Chapter 7 – Hidden Dangers
When Minamoto Ren saw Nawaki—and more importantly, the nearly invisible wire stretched across the tree branch above him—his heart nearly stopped.
So close. Just a step more, and it would've been over.
His tenuous connection with the Legendary Sannin, his subtly rising influence within the "Crown Prince Squad"—all of it would've gone up in smoke.
Even if he somehow survived this war by sheer luck, he'd walk away with nothing.
Without saying a word, Ren grabbed Nawaki and pulled him far from the trap. Only after they were a safe distance away did he toss a kunai, slicing through the thin wire—which immediately triggered the explosive trap.
Nawaki broke out in a cold sweat. He didn't say anything about Orochimaru anymore.
Instead, he clung to Ren and burst into tears.
Ren understood him. He really did.
A teacher had just demanded that he kill innocent civilians—and moments later, he'd nearly been blown to pieces by an explosive tag.
And all of this had happened to a ten-year-old child.
Who wouldn't cry?
If you asked Ren, kids like Nawaki were the normal ones.
It was children like Uchiha Itachi—killing machines at age six or seven, executing orders without question, and eventually developing their own moral breakdowns—who were the real reason this world stayed broken.
A twisted generation raised by twisted values, passing on the same distorted teachings to their successors.
Cycle after cycle of inherited tragedy.
Even Ren didn't know how to put it into words.
He safely escorted Nawaki back to camp. Neither of them mentioned the trap.
Nawaki, after this experience, grew a little quieter—perhaps a little older.
As for Orochimaru, he didn't return at all. He had other matters to attend to.
The sudden large-scale retreat of Amegakure was highly unusual.
Salamander Hanzō was known for his ruthlessness. Any nation that dared to encroach on the Land of Rain would typically face an overwhelming counterattack.
But this time, he had inexplicably ceded a vast stretch of territory to Konoha.
This deviation from the norm demanded a high-level strategy meeting.
Only a few were present in the command tent:
Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru, of course.
Also present were the younger generation of the famed Ino–Shika–Chō trio—Yamanaka En, Nara Konma, and Akimichi Jōbun.
In addition, about a dozen elite jōnin attended, mostly to observe.
Among them sat a man whose gaze was dark and brooding, his eyes locked on Tsunade at the head of the table, making her visibly uneasy.
This man was Mizudori Gō, father of Mizunomaru.
He was clearly displeased that Tsunade had abruptly pulled his son from the Crown Prince Squad and reassigned him to the Yūryō Mountain outpost.
---
Tsunade spoke first, cutting through the murmurs in the tent.
"We've successfully taken Yuwaku Gorge according to plan. The Yūsen Mine is now under our control. On the surface, this should be considered a major victory."
"However," she continued, "our ANBU reports from the front have gone eerily quiet. No updates on Hanzō's whereabouts or the movement of Amegakure's forces. So…"
"So we pull back," said Nara Konma, standing before the battlefield map. His round topknot bobbed slightly as he gestured.
"The Hokage originally intended for us to secure Yuwaku Gorge and Yūryō Mountain after shattering the enemy lines—but that's clearly not what's happening."
Tsunade hesitated.
In her mind, the strategic objectives had already been achieved. Holding position should suffice.
But Konma was a recognized tactical genius. Ignoring his advice usually meant trouble.
"There's no need to retreat," said Orochimaru coolly.
"We hold our ground and wait for reinforcements. If Hanzō appears, the three of us will deal with him."
Though only in his early twenties, Orochimaru's strength already neared Kage level. With Jiraiya and Tsunade beside him, he had every reason to be confident.
"I support Konma," said Yamanaka En, voicing his stance.
Right behind him, Akimichi Jōbun gave a muffled nod—mouth still full, but clearly in agreement.
The Ino–Shika–Chō trio had always functioned as a unit. When their strategist spoke, the others followed without question.
After all, their forebears had done the same for a century—why deviate now?
Three votes from the Sannin, three from the Ino–Shika–Chō. A tie.
The pressure now fell on the remaining jōnin.
"I support Lady Tsunade," said Mizudori Gō, stepping forward.
"In fact, I believe we should be even more aggressive. Hanzō was bogged down in the Iron Country—he might still be there. If so, now's the time to strike Amegakure directly. We seize their reserves of copper, iron, gold, and silver—break the old dog's back while we have the chance."
He may have resented Tsunade, but winning her favor still mattered.
Besides, he was chasing military merit—required if he wanted access to advanced jutsu. No battles, no glory.
Tsunade wavered even more.
Her hesitation was understandable. She was only in her twenties herself.
Despite her noble lineage and mature appearance, this was her first time commanding a major front. A little indecision was only natural.
In the end, the vote among the jōnin tilted in favor of Tsunade's proposal.
It wasn't surprising—after all, her backer was none other than Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Nara Konma let out a long sigh, but said nothing more.
Sometimes, a commander could only gain true experience by paying for it in blood.
He could only hope the cost this time wouldn't be too high.
The Ino–Shika–Chō trio were the first to leave.
The rest of the jōnin quickly filed out, until only Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru remained in the tent.
"How's Nawaki?" Tsunade forced a smile, trying to lift the mood.
"Did he throw up?"
Orochimaru, his narrow eyes lined with faint purple shadow, shifted his gaze toward her.
"No. I ordered him to kill civilians from the Land of Rain. He refused."
Jiraiya, who had been zoning out, suddenly turned serious.
"Orochimaru, we agreed—no unnecessary killing. When are you going to let go of that habit?"
Silence followed. The air between them grew heavy.
"So where is Nawaki now?" Tsunade asked, voice tense.
"Not sure. Probably back by now. After disobeying my orders, he ran off. Minamoto Ren and Hyūga Haining went after him."
Tsunade's eyes widened in disbelief.
Are you kidding me?! That's how you take care of a kid?!
Do you even deserve the trust I gave you, Orochimaru!?
As both Tsunade and Jiraiya glared at him with growing fury, Orochimaru scratched his face awkwardly.
He truly couldn't understand what went on in their heads.
It was just a kid—he got upset, let him run off a bit. His teammates followed, there were no enemy forces nearby. What's the big deal?
Just then, Nawaki burst into the tent, stormed past Orochimaru with a death glare, and threw himself into Tsunade's arms, wailing:
"Uwahhh! Sis! If it weren't for Ren, I wouldn't have made it back!"
Orochimaru stiffened. His snake-like eyes went wide.
A moment later, a furious shout echoed through the entire Konoha camp, roaring Orochimaru's name.
Then, a tremendous explosion rocked the central command tent, sending tremors across the earth.
---
Outside, Minamoto Ren heard the commotion, shook his head, and sighed.
Orochimaru had many qualities—genius, strength, brilliance—but empathy was not one of them.
He could act human when dealing with Jiraiya or Tsunade, but put a child in his hands, and problems were inevitable.
If you wanted Orochimaru to remember you, you had two choices:
Be a once-in-a-generation genius who could offer him immeasurable value.
Or save his ass so thoroughly that even he couldn't ignore it.
Well, now that list had grown.
Tsunade owed him a favor.
And starting today, so did Orochimaru.