The smell of blood in the canyon, even if it is washed away by the continuous rain, is still strong and nauseating.
Senju Chen stood in front of Tsuchiya, who was bound into a cocoon by Wood Release vines, with no trace of emotion on his face, as if what had just ended was not a bloody massacre, but an ordinary Ninjutsu exercise.
The figure of Enma has disappeared, but the oppressive feeling of dominion over the world seems to still remain in the cold and humid air, making Shisui on the side feel that his breathing is a little heavy.
"Good job."
Orochimaru's figure fell silently from the top of the cliff. He walked around the wooden cocoon, his golden snake eyes flashing with unabashed admiration.
"Leaving one alive is much more valuable than leaving a pile of corpses. Intelligence, chips... and the most important thing is 'war merits'." He looked at Senju Chen, with a hint of smile in his hoarse voice, "You led the team to annihilate the Iwagakure transport team and captured the enemy ninjas alive. When the news was passed back to the village, what do you think the expressions of those old guys would be?"
Senju Chen understands clearly.
This is the true purpose of a teacher.
Killing is just a means, fame and prestige are the ultimate prize of this "exhibition match". A living prisoner of Jonin is enough to push the weight of this military achievement to an unprecedented height.
It proves not only force, but also wisdom and strategy beyond age.
"I will take him away first." Orochimaru stuck out his tongue, licked his lips, and his eyes became interested, "I will dig out all Iwagakure in Land of Rain from his mouth Then... I will take this 'sincerity' and have a good chat with Mr. Hanzō. Presumably, he will be happy to pay a small reward for this important information we have 'discovered'."
Rip off...
Our Orochimaru really makes the best use of everything.
Senju Chen complained silently in his heart, "Yes, teacher."
"I'll leave this to you." Orochimaru picked up the huge wooden cocoon with one hand, as easily as carrying a bag of garbage, "Clean up the battlefield, especially the supplies. Not a single cart is missing. When you go back, our follow-up personnel should also be here."
As soon as the words fell, Orochimaru's figure took the prisoner and disappeared deep into the rain curtain in an instant.
In the canyon, only three people, Senju Chen, Shisui and Maruboshi Kosuke, were left.
Maruboshi Kosuke silently Earth Flow walked to a corpse of Iwagakure Ninja and began to skillfully check whether there were any missing information scrolls. The back of this "Genin" appeared extremely reliable and calm in the canyon filled with corpses.
Shisui, on the other hand, stood there, the short knife in his hand still dripping with blood, but he did not take back the scabbard. He looked at the thin back of Senju Chen, his eyes extremely complicated.
Shock, awe, and even a little bit more... alienation.
It was a kind of playmate who was obviously always together, but suddenly walked in front of him overnight, even far beyond his sense of distance.
"Shisui." Just when Shisui Uchiha was stunned, Senju Chen's voice suddenly sounded.
"... Yes." Shisui was excited and responded subconsciously.
"Stop being stunned and get to work." Senju Chen pointed at the carts filled with supplies, "These are all good things. We have to take all the 'military expenses' that Iwagakure sent us back."
His tone returned to its usual relaxed tone, as if the murderous executioner just now was just Shisui's illusion.
Watching Senju Chen begin to look through the storage boxes on a cart with interest, Shisui smiled bitterly and shook his head, shaking off the distracting thoughts in his heart.
Maybe you don't need to understand it at all.
All you need to know is that he is your companion and comrade-in-arms, that's enough.
When the Senju Chen trio pulled more than a dozen fully loaded trucks and returned to the temporary camp in the heavy rain, they found that the size of the place had more than doubled compared to when they left.
More tents, more Konoha Ninja.
The second batch of support troops has arrived.
Their appearance immediately attracted the attention of the guards at the camp entrance. When they saw clearly that it was Senju Chen and the huge "trophy" behind them, everyone showed a look of surprise.
Soon, a tall young ninja wearing Jonin Forehead Protector led people to greet him. He had Sarutobi Clan's iconic black hair and a resolute face, with sharp eyes, exuding the confidence and competence of Elite Jonin.
"You are finally back." The young man Jonin Sarutobi Kenzo quickly stepped forward and glanced at the dozen trucks, his eyes full of doubts, "Where is Lord Orochimaru? These are..."
Behind him were several older ninjas, most of whom belonged to Senju Faction. At this moment, they were looking at Senju Chen with worry and scrutiny.
These people were sent by Konoha High Command in the name of "support" but actually to "protect" Senju Chen.
"Senior Kenzo." Senju Chen nodded politely, wiped the rain off his face, and showed an innocent smile, "Teacher, he has important matters to deal with and has left temporarily. These are the trophies we captured during this mission."
"Trophy?" Sarutobi Kenzo frowned, "The order I received is that you go on a D-level reconnaissance mission. But these... look like strategic materials for war?"
"That's right." Senju Chen nodded, "We met a transport team of Iwagakure."
"What about them?" A Senju Clan ninja couldn't help but ask, his tone full of urgency, "Lord Chen, are you not injured? Why didn't you send a signal to retreat immediately when you encountered the enemy?"
In his opinion, when an eight-year-old child encounters an enemy, his first reaction must be to run away and call for help.
Senju Chen blinked and said in a matter-of-fact tone, "Because we have dealt with them all, I brought these back by the way."
All... solved?
Sarutobi Kenzo's expression froze.
He looked at the three people Senju Chen, Shisui Uchiha, and Maruboshi Kosuke, two children, and one... old Genin?
Just the three of them, could they take down a Iwagakure team responsible for transporting strategic supplies?
This is simply a fantasy!
"Senju Chen, don't be joking." Sarutobi Kenzo's tone became serious, "How big is the enemy? Is Lord Orochimaru going alone to cover your retreat..."
He couldn't finish his sentence.
Because Maruboshi Kosuke stepped forward and handed him a blood-stained information scroll.
"Sarutobi Jonin, this was found from the enemy captain. The enemy team has a total of 27 people, including two Jonin, fourteen Chunin, and eleven Genin. Currently..."
Kosuke paused, and in his ancient and unwavering tone, he said something that made everyone's brains shut down.
"... has been completely wiped out by our side. All supplies have been seized."
Total annihilation?
Sarutobi Kenzo's hand holding the scroll began to tremble slightly. He looked at Maruboshi Kosuke in disbelief, and then at Shisui Uchiha who was silent.
Shisui met his gaze and nodded vigorously.
There was a dead silence at the entrance of the camp.
The sound of rain hitting the tarpaulins of tents and trucks was particularly clear.
All the new support ninjas stared at the thin boy standing in the rain with a look that looked like a monster.
Sarutobi Kenzo felt that his throat was extremely dry. He swallowed and asked in a hoarse voice, "This time... the commander of this operation is..."
"It's me."
Senju Chen's voice was not loud, but it hit everyone's heart like a heavy hammer.
He looked at Sarutobi Kenzo's shocked face and added another sentence, as if he was talking about a trivial matter.
"Oh, by the way. The leader of the other team, Jonin, was captured alive by us and is now being taken away by the teacher for interrogation."