Orochimaru, the Good Teacher

Seal the Three-Tails?

The members of Orochimaru Squad looked as though they had seen a ghost.

Nine-Tails Night was still fresh in their minds. To seal the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, Hidden Leaf Village had even paid with the lives of the Fourth Hokage and the Jinchuriki.

And now, Hidden Leaf Village was actually taking the initiative to seal Isobu, the Three-Tails of Sea Country?

"People will die!"

Kurama Shion wore a mournful expression, her tone utterly dejected. Hyuga Ryo looked equally grim.

"Sacrifices are inevitable for a mission. Haven't you prepared yourselves for that?"

Orochimaru was very pleased by the fear of the three.

It was precisely because people feared death and dreaded it that they desperately pursued that slim chance of survival in a crisis, and relentlessly sought immortality.

Aside from Anko, the other three students suited Orochimaru's tastes quite well.

"Still, you needn't worry so much. We'll carry out the mission alongside ANBU. When the time comes, simply follow my instructions."

"Sensei, wasn't the Three-Tails missing for a long time? How did it suddenly appear?"

Mitaraishi Anko asked. The mission to seal the Three-Tails carried a thrilling scent of blood.

Orochimaru pondered for a while before answering Anko's question about the Three-Tails.

"No. According to the intelligence I received, the Three-Tails suddenly appeared in Sea Country this time."

"I suspect the Three-Tails died during the last Ninja World War and only now completed its rebirth."

"If the mission succeeds, the weakened Hidden Mist Village may not dare do anything to us."

"Of course, Hidden Mist Village won't stand idly by. After all, when the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, distributed the Tailed Beasts, he entrusted the Three-Tails and Six-Tails to Hidden Mist Village."

That's where the trouble lies!

Uchiha Yuan muttered inwardly.

Before the Third Shinobi World War, there had been almost no news of Isobu, the Three-Tails, in the Ninja World.

But Uchiha Yuan knew that Isobu had once been sealed inside Rin Nohara, a Hidden Leaf Village ninja. That had been part of Old Madara's deliberate plan to make Obito awaken his eyes.

Could Hidden Mist Village have failed to reclaim it afterward? Had Isobu then been reborn on some island in Sea Country?

Uchiha Yuan estimated the timing and felt that possibility was highly likely.

At present, Hidden Leaf Village had just endured the Nine-Tails Attack, losing two Kage Level powerhouses and numerous jonin at once. Its wars with Hidden Cloud Village and Hidden Stone Village had yet to fully end.

If it intervened in the sealing of Isobu, the Three-Tails, at this time, it would undoubtedly intensify its conflict with Kirigakure.

At that point, Hidden Leaf Village would resume the three-front war of the most difficult period of the Shinobi War. Even Hidden Sand, which had become its ally, might betray it at any time.

Yet it had to be admitted that successfully sealing Isobu, the Three-Tails, would deal Kirigakure a devastating blow.

Back then, the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, had captured every Tailed Beast except the One-Tail and Seven-Tails.

Naturally, Kirigakure regarded the Three-Tails and Six-Tails given to it as its own property.

After so many years, the Five Great Ninja Villages, including Kirigakure, had long grown accustomed to using Tailed Beasts as deterrent weapons.

Losing the Three-Tails so suddenly would inevitably greatly weaken Kirigakure's strength.

But sending Hidden Leaf Village ninja to carry out the mission of sealing the Three-Tails was practically walking a tightrope!

Who knew whether Kirigakure would obediently swallow this loss, or roll up its sleeves and fight Hidden Leaf Village to the bitter end?

Still, this was a helpless measure for Hidden Leaf Village as well.

For a hidden village to endure in troubled times, it had to be strong.

Otherwise, it would be like Hidden Sand—wanting to fight you one moment and become your ally the next. It might not gain much in the way of benefits, yet would make a clown of itself.

