The early morning light penetrates through the layers of tree canopies, casting variegated light and shadow on the moist forest floor. The chirping of local birds wakes up the silent forest, and the air is filled with the fresh smell of soil and rotten leaves after the rain.
Inside the cave, the bonfire had long been extinguished, leaving only a handful of warm ashes.
Maruboshi Kosuke stayed up all night, or in other words, he just closed his eyes to rest. When he heard the movement outside the cave, his bloodshot eyes suddenly opened, and they were not as sharp as an old man.
"Pack up, let's get ready to go." He said in a low voice, checking the wounds on his body to make sure that the bandages were not loose.
Shisui also woke up. A night's rest allowed him to recover a lot Chakra, but the mental fatigue was not so easy to eliminate. He filled the water bag silently and rearranged the food pills and weapons.
The conversation last night made the stone weighing on his heart become heavier and heavier. The traitor in the village, the leaked information, the conspiracy against Senju Chen... all of this was like a big invisible net, making him feel suffocated.
Senju Chen was the last one to wake up. He rubbed his eyes, with a hint of sleepiness that a young man should have on his face. He looked like a young man who was out for fun and looked out of place with the two of them.
Just as the three of them were about to leave this temporary shelter, a sticky and hoarse voice sounded from the shadows behind them without warning, like a poisonous snake spitting a message in their ears.
"It seems that you are recovering well."
The muscles all over the three people's bodies tensed up instantly!
Maruboshi Kosuke turned around like lightning, guarding the two children behind him, unsheathing the dagger in his hand, and assuming a defensive posture. Shisui also grasped Kunai, and Sharingan opened it in an instant, scanning the source of the sound vigilantly.
I saw a figure slowly walking out from the shadow of the mountain wall. He had extremely pale skin, golden snake eyes, and long, silky black hair. There was a faint, chilling smile hanging on the corner of his mouth.
One of Konoha Sannin, Orochimaru!
"Orochimaru... Teacher?" Shisui saw the person clearly, and the alertness on his face turned into deep shock and confusion. Why is he here?
Maruboshi Kosuke's tense body relaxed slightly, but the vigilance in his eyes did not diminish at all. He asked in a deep voice, "Lord Orochimaru, why are you here?"
Orochimaru did not answer his question. The golden snake eyes swept over the three of them one by one with great interest, and finally landed on Senju Chen. The scrutiny in his eyes was undisguised.
"Yesterday's battle, I saw it. You were all very good, your tactics were reasonable, and your kills were very crisp." He stuck out his long tongue and licked his lips, with a morbid approval in his tone. "It was a very exciting battle, especially your use of Little Chen. Wood Release, it was very exciting."
Senju Chen didn't speak, just stared back at him quietly, with no emotion visible in those clear eyes.
"However, don't you think it's strange why a C-Rank Mission will attract Jonin from Kusagakure?" Orochimaru paced slowly, like a magician enjoying the process of revealing the mystery.
Shisui and Maruboshi Kosuke looked at each other, and their doubts became even greater.
"Because..." Orochimaru's smile widened a bit, but the words he spoke were like a huge stone, slamming into the hearts of the three of them, "... This is a trap prepared for them. And you, Little Chen, Shisui, and Mr. Kosuke, are just bait to lure them into taking the bait."
Fishing bait?!
These two words, like thunder, exploded in the minds of Shisui and Maruboshi Kosuke!
Maruboshi Kosuke's weather-beaten face showed an expression of disbelief for the first time. He thought of something and his lips trembled slightly, "Could it be that... this mission..."
"That's right." Orochimaru admired their shock, "This is not a task for your team. There are seven teams like yours, all of which have seemingly ordinary C-class or B-Rank Mission, scattered throughout Land of Fire. In each team, there is a young ninja like Little Chen, who is 5-6 years old."
"This mission was personally arranged by the village's senior officials and teachers. It was to clean up the moles in the village and at the same time scare the entire elementary school."
Orochimaru's voice echoed in the silent forest, and every word carried an icy weight.
