Tsunade sat bored on a rock exposed on the sandy surface, entrusted by Orochimaru, she had been guarding Orochimaru’s corpse… body for nearly two hours.
Looking at Orochimaru in the distance, whose presence had almost blended with nature, Tsunade, if she hadn’t known about Sage Mode, would have almost thought Orochimaru had silently passed away on the spot.
Her mind wandered, and as if thinking of something, Tsunade chuckled foolishly, then immediately reacted and bared her teeth angrily at the motionless Orochimaru who sat with his eyes closed.
Orochimaru’s lips curled into a slight smile, the boundary between his body and natural energy gradually became clear, and he regained the aura of a living person.
Slowly opening his eyes under Tsunade’s gaze, Orochimaru looked in her direction.
Tsunade was startled and nervously averted her gaze.
“Tsunade, have you forgotten that when someone develops certain emotions towards me in their heart, I can detect it through Dark Sensing?”
“I know exactly what you are thinking!”
Tsunade’s face flushed slightly, and she stubbornly argued:
“I just heard you say that there is a risk of assimilation by natural energy when refining Sage Chakra.”
“You know, I haven’t learned the method of cultivating Sage Mode from Katsuyu yet, so I’m a little curious.”
“Yes, just a little curious!”
Tsunade found an excuse for herself and emphasized it again.
Orochimaru had no intention of exposing her. Time was plentiful. Compared to grand events, he preferred the feeling of things unfolding naturally.
“Merging with nature is a very wonderful feeling. When your mind settles down a bit more, perhaps you can try again in Shikkotsu Forest.”
Tsunade said "Oh," secretly relieved, and her expression became much more natural. She patted her buttocks, stood up from the ground, and casually asked.
“Aren’t you going to continue refining?”
Orochimaru also got up and shook his head gently.
“Without Kurama’s help, the speed of condensing natural energy is indeed much slower.”
“However, it’s almost enough. I always need to leave some chakra as a backup. After all, the amount of Sage energy that can be stored is temporarily limited, and I haven’t found a way to perfectly solve this problem yet.”
Tsunade gave him a disdainful look and said:
“Don’t pretend to be aggrieved after getting the benefits, okay?”
“How do ordinary people get so many opportunities? You can even summon the strongest tailed beast to help you when you start cultivating Sage Mode.”
“But…”
Tsunade’s eyes rolled, and she suddenly chuckled.
“I have a way to store chakra, do you want to learn it?”
“Orochimaru, if you beg me, I’ll teach you, how about it?”
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow and looked at her dismissively.
“You’re not going to say it’s the Yin Seal that you haven’t learned yet, are you?”
Tsunade was so openly mocked by Orochimaru that she stomped her foot in anger and frantically ran her fingers through her hair.
“You know everything, it’s so infuriating!”
“If you don’t want to learn, fine. Figure it out yourself!”
With an angry parting shot, Tsunade stomped away on the sand.
After watching Tsunade’s retreating figure for a while, Orochimaru turned his head to look at the desert in the distance.
Apart from the howling wind and sand, it was as barren and silent as ever.
But the surging killing intent captured by Dark Sensing made Orochimaru clearly aware that the people of Sunagakure were here!
…
Upon returning to the camp, Orochimaru immediately informed Hatake Sakumo of the impending attack from Sunagakure.
As an order was issued from the commander’s tent, the Konoha ninja who had already made preparations immediately sprang into action.
In a moment, all the mobile Konoha ninja gathered in front of the camp, all eagerly awaiting the appearance of the Sunagakure ninja, except for Hatake Sakumo and a few others who were filled with worry.
They hadn’t had enough fighting in the last major battle, and those spineless guys from Sunagakure had retreated. This time, with Lord Tsunade’s summoning beast skilled in healing, they would surely turn the world upside down!
Compared to these ordinary ninja who were unaware of the situation, Hatake Sakumo, as the commander, his face changed.
“As expected, the worst-case scenario has occurred!”
Hatake Sakumo, Orochimaru, and Tsunade stood at the front of the formation, looking at the Sunagakure ninja, whose numbers were nearly double that of before, with sighs of emotion in their eyes.
