The Long-Lived Snake (Seeking Collection and Recommendations)

An hour later.

At the village's main gate.

When Qifeng arrived, he only saw Orochimaru standing alone with his eyes closed, arms crossed, leaning against the gate.

Seeing Orochimaru, he felt a bit of a chill in his heart.

Not because he feared what Orochimaru might do, but purely from an instinctive dread of snake-like creatures.

For normal people, even facing a non-venomous snake, seeing its smooth scales, sinuous form, and flickering tongue would stir at least a trace of fear.

It was human instinct; snake catchers weren't without that fear—they just overcame it.

He glanced back at the distant Hokage Rock.

He really didn't want to leave.

Qifeng stood to the side, not actively striking up a conversation with Orochimaru, and Orochimaru paid him no mind either.

The exchange between them earlier might as well never have happened.

One by one, the other ninjas arrived at the gate.

Qifeng quietly sized up these companions.

Including himself, there were fourteen ninjas in total, comprising three four-man squads, plus Orochimaru and Qifeng as two solo members.

The squad leaders were all Jonin, and the members were all Chunin.

In the entire group, Qifeng was the only Genin, standing out conspicuously.

Seeing everyone had gathered, Orochimaru opened his eyes, gave a brief scan, and silently nodded.

He waved his hand.

As soon as they left the village, one of the Hyuga Clan ninjas in the group activated his Byakugan, and everyone went on full alert, as if entering a battlefield.

This wasn't an overreaction—it was a necessary precaution.

During the Second Great Ninja War, an incident had occurred.

A squad of Konoha Ninjas had barely traveled a dozen miles from the village when they were ambushed, resulting in heavy losses for the entire support team. If the backup Jonin from the village hadn't arrived in time, that squad would likely have been wiped out.

The brutal war brought not only blood and tears but also a wealth of lessons.

With war on the verge of breaking out at any moment, these preparations were essential.

Part of the purpose behind the Training Camp run by Yūhi Kurenai was exactly that—as a veteran of the battlefield, he passed on the experience distilled from those lessons to Konoha's new Chunin and Genin, reducing unnecessary casualties.

That was also why Hiruzen Sarutobi supported Yūhi Kurenai in doing so.

Among the fourteen people, there were three Jonin, plus a Kage-level powerhouse like Orochimaru, and all were seasoned ninjas. This put Qifeng somewhat at ease.

As long as they didn't run into an attack led by a Kage-level fighter, there should be almost no safety issues along the way.

Just as Qifeng had expected, they encountered no trouble at all, and the group smoothly reached the outpost at the Land of Fire's border.

They quickly restocked supplies.

Leaving the temporarily safe Land of Fire, they entered the Land of Waterfalls.

The Land of Fire and the Land of Earth didn't share a border; between them lay small countries like the Land of Waterfalls and the Land of Grass. These seemed to act as buffer zones between the great nations, but in practice, the buffering effect wasn't very effective.

As far as Qifeng knew, the Land of Waterfalls was a minor country leaning toward Iwagakure. Takigakure, within the Land of Waterfalls, wasn't much compared to the Great Hidden Villages, but among the minor Hidden Villages, it was still relatively capable.

Their mission required them not only to guard against attacks from Iwa ninjas but also to be wary of sudden strikes from Takigakure Ninjas.

So this journey was fraught with danger.

After leaving the border, the squad's ninjas grew even more vigilant, even preparing for large-scale combat at any moment.

Even Orochimaru dropped his relaxed demeanor.

The Land of Waterfalls was filled with cliffs and waterfalls, and the group's pace slowed immediately.

Not only was the terrain difficult to traverse, but they also had to watch for sudden ambushes from behind a boulder, beneath a waterfall, or within a pool.

Konoha Ninjas and Iwa ninjas could move freely through the Land of Waterfalls without restraint, while Takigakure could only seethe in silence.

Small nations had no rights—that was the way of the entire ninja world.

Both the Land of Waterfalls and the Land of Hot Water had outposts built by Konoha within their borders.

In peacetime, these outposts weren't activated, but in wartime, they became critical to the conflict.

The Tori Mori Outpost they were heading to now was one left behind by Konoha during the Second Great Ninja War.

Some time ago, Iwa ninjas had repeatedly provoked Konoha's borders. To ensure the safety of the Land of Fire's residents, Konoha had to push its defensive focus forward, so the Tori Mori Outpost was reactivated.

But unexpectedly, not long after Konoha ninjas moved in, they were attacked, and the outpost lost all contact.

After carefully traveling through the Land of Waterfalls for a while, they finally arrived safely at the location of the Tori Mori Outpost.

Throughout the journey, Qifeng had remained very inconspicuous.

The ninjas in the squad all understood what Qifeng's role was in tagging along, so they didn't complain, just focused on their own duties.

At the outpost's location.

What met his eyes were slightly dilapidated buildings.

"Hyuga Tokuha."

"Yes! Lord Orochimaru!"

The one called was the only Hyuga Clan ninja in the team; his Byakugan was the best reconnaissance tool.

Hyuga Tokuha's expression gradually turned grave.

"Reporting to Lord Orochimaru, the battle should have taken place two days ago. For now, there are no traces of survivors."

He reported the situation to Orochimaru quickly and concisely.

A faint, dangerous glint flickered in Orochimaru's snake-like pupils as he swept his gaze over the buildings. His voice hoarse, he said, "Watch your surroundings, be alert for ambushes. Enter the checkpoint!"

"Yes!"

Several voices answered in unison.

They drew kunai or various ninja tools and weapons, then filed into the buildings.

A thick smell of blood and scattered limbs, mixed with a faint hint of scorched earth.

As the team entered the building, the scene before them left everyone with grim expressions.

After a moment of thought, Orochimaru suddenly said, "Do you think the Iwa-nin will come again?"

At some point, the person standing beside Orochimaru had become Qifeng.

Looking at the bodies of fellow village ninjas inside the building, Qifeng felt a heavy weight in his heart. A contemplative look crossed his face as he said, "Since it was a probe by the Iwa-nin, they definitely won't leave just like that. They want to see Konoha's reaction, to gauge Konoha's condition. Right now, they're likely hiding in the distance, watching this place through some unknown method."

Orochimaru let out a cold laugh. "Not a bad idea. I think so too. And I believe they won't wait long before they strike again."

As he spoke.

They passed through a narrow corridor and entered the operations room inside the checkpoint.

On the table in the center lay a map stained with blood.

Orochimaru casually picked up two scattered game pieces and placed them on the map.

After doing this, he mused, "Nakamura Kenta, Mitsui Hiyori, each of you lead a team to scout one direction. Leave markers along the way. Don't go too deep—just a quick look."

"Yes!"

The two squad leaders bowed in acknowledgment.

Then he turned to the remaining jonin. "Gekko Naoki, take your people to clean up the checkpoint. Gather all the dead bodies together."

After that, he looked at Qifeng without saying a word.

But Qifeng understood his intent and nodded solemnly.

"Finally, unify the code phrase. No matter who it is, if the response doesn't match, don't hesitate—strike immediately!"

From Orochimaru's arrangements, Qifeng could sense a thick atmosphere of war.

It was different from the ninja wars he had imagined, but it felt more real, and intensely oppressive.

A snake slithered out from Orochimaru's sleeve, opened its mouth, and spat out a brush.

He quickly scribbled a few strokes on the paper, finalizing the unique markings and code phrase for this mission.

The code phrase: "Long live the snake."