One Sentence That Made Orochimaru's Scalp Tingle

Pakura raised her eyelids. "Speak."

"Don't be impulsive." Rasa paused, then added, "What happened yesterday can't happen a second time."

Pakura's fists instantly clenched.

That damn Hidden Leaf Genin, that punchable face, and that line—"How badly do you want a man?"—all replayed wildly in her mind.

She remembered every single word from last night's interrogation in Chiyo's tent with perfect clarity.

Ebizo's cloudy eyes had seemed to be peeling her skin away. The absurd rumor about an old lover had already spread throughout the Sunagakure camp.

She, Pakura—the finest Bloodline Limit user in Sunagakure—had become a joke because of a few taunts from a civilian Genin.

"Don't worry." Pakura forced out the words through clenched teeth, her voice chilling. "I won't make the same mistake today."

Looking at her expression, Rasa felt that something was off.

"Are you sure? Yesterday, that brat angered you so much that you chased him for ten minutes. If you run into him again today..."

"Run into him?" Pakura suddenly smiled, and the smile was terrifying. "I'd love to run into him again."

Rasa's heart skipped a beat. Why did that sound even more wrong?

The fireballs hovering around Pakura subtly changed color, their temperature visibly surging higher.

"Yesterday, I went easy on him and played with him for ten minutes." Pakura's voice was low, as though she were talking to herself. "If I run into him again today, I guarantee I won't waste even a second."

"I'll burn him straight to ash."

"I won't even leave him a fragment of bone."

Seeing the fury blazing in Pakura's eyes, Rasa silently took half a step back.

What did this have to do with not being impulsive? She was clearly holding in a breath, determined to reclaim every bit of face she had lost yesterday.

"Th-then that's good." Rasa gave a dry laugh and wisely did not ask any more questions.

In his heart, he silently lit a candle for that unknown Hidden Leaf Genin.

Chiyo stood atop the platform outside the central command tent, her gaze cold as she watched the assembled Sunagakure army below.

"Today, we have only one objective." Chiyo's voice, amplified by chakra, rang across the entire field. "Tear open Hidden Leaf's right-flank defenses and take Kikyo Pass completely!"

"The mission we failed to complete last time must be finished today!"

The soldiers shouted in unison, their cries making the ground tremble.

Pakura stood at the very front of the formation, fireballs slowly revolving around her. The heat was so intense that the sand around her had begun to smoke.

She stared fixedly toward the Hidden Leaf positions, her eyes filled with killing intent suppressed to its limit.

Brat, just wait for me.

This time, I won't go easy on you again.

On the Hidden Leaf side, Orochimaru stood atop the command tower, looking down at the dark mass of Sunagakure troops advancing in the distance.

Alarm bells rang over No. 3 Outpost.

Qian Ye had just stuffed his revolver into his Ninja Tool Pouch when the tent flap was thrown open.

An ANBU wearing a cat-face mask appeared in the doorway.

"Qian Ye, Lord Orochimaru wants you at the command tower."

The weight in Qian Ye's chest instantly dropped into his stomach.

It worked.

That one sentence from Orochimaru was equivalent to crossing his name straight off the death list.

No need to fill a hole on the front lines. This round was secure.

Qian Ye followed the ANBU out of the wounded soldiers' camp. Along the way, quite a few Hidden Leaf ninja were rushing toward the front line in a panic.

Some recognized Qian Ye, and their gazes carried a hint of something strange.

Qian Ye acted as though he had not seen them and quickened his pace toward the command tower.

The wind was fierce at the top of the command tower.

Orochimaru stood by the railing, both hands resting on the wooden guardrail as he overlooked the distant battlefield.

Qian Ye softened his footsteps and stopped half a step behind and to the side of Orochimaru.

It was a very particular position.

He could clearly observe Orochimaru's movements without crossing the commander's line of sight.

Orochimaru did not turn around. His eyes remained fixed on the distant flames.

"Look below."

Qian Ye leaned forward and followed Orochimaru's gaze downward.

The outskirts of Kikyo Pass had already become a sea of fire.

Sunagakure's formation this time was incredibly dense, with no sign that they had held back any reserve forces.

Wave after wave of earth-yellow figures crashed against Hidden Leaf's defensive fortifications.

