Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression was grave.
The atmosphere throughout the office became strangely quiet.
When Qifeng arrived, Hiruzen silently drew on his pipe, exhaled a ring of smoke, and slowly rose to his feet.
He walked to the Shinobi World map hanging on the wall, which detailed the entire Shinobi World's terrain, towns, and even the layouts of several outposts along the borders.
He stood before the map in silence, taking puff after puff until the tobacco in his pipe had burned away, leaving only ash.
Danzo frowned and said in a low voice, "Hiruzen, what are you still hesitating over?"
Hiruzen returned to his desk, lightly tapped out the ashes from his pipe, refilled it with tobacco, and lit it again.
Only after finishing all that did Hiruzen finally speak.
"Last night, an Iwagakure ninja squad launched a surprise attack on our Tori Mori Outpost in the Land of Waterfalls. Every ninja stationed there has gone missing. They only managed to send out intelligence at the last moment. The troops guarding the Land of Fire's border also caught glimpses of iwa-nin."
At those words, the Konoha Ninja in the office were all shaken.
The same thought flashed through their minds.
Could it be that the Ninja World War was finally coming?
Qifeng was somewhat stunned. Wasn't the Third Great Ninja War supposed to be started by the suna-nin?
Though the iwa-nin had been the most restless, Ōnoki wasn't that brainless.
"This is a signal. The iwa-nin have finally lost their patience, but they have not launched a large-scale attack. This is still only a test," Hiruzen said.
This had more or less been the state of the Shinobi World lately. Either they were testing Konoha's limits, or they were on their way to test them.
"Hiruzen, and we're still supposed to endure this?" Danzo could no longer sit still.
His ruthless gaze fixed on Hiruzen.
The enemy was already bullying them right at their doorstep. How could Konoha possibly continue waiting to die?
If they remained so timid, the next move would likely not be a test, but a full-scale assault.
Once the iwa-nin made their move, the other hidden villages would no longer be able to stay put either.
Hiruzen raised a hand, stopping Danzo from continuing.
"I understand the stakes better than you do. The peace we struggled so hard to gain cannot be discarded so easily."
As he spoke, Hiruzen turned to Orochimaru. "Orochimaru, take three ninja squads. This time, show no mercy!"
Hiruzen had made up his mind. He had even recalled Orochimaru, who had been stationed in the east, because Orochimaru was ruthless enough when he acted.
"Hmph!"
Seeing that Hiruzen still wanted to minimize the situation, Danzo slammed his cane heavily against the floor and strode straight out of the office.
During the conversation between these higher-ups, Qifeng had stayed silent in the corner.
He had wanted to ask whether it was really appropriate for a mere Genin like him to attend this kind of meeting.
Unfortunately, he did not dare ask.
One corner of Orochimaru's mouth curled upward. He lightly licked his lips and nodded.
Whether it was an illusion or not, Qifeng felt the gazes of the two higher-ups settle on him.
"Qifeng," Hiruzen called.
"Lord Hokage." Qifeng stepped forward and respectfully bowed.
At the sight of him, Hiruzen's expression softened slightly.
"You will go as well. You have done very well lately. We have received many thanks from the families of the deceased, thanking you for handling the bodies of their relatives and companions so cleanly, and for helping residents who are struggling to survive.
Go bring back the comrades from Tori Mori Outpost. Orochimaru and the others will protect you."
Qifeng forced out a smile uglier than a grimace.
If he had known this would happen, he would have been better off not doing those things before.
They had cost him time, effort, and money, yet word had reached Hiruzen and firmly planted the image of him as Konoha's corpse collector in his mind.
Konoha actually had quite a few corpse collectors. Though he was the only one willing to look after the Morgue, that did not mean he wanted to go to the battlefield.
He wanted to say more, but Hiruzen ignored him and merely discussed the details of the mission with Orochimaru and the other Jonin.
When he left the office, Qifeng looked utterly dead inside.
"Qifeng-kun."
A hoarse yet magnetic voice suddenly sounded from behind him.
Qifeng turned around stiffly and saw that flowing long hair, those narrow yellow eyes lined with purple shadow, and lips curved into a faint smile.
"L-Lord Orochimaru."
"Qifeng-kun, would you be interested in working under me? There are some very interesting things to do." Orochimaru took several steps and silently came to his side.
"Uh..." Qifeng had not expected Orochimaru to say that. He instinctively Responded, "N-not a good idea, right?"
"I have an experiment that lacks an assistant skilled in handling corpses."
Orochimaru's voice sounded beside his ear.
Qifeng looked awkwardly at Orochimaru's barely-there smile and noticed the flickering danger in his eyes.
It was as if a venomous snake had fixed its gaze on him.
He quietly swallowed.
Had Orochimaru already begun Human Experimentation?
Probably. But the test subjects were likely ninjas from other villages.
Yakushi Kabuto had not yet been brought back to Konoha, and Orochimaru still lacked a capable assistant.
But why had he taken an interest in him?
Qifeng could not understand it. How could Orochimaru, whom he had never even met while hiding away in the Morgue, invite him to work under him?
If he had not known where Orochimaru would end up, then as one of the Sannin and someone highly likely to become the Fourth Hokage in the future, Orochimaru would have been an enormous backer, someone countless people dreamed of following.
Unfortunately, he knew Orochimaru's nature. Becoming Hokage was not his ambition. All he wanted was immortality.
Still, Qifeng considered it from another angle.
For now, following Orochimaru was relatively safe. And Orochimaru, who conducted human experiments, would definitely try to capture and collect a great number of corpses, among which there would surely be many top-tier experts.
That was a temptation for him.
Seeing him hesitate, Orochimaru did not press him. He merely chuckled and said, "Think it over carefully."
After saying that, his figure slowly vanished at the end of the corridor.
Think it over?
Like hell!
If it had been anyone else, like Tsunade with her devastating assets, or even Jiraiya, Qifeng would not have hesitated. Finding a powerful backer in Konoha would have been far too comfortable.
Only Orochimaru was out of the question.
Absolutely out of the question.
He shook his head and gave up on the temptation of approaching Orochimaru and possibly gaining access to Senju Hashirama's corpse.
Wood Release and a Sage Body might be wonderful, but he needed to stay alive long enough to obtain them.
If Orochimaru found out that he possessed both the Shikotsumyaku and the Sharingan, then perhaps the first vessel for his Living Corpse Reincarnation would be Qifeng himself.
Come to think of it.
Qifeng possessed both Kekkei Genkai that Orochimaru would seek in the future.
The drought-stricken died of thirst while the flooded drowned.
He was going to the front lines.
This felt completely different from last time.
Though both missions involved bringing back corpses, this one could very well become the fuse that ignited war, and the first to bear the brunt would be their support squad.
Even with Orochimaru there, Qifeng still did not feel safe.
But faced with Hiruzen's order, he had no way to resist.
For a brief moment, he even hoped the war had already broken out. That would be better than feeling his way across the river without knowing which pitfall awaited him.
Of course, that was just a thought.
He returned, briefly sorted through his ninja tool pouch, and hurried toward the village gate.
This time, everyone was a big shot. He did not dare be late.
Before you continue