Every day, he reported everything he saw here back to Hiruzen Sarutobi, while harboring a deep, growing wariness toward Chihane Hatake. Chihane was already this powerful now, so what kind of strength would he possess once he truly came into his own?
Because of Chihane's rapid progress in strength, Hiruzen also began to reflect, questioning whether handing Chihane over to Orochimaru had been a mistake.
Hiruzen had originally assumed that no matter how much of a genius Chihane was, he would merely be a Genin upon graduation, or even if he had underestimated him, at most a Chunin. Yet he had never expected that just three months after graduating, ANBU reports and his own crystal-ball surveillance would reveal that Chihane actually possessed the strength of a Jonin.
Orochimaru was already difficult to control now, and if Chihane continued to grow at this rapid pace, he would have no way to curb Orochimaru's ambitions. And while Kakashi's growth rate was not slow, it was still far too sluggish compared to Chihane.
His worries were well-founded; after all, even though he personally favored Minato Namikaze, Orochimaru's seniority, contributions to Konoha, and high standing among the Jonin made him impossible to ignore. Though he was the Hokage, he had no way to go against the entire village.
What Hiruzen could not have imagined was that the spar between Orochimaru and Chihane was also intentional on Orochimaru's part. The reason he chose not to hold it outside the village, but instead right within Konoha, was specifically to reveal Chihane's strength to Hiruzen and build up momentum for Chihane in advance.
What Chihane was displaying at this moment was no longer mere talent, but a Jonin-level combat capability that no shinobi village could afford to ignore.
In some of the smaller shinobi villages, Jonin already bore the title of Kage.
"Let's call it a day for now, Chihane..."
Finally, amid the lingering smoke, Orochimaru called a halt to the spar.
Swish!
Seeing that the two before him had finally ceased fighting, the Dog-Faced ANBU, who had been waiting aside for a long time, appeared by Orochimaru's side, interrupting Orochimaru, who clearly still had more to say.
"Lord Orochimaru, Lord Hokage has urgent business with you."
Sensing Orochimaru's displeasure at being interrupted, the Dog-Faced ANBU hurriedly delivered the Hokage's orders to him.
"Chihane, go ahead and train on your own for a bit. I'm going to the Hokage's office, and we'll continue this conversation when I get back."
Ignoring the Dog-Faced ANBU waiting to the side, Orochimaru spoke a few words to Chihane and then vanished on the spot.
The Dog-Faced ANBU by his side was clearly already accustomed to this, and even felt a sense of relief. After all, whenever he faced Orochimaru, he always felt the innate oppression of prey confronting a predator.
He cast a respectful glance at Chihane, his eyes filled with awe toward the strong, and then vanished on the spot, following Orochimaru. Only Chihane was left behind, continuing his training alone.
Meanwhile, Chihane felt somewhat displeased that the Hokage had called Orochimaru away. Over the past three months, Chihane had experienced a rapid progression in his strength; if the current him were to face himself from three months ago, he likely could have defeated his past self in just a few moves. Having tasted the thrill of soaring power, he did not want to stop for even a single second.
"System, open the status panel."
Host: Chihane Hatake Gender: Male Occupation: Swordsman Strength: Jonin (Peak Near-Kage) Sword Styles: Swordless Style: True Sword: Catching a Blade Barehanded One-Sword Style: Iai "Death Lion's Song" One-Sword Style: Thirty-Six Pound Phoenixes (Locked) Two-Sword Style: Iai "Rashomon" Two-Sword Style: Hawk Wave Two-Sword Style: Rising Tower Two-Sword Style: Reverse Rising Tower Two-Sword Style: Seventy-Two Pound Phoenixes (Locked) Three-Sword Style: Oni Giri Three-Sword Style: Bull Needle Three-Sword Style: Dragon Twister Three-Sword Style: Tiger Hunt Three-Sword Style: Gyuki Brave Claws Three-Sword Style: Two-Gorilla Slash Three-Sword Style: 108 Pound Phoenix Three-Sword Style: Secret Technique: Three Thousand Worlds Haki: Armament Haki - Infusion (Infusion - Blackening - Ryuo) Observation Haki - Five Senses Enhancement (Five Senses Enhancement - Sense Biological Aura - Future Sight) Taijutsu: Eight Gates of Death (Fifth Gate) Lightning Release Chakra Mode Items: Wado Ichimonji, Yubashiri, Kusanagi Sword, Zoro's Green Bandana, Zoro's Training Manual
Even in the Ninja World, where strong individuals gathered like clouds, he was now capable of possessing his own renown.
