The Hokage Is Alarmed!

"Yin Seal?"

Orochimaru leaned back in his chair. He froze for half a second, then suddenly burst into laughter.

His laughter echoed through the empty top floor of the command tower.

Qian Ye felt a chill crawl up his spine and shrank his neck back.

"Sensei, what are you laughing at? Is this technique no good?"

Orochimaru stopped laughing and braced both hands on the desk, his golden slit pupils filled with admiration.

"No. Quite the opposite."

"Qian Ye, I take back what I said. Not only are you not greedy, you are frighteningly clear-headed."

Orochimaru rose to his feet and circled around the desk.

"The Yin Seal is a secret technique passed down by the Uzumaki Clan, later refined by Tsunade."

"This technique has no offensive power whatsoever. Its sole purpose is to store excess Chakra in the forehead bit by bit during normal times, creating an enormous Chakra reservoir."

"When battle calls for it, releasing the seal grants an instant, terrifying amount of Chakra."

Orochimaru stopped in front of Qian Ye and patted his shoulder.

"Your body is strong enough to withstand the impact of massive Chakra. All you lack is a container."

"The Yin Seal is practically a divine tool tailor-made for you."

Qian Ye was overjoyed.

That had been exactly his plan!

Every day, Zhao Hai kept fleecing Garp in the Pirate World, and Sea King meat came in without end.

As long as he accepted that meat and ate it, it could be converted into enormous amounts of vitality and Chakra.

Normally, he could stuff all that Chakra into the Yin Seal and store it away.

Then, whenever he fought, he could just open the floodgates.

Who would dare say he lacked Chakra then?

"Then, Sensei, the scroll..." Qian Ye rubbed his hands together, his face full of anticipation.

Orochimaru shook his head.

"The original Yin Seal is in the Book of Seals in Konoha."

The smile on Qian Ye's face froze.

"So you were just dangling a carrot in front of me?"

Ignoring Qian Ye's complaint, Orochimaru turned and walked back to the enormous sand table.

"The front lines aren't safe right now."

"Pakura is Sunagakure's ace and their hero. Chiyo and Rasa will never just watch her fall into our hands."

Orochimaru picked up the little red flag representing Pakura and planted it directly on the spot representing Konoha on the sand table.

"Keeping her here makes her a bomb that could go off at any moment. Once Sunagakure recovers, they'll definitely risk everything to take her back."

"So I've decided that tomorrow morning, an elite squad will escort Pakura back to Konoha."

Orochimaru turned his head and looked at Qian Ye.

"You'll return with the escort team."

Qian Ye paused.

"Me? Going back to the village?"

"Yes." Orochimaru nodded. "You earned the greatest merit in this battle and captured the enemy commander. Those are solid military accomplishments. Returning to the village to report is standard procedure."

"Besides, don't you want the Yin Seal?"

"Once you safely hand Pakura over to the ANBU, I'll naturally write to the old man and have him grant you access to the Yin Seal scroll."

Qian Ye's eyes lit up.

This deal was worth it!

Not only could he get away from the meat grinder that was the front lines, he could also return to the village and obtain an S-rank Ninjutsu without any trouble.

"Mission guaranteed!" Qian Ye straightened up and agreed without hesitation.

Two days later.

Konoha, Hokage Building.

The office was thick with smoke.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat behind a broad desk with a pipe in hand, his brows twisted into a tight knot.

The desk was piled with battle reports from the front lines.

Not one contained good news.

The defense line at Kikyo Pass was under immense pressure, while Sunagakure attacked like rabid dogs.

The village itself was no more peaceful.

The aftermath of Hatake Sakumo's suicide was still brewing, and the conflict between civilian ninja and clan ninja was growing increasingly sharp.

Konoha was beset by troubles both within and without.

"Ah..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a long sigh and tapped the ash from his pipe.

"I wonder how much longer Orochimaru can hold out."

Just then, someone knocked on the office door.

An ANBU wearing an animal mask entered, dropping to one knee.

"Lord Hokage, an urgent report from the Kikyo Pass front!"

The ANBU presented a scroll tightly bound with red cord in both hands.

A red scroll.

A top-priority emergency battle report!

Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart lurched, and the pipe in his hand nearly fell onto the desk.

It was over.

Had the front line collapsed?

Had Orochimaru failed to hold it?

He snatched up the scroll, his fingers even trembling slightly.

Undoing the red cord and opening the scroll, Hiruzen Sarutobi prepared himself for the worst.

His eyes fell upon the first line of the scroll.

[Sunagakure launched its general offensive ahead of schedule. Their assault force was completely wiped out by our side.]

Hiruzen Sarutobi froze.

Completely wiped out?

He hurriedly read on.

[Sunagakure's ace Scorch Release user, Pakura, suffered a Chakra backlash and has been captured alive by our forces.]

[The enemy formation fell into chaos. Rasa led the remaining forces back to the outskirts of Kikyo Pass and lacks the strength to fight again for the time being.]

Smack!

Hiruzen Sarutobi slapped the desk and shot to his feet.

"Good!"

The old man's face flushed with excitement, even his beard trembling.

Pakura had been captured!

This was a major event that could change the entire course of the war!

Not only had Sunagakure lost one of its top commanders, its morale would also plummet to rock bottom.

More importantly, Konoha now possessed an immensely valuable bargaining chip.

With Pakura in their hands, Sunagakure would have to hold back. The pressure on Kikyo Pass could instantly be reduced by more than half.

"Orochimaru did beautifully!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed heartily, and the gloom that had weighed on his heart for days was swept away.

He sat back down, picked up the scroll, and continued reading.

He wanted to see exactly how Orochimaru had captured Pakura alive despite being at a disadvantage in troop numbers.

His gaze swept past the casualty report in the middle of the scroll and landed directly on the section labeled "Special Commendation."

[Greatest merit in this battle: Qian Ye.]

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned.

Qian Ye?

Why did that name sound so unfamiliar? Which clan's elite Jonin was he?

He followed the name down to the record of achievements.

[Identity: Civilian Genin, twelve years old.]

[Achievements: When the right-flank defense line collapsed, he remained behind alone and killed a total of twenty-three Sunagakure Chunin and Genin.]

Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his eyes.

Twelve years old?

A civilian Genin?

He killed a whole group of Sunagakure ninja?

Could this battle report be wrong?

Suppressing the shock in his heart, he continued reading.

[He used himself as bait to lure the rampaging Pakura into an ambush.]

[Note: This Genin's precise Chakra control far exceeds that of ordinary people, and he possesses exceptional tactical aptitude. I have accepted him as my personal disciple. — Orochimaru]

The office fell deathly silent.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand, holding the scroll, stopped in midair.

He knew Orochimaru far too well.

His disciple had always been arrogant and demanding, looking down even on those prodigies from the great clans.

Yet now, he had openly written in a battle report that he had accepted a civilian Genin as his personal disciple!

And this boy had slain more than twenty Sunagakure ninja alone, survived against the rampaging Pakura, and even suppressed Scorch Release in return.

Was that something a twelve-year-old brat who had just graduated could possibly do?

"ANBU!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi abruptly raised his head and ordered the ANBU standing by the door.

"Investigate!"

"Yes!" The ANBU vanished from the spot in a flash.

Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned back in his chair and relit his pipe.

He took two puffs.

The smile on the old man's face simply would not go away.