Miya Slowly Typed a Question Mark

Following standard ninja procedure, he had infiltrated the stronghold and stolen intelligence?

"Like hell I believe you."

Orochimaru watched Miya lie with a perfectly straight face, his heart full of admiration. If he hadn't secretly watched how Miya had actually made his way up the mountain at the time.

He really would have believed him.

"And then?"

Eager to hear the rest of Miya's report, Orochimaru played along and asked.

"Then I accidentally got caught."

The helpless way Miya spread his hands nearly made Orochimaru crack and ruin his aloof persona.

I took my pants off for this?

What happened to the performance full of lies that would make me feel like I was there, show me how outstanding you were and how you braved every danger?

Did you eat all of that?

You're just going to say "I got caught" as casually as that?

Miya, you've strayed far from the ninja path!

"Anything else?"

Orochimaru, who was maintaining his aloof persona to stay aloof, was very disappointed in Miya's performance.

"Then I killed the bandit who found me, and more than two hundred bandits surrounded and attacked me."

"I was scared out of my wits."

Miya's performance was far from good, and Orochimaru, now very disappointed, said a little impatiently:

"Finish the whole thing in one go."

All Orochimaru wanted now was for Miya to finish his report quickly, so he could hand him the remaining two missions.

Completely oblivious to the impatience in Orochimaru's tone, Miya performed with a hint of excitement on his face:

"Surrounded by more than two hundred attackers, I fought as I retreated. Finally, after I killed all the bandits, the Iwagakure intelligence ninja hiding among them showed themselves. Then I struck decisively while their guard was down, killed two, and captured two. I didn't obtain the recorded intelligence."

After saying it all in one breath, Miya looked at Orochimaru again and spoke as if he had just remembered something:

"Oh, right, Orochimaru-sensei."

"Speaking of that makes me mad."

"I don't know where the old Third got the intelligence he gave me. There were clearly four Iwa ninja, but the report said there were only three."

"If they hadn't let their guard down, you'd never have seen your talented and handsome student again."

"How about giving me another little snake like the one last time to soothe my wounded heart?"

Faced with Miya's pitiful look, Orochimaru replied irritably:

"Get lost!"

"Forget it. I don't have one. No chance."

Orochimaru's three blunt refusals made Miya think he had misheard. He turned to stone on the spot.

Before Miya could speak, Orochimaru pulled out two more mission scrolls.

"According to our intelligence, there are eight more bandit groups like this one in the Land of Fire."

"So I'm leaving them to you too."

Miya immediately stopped standing there stiffly, a look of displeasure on his face.

"No way. Sensei, you're bullying me."

"I finally finished the mission and was ready to go back to the village for a rest. What kind of teacher screws over his student like this? Do you know how much I've lost these past few days?"

For some reason, seeing the displeasure on Miya's face made Orochimaru very happy.

"Article four of the ninja code: a ninja prioritizes completing the mission over saving lives."

"Article five of the ninja code: a ninja has no right to refuse a mission and must complete it even at the cost of his life."

Under Miya's resentful gaze, Orochimaru smiled nonchalantly.

"If you have a problem, take it up with the old man after you finish the missions."

With no choice, Miya gritted his teeth resentfully, stared at Orochimaru, and replied:

"I'll take them. Hand them over!"

In Miya's heart, his resolve to take revenge on Hiruzen Sarutobi when he got the chance grew even stronger!

"That old bastard who goes back on his word..."

As though he felt that wasn't enough to provoke Miya, Orochimaru spoke again cheerfully:

"Oh, right. Of the two mission scrolls you're holding, the other one requires you to make a trip to the Land of Grass. The details are all recorded in the scroll."

"If you finish both missions before returning to the village, it'll probably take about three weeks!"

Three weeks? Won't it be far too late by then? Damn...

Miya hurriedly opened the mission scroll.

After reading it, he looked at Orochimaru with a burning gaze and said:

"Orochimaru-sensei, as my instructor, shouldn't you be carrying out the missions with me?"

"Are you really comfortable letting an ordinary Genin like me do an A-rank mission like this alone?"

Orochimaru ignored Miya's gaze and smiled cheerfully.

"That's true. I am your instructor, after all. I should guide you through your missions."

While Miya was still wondering what Orochimaru meant, Orochimaru swiftly bit his thumb and smeared blood across his palm.

Summoning Technique.

A giant snake as thick as a barrel appeared beneath Orochimaru, and Miya nearly drooled at the sight.

"Good lord, is that for me to eat? Looks like Orochimaru-sensei does love me after all."

However, Miya had gotten ahead of himself.

"Eat them."

At Orochimaru's command, the summoned giant snake opened its terrifying maw and swallowed Daisuke Ono and Akito Otsuka, who were tied together, in one gulp.

Then it vanished.

"?"

Watching this, Miya typed a question mark in confusion and stood rooted to the spot like an idiot.

"Damn it, that wasn't for me to eat?"

"I'll help you take these two prisoners back to the village. I'll leave the rest to you."

"Don't leave a single one alive."

Poof.

Having left those murderous words behind, Orochimaru dispelled the Shadow Clone in front of Miya and left as well.

At that moment, Miya was so angry he wanted to kill...

"I won't let this go until I get even..."

Anyone who heard the words Miya ground out through his teeth, one by one, would feel a chill run through their body.

Too terrifying, far too terrifying.

Whoosh.

Miya left using the Body Flicker Technique. Orochimaru, who hadn't gone far, emerged from the shadows and looked thoughtfully in the direction Miya had gone, then smiled sinisterly.

"Who knows what the future holds?"

After leaving, Miya hunted down two big tigers in the forest, gutted and cleaned them, then put them over a campfire. The anger on his face had yet to fade.

He was in no hurry to complete the missions now. It would be over twenty days before he could return to Konoha at the earliest, so he planned to spend ten days or half a month having fun outside before going back.

The next morning.

Setting out on his missions once more, Miya sang his wildly altered version of "Wild and Free," his voice ringing through the entire forest.

Living wild is an attitude,

Living wild through ups and downs.

Living wild, living wild,

Living wild, living wild.

Living wild is an attitude,

Living wild means no restraints.

Living wild, living wild.

Going crazy all the way,

Wandering all the way,

Heading into the distance.

...Miya Miya Miya