Sand Shinobi Battlefield

Kato Osamu's defection had a far less significant impact than Orochimaru's. As a former strong contender for the Fourth Hokage, even though he lost in the power struggles at the top, he still enjoyed a good reputation among many commoners in the lower classes, who did not need to know so much about him.

Compared to Orochimaru, who rose to fame after Second Shinobi World War and has been famous for many years, Minato Namikaze's foundation is still too shallow.

"This can't be real!"

"No!"

After leaving the interrogation room in Konoha, almost every day, Anko would wake up from a huge sense of rupture, as if reality was too cruel for her to accept.

The Third didn't make things too difficult for the girl who could be considered his direct disciple just a few days ago. He simply forbade her from leaving Konoha for the time being. Even Hiruzen Sarutobi probably understood that Orochimaru's defection had been foreshadowed by countless clues, but he had never noticed them.

Not only Anko, Orochimaru's disciple, but also important figures like Kato Osamu's senior sister, Uzuki Yugao, Iruka, Itachi Uchiha were interrogated by the Interrogation Division.

But compared to them, it seems that too many people's attention is focused on Orochimaru's defection. Even though Kato Osamu defected a little earlier than his master Orochimaru, it is still believed that this defection was a pre-planned conspiracy between master and disciple.

Few eyes seemed to be paying attention to the three: a young master of the Uchiha Clan, someone who only knew a little swordsmanship and appeared to have a different master, and a Genin -ranking ninja who didn't know much. None of them looked like a direct descendant of a Kage Level shinobi...

According to the official announcement from Konoha Ninja Village, after being certified by Minato Namikaze and Root, and having also killed the Mizukage, Kato Osamu, the Blue Asura Kato Osamu, and his master Orochimaru, the Cold-blooded King, have been identified as S-rank rogue ninjas with extremely high danger and threat. Both of them possess combat power at the Kage Level.

Once the Orochimaru incident came to light, Minato Namikaze knew that there was no way to salvage the situation. Moreover, thanks to Danzo, the official announcement seemed more like a pawn being sacrificed to silence public opinion.

"Danzo..."

With a deep frown, Minato Namikaze's gaze became more focused. The yellow sand blowing in from the west whistled across the front lines of the Sand Shinobi Battlefield, making everything seem gray and gloomy, which seemed to cast a shadow over his heart as well.

His rise to power was as rapid as his speed. He was not qualified to access certain secrets before, but after he became qualified, he was always busy running around and had no time to spare.

Just like Root, from a vague impression of 'another Anbu's to now, in his mind, Root is 'Danzo's henchmen'. In the years since Kato Osamu joined his ranks, his impression of Root has worsened. He doesn't quite understand why the Third Hiruzen Sarutobi, would allow such Root to exist...

"Has Lord Orochimaru left as well?"

"Jiraiya- sensei..."

As Minato Namikaze once again retrieved the scroll that the messenger Toad had spat out, a sense of unease crept into his heart.

Jiraiya, who was stationed on the northern border and kept the Cloud Shinobi Jiraiya check, sent scrolls to the Third, Hiruzen Sarutobi, requesting to leave the northern border and pursue Orochimaru as soon as he received the news. Minato Namikaze was naturally aware of this, but the Third insisted on prioritizing the overall situation and repeatedly rejected Jiraiya's requests.

"Let's end the war against the Sand Shinobi as soon as possible..."

"If this drags on any longer, Konoha will be in chaos first..."

Taking a deep breath, Minato Namikaze stopped thinking about anything else and slowly clenched his fist. If he wanted to change Konoha, he first had to become Hokage, the Fourth Hokage!

"Orochimaru, did he choose to leave...?"

Unlike the ambitious Minato Namikaze, Princess Tsunade, another battlefield commander who was only a short distance away, seemed to have little emotional reaction to Orochimaru's departure.

The thought of leaving Konoha had crossed her mind countless times, but Konoha was ultimately something she couldn't let go of. She couldn't be as ruthless as Orochimaru, who could become a rogue ninja without any scruples and leave Konoha at will.

Her hemophobia meant that even on the Sand Shinobi Battlefield, her only useful skill was dealing with the Sand Shinobi poison; she couldn't actually fight on the front lines...

"And that kid..."

She gently waved her hand in front of Shizune's eyes, and the somewhat dazed girl finally came back to her senses. Although she hadn't met her older brother Kato Osamu many times, it didn't stop her from knowing that she had a relative in Konoha, who was like a spiritual support to her.

But now, that sense of belonging has vanished, leaving her suddenly feeling lost and adrift, like a rootless person adrift on water, which leaves her somewhat disheartened...

"Lady Tsunade... why did they leave Konoha?"