"Whew! Finally, I have the strength to protect myself."
Seeing the system's evaluation and his own day-after-day efforts, it had ultimately given him a result he could be proud of!
Konoha Hokage's Office
"Teacher, you called for me?"
Orochimaru walked into the Hokage's office and looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, who stood with his back to him, blowing rings of smoke in front of the window, and asked the question.
With his back to Orochimaru, Hiruzen puffed silently on his pipe. Without answering, he simply gazed quietly through the window at the clouds in the sky outside.
Just like that, the atmosphere in the room gradually grew still. For a time, save for the sound of Hiruzen puffing on his pipe, it was quiet enough to be somewhat terrifying.
"Orochimaru, the Third Kazekage has gone missing! The Land of Lightning is taking advantage of the chaos to launch a surprise attack on the Land of Wind, and has declared war on the Land of Earth and the Land of Fire. Iwagakure and Kumogakure have also declared war on Konoha. The Mist Ninja are eyeing Konoha as well, raring to go and likely to strike at any moment."
"I called you here this time to prepare you to head to the border of Iwagakure, leading Konoha's shinobi to counter Iwagakure."
"Danzo is currently in charge of the Mist Ninja from the Land of Water, and I plan to have Jiraiya and Shikaku take the three clans to the Land of Lightning to counter Kumogakure. The Land of Earth will be left to you."
Hiruzen turned around, looking at Orochimaru with a heavy expression. The thick bloodshot veins in his eyes showed just how much pressure he was bearing.
"Has the situation deteriorated to this extent? Then leave the Land of Earth to me!"
Faced with the grim situation recounted by Hiruzen, Orochimaru decisively shouldered the heavy responsibility of guarding the border of the Land of Fire.
He did not ask why there was no mention of any arrangements for Minato Namikaze. After all, Minato had only just become a Jonin at this time, and Orochimaru's impression of him still rested on him being a decent junior, completely failing to view Minato as a rival.
"How many of the village's Jonin can be assigned to me?"
Orochimaru immediately posed the question of force distribution that concerned him most right then. Although Konoha had the most Jonin among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, facing three villages simultaneously would inevitably stretch their forces thin. The distribution of the village's combat power at this moment was a major issue.
Kumogakure had Jiraiya leading the contemporary Ino-Shika-Cho, and even while fighting on three fronts, the Cloud Ninja remained formidable. The Mist Ninja had not yet formally gone to war, and Danzo alone could still maintain a stalemate with them. However, Iwagakure possessed immense combat strength, falling short of Konoha by only a very small margin.
The Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki, Kitsuchi, Mahiru, Kakkō, Taiseki, Sumashi, and Higashishibito were all renowned powerhouses in the shinobi world. If he had to rely on himself alone, confident though Orochimaru was, he would have no way to face Ōnoki and Kitsuchi-two Kage-level combatants-while simultaneously dealing with the remaining elite Jonin.
"The village's combat forces are extremely strained right now. I can only give you 10 Jonin, but I can put the Uchiha Clan at your disposal. However, if Ōnoki appears on the battlefield, I will appear as well."
Hiruzen had no way to distribute more forces at the moment; after all, what would happen if he gave Orochimaru too many forces and Orochimaru won the war? His original plan was to take Minato to take over the battlefield the moment Orochimaru proved unable to cope with Iwagakure. That way, he could secure victory while creating sufficient momentum and acclaim for Minato.
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