“Since Sunagakure has sent reinforcements, it is likely that Chiyo, an elder of Sunagakure, will be accompanying the army.”
“Then let’s proceed according to the previous arrangement!”
Orochimaru replied, turning his gaze to Uchiha Fugaku, just in time to meet his three-tomoe eyes.
Uchiha Fugaku had long noticed this strange unfamiliar ninja who appeared at the camp with Tsunade, but he had always stayed in Hatake Sakumo’s tent and had no chance to observe him.
Now that he finally had an opportunity for close contact, Uchiha Fugaku would naturally not miss this chance to resolve his doubts.
“This abnormal chakra fluctuation emanating from the body, is it a transformation jutsu?”
“Being able to stand with Hatake Sakumo and Tsunade, this person is…”
While Uchiha Fugaku was contemplating, Orochimaru slowly walked up to him and greeted him with a friendly smile.
“You must be Lord Fugaku, the head of the Uchiha clan, right? I’ve heard a lot about you!”
“My name is Kong Chen, a friend of Princess Tsunade, a wandering ninja.”
“I heard that Konoha is currently at war with Sunagakure. With nothing else to do, I thought I’d come here to see if I could lend a hand.”
Uchiha Fugaku’s pupils constricted, and he finally realized.
“This tone of speech…”
“I didn’t expect Mr. Kong Chen to appear here, which is quite surprising to Fugaku!”
Orochimaru chuckled, waved to Tsunade, and called her over.
“My strength is limited. When the battle begins later, I hope to receive the protection of the strong warriors of the Uchiha clan. Is that possible?”
Tsunade met Uchiha Fugaku’s gaze and nodded earnestly, indicating that her friend was indeed this weak.
Uchiha Fugaku’s mouth twitched as he watched the ‘superb’ acting of the two, and he nodded with a conflicted expression.
“It is my honor!”
…
“Huh?”
In the Sunagakure formation, Takuma, walking beside Chiyo, let out a surprised sound as he looked at the Konoha ninja opposite them.
Chiyo glanced at him and reprimanded in a low voice:
“Stop being so jumpy, you don’t look like a commander at all.”
“What is it that’s so surprising?”
Takuma grinned awkwardly and quickly explained:
“Mother, during the battle with Konoha before, I used some…”
“Well, methods!”
“Their numbers shouldn’t be this many!”
Chiyo’s fists tightened under her sleeves. Suppressing the urge to scold her unfilial son in front of so many Sunagakure ninja, she looked at the Konoha ninja formation opposite them.
“Perhaps Konoha has sent some reinforcements!”
“It is quite normal for reinforcements to be sent to the battlefield!”
Chiyo suppressed her anger and glared fiercely at her son.
“Which one is that Hatake Sakumo?”
Takuma did not dare to hesitate and immediately pointed him out to his mother.
“The white-haired ninja with flame patterns on his cuffs at the very front is him!”
Chiyo turned her head, squinted at him for a moment, and nodded gently.
“He looks somewhat capable. I wonder how he compares when fighting to that old man wearing a breathing tube!”
With a cold sneer, Chiyo stepped out from the crowd.
“Let’s go!”
“Let’s fight Konoha honorably and show them the true strength of our Sunagakure!”
The Sunagakure ninja who had retreated with Chiyo from the border of the Land of Rain and Wind responded in unison and, following Chiyo’s footsteps, charged towards the Konoha formation.
Seeing the vigorous Chiyo take the initiative, Hatake Sakumo exchanged glances with Orochimaru and Tsunade.
Orochimaru nodded, squinted at the charging Chiyo, and said to Uchiha Fugaku beside him:
“Fugaku-kun, I haven’t been able to help Princess Tsunade much since I arrived here. Why don’t the Uchiha clan and I take on the first battle together?”
Uchiha Fugaku’s face was expressionless, and he took the script that belonged to him from this actor.
“The puppet masters of Sunagakure are old rivals. The Uchiha clan has the same intention!”
Orochimaru nodded with a look of relief.
“Then let’s go together!”