An hour later.
At the village's main gate.
When Qifeng arrived, he saw only Orochimaru standing there with his eyes closed, arms folded across his chest, leaning against the gate.
Seeing Orochimaru made him feel somewhat uneasy.
It was not that he feared Orochimaru doing anything. It was simply an instinctive fear of snake-like creatures.
Even an ordinary person, when faced with a nonvenomous snake, would feel at least a trace of fear upon seeing its smooth scales, sinuous body, and flickering tongue.
It was human instinct. Snake catchers were not without fear either; they had merely overcome it.
He glanced back at Hokage Rock in the distance.
He truly did not want to leave.
Qifeng stood to one side without taking the initiative to speak to Orochimaru, and Orochimaru paid him no heed either.
It was as though their earlier conversation had never happened.
One after another, the remaining ninja arrived at the gate.
Qifeng silently observed these companions.
Including himself, there were fourteen ninja in total: three four-man squads, as well as Orochimaru and Qifeng, who each formed a team alone.
The captains of the three squads were all Jonin, while their members were all Chunin.
Qifeng was the only Genin in the entire group, making him stand out conspicuously.
Once everyone had arrived, Orochimaru opened his eyes, gave them a brief sweep, and silently nodded.
He waved his hand.
The moment they left the village, one of the Hyuga Clan ninja in the group activated his Byakugan. As if they had entered a battlefield, everyone went on alert.
This was not making a fuss over nothing, but a necessary precaution.
During the Second Great Ninja War, something had once happened.
A squad of Konoha Ninja had barely traveled a dozen miles from the village when they were ambushed, causing the entire support team to suffer severe losses. Had the support Jonin from Konoha not arrived in time, that squad would likely have been wiped out.
Cruel war brought not only blood and tears, but also countless lessons.
With war liable to break out at any moment, such preparations were essential.
Part of the purpose of the training camp established by Yūhi Kurenai was precisely this. As a veteran who had been to the battlefield, he passed on the experience distilled from those lessons to Konoha's newly promoted Chunin and Genin, reducing needless casualties.
That was also why Hiruzen Sarutobi supported Yūhi Kurenai in doing so.
Among the fourteen people were three Jonin, as well as a Kage-level powerhouse like Orochimaru. Everyone was an experienced ninja, which put Qifeng slightly at ease.
It could be said that so long as they did not encounter an attack led by a Kage-level powerhouse, there would be virtually no safety concerns along the way.
Sure enough, just as Qifeng had expected, they encountered no trouble and arrived smoothly at the outpost on the Land of Fire's border.
After briefly replenishing their supplies,
they left the temporarily safe Land of Fire and entered the Land of Waterfalls.
The Land of Fire did not border the Land of Earth. Between them lay small countries such as the Land of Waterfalls and the Land of Grass. They appeared to serve as buffer zones between the major nations, but in reality, their buffering effect was minimal.
As far as Qifeng knew, the Land of Waterfalls was a small country inclined toward Iwagakure. Takigakure within the Land of Waterfalls was nothing compared to a Great Hidden Village, but among the minor Hidden Villages, it was still relatively formidable.
This time, they had to guard not only against attacks from iwa-nin, but also against Takigakure Ninja suddenly turning hostile.
In other words, this journey was fraught with danger.
After leaving the border, the ninja in the group became even more vigilant, even preparing themselves to face a large-scale battle at any moment.
Even Orochimaru put away his relaxed expression.
The Land of Waterfalls was filled with cliffs and waterfalls, and the group's pace immediately slowed.
Not only were the roads difficult to traverse, but they also had to remain wary of sudden attacks from behind boulders, beneath waterfalls, or within pools of water.
Konoha Ninja and iwa-nin could move through the Land of Waterfalls without restraint, while Takigakure could only swallow its anger and remain silent.
Small countries had no rights. That was how the entire Shinobi World worked.
Both the Land of Waterfalls and the Land of Hot Water had outposts built by Konoha within their borders.
These outposts would not be activated during peacetime, but in wartime, they became vital to the conflict.
The Tori Mori Outpost they were heading to had been left behind by Konoha during the Second Great Ninja War.
Some time ago, iwa-nin had repeatedly provoked Konoha's border. To ensure the safety of the Land of Fire's residents, Konoha had no choice but to shift its defensive focus forward, so the Tori Mori Outpost had been reactivated.
They had not expected that the Konoha Ninja stationed there would be attacked not long after moving in, causing the outpost to lose contact entirely.
After cautiously traveling through the Land of Waterfalls for some time, they finally reached the location of the Tori Mori Outpost safely.
Qifeng had remained very inconspicuous throughout the journey.
The ninja in the group all understood why Qifeng had come along, so they did not complain and simply performed their respective duties.
At the outpost,
what greeted them were slightly dilapidated buildings.
"Hyuga Tokuha."
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru!"
The one called was the only Hyuga Clan ninja in the group. His Byakugan was the finest reconnaissance tool.
Hyuga Tokuha's expression gradually turned solemn.
"Reporting to Lord Orochimaru, the battle should have taken place two days ago. No signs of survivors have been found for the moment."
He swiftly and concisely reported the situation to Orochimaru.
A faintly dangerous glint flickered in Orochimaru's snake-like eyes as he swept his gaze across the buildings. In a hoarse voice, he said, "Watch the surroundings, remain alert for attacks, and enter the outpost!"
"Yes!"
Several people answered.
Drawing kunai and various ninja tools, they entered the buildings one after another.
The thick stench of blood, severed limbs, and faint scorch marks filled the air.
The sight that greeted the squad after entering the buildings left everyone looking grim.
After pondering for a moment, Orochimaru suddenly asked, "Do you think the iwa-nin will come again?"
At some point, the person standing beside Orochimaru had become Qifeng.
Looking at the corpses of ninja from his own village inside the building, Qifeng felt heavyhearted. After a moment of thought, he said, "Since this was a probe by the iwa-nin, they certainly will not leave just like that. They want to see Konoha's response and assess Konoha's condition. Right now, they are very likely hiding somewhere in the distance, watching this place by means unknown to us."
Orochimaru gave a cold laugh. "Not a bad thought. I see it the same way. And I believe they will not be able to wait long before attacking again."
As he spoke,
they passed through a cramped corridor and arrived at the outpost's operations room.
A bloodstained map lay spread across the table in the center.
Orochimaru casually picked up two pieces from the scattered game markers and placed them on the map.
After doing so, he pondered for a moment and said, "Nakamura Kenta, Mitsui Hiyori, each of you will lead a team to investigate one direction. Leave markers along the way. Do not go too deep; just probe the area."
"Yes!"
The captains of the two squads bowed in acknowledgment.
Then he looked at the remaining Jonin. "Gekko Naoki, take your men and clear the outpost. Gather all the bodies of the dead together."
Then he looked at Qifeng without saying anything.
But Qifeng understood what he meant and nodded solemnly.
"Finally, we will use a unified code phrase. No matter who it is, if they cannot match it, do not hesitate. Attack immediately!"
From Orochimaru's series of arrangements, Qifeng sensed the heavy stench of war.
This was different from the ninja war he had imagined, but it felt more real and far more oppressive.
A snake crawled out from Orochimaru's sleeve, opened its mouth, and spat out a pen.
He quickly wrote a few strokes on the paper, establishing the unique marker and code phrase for this mission.
Code phrase: "Long live the snake."
Before you continue