After Orochimaru shifted the battle lines to a defensive posture, Feng Bai and the others finally gained some respite.
Not only could their taut nerves relax, but they could even stroll around the camp a few times.
Shimura Ikku and Yamanaka Zen seized these opportunities to spread rumors about Feng Bai throughout the camp, following Danzo's instructions.
Walking to the area where the transport teams rested, Feng Bai began searching for familiar faces.
He'd learned from Anko that just a month ago, Asuma, now a chūnin, had joined the transport corps.
...
"Hey, jōnin, give me one of your cigarettes."
A young voice rang out nearby. The jōnin, cigarette dangling from his mouth with eyes closed in rest, couldn't be bothered to open them and instinctively replied: "Get lost! You haven't even grown all your hair yet, kid. Figure out how to survive on the battlefield first before thinking about smoking!"
As one of the battlefield-promoted jōnin and a civilian ninja at that, he naturally understood what this meant—his mood was far from pleasant.
His predecessor had just died at Cloud ninja hands. With only mastery of the Three Basic Techniques plus one Water Release jutsu, he was barely chūnin level at best.
He thought his harsh words would make the boy retreat, but the next moment he felt a shadow fall across him, blocking the warm sunlight.
"Kid, you looking to die—"
Opening his eyes, the jōnin was about to explode when he saw the boy's face and reconsidered.
"Here, take it."
Pulling cigarettes from his pocket, the jōnin's tone improved considerably from before.
He'd recognized the speaking youth's identity: the Third Hokage's son, Sarutobi Asuma.
"How amusing—the Hokage's son mingling with us commoners without even a bodyguard."
Watching Asuma expertly produce a lighter and ignite the cigarette, the jōnin waved his hand, indicating the boy needn't return the remaining cigarettes: "Keep them. I'm leading a team on a mission this afternoon—probably won't get another chance to smoke these."
"The Hokage's son? No, standing on this battlefield, there are no sons of anyone—only Konoha shinobi."
Exhaling smoke, Asuma's gaze was profound. His already mature face combined with that expression made the jōnin rub his eyes, nearly mistaking him for the Third Hokage himself.
"Regardless, throwing children into battle—what a glorious war indeed. Konoha Village, once ranked first among the Five Great Hidden Villages, has truly declined."
A nearby Konoha ninja, overhearing their conversation, spoke with a hint of mockery.
"Enough talk—here comes trouble."
Noticing an ANBU-dressed shinobi approaching from the distance, the ninja who had been resting immediately stood and left the area.
"ANBU, huh? That build seems somewhat familiar."
Asuma remained in place, cigarette in mouth, showing no intention of moving. Whether ANBU or Root, he was quite familiar with both and had no need to avoid them.
But this ANBU-dressed individual appeared even slighter than himself, and that hairstyle...
"Yo, Asuma, already smoking? Careful, or Lord Sarutobi will spank you." Finally spotting Asuma, Feng Bai removed his mask and smiled at him.
"Damn, it really is you!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Asuma's previously serious expression broke into a smile as he stepped forward and punched Feng Bai's shoulder: "Konoha's youngest jōnin—the village has been buzzing with talk of your exploits lately."
"Come on, what exploits? I didn't manage to kill any of those three. I heard Troy is still active on the battlefield."
Feng Bai scratched his head self-deprecatingly. In his view, that encounter was purely a narrow escape from death.
"Enough with the modesty. If I'd gone, I'd probably be on the memorial stone by now."
Throwing an arm around Feng Bai's shoulder, Asuma extinguished his cigarette and led him to find an open area to continue their conversation.
...
"Orochimaru, what's going on? Never thought I'd see the day you'd seek my support."
Jiraiya, who had rushed over with Minato's group, immediately headed straight for Orochimaru's tent upon reaching the camp.
Hearing Jiraiya's voice, Orochimaru merely glanced up at him before shifting his attention to Minato and the young ninja behind him.
"Hey, you—"
Jiraiya casually found a chair and plopped down, intending to tease Orochimaru further, but discovered the man completely ignored him, leaving him somewhat deflated.
"I'll be taking Minato away for a period. Command duties will fall to you during that time."
Orochimaru stood and stated his purpose for summoning Jiraiya, then used his eyes to signal Minato.
Understanding Orochimaru's meaning, Minato grew serious, nodded to Orochimaru, and turned to send Kakashi and the others outside to wait.
With no outsiders present, Orochimaru began explaining his thinking: "Kumogakure, like us, is fighting away from home and needs to transport supplies from headquarters to the front lines. But Kumogakure is even farther from here. Combined with the frequency of Shimura Feng Bai's ambushes on transport units, I deduce they've likely constructed a temporary supply depot at their Land of Hot Water position to sustain front-line operations."
"Therefore, I need some highly mobile shinobi to accompany me on this mission. Understand, Jiraiya?"
Glancing sideways at the carefree Jiraiya, Orochimaru still had some confidence in his abilities. As for character... well, everyone had their flaws.
"I understand, but this seems extremely dangerous."
Jiraiya spoke seriously, though he knew that once Orochimaru set his mind on something, no one could change it.
"That's not your concern. I'll return Minato to you completely intact." Orochimaru's response was entirely within Jiraiya's expectations.
"Besides Minato, there's another person I need to bring along..."
Orochimaru's lips curved into a dangerous arc as he revealed a sinister smile that sent chills down Jiraiya's spine.
Orochimaru desired the war's end more urgently than anyone. To him, such conflicts were utterly meaningless, only hindering his money-making and research endeavors. He would spare no cost to achieve this goal.
...
"Troy, how are you feeling?"
In the Kumogakure camp, the mostly recovered young A looked somewhat guiltily at Troy.
Due to his reckless advance, Troy's kidney had been struck by a poisoned senbon from that damned Ice Release brat, with the toxin directly contaminating his organ.
To preserve this jōnin's life, the medical ninja had no choice but to remove the poison-corrupted kidney, turning this Kumogakure shinobi of considerable renown into a "kidney-slashed guest."
"I'm fine."
Though Troy appeared nonchalant before young A, how could he harbor no resentment? After learning his attacker belonged to the Shimura clan, Troy specifically hunted Konoha ninja of that lineage on the battlefield to avenge his stolen kidney.
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