When he returned to the Sunagakure front lines, he sensed at once that the atmosphere had grown tense. Orochimaru didn't bother with pleasantries.
"Scorch Release: Pakura!" Orochimaru said in his characteristic hoarse voice. "She slipped into the front lines under cover and has been attacking our squads. We've already lost several teams of elite jōnin. Your mission is to find Pakura. Even if you can't kill her, keep her occupied and stop her from bothering me!"
"Understood!" Neither his hidden identity nor his public one allowed him to take part in the war's decision-making. He was just a tool here; all he had to do was follow orders.
Pakura of the Scorch Release—she was an interesting character. It seemed she might be worth saving.
The situation at the front was strange. Neither side was preparing for a major battle; they were just facing off against each other. But small-scale incursions and assassinations had never stopped. Their forces were evenly matched, with both sides winning and losing in turn. Then a Kage Level fighter like Pakura joined the fray and upset the balance.
As the front-line commander, Orochimaru couldn't run around playing hide-and-seek with Pakura. But apart from him, none of his subordinates could stand against her. Luckily, Suifeng had returned.
Pakura, the Scorch Release ninja?!
With a Kage Level fighter joining the Sand Ninja at the front, the pressure on Konoha would naturally increase. Konoha had deployed forces on several fronts. Even though the fighting hadn't started on the other fronts, they still needed Kage Level fighters stationed there to guard against the enemy, didn't they? They were stretched thin now, weren't they?
They'd gone and forced the White Fang to his death for no good reason. What had been the point?
In the previous war, the White Fang had