A smile spread across Jiraiya's face:
"Night Owl, you're just in time! The front needs strength like yours!"
Then he turned to Lin Ze and nodded:
"Since you're determined to improve, and Night Owl is here now, I'll approve your request. Go and come back quickly. The front needs you."
"Yes," Lin Ze replied calmly.
After a few more brief instructions, the meeting ended.
Lin Ze wasted no time. He rose and left the commander's tent, racing toward Konoha under cover of darkness.
Standing in the shadows of the tent, Orochimaru watched Lin Ze disappear into the night, looking thoughtful.
He's finally gone...
He felt an inexplicable sense of relief. Whenever Lin Ze was around, he would recall that scene at the Kumogakure Front.
But why is he hiding his strength so deliberately, even going so far as to find an excuse to return to the village? Does he simply not want to face Ōnoki? Or is there some deeper reason...
Orochimaru shook his head, setting those speculations aside for the time being.
Whatever the case, Lin Ze's departure was a good thing for him.
At least he could now act more freely at the front and conduct some of his "little experiments."
As for slacking off...
A cold smile curved Orochimaru's lips. Lin Ze is still no match for me in that regard.
He was someone who could not even be bothered to go through the motions, preferring to hide in the shadows and watch the show.
Deep in the Land of Fire.
Lin Ze traveled alone through the dense forests of the Land of Fire.
As he passed through a rarely visited stretch of primeval forest, his brows suddenly furrowed slightly.
He sensed a familiar presence, cold and slick, approaching his position in a straight line from