Chapter 118

"What? Ambushed by the Sand Ninja puppet army?"

In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen's eyes narrowed upon hearing the news.

Although tensions had been growing between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, up until now neither side had launched a serious attack. But the deployment of the Sand Ninja's puppet army signaled something far more decisive, the Land of Wind was fully committing to war.

"Gather the troops and prepare to counterattack!" Hiruzen commanded without hesitation.

In response, the ninja forces of Konoha were mobilized, fully armed and ready to move out. After confirming the marching routes and supply lines, the shinobi began to assemble.

Meanwhile, Danzo entered the Hokage's office, throwing a stack of reports onto Hiruzen's desk. "Based on the intelligence gathered by my subordinates, we've confirmed the three main routes of the enemy's attack."

Hiruzen glanced up, slightly surprised by the detailed information. "Are you sure this is accurate?"

Danzo's eyes were cold, confident. "It's accurate. You can count on it."

Hiruzen nodded. "Good. We'll act on this immediately."

---

Konoha's vanguard troops began their march toward the border of the Land of Fire, a powerful force moving in unison. Upon arriving at the border, they didn't immediately engage the enemy but instead focused on establishing a temporary base camp.

After all, wars weren't won in a single day. Ninja battles were different from all-out brawls. It was a game of strategy, scouting, sensing, attacking from a distance. Skirmishes might leave people wounded, but full-scale killings were rare unless the situation called for it, or a mission required it.

Setting up a solid base camp was essential. If the Konoha ninjas were going to fight with full force, they needed secure backing to maintain their strength and stamina.

As the troops left Konoha one by one, Jiraiya could be found squatting at the village gates, adjusting his arm guards. His expression was one of mild frustration.

"Seriously, where the hell is Orochimaru? He's not back yet?" he grumbled, clearly irritated.

As a man burdened with the prophecy of saving the ninja world, Jiraiya had returned to the village in a hurry, expecting his fellow Sannin to be around. But Orochimaru was still nowhere to be seen.

"Who knows?" Tsunade said, rolling her eyes at his complaints.

Jiraiya frowned. "You think that guy's dead out there somewhere?"

Tsunade glared at him. "Even if someone's going to die, it won't be him!"

Jiraiya let out a loud laugh. "Haha, just kidding! He's stronger than me, so I'm sure he's fine." Then, turning more thoughtful, he added, "The old man's been in contact with him, right?"

Tsunade sighed. "Yeah, but only through coded messages. Orochimaru said he's searching for some kind of medicinal herb. Who knows what kind of research he's up to this time."

Jiraiya crossed his arms, looking suspicious. "Bet he's working on some weird experiment again. Something the village definitely wouldn't want to know about."

Tsunade shot him a sharp look. "Shut up! Don't go spreading rumors like that. The last thing we need is for people to start thinking Orochimaru's up to something shady."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I see. Still just 'Orochimaru this,' 'Orochimaru that,' all day long, huh?"

"Well, of course!" Tsunade snapped. "He's my boyfriend!"

Jiraiya's eyes widened in disbelief. "Boyfriend? Please. You two haven't even done anything yet! For all you know, Orochimaru's out there hooking up with some random girl right now…..."

He didn't get to finish that. Seeing Tsunade's fist clenching and the dangerous glint in her eyes, Jiraiya quickly shut his mouth.

"Go on. Why aren't you talking? Keep going," she said with a threatening smile.

"Ahem, never mind! Forget I said anything!" Jiraiya forced a nervous laugh, raising his hands in surrender.

He knew better than to push his luck. Getting pummeled by Tsunade just before heading off to battle wasn't on his agenda.

At that moment, the Third Hokage approached, wearing his battle robes.

"Are you ready to leave?" Hiruzen asked, his tone all business.

"Yeah, we're good to go," Jiraiya replied. "But are the two of us enough for this?"

"There's no other choice right now," Hiruzen said with a nod. "You two will go ahead. Orochimaru and Tsunade will also be on the frontlines soon, handling things on their own until you return."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, but then smirked. "Orochimaru, huh? Haha, I'm sure he'll be fine."

---

Meanwhile, outside Konoha Village, Orochimaru was strolling back toward the gates, hands tucked casually into his pockets, a large scroll strapped to his back.

He had spent nearly two years away from the village, focusing on his experiments and projects in the Land of Rice Fields. His latest success had been unlocking a new section of his system, daily life technology, a reward for completing three advanced weapons technologies.

But daily life innovations didn't interest him much. For someone like Orochimaru, who was constantly seeking ways to increase his power and knowledge, such things were a mere distraction. Still, he made note of the developments, more out of curiosity than need.

As he neared the village gates, he paused, noticing the many footprints in the dirt.

"Looks like I came back a little late…" Orochimaru murmured to himself, realizing that the village had already mobilized its forces.

His recent contact with Hiruzen had been through coded messages left at specific locations. He hadn't expected such a sudden call back to the village. Now it seemed the Third Hokage had run out of options.

Just as Orochimaru stepped through the gates, he was immediately tackled by a familiar presence.

"Tsunade!"

Without hesitation, Tsunade threw herself into Orochimaru's arms, ignoring the eyes of the villagers around them. She hugged him tightly, uncaring of the stares and whispers.

Orochimaru chuckled softly, returning the embrace, though more composed than Tsunade. The Third Hokage, standing nearby, could only shake his head.

Tsunade and Orochimaru's relationship had been established early on, and no one could do anything about it, not even the Hokage himself. It had simply become something people had learned to accept.

Orochimaru smiled, enjoying the warmth of Tsunade's embrace. "It's been a long time, Tsunade. I must say, you seem even more beautiful now."

"Hehe, of course!" Tsunade grinned, snuggling closer to him.

Orochimaru gently patted her back. "Though I'd love to catch up more, I should check in with sensei first."

"Uh-huh." Tsunade nodded obediently but didn't let go of his hand. She held on tight as they approached the Third Hokage, as if afraid Orochimaru might vanish again if she let go.

"Orochimaru," Hiruzen greeted with a smile.

"Sensei," Orochimaru responded with a respectful nod.

"I apologize for pulling you back so abruptly. The situation has gotten… complicated."

"I understand," Orochimaru said, cutting straight to the point. "What's our mission this time?"

Hiruzen sighed. "There's no specific mission. Now that you're back, the three of you will head directly to the frontlines. You'll be in charge of pushing back the enemy forces. The other families will support you, but the war will be in your hands. Here," he handed over a scroll, "are the details of the enemy's three offensive lines."

"Got it." Orochimaru took the scroll and glanced at it before tucking it away. "Leave it to us."

Tsunade squeezed his hand, her face determined. "Let's go, Jiraiya!"

Jiraiya, adjusting his headband, gave a lopsided grin. "You're still as cocky as ever, Orochimaru."

Orochimaru smirked. "And you're still as annoying."