Tsunade sighed softly, gently stroking the girl's soft black hair. Shizune was a very well-behaved girl with great talent as a medical ninja, but some things were not so simple to answer for the people involved.

"I guess he just doesn't like it..."

A faint voice echoed in the tent. Tsunade slowly walked towards the window, but the wine bottles lying on the ground at her feet clattered loudly. Shizune also seemed shocked by the news, forgetting to clean the room.

Tsunade seemed oblivious, gently placing her hands on the eaves of the tent window, and with a single push, the window opened abruptly.

Sunlight, accompanied by a gentle breeze, streamed through the hall, suddenly brightening the gloomy barracks and seemingly dispelling the atmosphere of despair. Tsunade's long golden hair danced in the wind as she slowly closed her eyes, seemingly quietly appreciating the beauty of nature.

"Shizune, let's leave Konoha too..."

Do you believe it?

"I don't believe it..."

"I believe..."

Uzuki Yugao, Iruka, Itachi Uchiha walked quietly through the streets of Konoha. The war continued, and Konoha's economy was in complete recession. Many shops were closed, and even ordinary vendors had almost disappeared.

As dawn broke, still shrouded in a lingering mist, the three men's eyes darted about. They had spent the night in the interrogation room; although they hadn't been subjected to much hardship, and few had paid them any attention, their physical exhaustion paled in comparison to their mental weariness.

Iruka had asked the same question countless times. Compared to the people in the Interrogation Division, Iruka seemed more like an interrogator, interrogating them over and over again.

Compared to Iruka, the two naturally knew more. In their minds, Kato Osamu might not be considered a 'traitor,' but rather a 'forced' one. He was forced to leave Konoha. Although the matter had been settled, the aftershocks were still lingering. They didn't know what the higher-ups' attitude was, so they naturally dared not easily tell Iruka, that clueless guy.

Compared to leaving Konoha, an option that was originally difficult for them to accept, it was much better than letting their teacher, Kato Osamu, die. Even now, Yugao still felt a sense of pride and admiration for Kato Osamu's strength from that night.

"Teacher Xu, why did he leave Konoha? Why did he leave Konoha?"

"We're doing just fine, aren't we? We're on missions together..."

Iruka was dejected, his whole being exuding a sense of dejection. Although he wasn't particularly bright or had exceptional ninja talent, he possessed a rare empathy that allowed him to connect with others.

After learning about Kato Osamu's past experiences, all his grievances and resentments disappeared. However, just as he thought he was beginning to understand Kato Osamu, he heard the news of her defection.

"Perhaps you were too foolish, and Teacher Xu couldn't stand you anymore, so you drove her away..."

Yugao chuckled softly, her voice drifting over. Itachi Uchiha 'Yugao cooperation.

"Yugao... you... you all..."

The pent-up frustration of the night seemed to erupt uncontrollably upon seeing his teammates still joking around; Iruka's eyes blazed with undisguised rage.

"You've gone too far!"

"Don't you have any feelings for Teacher Xu at all? He left Konoha! He left Konoha and became a rogue ninja! Aren't you sad at all?!"

"Why! How can you still laugh!"

With a slight sigh, Yugao didn't answer Iruka's question, but what she said stunned Iruka.

Do you think our team will disband?

"Why?" Iruka asked, bewildered.

"I want to go to the Ninja Academy..."

Itachi Uchiha seemed somewhat helpless. Although he had learned a lot in the clan, Kunai throwing, the Three Basic Techniques, some low-level Fire Release techniques, and even awakened the Sharingan, under the influence of Kato Osamu's defection, it was not hard for him to imagine Hiruzen Sarutobi's thoughts, probably believing that he still needed some baptism of the 'Will of Fire'.

His words, however, caused Yugao and Iruka to momentarily lose their composure, both turning their gazes toward Itachi Uchiha with strange expressions in their eyes.

Are you sure this isn't a 'massacre' of those children?

"I can hardly imagine how desperate your generation of students must have felt..."

She paused, seemingly hesitating for a moment, and a hint of reluctance appeared on Yugao's face.

"I might study swordsmanship with the clan's ninjas for a while..."

After receiving some instruction from Akihamaru, her swordsmanship improved slightly. It seemed that a ninja from her clan had contacted a Jonin swordsmanship for her, who agreed to take her as a disciple and teach her swordsmanship. Although she wasn't quite clear about the process, it was strange that someone would agree to take her as a disciple without even having met her. However, since she could learn swordsmanship, Yugao thought it was worth a try, especially since the three of them were temporarily forbidden from leaving Konoha.

The separation seemed inevitable, and the ever-growing crowd seemed to subtly dilute the atmosphere of parting. The three remained silent, saying nothing more. Walking down the street, a look of confusion appeared in Iruka's eyes. At this moment, he once again felt the vast difference in status that came with it.

"So... where should I go?"