Since We're Here

Sen Chisato, who had been hiding in a corner, twitched at the corner of his mouth and reluctantly stepped out.

Lord Orochimaru, you're really putting me on the spot. What's the point of a contest where nobody can die?

If I lose, Lord Orochimaru will lose face. And against Namikaze Minato, there's no way I can win without revealing my abilities.

There's absolutely nothing in it for me.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Sen Chisato came to Orochimaru's side and bowed his head. "Lord Orochimaru, what would you like me to do?"

In front of Orochimaru, he was still the obedient, well-behaved child.

"Would you like to fight Minato?" Orochimaru asked with a gentle smile. "And you can just call me teacher."

He had already said it in front of everyone. With this child's talent, he was certainly good enough to become Orochimaru's disciple.

"Yes, teacher!" Sen Chisato exclaimed, his sharp gaze suddenly landing on Jiraiya and Namikaze Minato.

Sarutobi Hakuba watched and rubbed his forehead helplessly.

This brat changed his tune so fast. He'd never been this obedient when he was under Sarutobi Hakuba's command.

"Are we fighting? How? Should I hold back?" Sen Chisato asked one question after another. When he asked the last one, he even looked to Orochimaru, as if ready to do whatever he was told.

"Uh, Lord Hokage and Lord Orochimaru were joking," Namikaze Minato said quickly, waving his hands with an awkward, helpless smile.

How could he possibly fight a ten-year-old child?

Jiraiya, however, appeared in front of Sen Chisato in an instant and leaned down toward him. "You're a cocky little brat, aren't you? But if you want to challenge Minato, you'd better train for a few more years! Hahaha!"

"Hmph."

Sen Chisato gave a cold laugh and released his chakra, which had grown even stronger. It formed a layer over his body.

Boom!

The ground cracked, and the tent billowed in the gale. The ninjas all raised their arms to shield their faces.

"That's an incredible amount of chakra! Even a Jonin might not have as much!"

"No wonder he's Lord Orochimaru's disciple!"

Hyuga Hihi activated his Byakugan. After taking a look, he said quietly, "His chakra reserves have increased again!"

Jiraiya was also startled. He leaned backward. "Good grief, Orochimaru. You've taken in a little monster. But being a ninja isn't just about chakra. You've still got a lot of training ahead of you."

After saying that, Jiraiya went back to his place, clearly with no intention of letting Namikaze Minato and Sen Chisato actually fight.

"All right, let's get back to business."

Orochimaru returned to the subject at hand. He briefly explained what they knew so far, then asked, "Jiraiya, what do you think?"

"I can't make heads or tails of it either. Did they deliberately send these Sand Ninja here to die?" Jiraiya thought for a long while, then shook his head helplessly.

Everyone took his last remark as a joke.

There were several hundred Sand Ninja, the weakest of whom were at least Chunin, and more than ten Jonin among them.

The only way Sunagakure would send so many ninjas to their deaths was if the entire village had gone mad.

Nara Shikaku, however, suddenly seemed to realize something. "That might actually be it!"

"Don't forget what started this war."

He folded his arms and spoke as he thought. "Rasa should be in charge of the Sand Hidden forces on the front line. He may have become Kazekage, but he hasn't gained full control over Sunagakure. As far as I know, many Sand Ninja are unhappy with him, and he has a powerful rival. His position as Kazekage is far from secure."

The Command Tent seemed to grow colder. Everyone fell silent, feeling a chill rise within them.

After a long pause, Orochimaru gave a quiet, derisive laugh. "Hmph. Another foolish power struggle."

"But throwing away so many lives like that is such a waste," Sen Chisato said in his childish voice.

At that moment, he was consumed with envy. He hated that brainless Rasa so much his teeth clenched.

If you don't want all those people, give them to me! I'll kill them for you, and even bury them!

Hundreds of people. Who knew how many were still alive now?

"That's true." Orochimaru nodded in agreement. "Without a good reason, even Rasa couldn't convince these Sand Ninja to go to their deaths willingly, despite being Kazekage."

"What's behind Konoha's defensive line?" Namikaze Minato asked.

