Sannin, one of the Orochimaru!
Looking at Orochimaru, who was smiling Orochimaru at him, Sato Hideaka somewhat wary.
Investigating Orochimaru was a task assigned to him by Mitarashi Shishio, and it was also his second mission on the Western Front. The mission was to confirm the strength of Orochimaru's connection with Danzo, and to investigate whether Orochimaru was involved in the death of Hatake Sakumo.
This matter seems to be related to the selection of the next Hokage. Hatake Sakumo, Shimura Danzō, and Orochimaru are the three most promising candidates to succeed Fourth Hokage, in the eyes of the villagers of Konoha, many ninjas, and even Mitarashi Shishio.
Mitarashi Shishio suspected that Orochimaru was also involved, because as a direct descendant of the Third Hokage, Orochimaru could mobilize the Anbu Ninja, which might be one of the reasons for Anbu Ninja betrayal. After all, in a sense, Orochimaru's words were no different from those of the Third Hokage!
In fact, only Sato Hideaka knows the true identity of the Fourth Hokage.
Namikaze Minato.
The individuals who had the strength, prestige, and status to compete for the Fourth Hokage included Tsunade Senju, Jiraiya, Shimura Danzō, Orochimaru, and even Uchiha Fugaku. However, no one expected that Namikaze Minato would ultimately become the Fourth Hokage.
Orochimaru gazed at the masked figure, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He sighed, " Hideaka- kun, what do you think of the plan to pursue the defeated Sunagakure?"
"Although the vanguard of the Sunagakure Village ninjas was defeated and fled westward under the command of the Fourth Kazekage, they have not lost their leadership and still possess a high degree of cohesion. They are even ready to counterattack at any time under the command of the Fourth Kazekage. Moreover, their left and right flanks have not appeared. If they have set up an ambush, it will be troublesome. I think it is best not to pursue a desperate enemy."
Sato Hideaka shook his head, expressing a completely opposite idea to Orochimaru's.
Tsunade Senju nodded in agreement and said seriously, "I share the same thought Hideaka. After all, the left and right wings of Sunagakure haven't made their move yet. If they really have an ambush, the slight advantage we've gained might be lost again."
"We don't need to send a large force to pursue them. We can just gather the elite troops, have me hold Rasa back, and then the rest of us can harass them Hyuga Clan conducts reconnaissance... I think this way, even if we encounter a sudden ambush, it will be much easier for the elite troops to retreat."
Orochimaru shook his head, his voice gradually growing louder. The group of elite Konoha ninjas behind him nodded in agreement. After all, elites have their own pride, and Konoha naturally felt a sense of superiority over Sunagakure.
Tsunade Senju frowned, finding it difficult to refute Orochimaru's plan. After all, pressing the attack would yield significant results and greatly boost morale, and most of the elite ninjas agreed with this idea.
With Orochimaru's refinement, the combination of sensory ninjas and elite troops resulted in extremely high mobility, making it easy to evade enemy traps and encirclements!
Sato Hideaka stood silently to the side. Orochimaru's authority in the ninja forces was even greater than that of Tsunade Senju, the granddaughter of the First Hokage. No matter how noble Tsunade's status was, she was still just a woman. They would respect Tsunade Senju, but they would never have the same level of faith in her as they did in Orochimaru.
After all... Orochimaru himself is exceptionally talented and possesses his own unique personal charm!
With the unanimous approval of the elite ninjas, the plan was essentially finalized. Any further objections would not change anything and might even cause displeasure and create more trouble.
This is perhaps the benefit of prestige; once a word is spoken, followers from all directions will follow!
"Since everyone has decided on this, let's begin assigning tasks... Tsunade, you'll stay at headquarters and assist the Medical Department in treating the wounded. I'll lead five hundred elite ninjas to pursue and kill the more than two thousand fleeing Sunagakure..."
The mission was assigned with the approval of Orochimaru, the commander of the Western Front. Five hundred elite ninjas were carefully selected, with even the weakest possessing the strength of elite Chunin. As an elite member of the Anbu, Sato Hideaka was naturally assigned to the pursuit team.
