Chapter 67: Arriving at the Frontline
In the Land of Fire, near the northeastern border not far from the Land of Hot Water, part of Konoha's shinobi army had set up camp within a dense forest.
Inside the commander's tent, Orochimaru sat quietly, holding a confidential letter he had just opened.
"So it's those four… interesting."
After reading the contents, a strange glint flashed through Orochimaru's eyes as he muttered softly.
Boom—
Just as he finished reading, a violent explosion erupted not far from the army's encampment.
A cold light flickered in Orochimaru's eyes as he immediately rose and stepped outside the tent.
Looking up, he saw a column of thick smoke rising beyond the forest.
Within the camp, numerous Konoha shinobi rushed out of their tents upon hearing the commotion.
"Orochimaru-sama!"
Among the crowd, Hyūga Hizashi and Sarutobi Yūto—both holding important positions within the army—approached.
Whoosh—
"Orochimaru-sama, our perimeter scouts have detected Kumogakure's shinobi army. The Two-Tails' jinchūriki is leading them—they're advancing toward the main camp!"
A Konoha ninja appeared before Orochimaru in a blur, reporting loudly.
"Engage."
After hearing the report, Orochimaru calmly uttered two words.
As soon as he finished speaking, his body began to burn away, and within seconds, he vanished from sight.
"Follow me!"
Behind him, Hyūga Hizashi and Sarutobi Yūto each rallied a portion of the troops and headed toward the source of the explosion.
Outside the dense forest, five Konoha squads stood tensely on guard at the tree line.
In the distance, dust rose into the air as a force of several hundred Kumogakure shinobi charged forward.
At the very front of their formation ran a beautiful kunoichi with long, flaxen hair.
She was Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails' jinchūriki.
She also served as the commanding general of this Kumogakure assault force.
Seeing the Konoha squads holding their ground at the forest's edge, a cold smile curved across Yugito's face.
Suddenly, as she sprinted forward, a blue feline tail emerged from behind her. From her mouth burst a mouse-shaped flame that split midair into more than a dozen blue homing fireballs, streaking straight toward the Konoha squads.
"Not good—it's Kumogakure's Two-Tails jinchūriki!"
Seeing Yugito partially transformed into her Tailed Beast state, the squad captains' expressions changed drastically. They quickly ordered their team members to retreat into the forest.
But the blue homing fireballs followed them relentlessly into the trees.
"Ah—!"
Boom! Boom!
Several screams rang out, followed by thunderous explosions as flames erupted within the forest.
With just a single attack from Yugito, several Konoha shinobi were killed.
"Captain, we can't win this—let's fall back!"
Inside the forest, a shinobi, shaken by the sight of his comrades reduced to nothing but ashes, urged his captain to retreat.
The captain hesitated.
Their squads were perimeter scouts stationed outside the main force. They had already been pushed back by Kumogakure's advance.
If they retreated any further, the main camp would be directly behind them.
Before the captain could decide, a massive plume of white smoke suddenly rose outside the forest. A gigantic snake appeared, blocking the path of Kumogakure's army.
It was Orochimaru's summoning—a Giant Snake.
Standing atop the serpent's head, Orochimaru rapidly formed hand seals.
Wind Release: Great Breakthrough
A powerful gust erupted from his mouth, forming a massive storm that surged toward the Kumogakure forces.
The overwhelming wind forced the enemy army to halt their advance.
"It's Orochimaru-sama!"
Seizing the moment to breathe, the remaining members of the Konoha squads quickly regrouped behind him.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
From the forest behind, more figures arrived as Konoha's main army, led by Hyūga Hizashi and Sarutobi Yūto, rushed to reinforce them.
After a brief standoff, the battle erupted in full.
All across the battlefield, a myriad of ninjutsu were unleashed. The air filled with bloodshed and killing intent.
By evening, the sun had already dipped behind the mountains.
Whoosh, whoosh—
Within the forest, four figures moved swiftly from tree to tree.
"Who goes there?"
Ahead, several Konoha shinobi on perimeter guard blocked their path.
"We are direct ANBU under Hokage-sama, here on official orders."
The four figures came to a stop. Kakashi, wearing his cat-faced ANBU mask, stepped forward and presented their authorization.
They were the newly formed ANBU Team Eleven.
After verifying their identities, the guards allowed them through.
Entering the camp, they could see signs of recent battle everywhere. Faint groans of wounded soldiers drifted from the tents.
It was clear the camp had just endured combat.
A faint atmosphere of exhaustion and sorrow hung over the entire encampment.
The four remained silent as they followed a shinobi toward the commander's tent.
ANBU Team Eleven's mission was a long-term, high-risk operation. Before commencing, they had to make contact with the frontline forces and gather sufficient battlefield intelligence.
Compared to distant Konoha, the troops at the front possessed far more accurate and timely information.
"Orochimaru-sama."
Entering the tent, the four bowed respectfully. Kakashi stepped forward and presented the mission scroll.
Orochimaru responded faintly and accepted the scroll without even glancing at it. Instead, he fixed his gaze on them.
"I'm already aware of your mission. I'll have someone deliver the relevant intelligence to you shortly."
Behind his mask, Kakashi's expression shifted slightly.
From Orochimaru's behavior, it was clear he already knew their mission details before ANBU Team Eleven had even arrived.
That was clearly against protocol.
ANBU Team Eleven was directly under the Hokage. Their personnel and mission information were meant to be kept under strict confidentiality.
Before the mission scroll had even been formally handed over, how did Orochimaru know its contents?
Not only had he overstepped, he openly admitted it in front of them. What did that imply?
Though Shisui and Guy lacked the experience to fully grasp the implications, they instinctively sensed something was wrong.
Ryuya, however, was not surprised.
In Konoha, no one truly knew how many spies Danzō and Orochimaru had planted.
For a moment, the atmosphere inside the tent grew heavy.
"Hehe… what is it? Do you have objections to my arrangements?"
A strange gleam flickered in Orochimaru's eyes as he looked at the four with interest.
"…No."
After a brief silence, Kakashi responded in a low voice.
With that, the four turned and left the tent.
That night, under the guidance of another shinobi, they rested within the army camp.
For 70 advanced chapters,you can go to my Patreon: Patreon.com/Keiondir