always finding new trouble to get into.
Most importantly, she had two personalities that took turns day and night. Her brain could sleep in shifts, like a dolphin's.
At night, Anko couldn't be called Anko. She was Boiled Black Bean instead: timid, prone to crying, extremely clingy, and full of endless questions.
In short, she was very difficult to look after.
Orochimaru raised a hand and pointed at Yamanaka Chujiu. "Anko, this is your senior, Yamanaka Chujiu."
Yamanaka Chujiu turned to greet her. "Hello."
As he spoke, he drew a line across his forehead with his hand. The Great Snake Skin stuck to his body split in two, revealing his true appearance.
Anko nodded blankly. "Oh, okay."
Orochimaru shook his head. "Anko, give me the intelligence, then go outside."
Anko handed the intelligence to her teacher, turned to open the door, then looked back. "Sensei, doesn't he have to go outside too?"
Orochimaru smiled. "Chujiu doesn't. He's stronger than I am."
Anko's eyes darted around. She held out her hand. "Chujiu... Senior! Where's my meeting gift?"
Yamanaka Chujiu was stunned by Anko's strange logic. He instinctively felt around, only to realize he'd brought nothing but combat gear, with no suitable gift on him.
But he'd lived two lives, had thick skin, and was quick on his feet. He immediately promised with a smile, "I didn't prepare a gift. Once this battle's over, I'll get you something nice!"
Anko beamed. "Okay! Senior, you can't lie to your junior!"
After sending the silly little Anko off, the two of them continued discussing the operation, adjusting the plan based on intelligence the other hadn't known about.
For example, Orochimaru had a batch of Communication Snakes, selectively bred to serve the same purpose as the Mount Myoboku Communication Frogs.
Since the Communication Snakes had no intelligence and could only relay messages one way, Orochimaru had judged them failures.
But in Yamanaka Chujiu's hands, they were a godsend that could cut down on the time needed to relay orders, reducing the delay on the battlefield from several minutes to under 100 milliseconds.
His commands could go from "move the machine gun five meters to the left" to "lower the muzzle by three centimeters"!
That meant the force tasked with raiding the Cloud Village army's supply center could shrink from a large group of over a hundred to a thirty-person unit.
The biggest benefit of a smaller force was that they could slip through the Cloud Village army instead of detouring hundreds of kilometers.
That would reduce the time the front line needed to hold off the enemy by at least a day.
Orochimaru said lazily and confidently, "Holding out for just two days won't be a problem at all."
"With that much time, I can completely focus on the Eight-Tails Gyuki. I'm very curious about the Tailed Beast said to be second only to the Nine-Tails."
Yamanaka Chujiu replied casually, "Go ahead and do whatever you like, sensei. I'll go pick the team."
"..."
"It looks like I tore the skin. Orochimaru-sensei, you'll have to come with me."
Orochimaru rose, pretending to be annoyed. "What a waste of my time. Let's go!"
The thirty spots were filled quickly: an Ino-Shika-Cho squad, a Byakugan squad, two mixed reconnaissance squads, a genjutsu specialist squad, four combat squads skilled in Fire Release and Lightning Release, and a Uchiha Squad.
The Ino-Shika-Cho members were all familiar to Yamanaka Chujiu. Though they found the situation strange, there was no doubt they'd be easy to command.
The Byakugan squad was made up of members of the Hyuga Branch Family. They were highly obedient, so they wouldn't be a problem either.
The mixed reconnaissance squads consisted of shinobi from the Hyuga, Inuzuka, and Aburame clans. Their only issue was that the three doggies were a little too rowdy.
The five combat squads were all made up of civilians. They were enthusiastic about carrying out such a decisive mission, and they were also quite willing to follow Yamanaka Chujiu because he was Orochimaru's student. So they wouldn't be a problem either.
The only potential problem was the Uchiha Squad.
After all, those guys' pride really was a pain.
Before you continue