"The ambush you encountered was part of the plan. But what you don't know is that Elite Jonin from six other villages has already set up a dragnet in the outer area. During this operation, the spies from other countries exposed and those ninjas who tried to attack Konoha's future have been... all cleared away."
"The plan this time," Orochimaru concluded, "Is to uncover the traitor and let those hiding in the dark understand that not everyone can reach out and touch Konoha's seedlings. Next time they want to take action, they have to weigh whether they will step into another trap again."
Silence.
Deathly silence.
Maruboshi Kosuke, Shisui and Senju Chen were completely stunned on the spot, their brains stagnating due to the overwhelming amount of information.
It turns out... that they fought bloody battles, fought to the death, and were even prepared to sacrifice, but it was just a move on the high-level chessboard? The life and death crisis they experienced was always under the control of others?
A few seconds later, Maruboshi Kosuke let out a long, long breath. His hand that was tightly holding the handle of the knife slowly loosened his grip, and the shock and fear in his eyes were gradually replaced by a complex emotion. It was awe of the village's senior management's foresight and admiration for such cold and efficient methods.
It turns out that the village has never relaxed its vigilance. Those of them who are bleeding on the front line have always had stronger backing behind them.
"I understand..." Maruboshi Kosuke's voice was a little hoarse. He bowed slightly to Orochimaru, "I admire Lord Hokage's foresight."
Shisui's reaction was the same. The Tomoe in his pair of Sharingan slowly dissipated while digesting it all. After the shock, what came to his heart was not the anger of being taken advantage of, but a strong sense of pride and security.
This is Konoha! Standing at the top of Shinobi World is Konoha! Under the seemingly calm daily life, there are such magnificent undercurrents. In order to protect the village, the senior officials can actually lay out such a grand and sophisticated chess game. He feels honored to be part of this great plan.
Only Senju Chen, his expression did not change much from beginning to end.
He just listened quietly, and then, as if he had just reacted, his face showed just the right amount of surprise and fear, and even a hint of happiness that he was protected by the village.
However, deep in his heart, there was already a storm and the curses were loud.
'Mom sells batches!'
'A bunch of old censors!'
'Using me as bait to go fishing?! And you dropped seven fucking baits at once?!'
In Senju Chen's mind, the "affable" old face of Third Hokage and the gloomy face of Danzo kept flashing. Only now did he understand that these old guys had no intention of letting him live in peace from the beginning!
After discovering that he could not be forced to be a mascot in the village, since the news about Wood Release could not be hidden, he simply turned it into the most valuable bait and squeezed out every ounce of his use value as the "Senju Orphan"!
Kill two birds with one stone?
That's so nicely said!
Behind this, there is a ruthlessness that does not take the lives of these "baits" seriously at all! Orochimaru said that he was following in secret, but who can guarantee that everything will be foolproof? What if he comes a step late? What if the enemy has a stronger back-up plan?
Yesterday's fight, the feeling of being on the verge of death, was not an act!
A cold anger slowly rose from the deepest part of Senju Chen's heart.
He hated this feeling, hated that his destiny was being manipulated by others, hated that he was like a puppet on strings, acting out a drama of life and death according to a script written by others, but he didn't know it.
He remained calm on the surface, and even showed a cooperative expression of gratitude, nodding slightly to Orochimaru.
But my heart was roaring like crazy.
'Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō... all you old censors are waiting for me!'
'When I grow up, I will hang you up one by one and whip you hard with a whip, and let you taste what it's like to be used as fish bait!'
He took note of this account.
"Okay, that's all." Orochimaru seemed to be very satisfied with their reactions, especially Senju Chen's "flattered" look. He turned around and his figure merged into the shadows again, "This mission is also a good test for you."
"Mr. Kosuke and Shisui, you go back to the village first." After saying that, he looked at Senju Chen
"Senju Chen Follow me, you have another mission."
??? What does it mean???
We just had a tough battle yesterday, and both the cows and horses knew they had to rest. I'm not even as good as the cows and horses. I don't even give them grass to eat, so they have to continue working? Is this how you Konoha exploit a 6-year-old child laborer?
After hearing Orochimaru's words, Senju Chen's cute face suddenly became a little uneasy.