As for Kusagakure, which stirred up trouble and caused incidents everywhere all day long.

With that little strength, even the Five Great Countries could not be bothered to give it a proper glance.

"Sensei, this mission is dangerous!"

After a long silence, Uchiha Yuan picked up where Orochimaru had left off.

"But Sensei, we only have the strength of chunin. It'll be difficult for us to take part in this mission, won't it?"

Hyuga Ryo thought much the same as Uchiha Yuan. This mission was not meant for chunin at all.

From the corner of his eye, Orochimaru pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed.

"You lot, I'd be satisfied if you had half of Anko's courage."

"But Sensei, this mission is really dangerous, isn't it? We're facing Hidden Mist Village and a Tailed Beast!"

"Our strength is simply insufficient, isn't it? Unless we master some new ninjutsu during this time."

Mitaraishi Anko looked over at him pitifully. She was hot-blooded and reckless, but she was not stupid.

On Nine-Tails Night, only jonin had been able to participate in the battle against the Tailed Beast. Sealing the Three-Tails would be no different.

They could accept missions beyond their current strength, but their strength had to catch up.

"I will naturally teach you those things. But after not seeing you for so long, I still need to assess how much you've grown."

Orochimaru spoke unhurriedly. Anko's transformation gratified him, but the other three made him sigh with regret.

"Yay! Sensei will assess our training before deciding whether to teach us specialized techniques!"

Kurama Shion clapped her hands.

"As expected of Sensei Orochimaru!" ×3.

By this point, Uchiha Yuan knew he could not refuse, so he simply took the initiative to join in.

In truth, Uchiha Yuan was still somewhat worried that Orochimaru would notice the changes in him. After all, he had fused with the genes of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path not long ago.

As for the benefits he had gained from the Demonic Statue Fragment, Orochimaru had never given any special care to his disciples throughout the Third Shinobi World War.

Uchiha Yuan figured that as long as he performed appropriately, Sensei Orochimaru might not notice anything unusual.

"Then let's use this time for a trial first."

"Shion, you're already a special jonin. I'll be your opponent."

"Yuan-kun, Ryo-kun, and Anko, the three of you will engage in a free-for-all. It's fine even if you fight with the intent to kill. The last one standing will be the victor, while the losers will receive my special punishment."

This had always been the rule of Orochimaru Squad. A trial without the intent to kill one's opponent was meaningless.

Still, Uchiha Yuan was not too worried. With Orochimaru, a Kage Level powerhouse, present, the worst outcome would be severe injuries.

As for someone losing control and causing a death, that would be a slap in Orochimaru's face.

At present, Orochimaru was still a Hidden Leaf Village ninja. He had not yet become insane enough to organize a battle royale game.

As Orochimaru formed Hand Seals and created a Shadow Clone that walked toward Kurama Shion, the trial unique to Orochimaru Squad officially began.

Because they had to rendezvous with Hidden Leaf Village's ANBU and could not delay the mission, the entire trial took place while they traveled.

The match between Kurama Shion and Orochimaru's Shadow Clone was rather ordinary.

Aside from using genjutsu to counter each other's techniques, they occasionally clashed directly in taijutsu. Throughout the fight, Orochimaru's Shadow Clone suppressed Kurama Shion, the special jonin.

Uchiha Yuan, Hyuga Ryo, and Mitaraishi Anko, on the other hand, fought a particularly intense battle.

There was no need to mention Uchiha Yuan. As students of Orochimaru Squad, Hyuga Ryo and Mitaraishi Anko were both far more mature than ninja their age.

When it came to which took priority, their companions or the mission, the three had barely needed to think about it.

After all, if they were so weak during a mission that they could not even protect their own safety, what right did they have to speak of missions or companions?

They would simply be fools throwing away their lives.

Thus, Hyuga Ryo and Mitaraishi Anko took every trial exceptionally seriously.

That forced Uchiha Yuan to become serious as well.