Teacher, have the enemies already infiltrated our ranks!?

Ruohuo's hypothesis was correct.

By suppressing the recoil with his bare hands, the focused state of his Dragon Fire was forcibly extended by about three meters, and its subsequent rate of dispersion was no longer as rapid.

The key was that with the increased pressure, the velocity of the jet had also accelerated significantly.

Aburame Ryoma's insect clone didn't even have time to react before it was incinerated into ash!

"Tsk, so it was just a clone."

Ruohuo curled his lip, looking toward Orochimaru with visible dissatisfaction.

"Teacher, you let him get away."

"There will always be another chance to encounter him, Ruohuo-kun." Orochimaru smiled. "If you insist, it's not too late for us to start a pursuit now."

"Let's prioritize saving people first, Teacher."

Ruohuo was tempted for only a second before abandoning the idea of pursuit.

Although he didn't know why Orochimaru was also targeting Danzo, he had no intention of becoming Orochimaru's blade...

Killing one was enough; it wasn't easy for Elder Danzo to cultivate his subordinates, after all.

"Compared to eradicating rats in the gutter, the people waiting for rescue are far more important," Ruohuo said earnestly.

"Indeed." Orochimaru smiled, pulled the scroll from his robes, and tossed it to Ruohuo.

"This is also a rescue mission, with a higher danger rating, and it is very likely a trap... Ruohuo-kun, why not make the decision yourself?"

"..." Ruohuo opened the scroll, his expression gradually turning strange.

It was indeed a rescue mission, though it would be more accurate to describe it as a support mission.

Another squad had encountered danger while executing a mission and had sent out a distress signal, calling for reinforcements.

And this mission... he was certainly no stranger to it.

The mission requirement was to strike a vital supply line for Iwagakure.

And to destroy Kanabi Bridge!

Ruohuo was a bit dazed; how could it be this mission?

At this point in time, shouldn't White Fang be the one executing this mission?

How did it end up in Orochimaru's hands... and provided by Danzo, no less?

It all felt rather mysterious.

"The mission location is here, Ruohuo-kun."

Orochimaru thoughtfully produced a map and pointed out their current position and the location of Kanabi Bridge.

"Considering the Iwagakure ninja we will likely encounter along the way, the fastest we can reach this location is in 20 hours."

The distance itself was not short, and when combined with the potential dangers on the road, 20 hours was a reasonable estimate.

But the key was...

"This mission was given to you by those rats, wasn't it, Teacher?"

Ruohuo stared directly into Orochimaru's eyes. "Even though it was wrapped in insects at the time, I saw it with my Sharingan when I left. This is that very scroll, Teacher."

To be fair.

If Ruohuo still didn't understand what was happening by now, he would truly be doing a disservice to the genetic legacy of his bureau chief father and his powerhouse mother.

"Indeed, Ruohuo-kun."

Orochimaru had no intention of denying it. "This mission originally belonged to another Konoha squad. Their departure time was only a week earlier than ours..."

"And I can be certain that they did not return to Konoha before we set out."

Orochimaru looked at Ruohuo.

Things having reached this point, Orochimaru prepared to enlighten Ruohuo a little regarding some of Konoha's "dark knowledge."

For instance, the people Ruohuo had killed the night before, and the charred corpse on the ground, belonged to a specific organization.

Orochimaru was even more curious...

What kind of reaction this child would have once he learned all of this.

Perhaps it was a bit cruel for a child.

But for a ninja, especially one with grand ambitions...

Some things were better known sooner rather than later.

At the very least, it might help him live a little longer, so he wouldn't die in a trap at such a young age...

"So, Teacher, you mean... those rats have actually infiltrated the interior of the village?"

Ruohuo's brows furrowed, his face solemn. "They have even infiltrated the village's high command and hold significant power?"

Ruohuo's emotions became incredibly agitated again. "I knew those two guards at the Hokage Office Building were acting suspicious!"

"..." The smile on Orochimaru's face stiffened for two seconds. "Ruohuo... what are you talking about?"

How did he bring those two sentry ninjas back into this... hadn't they already been burned to the hospital by your Fire Style?

"I could never figure it out. They were clearly spies, yet Grandpa Hokage, my teacher, and those Anbu uncles all insisted there was nothing wrong with them!"

Ruohuo said passionately, "Now I finally understand. They were part of that group of rats all along!"

"It's just that I hadn't attained the Chunin's Will of Fire back then, so I couldn't sense the dark aura on them!"

"Damn it!" Ruohuo slammed the scroll onto the ground.

"Has Konoha really been infiltrated by these rats to such an extent!"

"..."

Orochimaru fell silent.

"..."

Orochimaru remained silent for two minutes.

"..."

Orochimaru couldn't hold it in anymore. "Ruohuo..."

"We have to go save them, Teacher!" Ruohuo suddenly declared.

"Hm?" Orochimaru still couldn't keep up with Ruohuo's train of thought. "Save who?"

"Yes! We must go save them!"

Ruohuo pointed at the scroll on the ground, his face full of seriousness. "Teacher, haven't you realized? This is their conspiracy!"

"Conspiracy?" Orochimaru was even more bewildered. You discovered it?

...Discovered what?

"That's right, a conspiracy!" Ruohuo said firmly. "From the very beginning, our rescue mission was to support this squad, but they altered the mission details!"

"They didn't want us to provide support, so they kept sending people to attack us and stall for time!"

"Once they saw that enough time had been wasted, they handed us the real mission details to erase the traces of their tampering!"

"In the end, this mission will fail, the people we were supposed to rescue might sacrifice themselves, and those rats will have the last laugh, continuing to erode Konoha!"

"..."

After listening to this, Orochimaru's thoughts suddenly clicked into place.

So that's how it was...

Honestly, if he didn't roughly know what the truth was, Orochimaru really couldn't find a single flaw in that logic.

"I see..." Orochimaru nodded.

"I understand, Ruohuo... you are right."

Orochimaru had indeed figured it out.

To keep up with Ruohuo's way of thinking, the first thing he had to do was forget the so-called "truth."

This child possessed a unique perspective; it seemed absurd, yet the logic was meticulous and flawless.

Looking at it from another angle.

Danzo, and the rats under his command...

Heh... weren't they exactly "spies" embedded in the upper echelons of Konoha?

"Then we have no time to waste, Teacher!"

Ruohuo kicked off his shoes. He hadn't had time to take them off during the previous battle; although he had covered his soles with a layer of chakra, the soles of his shoes had still been scorched quite soft.

This pained Ruohuo's heart; he had grown attached to these shoes and had originally planned to pass them down to Obito, and then to Shisui.

Clap—

Ruohuo pressed his palms together and rapidly formed hand seals.

"Fire Style: Great Fire Dragon!"

Whoosh—!

A fire dragon manifested out of thin air, and Ruohuo stepped onto it barefoot!

"Teacher, get on!"

"We must reach that bridge in the shortest time possible!"

"..." Orochimaru took half a second to consider whether he should ride the fire dragon.

The answer was that his constitution might not be suited for it...

"The distance is too great; don't waste so much chakra, Ruohuo."

Orochimaru bit his finger and slammed his hand onto the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu!"