"Lord Orochimaru, you seem... happy."
As Orochimaru smiled, a young white-haired boy walked over. His face was pale, and his eyes carried a cold indifference.
He had two red marks on his forehead—like twin stars. Eye-catching and unmistakable.
He was none other than Orochimaru's loyal subordinate—Kimimaro.
"Kimimaro, you're here. I found someone interesting... Wood Release, huh~ what a fascinating ability," Orochimaru said with a grin, casually handing a letter to him.
If there was anyone Orochimaru trusted completely, it was Kimimaro.
And Kimimaro had never let that trust down.
To him, Orochimaru was everything—his purpose, his reason to live. He was even willing to become Orochimaru's vessel without hesitation.
Kimimaro glanced through the letter, eyes serious. "Wood Release... Atsukara?"
"This one might be the perfect vessel. I've studied Hashirama's cells for years and still can't fully fuse them. But if he can become my vessel... he might even rival that Uchiha Itachi."
As he spoke, Orochimaru's voice was laced with excitement. He even licked his lips with that long tongue of his.
He had always dreamed of mastering the Wood Release. In fact, he believed the true power of Wood Release could surpass even the Uchiha clan.
So, ever since the Wood Ox first appeared in the ninja world, he'd kept a close eye on it.
"Shall I go capture him?" Kimimaro narrowed his eyes. Seeing Orochimaru this interested, he couldn't help but speak up.
As long as it was Orochimaru's command, he would carry it out without question.
"No need for now," Orochimaru shook his head slowly, eyes thoughtful.
"You're not his match yet. I'm currently studying Jūgo's ability. Once I fully understand it and help you fuse with its power, then you'll go after him."
"How long will that take? If we wait too long, others might get to Wood Ox first!"
He already knew from the intel that many groups were eyeing Wood Ox.
He was afraid they'd be too late — that someone else would capture him first.
"Heh… with the strength Wood Ox has shown, it won't be easy to capture him," Orochimaru chuckled and shook his head. "If he does get caught early… then I'll just admit I misjudged him."
"Yes," Kimimaro nodded. Hearing Orochimaru's words, he didn't question further.
But Orochimaru seemed to drift into thought.
"Atsukara…? What kind of group is that? I've never heard of them in the ninja world."
With all his knowledge and experience, Orochimaru was still puzzled. Looks like he'd need to investigate further — if he was going to move against Wood Ox, he had to learn more about this Atsukara.
After a long moment of silence, Orochimaru finally stood up and returned to his experiments.
Meanwhile, in Konoha —
Inside the Hokage's office,
"You're back?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression was grim, his eyes sharp.
He even seemed a little rattled — totally unlike the Hokage of the Land of Fire.
In front of him stood Kakashi's team. Their faces were calm. They simply nodded in response to Hiruzen's sharp tone.
"Kakashi, don't you have anything to say to us?" Hiruzen stared at Kakashi, trying to read his face for any signs of something hidden.
"No," Kakashi shook his head. "I'm sure you already know what happened before we came back."
Then he added seriously, "We failed the mission. We didn't bring Wood Ox back."
"Kakashi, you saw our comrades being killed by Wood Ox and didn't help—how could you just stand by and let a Konoha ninja be slaughtered?" Danzo slammed the table, eyes wide with anger.
This time, Root had lost several more jonin.
"They attacked Wood Ox even after we told them not to. By the time we tried to stop them, it was already too late," Kakashi replied calmly as ever, speaking only what was necessary.
"And you didn't even try to avenge them?" Danzo was furious now, and even Hiruzen's expression was growing darker.
What upset them most wasn't the death of a few elite jonin—it was Kakashi's complete indifference. He didn't even bring Wood Ox back.
"Avenge them? We might not even have that kind of strength," Kakashi shook his head, then said seriously, "The attackers came from different countries, but they were all killed by Wood Ox. In the end, he used some kind of secret technique… He was terrifyingly strong."
"If Kakashi hadn't stepped in to calm Wood Ox down, I don't think many of us would've made it out alive," Kurenai added, nodding seriously. She clearly recognized Wood Ox's overwhelming power.
"He's really that strong?" Hiruzen frowned, falling deep into thought.
"Very strong. After he used his secret technique, the pressure from just his body made me shiver... but it was the kind of shiver that gets your blood pumping!" Guy looked excited just talking about it.
If he had the chance, he'd love to face Wood Ox in a true taijutsu showdown.
Listening to Kakashi, Kurenai, and Guy speak, Hiruzen's eyebrows twitched. His face showed growing frustration.
"Even so, you were careless with this mission!" His tone turned colder, and when his eyes locked on Kakashi, the anger was even clearer. "And you watched fellow Konoha shinobi die without lifting a finger!"
"Do you understand your mistake? Do you realize what you've done?"
Each word was sharp with blame.
"What mistake?" Kakashi pushed back. "I didn't provoke Wood Ox because I wanted to protect as many of our own as possible." His voice grew firmer. "Isn't that Konoha's rule? Mission before life? And I did protect as many as I could!"
Mission before life!
This was the conclusion Kakashi came to after his father died. It was also because of this belief that Kakashi lost his father.
Back then, Hiruzen was also Hokage. Had he already forgotten?
"Mission above life?" Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to rebuke Kakashi after hearing those words—but the words caught in his throat.
He could tell anyone else that life was more important than the mission. But in front of Kakashi, he couldn't say it.
When Kakashi's father, Sakumo Hatake, failed a mission because he chose to save his comrades, the village shamed him until he took his own life. At that time, Hiruzen didn't speak a word to defend him.
In fact, he had even helped fan the flames of that public outrage—all to solidify his position as Hokage.
In the end, Hiruzen only said, "But... you still failed the mission."
"I asked Wood Ox for his decision. He refused to come to Konoha," Kakashi replied calmly.
"If he won't come, then capture him!" Danzo Shimura snapped in anger. He had wanted that Wood Release user for months—and after waiting three long months, they still had nothing.
"Wood Ox is too powerful. We can't do it," Kakashi shook his head. "If the mission still stands, then please assign someone else, Lord Hokage."
Something had changed in Kakashi ever since he came to terms with his father's death. He had always been loyal to Konoha, but now he felt a growing disgust for its leadership.
After all these years of service, he realized the people at the top were nothing but hypocrites.
Hiruzen looked at Kakashi and finally spoke.
"Say no more. Since the mission wasn't completed... you'll have to accept the punishment."
****
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