Afterword

On the outskirts of Konoha, in an uncharted cave

Orochimaru had turned the natural cave into a temporary shelter.

Firewood crackled as it burned, filling the cold cave with warmth.

Lihuo, who had slept the whole way, slowly came to. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw the orange-red flames.

I made it.

Relieved, Lihuo vowed that he'd never take such a risk again.

"Oh? Isn't this our genius Genin from Konoha? How did you end up in such a sorry state?"

Orochimaru's teasing voice drifted over, but Lihuo could hear a hint of delight in it.

Lihuo braced himself with one hand and slowly got to his feet, looking toward Orochimaru, who sat in the shadows.

"Teacher Orochimaru, did you take care of all the enemies?"

Orochimaru nodded and replied in a slightly hoarse voice.

"The red-haired brat escaped. I took care of the Jonin."

Lihuo nodded.

Though he hadn't stopped the leak of his information, they had at least eliminated a major threat. Lihuo was satisfied.

"But what surprised me most was that you knew how to detoxify yourself?"

Orochimaru looked puzzled, then teased him.

"That red-haired brat is an expert at making poisons. Even I was at a loss for a while. He has a bright future ahead of him."

"So I thought I'd have to carry you to Tsunade."

"Little Lihuo, you really do surprise me."

Hearing Orochimaru's sincere praise, Lihuo couldn't help feeling pleased.

Still, to be safe, Lihuo looked at Orochimaru.

"Teacher, what about the traces of our battle...?"

At that, Orochimaru laughed as if he'd heard a joke.

"Little Lihuo, do you really think so little of your teacher? Don't worry. I cleaned up every trace of the battle. They won't find out anything."

"And aside from the red-haired brat, not one of the other enemies got away. They're all dead."

Orochimaru said this with a hint of bloodlust, reminding Lihuo that his teacher was a battle-hardened veteran who had lived through the brutal Shinobi World Wars.

Lihuo nodded to show that he understood.

Orochimaru continued.

"Little Lihuo, I imagine you gained a lot from this battle."

Lihuo knew Orochimaru didn't mean the gains from having his head patted, but the valuable combat experience.

Orochimaru held out his index finger. A sharp mass of chakra gathered at its tip.

Lihuo could tell that this chakra had the power to slice through iron as if it were mud.

Yet Orochimaru used it to draw a little figure on the cave wall, then pointed at it.

"Let's say this little figure is you. Your Taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu..."

With each item, Orochimaru marked a corresponding symbol beside the figure.

"I can tell that this training has greatly improved your physical abilities. You've basically reached the level of a Jonin."

"As for your ninjutsu..."

Orochimaru paused.

"Your arsenal of ninjutsu is already on par with that of an average Jonin."

The more Orochimaru spoke, the more he felt that the boy before him was a monster. When he himself had been six or seven, he was still studying at the Ninja Academy.

"The only thing holding you back is your chakra reserves."

Orochimaru tapped the figure's abdomen. Lihuo understood: that was his greatest weakness.

"The Uchiha Clan's chakra reserves aren't low on average. At the very least, its talented members generally have the reserves of a Jonin."

"But you're still young, so your chakra reserves are only at the Chunin level."

Orochimaru looked at Lihuo.

"But there's no need to worry yet. As you grow older, your chakra reserves won't remain a weakness."

The two continued discussing the mission. As an experienced Jonin, Orochimaru had insights that proved immensely helpful to Lihuo.

After resting for a few days, teacher and student set out for the village.

Back in Konoha, in the Hokage Office, the Third Hokage reviewed documents while listening to Xiang's report on the mission.

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded at the crucial points.

After Xiang finished his report, he knelt and waited for Lord Hokage to question him.

"So, the scroll really was sent by Danzo?"

Xiang nodded.

"Based on what we found at the scene, that does seem to be the case."

"Orochimaru and Lihuo discovered it."

"Uchiha Lihuo cleverly found where the scroll had been hidden."

"Good work. I'll ask them for the details when they return."

Sarutobi Hiruzen waved his hand, and Xiang vanished into the shadows like a specter.

The secret scroll lay quietly on the Hokage's desk.

Sarutobi Hiruzen picked it up and read it carefully.

"How dare he! Danzo, how could you go after Sakumo?!"

Anger surged in the Third Hokage's heart.

"Bring Danzo to see me!"

At that very moment, Danzo had also learned from Root members that the mission had failed and the scroll had been taken.

"Useless! A bunch of useless fools!"

Bang!

Danzo slammed his fist into the massive desk, sending a gust of air through the room.

After a moment's thought, he issued a series of cold orders.

"Recall the people keeping Sakumo under surveillance from a distance."

"Send four Anbu squads to the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind at once. Have them search for traces of the dead Sand shinobi as well."

Just as Danzo was methodically arranging the cleanup, the Hokage's personal Anbu burst in.

"Lord Danzo, Lord Hokage demands that you come at once."

Before Danzo could respond, the Anbu vanished like a shadow.

"Damn you, Sarutobi Hiruzen! Damn you, Orochimaru and Uchiha Lihuo!"

In the Hokage Office, Sarutobi Hiruzen and his old friend faced off, arguing for a long time. At last, Danzo snapped.

"Hatake Sakumo is too powerful! He's a destabilizing element in Konoha! I did it for the village!"

"Nonsense!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen was furious now, too.

"Effective immediately, Root's budget is cut by twenty percent, and its numbers will be reduced by thirty percent."

"What?! Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"

"Danzo! I'm the Hokage!"

Those words struck the most vulnerable part of Danzo's heart like a heavy hammer. He stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

He thought viciously to himself:

"Hatake Sakumo, Uchiha Lihuo, Orochimaru—I won't forget this. This isn't over!"

Though undercurrents churned in Konoha, the village flourished on the surface and was livelier than ever.

The Chunin Exams were underway, drawing everyone's attention!

At the arena for the final match, Kakashi won with an outstanding performance.

"Congratulations to Kakashi, Konoha's youngest Chunin!"

The examiner spoke excitedly. How could anyone not be thrilled by such a historic moment?

Kakashi remained impassive. He looked around at the spectators and said:

"Uchiha Lihuo, I've become a Chunin. Hurry up and surpass me."

The whole arena erupted!

"Kakashi actually called out Lihuo in public. It really is true that geniuses recognize one another."

"Wow! Kakashi's so cool!"

"Hmph, Kakashi's nowhere near as handsome or strong as this great me," said an anonymous Uchiha boy.

Meanwhile, Lihuo, the subject of all that chatter, was on his way back to Konoha with Orochimaru.

Several days later, thousands of miles away, in the Land of Earth, at the Tsuchikage Building, a short old man in the Tsuchikage Haori sat at the head of the room. He was none other than the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki!

He listened intently as an Iwagakure Anbu reported on the state of the Shinobi World.

"Oh? So Sand Village has fallen out with Konoha this time?"

"Good, good. Pass on my orders: drive a wedge between Sand Village and Konoha. Stir things up as much as possible."

The Iwagakure Anbu was about to leave when Ōnoki added:

"Wait. You said there was a boy with impressive strength? What was his name?"

The Anbu paused to think.

"Sasori of the Red Sands?"

"No, no. The other one."

"Uchiha Lihuo."

At the name, Ōnoki's gaze turned fierce, as if it had brought back a memory.

"Uchiha!"

He looked at the Anbu and continued:

"Find out everything you can about Uchiha Lihuo, by any means necessary!"