The Brewing Storm

Hana Inuzuka raced over as fast as she could. The moment she saw the Ninja Hound lying on the ground, her expression changed abruptly.

"Laiyun!"

Hana Inuzuka cried out.

At almost the very first glance, she recognized the Ninja Hound by name.

Laiyun had originally belonged to an Elite Jonin of the Inuzuka Clan.

This Elite Jonin was also the senior Hana Inuzuka admired most. Ever since Hana was little, she had guided and looked after her.

This senior was named Aoi Inuzuka. Her relationship with Hana Inuzuka was much like Hana Inuzuka's relationship with Ye Fan.

Seeing Laiyun barely clinging to life, Hana Inuzuka felt as though thunder had exploded in her mind. But she had to remain calm now!

"Make way, everyone! She's from the veterinary unit!" a ninja shouted.

The gathered ninjas parted on their own, clearing a path.

Hana Inuzuka crouched down and began examining the critically injured Ninja Hound.

"How did this happen?"

She had not known until she examined it. Once she did, Hana Inuzuka could not stop tears from falling.

The Ninja Hound's injuries were far too severe. It had sustained multiple fatal wounds, and after making the long journey back to Konoha Village, it had lost too much blood and exhausted its strength. The chance of saving it was slim.

"Laiyun, you have to hold on!"

As Hana Inuzuka administered emergency treatment to the Ninja Hound, she spoke through tears.

The dying Ninja Hound forced its eyes open to look at Hana Inuzuka. Its unfocused gaze seemed to regain clarity. Somehow finding the strength, it opened its mouth and made indistinct sounds, as though it wanted to say something.

"Laiyun, don't worry. We'll save Sister Aoi. You have to hold on!" Tears streamed endlessly down Hana Inuzuka's face as she spoke.

As if it had fulfilled its final wish, the Ninja Hound on the ground slowly closed its eyes.

"No! Laiyun, you can't die!"

Hana Inuzuka cried out, trying to wake the Ninja Hound after it closed its eyes.

But it was useless!

The Ninja Hound seemed to have lost all signs of life.

It was not even breathing.

Hana Inuzuka held its neck and called "Laiyun" again and again, but the Ninja Hound still gave no response.

Hana Inuzuka knew that Laiyun was dead. She had no power to bring it back.

Why had this happened?

Hana Inuzuka had nowhere to vent the grief and fury in her heart.

She bit her lip hard, and blood trickled down from the corner of her mouth.

The other ninjas standing nearby all wore sorrowful expressions as well.

This was the ninja world.

It was filled with slaughter and death.

You never knew when your family, companions, or friends would die.

"Hua!"

At that moment, Ye Fan's voice came from behind the crowd.

"Ye Fan, why are you here?"

Hana Inuzuka had yet to compose herself. The tear tracks on her face had not dried, making her look especially pitiful.

"Hua, who made you cry?" Ye Fan walked over to Hana Inuzuka.

"Ye Fan!"

Hana Inuzuka threw her arms around Ye Fan.

Her hands clutched him tightly, as though she wanted to pour all her strength into him.

"Why does this world have to have fighting? Why can't ninjas live together in peace?" Hana Inuzuka continued.

"Hua..."

Ye Fan looked solemn, yet he did not know what to say. He hurriedly reached out and wiped the tears from Hana Inuzuka's face.

Hana Inuzuka released Ye Fan and turned her gaze back to the Ninja Hound on the ground.

"Hua, this seems to be Sister Aoi's Ninja Hound. Did something happen to Sister Aoi?"

Ye Fan crouched down, examining the Ninja Hound as he asked.

Hana Inuzuka said nothing.

The answer was already obvious.

After all, members of the Inuzuka Clan would not separate from their Ninja Hounds unless they had no other choice!

"This is bad! It's already in a state of suspended death. If we delay any longer, not even a god can save it."

As Ye Fan muttered with a frown, he gathered the True Essence Power within his body at his fingertips. Using the Beast-Taming Sect's special technique, he rapidly pressed several acupuncture points on the Ninja Hound's body, including several fatal points.

"Ye Fan?"

Hana Inuzuka called softly. She had no idea what Ye Fan was doing.

Ye Fan could not spare any attention for her now. True Essence Power was being infused into the Ninja Hound's heart, and if he lost control, all his efforts would be wasted.

"Hey, kid!"

At that moment, one ninja could no longer stand watching. To him, Ye Fan's actions looked like pointless meddling, a desecration of the dead.

Even if it was only a Ninja Hound, it was still a hero of Konoha—a hero that had used its last breath to deliver vital information back!

Hana Inuzuka also wanted to stop him. After all, she had already examined the Ninja Hound. It was dead. There was no way to save it.

But—

Just as Hana Inuzuka opened her mouth, before she could make a sound, her pupils suddenly contracted.

As if she had seen something unbelievable, she lunged forward.

"Hua, its condition is still terrible. It hasn't passed the critical stage yet. We need to find a way to give it a blood transfusion!" Ye Fan said without looking back.

The Ninja Hound still had its eyes closed, but its chest had begun to rise and fall faintly. This showed that it had regained signs of life.

Hana Inuzuka had no time to ask how Ye Fan had done it. She picked up the Ninja Hound and sprinted toward the veterinary operating room.

Ye Fan did not follow her this time, because he knew that with Hana Inuzuka's medical skills and the operating room's equipment, the Ninja Hound would no longer be in mortal danger.

At the same time.

Inside the Hokage's Office.

The atmosphere was exceptionally tense.

"I never expected Orochimaru, who had vanished for some time, to become active again! This was delivered back at the cost of Aoi Inuzuka's Ninja Hound's life." The Third Hokage pushed the secret letter on the desk forward.

"Orochimaru is still alive? Wasn't he being hunted by Akatsuki?" an ANBU member in the room blurted out.

The Third Hokage took a puff of his pipe, his expression grave as though he had fallen into memory.

Orochimaru had once been his most prized disciple. Later, driven by ambition, he defected from Konoha Village and became a rogue ninja.

Orochimaru possessed immense strength, enough to single-handedly conquer a small nation, along with regenerative abilities that made him nearly immortal.

"According to the secret letter, Orochimaru intends to harm Konoha Village and seems to be plotting some sort of conspiracy!" the Third Hokage said worriedly.

"Please give the order, Lord Hokage!"

"Deliver my order. Dispatch Team 8 of the ANBU to investigate Orochimaru's whereabouts and recover the missing Aoi Inuzuka. The codename will be Snake Hunt!" the Third Hokage declared sharply.

"Yes!"

The ANBU members who had been in the room suddenly transformed into a puff of white smoke and vanished.

The Third Hokage rose to his feet and looked out through the window at Konoha Village.

His reflection in the window made him appear much older.

"Orochimaru, have you finally extended your claws toward Konoha?"