Puppet masters controlled poison needles and mechanisms, forcing their way forward through Hidden Leaf's Explosive Tags.

The right flank was the most outrageous.

Several enormous orange-red fireballs rampaged across the battlefield, turning even the soil into glazed glass wherever they passed.

Qian Ye's eyelid twitched.

Pakura.

That woman was practically a walking powder keg. She used her techniques without restraint, clearly venting her anger.

And the direction of her advance was faintly pointed right toward the command tower.

Qian Ye instinctively shrank a little farther behind Orochimaru.

"That old woman Chiyo usually calculates casualty ratios more carefully than anyone." Orochimaru's fingers tapped rapidly against the railing. "Today, she has emptied out everything she has."

Qian Ye did not respond. He simply pricked up his ears and listened.

Orochimaru continued analyzing the battle.

"Rasa's Magnet Release is suppressing the left flank, Pakura is tearing at the right flank, and even that old monk Fū has appeared in the rear positions."

"This style of attack is not meant to seize territory. It is meant to completely punch through Hidden Leaf's defenses in the shortest possible time."

Orochimaru turned his head, his golden slit pupils fixed on Qian Ye.

"Why do you think they are in such a hurry?"

Qian Ye's mind raced.

Of course, he knew why Sunagakure was so desperate.

The Third Kazekage had been killed by Sasori of the Red Sand, and his corpse had even been made into a Human Puppet.

To conceal this scandal, one that could tear the village apart, Sunagakure's higher-ups could only launch a war abroad and use external conflict to shift internal pressure.

But he could not say that outright.

If a civilian Genin knew even the highest secrets of another ninja village, Orochimaru would be the first to slice him up for research.

Qian Ye organized his thoughts and decided to release the information by guiding Orochimaru toward it.

"Teacher." Qian Ye changed how he addressed him, his tone respectful. "I once heard a principle back in the village."

Orochimaru raised a brow.

Qian Ye continued.

"If a family suddenly starts fighting its neighbors to the death outside, even smashing all their pots and bowls, there are usually two possibilities."

"Either the neighbors have taken away their means of survival."

"Or something shameful has happened within that family, and they need to make an even bigger commotion outside so others will not keep watching their home."

Orochimaru's tapping fingers stopped.

He turned around and leaned against the railing, looking at Qian Ye.

"Neighbors taking away their means of survival? The daimyo of the Land of Wind has indeed cut Sunagakure's military funding, but that is not enough to make Chiyo stake the entire village's life on this fight."

Orochimaru followed Qian Ye's line of reasoning.

"Then only the second possibility remains."

"Something has happened inside Sunagakure that absolutely cannot be known by outsiders."

Orochimaru rapidly reviewed the recent intelligence in his mind.

Sunagakure had been quiet for the past several months.

Quiet in a way that was somewhat abnormal.

The greatest abnormality was their supreme leader.

Orochimaru suddenly straightened.

"The Third Kazekage."

Qian Ye inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

Talking to smart people was efficient. With the slightest hint, the other party could connect the entire chain.

Qian Ye put on a puzzled expression.

"The Third Kazekage? Didn't Sunagakure announce that he was in seclusion researching a new Magnet Release?"

Orochimaru let out a cold laugh.

"In seclusion?"

"Kikyo Pass has become this much of a battle, Sunagakure has even dragged out the One-Tail Jinchūriki, and the Kazekage is still in seclusion?"

"Unless he died in his seclusion chamber."

Orochimaru's thoughts opened up completely.

The Kazekage had disappeared, or perhaps even died.

Once that possibility was established, Sunagakure's mad-dog assault today became completely understandable.

Chiyo and Ebizo needed an overwhelming victory to stabilize the morale within Sunagakure, which was on the verge of collapse.

They were not fighting Hidden Leaf. They were saving Sunagakure.

Orochimaru looked at Qian Ye, his eyes full of appreciation.

This disciple was practically a born tactical analyst.

Not only did he possess a unique intuition for human-body research, but his grasp of the bigger picture was frighteningly sharp as well.

"You are very good." Orochimaru rarely offered such an overwhelmingly positive evaluation.

Qian Ye quickly lowered his head.

"It is all thanks to your excellent teaching, Teacher. I was only making a random guess."