Caught in Danger

"Send the intel back. Hidden Cloud is going after the jinchuriki!" Gennosuke ordered after taking down the Hidden Cloud ninja before him.

"Captain, there are way too many enemies," Fangs couldn't help grumbling. This was already who knew how many waves of enemies they had killed... though they were all genin and chunin.

"If you keep talking, they'll catch up again," Cicada reminded him softly.

"Once we pass that village up ahead, we'll be out of Hidden Cloud territory. Pick up the pace," Gennosuke cut them off. "Sparrow, how did it go?"

"Don't worry. I already left behind Hidden Stone forehead protectors," Sparrow said with a nod.

"Withdraw!"

"Those damn Hidden Stone ninja!" the Hidden Cloud Anbu snarled as he picked up the forehead protector from the ground. "They must be heading toward Saerai Village. After them!"

"Yes!"

"Uncle Snake, how long is it gonna take us to reach Hidden Cloud if we keep walking like this?" Dressed in white, Jin looked at Orochimaru, who was walking ahead at an unhurried pace. The two of them had left Konoha Village three days ago, but they still hadn't even made it out of the Land of Fire...

Orochimaru said calmly, "The Hidden Cloud Village is very strong, but the Hidden Cloud Village's Anbu are useless. If they can't even stall them for a day or two, then they would never have become Konoha's Anbu."

"But this is so boring," Jin muttered with a pout, then seemed to think of some good idea...

"Click—"

"Summoning Technique!"

A snow-white little snake appeared on Jin's arm. "Uh, what's-your-name, tell your master a joke."

White Scale looked around in confusion, then raised her head to look at Jin. "Do you know what I was doing just now?"

"What were you doing?" Jin asked curiously. "I was dueling a toad! Why the hell did you summon me over here?!" White Scale opened her mouth in fury and bit Jin on the arm. "I'm gonna fucking bite you to death!"

"Aw! Ah—ow! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!" Jin frantically shook his arm. "Uncle Snake, Uncle Snake, save me! My summon is killing its master!"

"That's enough, White Scale. Stop messing around," Orochimaru said with a soft laugh. "After all, Jin is very afraid of pain."

"Hmph!" White Scale snorted coldly and only let go for Orochimaru's sake. Jin looked anxiously at the two teeth marks on his arm. "Uncle Snake, will I get poisoned? No... why do I feel like I'm kind of poisoned?"

"Poison you to death!" White Scale coiled around Jin's forearm, and blood slowly seeped from the two teeth marks...

"All right, all right." Orochimaru reached out and flicked White Scale on the head, then also felt that this was indeed a little boring. "Jin, do you know White Scale's background?"

"Background? No. I only know she's hateful." Jin was speechless as he looked at White Scale wrapped around his arm, refusing to let herself fall. "What decent summon bites its master?"

"White Scale is the daughter of the White Snake Sage," Orochimaru explained. "Although the White Snake Sage has many children, White Scale is the one she values most."

"So?" Jin did not hide it. "What, don't tell me I have to become her summon?"

"Tch~ who cares?" White Scale said disdainfully, flicking her tongue.

"At the same time, White Scale is also one of the three great snake sages of Dragon Cave," Orochimaru continued. "As one of the three great snake sages, aside from being able to take human form, she can also let you cultivate senjutsu."

"Senjutsu?" Half-doubting, Jin looked closely at White Scale. "This thing can be one of the three great snake sages?"

"Hiss~" White Scale flicked her tongue at Jin. The next second, she slipped off Jin's arm... and just as she was about to elbow the ground, white mist rose from White Scale's body...

"Hmph!"

Jin looked at the silver-haired girl, half a head taller than him, who had appeared before him, and instinctively took two steps back. "This... is this right?"

"Hmph, you tiny little human." White Scale stepped forward and lowered her head to look at Jin. "Being able to summon this sage is already your immense honor, and you actually dare question this sage?"

"Holy shit..." Jin silently swallowed. No! I can't back down! Am I really going to be handled by a mere summon?

"Then... so what? I'm your master, got it?" Jin mustered his courage. "Anyway, from now on, you're called Little White. Be grateful your master has bestowed you a new name."

"Ha... haha..." White Scale clenched both fists, veins bulging. "Sage Art: Snake Frost!"

A layer of frost slowly appeared beneath Jin's feet, and it was extremely sticky...

"Lightning Release: Thunderclap!"

Jin drew the Kusanagi Sword and slashed toward his feet. Thunderclap only severed the frost for a single second before the frost returned to its original state and rapidly covered Jin's whole body.

In the moment of crisis, the Sharingan surfaced on its own, and he watched the flow of the ninjutsu chakra... "Genjutsu: Release!"...

"I actually got caught in a genjutsu without realizing it?" Jin stared blankly at Orochimaru, whose face was full of smiles, and White Scale, who was now laughing wildly.

"And why is half my chakra gone?!" Jin cried in shock.

Only then did Orochimaru explain, "White Scale's sage transformation doesn't require chakra, but that depends on whether she's willing. If she isn't willing, she will absorb your chakra."

"Second, you fell into the genjutsu the instant you heard White Scale say the name of the ninjutsu. This is one of Dragon Cave's unique sage arts."

"Damn, that's disgusting." Jin put away the Kusanagi Sword. Only after laughing wildly did White Scale say smugly, "How about it, brat? Now you know how powerful this sage is, right?"

"Tch~"

"White Scale, work on building some coordination with Jin while we're on the road. After all, you can absorb natural energy, so you don't need to take much of Jin's chakra to sustain yourself, correct?" Orochimaru said calmly.

"Ah... do I really have to be his summon, Lord Orochimaru? Is there any other choice?" White Scale asked cautiously. Strangely enough, though Orochimaru was clearly only human, every time she saw this man, there was always the faintest trace of fear in her heart...

"There is. Kill him?" Orochimaru asked in return. After hearing this, Jin was actually left speechless and silently moved a little farther away from White Scale... after all, it would probably be very easy for her to kill him.

"Forget it. This brat is pretty interesting." In the end, White Scale still shook her head and dispelled her human form, returning to her original shape... after all, humans had to wear clothes, and it always felt uncomfortable.

Saerai Village

"Hmph, looking at you, you're not Hidden Stone Anbu. I knew those pieces of trash from Hidden Stone couldn't possibly be this strong." The leading Hidden Cloud Anbu sneered as he looked at the several Anbu surrounded before him. One of them had even had an arm cut off.

Looking at the dozen-plus Anbu around them, Fangs said in a low voice, "Sparrow, you take the captain and break out. I'll cover you."

"We came together, so we leave together." Sparrow shook his head. "Looks like our squad is going to be wiped out here today. I only hope Crow, that spark, can form a new squad one day."

"The intel matters most. Hurry up and go. Don't worry about me!" Gennosuke gritted his teeth and held on.

"Heh, a bunch of ants." The Hidden Cloud Anbu said disdainfully, waving for his subordinates to continue attacking.

"Cicada, protect the captain!" Fangs shouted. "Earth Release: Earth-Flow Wall!"

Fine beads of sweat dotted Cicada's forehead. His already limited chakra could not sustain the cost of stopping Gennosuke's bleeding at all.

"Lightning Release: Thunderclap!"

"Summoning Technique!"