Back at the border camp in the Land of Fire, Tsunade and Orochimaru parted ways.
Tsunade returned to her tent with the child she had rescued, attending to matters a woman of her sort would handle. Orochimaru, meanwhile, found Jiraiya hiding in a tent, scribbling in a small notebook, and inquired about the current situation.
"Jiraiya, has there been any movement from Amegakure?"
Upon seeing Orochimaru's sudden return, Jiraiya hastily hid the notebook in his embrace and stammered out a laugh, feeling a bit guilty.
"Ha..."
"Orochimaru, you're back!"
"Where's Tsunade?"
Seeing Jiraiya's actions, Orochimaru secretly found it amusing.
Was Jiraiya already contemplating how to become a great writer?
However, it was ultimately his personal hobby, and Orochimaru had no intention of prying into it. Shaking his head slightly, Orochimaru casually replied,
"Tsunade is also back, but she has some matters to attend to."
"What's the situation in Amegakure?"
Jiraiya, relieved that Orochimaru wasn't pursuing his secret, breathed a sigh of relief.
That Orochimaru was truly a terrible influence!
Ever since he was forced by Hiruzen Sarutobi and Orochimaru to get engaged to Mao, Jiraiya had felt the pressure of life.
Marriage cost money, the wedding banquet cost money, and although they didn't need to buy a house, decorating it as a bridal home was also a considerable expense.
Coupled with the future cost of raising children, especially after Mao declared her intention to have eight or ten with Jiraiya, Jiraiya knew it was time to start a side hustle.
"Since Hanzo took some of the Amegakure shinobi towards the Land of Wind, there hasn't been any significant movement from Amegakure for now."
"However..."
Jiraiya pondered for a moment, his expression turning a little grim.
"I've gathered some intelligence from the civilians in the Land of Rain."
"The one Hanzo left behind at the main base is a Jonin named Sanshouuo no Dan."
"That fellow was bestowed the surname Sanshouuo by Hanzo, so his strength must be considerable."
"Furthermore, according to the civilians of the Land of Rain, that Sanshouuo no Dan is cruel by nature and often kills people casually."
"An enemy with such a temperament might resort to some unsavory tactics during wartime."
Orochimaru nodded, a hint of disdain in his eyes.
"If they're unsavory, then simply eliminate them!"
"It's no big deal!"
Heh, that Sanshouuo no Dan who maintained his high-and-mighty ninja status by preying on ordinary people? The weakling who was defeated by Naruto Uzumaki's Rasengan?
It wasn't just bragging for Orochimaru; a character like that, if he brought Nawaki over and taught him a few moves, he might even be able to defeat him.
"Inform the Aburame clan to select a batch of insects that are not afraid of rain and scatter them along the border of the Land of Rain."
"Once any Amegakure ninja are spotted, send a message immediately."
In matters of war, Jiraiya naturally dared not be negligent and nodded solemnly.
"Don't worry, I've already given instructions during your absence."
"And the ninja hounds of the Inuzuka clan; although the rain affects their sense of smell, when combined with the Byakugan of the Hyuga and the Shizushi of the Aburame clan, it won't be easy for Amegakure to launch a surprise attack."
...
It was already late autumn, but due to the perpetual rainy weather, the trees growing at the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Fire were still adorned in a thick layer of green.
The sky, which had been gloomy for days, finally cleared up a bit. Small animals living in this area crawled out of their nests, searching for food to fill their long-empty stomachs.
It was strange, really, that after several days of rain, the insects in the forest suddenly increased inexplicably.
This delighted some birds that fed on insects and a portion of omnivorous small animals. They called out to their friends and rivals, eagerly catching and eating them.
However, with their low intelligence, these animals could hardly understand why the insects they swallowed were not being digested.
At this moment, nearly two hundred Allied Amegakure shinobi, led by Sanshouuo no Dan, stealthily infiltrated the border of the Land of Fire.
The sudden arrival of humans startled the small animals living in the forest, causing a commotion as they frantically scattered.
But against a group of ferocious ninjas, these small animals were like fish on a chopping block. Before they could even attempt to flee, they all met their end on the spot.
"Such lax vigilance. The so-called strongest ninja village is nothing more than this!"
Looking at the distant patrol team composed of only three ninjas from the Konoha camp, Sanshouuo no Dan sneered contemptuously in his heart.
He snapped the neck of a squirrel that ran into his side and casually tossed it into the grass.
Although these three Konoha ninjas were not wearing the characteristic ninja vests that indicated their strength like regular ninjas, judging by the chakra fluctuations emanating from them, the strongest among them was only a Jonin.
In his opinion, these ordinary Jonin-level fellows would meet the same fate as the mouse he had just crushed.
Easily infiltrating near the Konoha camp, Sanshouuo no Dan's confidence soared. A sinister grin on his face, he casually gave the order to disperse and attack.
"Send out a few squads to flank the Konoha camp from other directions, waiting for the opportunity to launch a feint attack on Konoha and disrupt their judgment!"
"Yes!"
The Amegakure Allied Forces behind him immediately detached over a dozen ninjas, who flashed and disappeared into the forest.
"Once this patrol team gets closer, eliminate them immediately!"
"The people of Konoha will definitely not expect us to attack when the weather clears up. Caught off guard, they will surely be unable to react in time."
"This is our chance!"
Sanshouuo no Dan's confident words were met with low murmurs of agreement from the Amegakure Allied Forces. Their eyes fixed on the three Konoha patrol ninjas who were getting closer to the forest, the Amegakure Allied Forces felt their killing intent surge.
Under normal circumstances, Sanshouuo no Dan's judgment would have some merit.
Konoha ninjas, accustomed to the mild weather of the Land of Fire, could not immediately adapt to the damp and gloomy environment of the Land of Rain upon arriving at the front lines.
Whether it was their daily routines, the combat environment, or even their psychology, setting aside individual strength, the Amegakure ninjas, fighting on their home turf, inherently had a significant advantage.
But the reality was not so.
Setting aside hypothetical scenarios, in any situation, "what if" was always a fallacy.
Not only in the ninja world, but based on the information Orochimaru knew from his memories, in another world, anyone who spoke like that to you deserved a resounding slap across the face.
And what happened next was even more unimaginable for Sanshouuo.
The small animal carcasses they had casually discarded in the grass were now crawling with countless tiny insects, silently observing the Amegakure shinobi's every move.
Getting closer!
The three Konoha Chunin, wearing small sunglasses and high-collared trench coats, were approaching the position where Sanshouuo no Dan was lurking.
Seeing that the three Konoha ninjas had entered the most advantageous attack range, Sanshouuo no Dan pulled a gas mask over his face, let out a muffled shout, and suddenly sprang into action.
"Die!"