"The Land of Fire. Konoha," Sarutobi Hakuba answered without hesitation, having been thinking about it too.

"A few hundred men can't threaten the Land of Fire or Konoha," Jiraiya said, shaking his head.

That wasn't a good enough reason to make these Sand Ninja go to their deaths—not unless they were all idiots. But if they really were idiots, why would Rasa be trying to get rid of them?

"What if they're targeting the supply lines?" Sen Chisato asked, stroking his chin.

The discussion abruptly stopped, followed by an outburst of laughter.

Of course, there was no malice in it. They simply thought Sen Chisato was too young and naive.

"Kid, don't joke around. We're the ones who cut off other people's supply and support routes!" Sarutobi Hakuba said, patting Sen Chisato on the shoulder with a hint of pride.

It wasn't that they hadn't considered the possibility. Sunagakure simply didn't have anyone powerful enough to pull it off. A few hundred Sand Ninja couldn't do it.

"Then how did we manage it back then?" Sen Chisato asked quietly, without taking offense.

"I remember that in the last Shinobi World War, it was all thanks to Lord Hatake Sakumo, uh..." A ninja who had fought in the Second Shinobi World War faltered and couldn't finish.

"So Konoha's sharpest blade is broken now. If the enemy used the same tactic against us, why would that be impossible?" Sen Chisato said calmly, showing a maturity beyond his years.

"Don't forget, if Rasa really did send them here to die, whether they could pull it off wouldn't matter. All he'd need is a plausible excuse."

"Not only that, if we send a large force to capture them, our base camp will be left undefended. The Sand Ninja might seize the opportunity to launch a major attack," Orochimaru added, then gave Sen Chisato an approving glance.

"Then what should we do?" Jiraiya asked without thinking.

He was capable of serving as a commander, and his strategic and tactical skills were no slouch. But with Orochimaru around, he couldn't be bothered to think too hard.

As soon as he asked, though, he realized something was wrong.

Why had nobody answered?

He looked up and saw everyone staring at him.

"What's wrong?" Jiraiya swallowed, sensing trouble.

"I'll leave this to you and Minato," Orochimaru declared.

"Hey, hey, hey! I only came here to take a look. The old man already gave me orders to guard against Iwagakure in the direction of the Land of Grass. I'm leaving soon." Jiraiya hurriedly refused. To prove he wasn't making it up, he even pulled out the orders signed by the Hokage.

"Uh, same here." Namikaze Minato smiled awkwardly. "Lord Hokage ordered me to take my subordinates to the Land of Fields to guard against Cloud Hidden."

"Well, I'm heading to the eastern coastline soon, too." Apparently deciding that today was a good day for goodbyes, Nara Shikaku joined the ranks of those trying to get out of it.

"Then that makes it even more convenient."

Orochimaru wasn't angry. Pointing at the map on the table, he said evenly, "Starting from Konoha Base Camp, Jiraiya will head north, Shikaku east, and Minato south. Search along all three routes. I'll have the outposts in those areas support you. Make sure you eliminate every Sand Ninja who infiltrated our territory!"

Since they were already here, it would be a waste not to put them to good use.

Orochimaru wasn't about to let such a good opportunity go to waste.

"Fine, I'll get going, then. Honestly, I shouldn't have come." Jiraiya grumbled as he left.

"Then I'll go make preparations, too." Nara Shikaku didn't refuse either.

That left Namikaze Minato as the only "outsider."

"What is it, Minato? Do you have any objections?" Orochimaru asked.

"Lord Orochimaru, heading south takes me farther and farther away from the Land of Fields," Namikaze Minato said helplessly.

"Hmph, it's fine. I'll have someone take your Flying Thunder God Mark there first."

Namikaze Minato's face nearly turned green.

Flying Thunder God made traveling fast, but crossing such a long distance would drain him completely.

"My chakra reserves can't compare to Lord Orochimaru's disciple's," Namikaze Minato said with a bitter smile.

"Oh, right. For support, Chisato can go with you. Please look after him for me." Orochimaru gave Namikaze Minato no chance to refuse.

Sen Chisato, who had been standing quietly to one side with his head lowered, looked up in confusion.

Huh???