Chapter 47

Their defensive force alone consisted of ten elite jonin, twenty jonin, and another thirty elite chunin!

Once fighting broke out, these people formed a sturdy barrier around the main camp.

Their purpose was to stop anyone from raiding the camp while the two sides fought.

They did not know the Sand Ninja's exact numbers, but their defenses certainly could not be much weaker.

And with Ebizo and Chiyo, who had secretly returned, factored into the comparison...

The Sand Ninja's defensive force was stronger than theirs, not weaker.

Yet Orochimaru said Liuyun had slaughtered his way through the entire Sand Ninja Camp. If those damn words had come from Jiraiya, they would never have believed them!

But coming from Orochimaru, they had to believe it. Anyone familiar with his temperament knew he was not someone who liked to joke!

That was almost absurdly impressive. Uchiha Liuyun was still only a ten-year-old child!

What would he be like in another few years? Damn, the Uchiha Clan really had incredible luck!

"Don't be shocked just yet. There's more!" Orochimaru continued in his eerie tone.

He owed Liuyun a favor anyway, so he might as well give him a proper helping hand here.

"More? He already broke through the Sand Ninja Main Camp, and there's more?" Jiraiya's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Yes! Since Liuyun caused quite a commotion, they encountered Bunpuku, the One-Tail Jinchuriki, on their way back!"

"Holy shit! Don't tell me Liuyun fought Bunpuku head-on too?" Jiraiya blurted out a curse.

Everyone else stared eagerly at Orochimaru, their eyes full of both shock and curiosity.

"That's right! Their battle shook the entire Land of Rivers!"

"I won't describe the details, but it ended with Liuyun's victory!"

"The One-Tail Jinchuriki fell under Liuyun's genjutsu and went berserk!"

"Liuyun and Tsunade disappeared after the battle. In any case, neither of them is in danger now!"

"With Liuyun's strength, even the Third Kazekage wouldn't get the better of him!"

Orochimaru smiled, his words carrying a hint of ruefulness.

He could hardly help it. They were twice Liuyun's age, but their strength...

An uproar erupted! The atmosphere inside the command tent exploded!

"Lord Orochimaru, does that mean we can counterattack once Lord Liuyun returns?"

"Lord Orochimaru, when do we launch our counterattack?"

After learning of Liuyun's strength, the Konoha ninja were eager to fight.

Ever since Sakumo had been wounded, they had endured no shortage of mockery from the Sand Ninja!

"Silence!" Hatake Sakumo called out, his voice weak.

"We'll discuss all this once Liuyun and Tsunade return. Everyone is dismissed for now!"

After Hatake Sakumo finished speaking, all the ninja rose and headed outside, chatting animatedly. The earlier gloom was completely gone.

Once everyone had left and only the three of them remained, Hatake Sakumo spoke.

"Orochimaru, there's something you haven't told us, isn't there?"

"Yes!" Orochimaru nodded, a strange light flickering in his eyes as he spoke coldly.

"There's a spy in our camp, or someone who doesn't want us to win and is secretly colluding with the enemy!"

"Someone leaked our raid plan to the Sand Ninja, causing Tsunade to be ambushed after entering the Sand Ninja Main Camp."

"If the enemy hadn't been unaware of Liuyun's strength, everyone would have died!"

"I'm leaving this to you. You must find them before Tsunade returns. A traitor cannot be forgiven!"

The happiness on Hatake Sakumo's face instantly gave way to a grim expression.

In any era, a traitor was someone everyone despised.

"I understand!" Orochimaru nodded.

"Commander Sakumo! My lords, Lady Tsunade and Lord Liuyun have returned!"

A jonin who had left earlier ran in, panting.

"Come on! Let's welcome our two great heroes!" Hatake Sakumo said with a smile.

The three had barely stepped out of the tent when they saw Tsunade and Liuyun walking toward them.

Konoha ninja followed behind them, their faces brimming with barely concealed excitement.

That bastard Kato Dan was among them too.

"Tsunade, Liuyun, come inside with me! The rest of you, disperse!"

Hatake Sakumo waved a hand and spoke calmly.

The mastermind behind the scenes, Danzo the Pot King!

"Orochimaru already told me what happened to you. I never expected someone in our camp to be colluding with the enemy."

"I've already asked Orochimaru to handle this!"

As soon as they entered, Hatake Sakumo got straight to the point, his expression grim.

Tsunade immediately swallowed the words she had been about to say.

"Then do you have a good plan, Lord Orochimaru?" Liuyun stepped forward with a smile.

"Oh? Does that mean you already have an idea, Liuyun?" An appreciative smile appeared on Orochimaru's lips.

"It's simple. Call in the ninja who were present that day, one batch at a time! With my genjutsu, they'll have no choice but to confess!"