Tsunade Senju gave Sato Hideaka two instructions, telling him to be careful when tracking the enemy ninjas, before turning back to complete her own tasks. She then took charge of the aftermath of the battle, including the care of the wounded ninjas, the tallying of casualties, the organization of rest for the combat ninjas, and the defense of the camp—all the tedious and complex post-battle matters.
"Then let's go! Let's catch up with these defeated Sunagakure and terrify them so they'll never dare to invade our Land of Fire Konoha again!"
Orochimaru licked his lips with his long tongue and said in a hoarse voice, while the five hundred elite ninja behind him raised their right hands and shouted, led by the Inuzuka Clan ninjas, and quickly gave chase after the enemy's scent.
The Konoha Ninja, having just won a great victory, were in high spirits.
Sato Hideaka followed the troops, leaping swiftly through the forest, trying to recover his strength. He had just killed about three hundred ninjas in twenty seconds, and the muscle strain from the high-speed movement even caused him a slight soreness.
The next battle is about to begin, and we must recover enough stamina in the meantime...
" Lord Orochimaru... the Sunagakure seem to have split into two groups here, and they've scattered in different directions!"
Following the valley, they came to a river rushing south. At one point along the river, there was a large mountain whose foot divided into two valley paths, one leading north and the other south. The Inuzuka Clan ninja suddenly stopped there.
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he were calculating something. He whispered something to the two ninjas from the Inuzuka Clan and Hyuga clans, and after exchanging words, they divided the group into two teams. Orochimaru was assigned to Team A and continued south, Sato Hideaka was assigned to Team B and headed north.
Upon hearing that Orochimaru intended to split the 500-man force, Sato Hideaka frowned slightly.
This approach seemed extremely risky. The elite force was already small in number, and further dispersing them would make them easy targets to defeat one by one. How could Orochimaru, with his intelligence and talent, overlook this?
Shaking his head, Sato Hideaka followed the captain of Team B and continued the pursuit.
Orochimaru's gaze swept lightly over the back of Sato Hideaka, who was following the B team captain northward. A meaningful look appeared in his eyes. Without anyone noticing, his right hand reached into a bush, and a white snake slithered into it.
When Orochimaru turned around again, his aura seemed much weaker, and he said hoarsely, "Their vanguard has split into two groups, preparing to escape into the left and right wing headquarters respectively. Now let's track down the Sunagakure who have escaped into the right wing headquarters! Move out!"
With a single wave of Orochimaru's Orochimaru, over two hundred Konoha Ninja followed closely behind.
After being gone for a long time.
A white snake suddenly emerged from the bushes, its bright red mouth opening wide. Its neck stretched and stretched, until a hand covered in countless drops of slime emerged. Then, the snake's mouth grew even larger, the flesh between its lips turning into thin, transparent membranes, making one worry it might burst...
"Ugh--"
A pale-skinned figure emerged from the mouth of the white snake.
The white snake, as if its skin had been shed, was lifeless. Yet the figure's gaze remained fixed on its back, its terrifying vertical pupils filled with amusement. It murmured, "Dual Kekkei Genkai, an enviable talent... truly a perfect body. I wonder where your current limits lie... Hideaka- kun!"
With a few meaningful, chilling screams, the figure leaped up a large tree and swiftly headed towards Team B!
*****************
Sato Hideaka's gaze fell on the commander of the Team B assigned by Orochimaru. This was a bald ninja with a face covered in scars. He was extremely muscular and had a ferocious, murderous aura on his face. He was clearly not a simple person.
He was leading a force of over two hundred men, pursuing the fleeing Sunagakure from the left flank.
But why was only one member from the Inuzuka Clan assigned to this team, and no members from the Hyuga Clan were assigned?
It's important to understand that while the Inuzuka Clan can track scents, they don't have the same level of observational ability as the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan, which can completely pinpoint the enemy's direction and ambush location, and even see the enemy's ambush clearly!
Such a troop composition makes them very vulnerable to enemy traps. Will Orochimaru repeatedly make these basic mistakes?
Sato Hideaka suddenly sensed something was wrong; it seemed as if the shadow of a conspiracy was approaching. (To be continued.)