"Is everything alright, Orochimaru-sama?"

    While Fujin read the memories of the Otogakure ninja, Orochimaru''s group was focused on running away. However, Kimimaro noticed a sudden change in Orochimaru''s expression.

    Orochimaru answered, "The group we left behind was eliminated."

    The mood of the group dulled a bit. In the last few days, their forces had suffered extensively. Not only was the attack unexpected, but Konoha ninjas hadn''t shown a shred of mercy during their operation.

    Kimimaro said, "It doesn''t matter. As long as you can recover, we will rise again, Orochimaru-sama!"

    Orochimaru thought, ''I couldn''t care less of those useless fools. They served their purpose by securing my escape route. However, why hasn''t Manda been responding to my summons? I can''t summon any snakes at all. Did something happen to the Ryuchi cave or is this also the consequence of sensei''s blow?''

    Amachi, the medical ninja who tried healing Orochimaru, agreed, "He is correct, Orochimaru-sama. Though our forces here were destroyed, the true foundation of Otogakure is you. And, Konoha can only dream of killing you. Besides..."

    A smirk appeared on his face as he said, "We finally have a lead about Tsunade."

    ——

    "Not bad, you have come a long way. I didn''t think you''d last so long against me or be able to injure me." Kagero said with a hint of surprise and respect in his voice. A large cut could be seen across his left cheek, almost exposing his teeth. His right arm was bleeding as well.

    Facing him, Illumi wasn''t in a good state either. His breathing was much rougher. Several cuts had opened up on his body while his left arm had been electrocuted not too long ago.

    Kagero added, "No matter. Even if I can''t kill you myself, I''ll do it soon. Once Tsuchiro is done with the Hyuga boy, it''ll be your turn."

    Illumi chuckled and said, "You seem to have made a miscalculation."

    Kagero shook his head and said, "It''s because you Konoha ninjas are too arrogant. If your commander had made a move, we''d have been wiped out by now. However, he thinks it''s beneath him to fight us. Of course, if he makes a move now, then it''ll still be the same result. Even if I kill you, it likely wouldn''t change the result of this war. However..."

    Illumi cut him off and said, "No, you seem to have miscalculated who the weaker General is."

    "Huh?" A frown appeared on Kagero''s face. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he quickly turned around and shot sharp water jets. To his shock, the person moving towards him was none other than Hoka! He thought, ''He dealt with Tsuchiro so quickly? Fuck, that''s what Illumi meant!''

    Unlike Illumi and Konomi, Hoka wasn''t an Elite Jounin officially. Hence, Kagero expected him to be the weakest of the three generals and assumed that he was only given the position due to his closeness to Fujin and Renjiro. As such, he wanted Tsuchiro to kill him while he would kill one of the other two. He knew they would still lose, but killing two of Konoha''s Generals would send a message throughout the Land of Grass, which was Kagero''s goal. Unfortunately, he made a small miscalculation as Illumi said.

    Hoka dodged the water jets and said, "You''re in my range!"

    ''Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms technique''

    Kagero cursed, ''Shit! I can''t fight him in close range...''

    Chakra gathered around his hands and transformed into winds. However, before he could do anything, a tree appeared under him and trapped him once again. He immediately disrupted his chakra, but that short delay was all Hoka needed!

    ——

    Konomi thought, ''Yeah, it''ll cut off the path between the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning, meaning the two villages will focus all their strength on Konoha. It would make things too disadvantageous for us.''

    She asked, "Will you meet with the Daimyo?"

    Fujin answered, "No, ask the village to send a diplomatic team. I''ll handle those pests now."

    ——

    "He did what???" Much like the rest of the world, the Konoha council was shocked by the sudden change of events. Except for Shikaku, not a single one was aware of Fujin''s actions in the Land of Rice. In fact, they were all under the impression that he was leading Konoha''s army in the Land of Grass.

    Homura asked in a worried tone, "If Fujin is the Land of Rice, then who is deterring Iwagakure in the Land of Grass?"

    Shikaku replied, "I calculated that the Third Tsuchikage wouldn''t make a move unprovoked. Besides, the outrageous nature of this move is a deterrent in itself."

    Everyone in the council agreed. The move was so strange and outrageous that it would force anyone to analyze it a dozen times before making a move. And, the more they explore, the more misconceptions they will develop.

    It was exactly what Onoki felt. The more he thought, the more nefarious schemes he discovered even though there were none. After all, who would believe a village led by the likes of Hiruzen and Danzo wouldn''t have hundreds of dark schemes running continuously? Their work, along with what their Sensei did, had left so many scars on the enemies of Konoha that they would look at it suspiciously even if a saint led it for a decade.

    Hiromasa sighed and muttered, "As expected of you, Shikaku. Your mind always amazes me."

    Shikaku chuckled and said, "This one wasn''t my idea. Fujin suggested it. I just gave the permission."

    His words once again surprised the council. Inoichi thoughtfully said, "If that''s the case, then he is quite good at strategizing."

    Shikaku nodded, "Yes. His strategic acumen is very high. He is a natural at discovering paths that would either benefit the village or be very painful for our enemies. The only issue is that the ideas he has are generally very high risk in nature. However, they also have high rewards, which makes them acceptable if pulled off right, like in this case."

    [A/N: Next chapter : Chaos in the Ninja World]

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