The war was over, but no one looked particularly pleased, especially not Tsunade, Jiraiya, or Orochimaru.
They had ordered the other ninjas to take the wounded and the bodies of their fallen comrades back to the camp, while the three of them remained on the battlefield to recuperate.
Now, the three sat inside a cave, silently staring at the fire.
They should have been celebrating, but the title of "Sannin" that Hanzo had so condescendingly bestowed upon them had left a bitter taste in their mouths.
What made it worse was that everyone else saw it as an honor.
"Are we just going to sit here? When are we heading back? I'm done with this miserable Rain Country weather," Jiraiya finally broke the silence, unable to contain his frustration.
What, eager to get back to peeping? Orochimaru shot Jiraiya a sideways glance, which Jiraiya promptly returned.
He might fear Tsunade, but he wasn't about to back down to Orochimaru. The two locked eyes, the tension palpable.
"Lord Orochimaru, urgent ssage from the camp."
Before Tsunade could intervene, an ANBU ninja rushed into the cave, handing a scroll to Orochimaru, who had command over the frontlines.
"Hmm."
Orochimaru responded nonchalantly as he took the scroll and opened it. As he read, his usually stoic face twisted into sothing more animated.
What could have happened in the camp to make even Orochimaru's features contort like that?
Curious, Jiraiya leaned in to take a look.
"Heh..."
Ignoring Jiraiya, Orochimaru chuckled after finishing the scroll. His earlier frustration seed to lift.
Nothing like seeing Danzo in trouble to brighten your day.
"Looks like soone's having a really bad day," Orochimaru remarked, handing the scroll to Tsunade, while Jiraiya shot him a dirty look.
Couldn't you let see it first? Would it kill you?
Tsunade took the scroll, and as Jiraiya tried to peek over her shoulder, she kicked him, sending him flying into the cave wall. The ANBU ninja present could only sweat nervously, quickly lowering his head and pretending he hadn't seen or heard anything.
"Damn it! What was that old bastard Danzo doing? How the hell did Chiyo manage to break through the camp?! And the dical unit got wiped out?!"
Tsunade was livid, hurling the scroll to the ground as she cursed out loud.
"What a rookie mistake! And he expects to help heal him after that?"
Jiraiya picked himself up from the ground, rubbing his face as he retrieved the scroll. After reading it, he let out a sigh.
"This is just..."
He didn't even know what to say.
Tsunade was right-this was an amateur mistake. No matter how careless you were, letting the camp be breached was inexcusable.
It was one thing for the camp to be attacked-that was to be expected in a war. But for it to actually be overrun? That was a failure on another level.
The camp's defenses might not have been at full strength, but the number of Sand ninjas left in the Rain Country wasn't overwhelming either.
The breach in the camp could only be due to two factors: first, a lapse in vigilance. The sensing ninjas must have let their guard down after a long period without any attacks.
Second, the defensive forces were too spread out.
In most camps, the defensive forces are spread around the periter to prevent attacks. But in Konoha's camp? All the guards were clustered around the command center.
Was Danzo more afraid of dying than leading? Or was he just paranoid about being dragged off in the middle of the night and buried alive?
Orochimaru had pointed this out before, but Danzo hadn't taken it seriously.
To Danzo, he was the supre commander, the one in charge of everything on the frontlines. His safety was paramount.
If the enemy attacked the camp, surely they would target the command center first.
Well, they didn't. Instead, they went straight for the dical unit and wiped it out.
The thought of all the dical ninjas, whom the village had painstakingly trained, being killed in one fell swoop had Tsunade seething with rage.
Even Jiraiya wanted to curse Danzo out.
It was bad enough that the camp had been attacked. But then to chase after the retreating enemy and charge headfirst into their ranks? What was he thinking?
And now look at him-nearly killed in an ambush, sacrificing his summoning just to escape, and now he's half-crippled.
Lost an eye, lost an arm.
And he thinks Tsunade's going to co back and heal him? He must be dreaming.
He's lucky she doesn't kill him herself.
After cursing for a while, Tsunade finally asked, "Has the ssage been sent back to the village? What did Danzo say?"
The ANBU ninja kept his head low, replying respectfully, "Yes, the ssage has been sent to the village. Additionally, Lord Danzo has recalled the ninjas stationed outside the camp. He also requests that you, Lady Tsunade, return to the camp as soon as possible."
"Screw that."
Tsunade spat out, echoing Takuya's usual vulgarity—a habit that once would've made her want to smack him.
But now, it felt strangely satisfying to say it out loud.
Orochimaru: "..."
Jiraiya: "..."
It was the first ti either of them had heard Tsunade curse like that. For a mont, they were stunned into silence, while the ANBU ninja looked utterly bewildered.
Thankfully, he quickly collected himself, pretending not to have heard anything.
If it had been anyone else cursing like that, he wouldn't have been able to just let it slide. But
this was Tsunade-a high-ranking, celebrated figure cursing out another high-ranking figure. He wasn't about to get involved in that.
He'd just have to pass on the ssage to the Hokage, word for word, if asked.
"Back to the camp!"
Even though she didn't want to deal with Danzo, Tsunade knew they had to return to the
camp.
There were too many wounded to ignore. If she didn't save Danzo, she'd at least save the lives
of the others.
More than Danzo, they were the real heroes of the village.
"Let's get going!"
Jiraiya had long since had enough of this hellish place and was eager to leave the Rain Country
behind.
Nodding, Orochimaru got up to follow. But as they left the cave, he glanced back, his lips
curling into a slight smile before he turned to leave.
"Whew, that scared . I thought we were busted."
As soon as Orochimaru and the others were gone, three small figures erged from the
nearby trees.
It was Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan.
They were starving, and the sll of sothing cooking had led them to the cave.
Fortunately, there were still so leftovers from the food that had been cooked.
Whether it was because of their anger or because Orochimaru had intentionally left it behind, the cave still had so uneaten rations.
In their hurry to leave, neither Tsunade, Jiraiya, nor the ANBU had noticed or cared.
Orochimaru had seen the three kids hiding in the trees but hadn't thought much of it.
So, the food was left behind.
"Mm, slls good, but it's nothing compared to Takuya-sensei's grilled at."
"Yeah, I really miss Takuya-sensei's cooking."
Konan nodded in agreent with Yahiko as Nagato quietly ate his portion, not saying a word.
Even though Takuya hadn't officially accepted them as his students, Yahiko, Konan, and
Nagato still regarded him as their teacher.
After all, he had given them food, given them hope to survive, and a chance to beco
stronger.
And just like that, they narrowly missed their opportunity to beco Jiraiya's disciples.
"Three little kids, huh?"
As they walked, Jiraiya suddenly asked, breaking the silence.
Orochimaru glanced at him and nodded without saying anything.
Jiraiya chuckled. "Since when did you get so soft? I rember you used to be pretty ruthless."
I'm only ruthless to you, Orochimaru thought as he stared at Jiraiya. "Takuya once said that all of this-the war, the suffering-was caused by those who should
be held accountable. But children... children are innocent," Orochimaru finally replied.
***********
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