40. Before The War!

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After these words fell, Nawaki was stunned, then fell silent.

It wasn't that he didn't believe Orochimaru's words, but he also had an inexplicable confidence in Ishigami Hara.

Apart from anything else, just in terms of learning ability, Nawaki had never seen anyone who could compare with Ishigami Hara.

It seemed that because Orochimaru's words were so shocking, Tsunade, who was still in a depressed state, became interested and asked, "Who is that child?"

Nawaki took the initiative to speak at this time: "Sister, that guy is Ishigami Hara, very powerful, and he has opened the Byakugan and Sharingan at the same time..."

As he told the story, Tsunade roughly understood. She wasn't completely unaware of Konoha's affairs at the front line. The news from the rear included some information she needed.

For example, she had been notified in advance of the previous Jinchūriki changes, which included some news about Ishigami Hara. It's just that at the time, Tsunade's attention was focused on the news that her grandmother was about to die, so she didn't pay much attention to it.

Now that she heard it, she finally reacted.

But that was all.

After Tsunade experienced the death of her grandmother and the tragic death of her lover, this series of blows left her only holding on without completely giving up.

But looking at her now, she had lost the pride and talent of a ninja.

It couldn't be said that she was no different from a useless person, but there wasn't much difference.

Orochimaru saw this, and it was precisely because of this that he gave Ishigami Hara such an order, just to spark some of Tsunade's spirit.

Handing such a dangerous person to a young man, as a Jōnin of Konoha, one of the Sannin, one of the frontline commanders, and the granddaughter of the First Hokage, how could she not feel stirred by her own responsibility?

But the result...

To be honest, Orochimaru was very disappointed, but he understood.

So, Orochimaru just nodded and said to Nawaki, "From now on, your role is to take good care of Tsunade."

"Yes, Orochimaru-sensei!"

Nawaki knew his priorities. Although he also wanted to contribute to the war, his sister needed his help more now, so he didn't dwell on the matter.

Orochimaru didn't say anything more to Tsunade because he had more important things to do.

The name of the Sannin originated from the battle between the Sannin and Hanzō of the Salamander. Rather than calling it a glory, it was more like the result of the enemy's mercy in sparing the three of them.

This was basically a humiliation for Orochimaru.

And in that battle, Orochimaru was injured and eventually returned to the village to recuperate.

The front line in Rain Country could only be handed over to Jiraiya and Tsunade.

What Orochimaru didn't expect was that after returning this time, Jiraiya was seriously injured, and Tsunade had lost her spirit, which made it equally difficult for him to accept.

Originally, the three of them had been sent to the battlefield of Rain Country.

In addition to resisting the enemy, the original intention of the top leaders, or Sarutobi Hiruzen, was to use the merits of defeating Amegakure Shinobi to elevate the status and reputation of the three.

Orochimaru and the others were very aware of this.

Even Hanzō of the Salamander did not kill the three in the original battle, likely out of concern for Konoha. In a way, he unintentionally solidified their reputation.

But now, as long as Hanzō isn't foolish, he must know that this is an opportunity, an opportunity to crush Konoha's front-line forces in Rain Country in one fell swoop.

Orochimaru didn't need to think too deeply to know that the next thing awaiting all the Konoha shinobi in the camp was definitely a raid from Amegakure.

Because of this, Orochimaru didn't have much conversation with Tsunade. He just looked at Jiraiya and took over the command of the front line, beginning to make various arrangements.

On the other hand, before leaving the camp, Ishigami Hara took a defense map of the camp, a map of the area, and some previous Amegakure Shinobi intelligence. After a quick check, he had a clear plan.

He followed Orochimaru and brought the character scroll for this mission. The people in the camp naturally cooperated with him, which was understood.

After all this, Ishigami Hara left the camp directly, heading northwest, where Rain Country was located and where the last possible direction of an Amegakure Shinobi raid might come from.

Throughout the process, Ishigami Hara had his perception maximized. Within a two-kilometer radius, almost every chakra fluctuation was clearly sensed by him.

In fact, Ishigami Hara's perception could fully extend to about five kilometers, but to conduct a more detailed investigation, he limited the range to two kilometers. This way, he discovered some clues.

Ishigami Hara looked in one direction, his eyes flickering. He didn't move but instead hid.

He was waiting because he had sensed the chakra fluctuations of an Amegakure Shinobi team just over a kilometer away, very close to the Konoha camp, indicating that the team had plans to attack the camp.

So, Ishigami Hara didn't need to act rashly at this moment. He simply had to wait and observe, as the order he received was to remain alert and defend.

In Ishigami Hara's view, the reason Orochimaru had given him such an order was that he knew certain things about him.

For example, Ishigami Hara's training with Wood Release early that morning wasn't done secretly, and if Orochimaru was interested, he would have noticed some clues.

Just like the Byakugan and Sharingan, Ishigami Hara didn't intend to hide his Wood Release. Sometimes, revealing certain things could lead to unexpected benefits.

"Aren't you nervous, kid?" Uchiha Izuna asked.

This wasn't the first time Uchiha Izuna had asked this question, and Ishigami Hara's answer was the same as before.

"Not nervous, just a little excited."

"Heh, you kid..."

Uchiha Izuna's voice echoed again: "Don't die. I want to see how far your Wood Release can go."

"You will see."

...

Meanwhile, in the direction of Kusagakure to the north, a figure emerged from a dark cave, glanced at the sky, and then vanished in an instant.

"Interesting guy, he can actually track White Zetsu. It's really worth checking out in person."