Please Command Me Freely!

Yamanaka Chujiu had no objections to the strike team Orochimaru had selected.

Especially the Uchiha squad; not only could they largely compensate for the potential blind spots in his Heart Severing Realm, but they also provided a wealth of tactical options.

His only concern was that the Uchiha might refuse to submit to his command, leading to human error during the operation.

However, upon seeing the specific roster, Yamanaka Chujiu stopped worrying entirely.

The captain of the Uchiha squad was Uchiha Yashiro, with Uchiha Tekka and Uchiha Shisui as members.

As long as Shisui was there, he had a channel for communication, meaning there would be no misunderstandings to cause errors during the infiltration.

The problem was that the Third Hokage had transferred the entire Uchiha clan to the Eastern Front, intentionally pitting them against the Kirigakure Ninja who excelled in Water Release.

Furthermore, Yamanaka Chujiu remembered that it was during the slaughter against the Kirigakure Ninja that Shisui earned the moniker "Body Flicker Shisui."

Why had he suddenly come to the Northern Front?

The next moment, Yamanaka Chujiu looked at Orochimaru: "Teacher, did you mobilize the Uchiha?"

Orochimaru gave a smug smile: "Shimura Danzō is foolish, and Teacher Hiruzen is muddled. How could such useful combat power as the Uchiha be wasted on the Kirigakure Ninja?"

"It is a pity that I can only mobilize them for a short time; once they finish this campaign, they must return to the Eastern Front."

Yamanaka Chujiu gave a thumbs up: "That is already quite impressive."

Orochimaru became even more smug; having a student who could understand just how powerful he was felt truly satisfying!

Tsunade could never understand, because she had no need to; whatever she wanted, the Third Hokage would give her immediately.

Jiraiya also could not understand; faced with that blockheaded fellow, Orochimaru didn't even know how to begin explaining.

Nawaki, sigh, that hot-blooded idiot really should have been Jiraiya's student.

Anko, well, never mind her.

The intellectual resonance and spiritual alignment made Orochimaru increasingly satisfied with Yamanaka Chujiu.

He waved his hand: "Come, I will introduce you formally and lend you some initial capital."

Yamanaka Chujiu thanked him: "Many thanks, Teacher."

Orochimaru sneered: "No need for thanks. Once you start commanding, they will be completely captivated; I can only help with the first step."

"Once you win this battle, you will be able to take over the task of commanding the main army for me."

Yamanaka Chujiu laughed: "That is impossible, unless you become the Fifth Hokage, Teacher."

Orochimaru: "Oh? Oh—, oh hehehehe, Teacher Hiruzen..."

"Then you have a long wait ahead of you. After all, my teacher has not yet been restored, and if I want to ascend to the position of Fifth Hokage, it will take at least two years."

Yamanaka Chujiu: "That is already faster than I expected; you need not be so anxious."

Orochimaru: "I must be anxious. If I do not become the Fifth Hokage, when will you be able to become the Sixth?"

"If you do not become the Sixth Hokage, how can I put aside all these bothersome matters and focus on researching ninjutsu and science?"

The master and student thus settled the future succession of the Hokage, showing absolutely no regard for the Third Hokage, who currently held the reins of power.

This is the ninja world; true power is rooted in strength!

The Third Hokage's authority was indeed vast, and his prestige was truly high, but he lacked the record of personally defeating enemies.

Perhaps the sudden accident of the Second Hokage, who fell in the Land of Lightning, left a lesson too profound for Hiruzen Sarutobi regarding the chaotic situation that followed in Konoha?

Regardless, those who achieved dazzling records in war were Hatake Sakumo, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Namikaze Minato—all of whom fought with real blades and guns on the battlefield.

Meanwhile, the Third Hokage, who sat in Konoha, contributed to the war effort in a way that was infinitely close to that of an ordinary jonin.

His greatest value was that he had no chance of dying on the front lines, preventing the risk of Konoha suddenly collapsing.

When Hiruzen Sarutobi allowed Shimura Danzō to wantonly suppress Hatake Sakumo and Orochimaru, he was effectively throwing away their achievements with his own hands.

When Namikaze Minato sacrificed himself, his brilliant record was also sealed away onto the Memorial Stone.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's record was thus wiped clean; his foundation of power had vanished, leaving only the shell of habit.

When Orochimaru was willing to fight with all his might for the position of Fifth Hokage for the sake of Yamanaka Chujiu, the downfall of the Third Hokage became merely a matter of time and the manner in which it would occur.

Before Yamanaka Chujiu personally commanded the war, he mistakenly believed that central command was the core of war, fearing that if he performed too well, it would strengthen the authority of the Third Hokage.

But after experiencing the practical operations over these past few days and mastering the intelligence of the entire situation, he realized he was wrong; his experience from his past life had misled him.

Konoha itself provided too little support to the front lines, the pace was too slow, and the intensity was too weak.

No wonder when he told Uchiha Shisui that Hiruzen Sarutobi had to be responsible for the affairs of all of Konoha, that kid resisted from the bottom of his heart.

Yamanaka Chujiu shook his head with a bitter smile; it turned out he was the one who was wrong, and Shisui was right!

When he saw that kid later, would it feel awkward...

Pah!

I am not wrong!

The one who is wrong is that ignorant old geezer, Hiruzen Sarutobi!

Once my teacher Orochimaru ascends to power, I will surely be able to set things right and show the entire ninja world what total war truly means!

I will show them what it means when the Konoha army marches out, with victory already decided outside the battlefield, leaving the ninjas only to walk onto the field and reach out to pluck the fruits of their triumph!

Yamanaka Chujiu thought to himself, his confidence returning as his heart settled, and a smile reappeared on his face.

Uchiha Shisui was feeling a bit panicked at this moment; on the very first day he arrived at the Eastern Front, he had erupted into battle with Kirigakure Ninja.

The Uchiha had prepared to counter Water Style, but they were not prepared to counter the Hidden Mist Jutsu.

When the thick fog, infused with chakra, obscured the vision of their Sharingan, the young Uchiha lost their composure and committed fatal errors in their panic.

Uchiha Shisui's two teammates, the brothers Uchiha Hiroyuki and Uchiha Hiroji, were cut down by Kirigakure Ninja in this very first battle.

The younger brother, Hiroji, in particular, did not die on the spot, but after being severed at the waist by a Kirigakure Ninja's great blade, there was no hope of survival.

Struggling in the agony of certain death, he begged Uchiha Shisui to end his suffering.

Uchiha Shisui never told anyone what happened at that moment; he even sealed away parts of his own memories because of it.

Following that, he was temporarily withdrawn from frontline combat as a wounded soldier who had lost his squad.

When the transfer order from Orochimaru arrived, Uchiha Shisui thought of Yamanaka Chujiu on the Northern Front, volunteered for the assignment, and thus arrived at the Northern Front.

Yet, he had not expected to see Yamanaka Chujiu so soon.

Yamanaka Chujiu was quite surprised by the change in Uchiha Shisui; in less than ten days, the boy's emotional profile had completely shifted.

He was like a steel wire pulled to its absolute limit, ready to snap at any moment.

Yamanaka Chujiu did not ask Shisui what had happened, but instead said to him gently, "From now on, you are under my command."

Uchiha Shisui nodded heavily: "Senior Chujiu, please command me as you see fit!"