Liuyun narrowed his eyes, his expression turning icy.

"It's a good method, but you'll end up offending every jonin in the camp!"

Jiraiya frowned, disagreeing with Liuyun's approach.

"Then let's use mine! Once that mole learns Liuyun and Tsunade have returned, if someone is backing him, wouldn't he report to that person?"

"You mean..." Jiraiya's eyes lit up.

"Leave it to me! I'll have results within a week!" Orochimaru said with a chilling smile.

"All right! I'm leaving this to you, Orochimaru. Once you catch whoever colluded with the enemy, you must tell me!"

"I'll smash his head in!" Tsunade said through gritted teeth.

"Don't worry!"

With the matter settled, Hatake Sakumo told the two to return and rest while he wrote a letter to inform Hiruzen Sarutobi of the day's events.

Seeing this, Orochimaru and Jiraiya both took their leave.

In the blink of an eye, the once-crowded tent held only Hatake Sakumo, writing furiously.

Time flowed like water, and three days slipped by in the blink of an eye.

Orochimaru worked faster than Liuyun had imagined.

The moon had hidden itself somewhere, leaving the sky pitch-black. They could not even see their hands in front of their faces.

Orochimaru and the other three stopped in front of a tent, and he pointed at it.

"He's in here!"

"This is Momonosuke's tent!" Jiraiya felt troubled.

The fellow shared his interests, and the two had often discussed them together.

They were fairly good friends within the camp. He had never expected this...

"Enough chatter! If we're certain, let's go in and beat him first!"

Tsunade pulled open the tent flap, her face radiating murderous intent.

"Lady Tsunade! Lord Jiraiya! Lord Orochimaru, and Lord Liuyun! W-what brings you here?"

Dark Moon Momonosuke, who was cooking, froze. Nervous and caught off guard, he hurriedly greeted them with a smile.

"Cut the crap! Were you the one who sold the Sand Ninja information about our raid?"

Tsunade grabbed Momonosuke by the collar, her voice ice-cold.

"W-what are you talking about? What information sold to the Sand Ninja? I don't understand any of this!"

Momonosuke looked utterly confused and bewildered.

His expression left even Tsunade a little uncertain, and she turned toward Orochimaru.

Her look asked whether he had made a mistake.

Orochimaru remained calm and took an envelope from inside his clothes!

"I secretly intercepted the summoned carrier pigeon you sent out yesterday."

"I don't need to explain its contents, do I?"

"Lord Orochimaru, you really have made a mistake. I was sleeping in my tent all last night. I never left!"

Dark Moon Momonosuke's expression did not change. He still looked confused and uncomprehending.

Liuyun grew impatient. One look told him this fellow was an old hand. A real spy would never leave his own name in a letter.

Liuyun was even certain Momonosuke would deliberately take precautions while writing his letters.

So Liuyun could not be bothered to let Orochimaru keep questioning him. Like Tsunade, he acted directly.

His figure flashed, and his three-tomoe Sharingan activated instantly. Vast mental energy poured through his Sharingan into Dark Moon Momonosuke's mind.

Momonosuke's previously bewildered eyes immediately went blank.

"Tell me! Why did you tell the Sand Ninja our plan?"

"Yes! The leader ordered me to!"

Jiraiya had just been about to put in a good word for Momonosuke, but his answer instantly made him abandon the thought.

"Your leader told you to..."

Before Tsunade could finish her icy question, Liuyun covered her mouth!

Seeing her puzzled gaze, Liuyun smiled slightly. "Wait a moment!"

Then he turned to Momonosuke. "Open your mouth and stick out your tongue!"

Momonosuke obeyed, revealing a black rune branded onto his pink tongue.

"Is this... the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal?"

Orochimaru's serpentine pupils narrowed, though his raspy voice held no surprise.

"What does that mean?" Jiraiya asked, baffled.

"The Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal! It's a mark Danzo developed specifically to control Root. It works much like the Hyuga Clan's Caged Bird Seal!"

Their lives rested entirely on Danzo's whim, and they could not reveal any information about Root or Danzo.

At the slightest sign of them speaking, the cursed seal on their tongues would invade their brains and turn them into imbeciles. Those who were weaker would die outright.

Understanding dawned on Liuyun's face as he slowly explained.

"Are you saying Danzo masterminded this?"

Tsunade's face turned livid, and she could not conceal the fury in her voice.

"I told you long ago that Konoha has a dark side! What you've uncovered now is only the tip of the iceberg!"

Liuyun shook his head, a cold sneer on his face.

"Darkness? In Konoha?" Jiraiya muttered to himself in confusion.

"What do you plan to do with Momonosuke, Liuyun?"

Orochimaru licked his lips, his eyes filled with admiration.