Jade General

The Special Jonin sighed as he looked at the righteous-looking junior.

In that instant, he felt as if he were seeing his younger self.

He, too, had once been filled with hope, but after witnessing the bloodshed and sacrifice of war, he had gradually grown cold.

Yet, he still wanted to offer some guidance to this junior, if only to help the person he used to be.

He didn't rush to answer, instead pulling a crumpled cigarette from his pocket, lighting it after several tries, and taking a deep drag.

"Because only a rookie who hasn't seen the world would ask such a 'superfluous' question."

The Special Jonin exhaled a cloud of smoke and said gloomily, "In Konoha, the truth is often not that important."

"The Anbu just issued a kill order, which means this is a decision made by Konoha's upper echelons. They chose the bigger picture. If you keep digging for the so-called truth at a time like this, you won't just lose your title as a ninja—you'll lose your life."

His tone was grave.

The young Chunin, however, was clearly unconvinced.

He clenched his fists and said, "But this is an extremely dangerous killer! What about the younger generation? Are we really going to disregard the danger or even the sacrifice of our juniors just for the sake of this so-called bigger picture?"

The Special Jonin sneered, reaching out to pat the young man on the shoulder with enough force to make him stagger.

"Listen well, kid. In Konoha, what is sacrifice?"

He lowered his voice. "First, obedience to orders: The chessboard in the eyes of the superiors is vast—vast enough to accommodate the lives of a few or even dozens of Genin, Chunin, and even Special Jonin like me, but it cannot accommodate a label of incompetence. The Anbu is here to define this incident as something that never happened. Since it never happened, the danger you speak of does not exist."

"Second, know your place. We are tools. The Hokage chose to be relaxed on the outside but tight on the inside, treating this as a game of strategy. If you jump out now to spread the word and disrupt the plans of Konoha's high command, do you think the Anbu will go after the killer first, or will they deal with you, the one 'shaking the morale of the troops,' first?"

"Third, in this village, the rules are above all else. You don't matter, and no one else does either."

With that, he stopped paying attention to the visibly shaken young man and left with his trusted subordinates.

He left behind only the young Chunin, who wore a look of complex turmoil.

Uchiha Yan had finally finished accompanying Izumi during her training and then went on a date with Kurenai.

Miyabi saw Kakashi waiting patiently at the door.

Uchiha Yan looked at Kakashi and asked directly, "Kakashi, what's wrong? Is something the matter?"

Kakashi said indifferently, "Let's go inside to talk."

Hearing this, Uchiha Yan nodded.

He opened the door and led Kakashi inside.

Uchiha Yan sat on the sofa and asked, "Kakashi, would you like something to eat?"

Hearing Uchiha Yan's offer, Kakashi waved his hands repeatedly. "No, no, I've eaten enough."

Uchiha Yan looked at Kakashi with a strange expression.

He probed, "Did you have another duel with that guy Guy? Don't tell me you were competing over who could eat more this time?"

Kakashi awkwardly picked up an orange and began to peel it carefully. "That's not important."

He peeled the orange clean, bit by bit.

Then, he spoke up. "Orochimaru might have returned."

Uchiha Yan feigned a look of surprise. "Kakashi, what are you saying? Are you sure you aren't joking?"

Kakashi's expression was heavy. "Yan, I am not joking!"

"The Anbu will likely notify you by tomorrow. Be careful."

Hearing Kakashi's well-intentioned warning, Uchiha Yan nodded.

He said, "Don't worry, I'll be careful."

Kakashi nodded after hearing Uchiha Yan's assurance.

He then pulled down his mask and tossed the orange into his mouth.

The movement was so fast that even with his Sharingan activated, Uchiha Yan couldn't see it clearly.

After Kakashi left, the lights in the room seemed to dim slightly.

Uchiha Yan didn't turn on the lights; instead, he walked into the study by the moonlight.

A shogi board sat on the desk.

He reached out and picked up a Jade General piece with his fingers.

The Jade General, also known as the King General, was the most important piece in shogi.

As long as the Jade General is checkmated, everything ends.

As of now, everything was within his grasp.

That ambitious man, Danzo, thought everything he did was hidden.

But little did he know, his every move was under Uchiha Yan's watchful eyes.

As for Sarutobi Hiruzen, he had always believed he was playing a game against Orochimaru, Danzo, and the Uchiha. For the sake of so-called balance, he thought he had made a brilliant move.

From the god's-eye view of Uchiha Yan, Sarutobi Hiruzen's solution was already far beyond the standard.

Because whether it was Uchiha Yan, Danzo, or Orochimaru, they were all utilizing external forces to disrupt the relatively stable balance of Konoha.

The difference was that Orochimaru did not care what kind of destruction those external forces would wreak upon Konoha.

He only wanted to tear down the dilapidated house that was Konoha.

As for rebuilding it, he neither cared nor wanted to.

On this point, Uchiha Yan and Danzo shared a common goal.

That was, they both wanted a relatively intact Konoha, upon which they could make repairs and adjustments.

Because the concept of the Will of Fire was simply too useful.

Uchiha Yan could not think of a replacement for it at all.

After all, other villages had their own versions of the "Will of Fire."

For instance, the stone of Iwagakure.

As for their function, they were essentially the same.

Hokage's office.

Even though it was already dark, Sarutobi Hiruzen remained in his office as if waiting for something.

At that moment, three familiar figures walked in.

Danzo said in a calm tone, "Hiruzen, what is the matter that you've called us here so late at night?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen replied indifferently, "Orochimaru may have returned."

Upon hearing this, the three of them immediately wore expressions of surprise.

Utatane Koharu asked, "Orochimaru is back? Is that true?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen said calmly, "Judging from the victims' corpses, there is an 80% probability that it is Orochimaru."

The three of them nodded.

None of them cared whether those three dead individuals belonged to Konoha or other villages.

Because that was not important.

Danzo spoke up at this point, "Hiruzen, how do you intend to resolve this? You aren't planning to suspend the Chunin Exams, are you?"

Mitokado Homura, standing to the side, quickly chimed in, "That's right, the Chunin Exams cannot be suspended."

Sarutobi Hiruzen revealed a confident smile.

He said, "Rest assured, everyone. Naturally, I would never make such a low-level choice."

"I have already notified the Anbu to strengthen security for the upcoming events, keeping it tight on the inside while appearing relaxed on the outside."