The sudden fall and recovery of Orochimaru had left the Jonin in the tent baffled. But seeing that he appeared unharmed, they simply nodded and chalked it up to a strange accident.
Only Tsunade kept glancing at him now and then, her beautiful eyes tinged with lingering suspicion.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru subtly touched his chest, where his heart once beat. He could now clearly feel that it had ruptured completely during the earlier transformation—his blood had congealed into something like a blood core.
No wonder this could grant immortality...
In his current state, he was likely somewhere between life and death, no longer truly human—somewhere between the living and the dead.
And strangely, he didn't find this disturbing at all. On the contrary, it only stirred his thirst for research.
If he'd been born into a fantasy world rather than the shinobi world, he probably would've already turned himself into a lich in pursuit of eternal life.
Suppressing the urge to examine his current state in front of everyone, Orochimaru took charge:
"We'll now begin the vote. Those in favor of launching a preemptive strike, raise your hands."
Tsunade raised her hand first. After all, this had been her proposal—no way she was going to contradict herself.
The other Jonin exchanged glances and began raising their hands one after another. Within a few seconds, over 80% had voted in favor of Tsunade's plan.
It wasn't just her logic that convinced them—many trusted her as a leader. In this short time, Tsunade had demonstrated both intelligence and strength. She had earned their respect—many now referred to her as "Lady Tsunade."
Orochimaru glanced around the room, nodded slightly, and said:
"Very well. We'll follow Tsunade's plan: launch a surprise attack on Sunagakure. Let's begin drafting the battle plan."
As for which village to strike first, the answer was obvious.
Amegakure had Hanzo the Salamander—the legendary Demi-God of the Shinobi World. Taking him down in a short time would be impossible.
But by ambushing Sunagakure, they could take them out quickly and reorganize their forces to face Amegakure head-on—avoiding a two-front war.
Everyone present understood this.
Just then, a translucent interface appeared in front of Orochimaru again, and the Lord God's voice echoed:
[Issuing S-Rank Solo Mission – Assassination.]
---
[S-Rank Solo Mission: Assassination]
[Objective: Eliminate enemy shinobi during the upcoming battle. Earn points per confirmed kill. Minimum requirement: kill at least ten Jonin.]
[Rewards:
Chunin kill: +50 points
Jonin kill: +300 points
Defeat a Kage-level enemy: +900 points
Kill a Kage-level enemy: +1800 points
Completion rating will grant additional bonus rewards.]
[Failure Penalty: Erasure.]
---
This was a mission custom-built by Nawaki specifically for Orochimaru. When combined with Tsunade's earlier assignment, the two Kage-level shinobi were now set to wreak havoc on the battlefield—farming points at an outrageous rate.
The reason there was no objective for Orochimaru to defeat Hanzo was simple—Tsunade's mission already had that requirement.
And come on, who didn't know it was going to be the Legendary Three vs. Hanzo?
If Nawaki issued the same task to both of them, they might both complete it and he'd have to pay twice—what a waste!
"I'm not giving away free soup," he grumbled inwardly.
"You're gonna work for me, and I'm still gonna shortchange your pay."
That's just who Nawaki was—a stingy Lord God who'd rob you blind while making you do all the work.
"The real shame is that the Reincarnators are still in their infancy. No one's even thought of forming teams yet, so I can't assign co-op missions. I should probably develop something like a team contract or soul-binding pact."
As Lord God, Nawaki could custom-create items and add them to the exchange list—a privilege unique to him.
Sure, doing so cost points and wasn't cheap… but he could set the price himself, and all points earned from sales would go directly into his own pocket.
Now that was a perk.
---
Back in the tent, the Konoha group had finished their discussions. They agreed to rest for the day and launch the assault on Sunagakure's forward base that night.
Even though Amegakure's weather meant near-constant clouds and drizzle—making day and night nearly indistinguishable—they still needed to rest beforehand. The troops needed to be in optimal condition.
The key to a successful ambush was to eliminate enemy lookouts silently and get close without alerting them. Otherwise, it would no longer be a surprise attack.
And this critical task?
Orochimaru volunteered for it.
After delegating the rest of the mission roles, the curtain of the inner chamber was pulled aside, and a familiar figure entered—white-haired Jiraiya, rubbing his back.
"Tsunade, you hit way too hard. My back's killing me...
What's with those looks? I only went to the bathroom! Did I miss something?"
Several Jonin fought to suppress their laughter, while others looked awkward.
They had… forgotten about Jiraiya.
Totally forgot.
It was his own fault—he was always goofing around, giving people the impression he wasn't reliable. Even at this high-level war meeting, he'd been completely overlooked…
"Nothing much. We just decided to launch a surprise attack on Sunagakure.
I'll take on Chiyo. You handle the rest," Tsunade said as she stood.
"What? Something this important and I'm just now hearing about it?
Tsunade, how about we swap? I heard Chiyo was quite the beauty."
A vein popped on Tsunade's forehead. She raised her fist.
Jiraiya immediately shrank back.
"…Tomboy."
"What did you say?"
"Nothing! I said nothing at all!
By the way, where'd you get that sword hilt? Looks pretty nice—not from the Land of Fire, is it?"
Jiraiya broke into a cold sweat, trying to change the subject.
Tsunade tightened her grip on Avalon's hilt, her expression unreadable.
"Why are you asking so many questions?
Go rest. You've got work tonight."
"Yes, ma'am. I'm going now."
The two bickered as they walked off, like an old married couple.
Orochimaru watched Tsunade's retreating figure silently, his eyes contemplative.
Suddenly, a strange hunger surged from within him.
He turned to the female ninja beside him, who was bent over organizing some documents—and his gaze locked onto her pale, exposed neck.
So thirsty...
I want to taste that sweet, warm blood...
The side effect of his transformation was kicking in.
"Yueguang."
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru?"
The tent was nearly empty now.
As the woman raised her head, her eyelids suddenly drooped—and she collapsed into a deep sleep, caught in Orochimaru's genjutsu.
Nawaki stared in stunned silence as Orochimaru embraced the unconscious kunoichi, lowered his head, and bit down greedily into her white neck, sucking deeply.
Uncle Orochimaru…
You absolute genius perv!
---
That night.
Two thousand Konoha shinobi assembled.
While not their entire force, it was more than enough to execute a successful surprise attack on Sunagakure.
As they waited for the final signal, a figure slowly rose from the ground—Orochimaru, who had been in charge of eliminating enemy sentries.
His skin was deathly pale, but his lips were an eerie crimson, as if soaked in blood.
"The lookouts have been taken care of."
Tsunade gave a nod and turned to Dan Kato.
"Let's move."