Orochimaru stood silently by, listening to their entire conversation. The Sage of Six Paths, the Rinnegan, and even knowledge of the Rinnegan's ocular jutsu abilities. The first two were things he had heard of, but the latter was not something found in ancient texts.
This Uzumaki Linhu was becoming more and more interesting. Orochimaru licked his lips. In his eyes, Uzumaki Linhu was a treasure trove of potential.
Linhu did not shy away from speaking with Orochimaru. He had long since made plans regarding Orochimaru, as he would need his help in the future. Revealing a little now to pique his interest was a good start, after all, Orochimaru was an exceptionally rare talent, a true genius.
The war was not over yet; the Rain Village ninjas had only temporarily retreated. Orochimaru did not linger. Knowing that Nawaki had a chance of being revived, he needed to seriously consider the upcoming war strategy, especially with the newly emerged Sand Village, the situation was not optimistic.
After comforting Tsunade for a while, Linhu returned to his tent, leaving Tsunade alone to quiet her mind.
Lying on the bed, Linhu looked up at the tent ceiling, lost in thought. Reviving Nawaki was impossible for now; his strength was insufficient, and he could not expose the Rinnegan. Besides, there was no rush. He would revive Nawaki after the war to prevent the blockhead from throwing his life away again. As for the increasing cost with time, well, being free of cost was awesome, cool, and willful!
He couldn't use the Rinnegan as Uzumaki Linhu. He hadn't grown strong enough yet. Once the trial period for the Rinnegan ended, there would be plenty of people in the ninja world who could kill him, many in Konoha alone. The Sannin, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Sakumo Hatake, Might Duy...
As for Danzo, sorry, Linhu didn't consider him a person, he was biased. He didn't doubt Danzo's deep love for Konoha, but he had chosen the wrong path, going deeper and deeper, becoming more extreme later on. His desire for the Hokage position even surpassed his desire to protect Konoha.
In what identity should he appear? One that wouldn't arouse suspicion. This was a real headache...
Konoha Village, Hokage Office.
"What! The Third Kazekage has secretly infiltrated the Land of Rain? Is the information accurate?" It was late at night, but the lights in the Hokage office building were still brightly lit. Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his temples tiredly, his expression grave.
"Reporting to Lord Hokage, the information comes from ANBU. The Third Kazekage was discovered by ANBU scouts two days ago while crossing the Land of Rivers. He should have already reached the Land of Rain," replied the masked ninja respectfully.
"Information from two days ago? Why is it only reaching us today? What has your ANBU been doing? Where is Danzo? Summon him to me." Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed the table with force, his Hokage hat falling off, showing how angry he was.
*Bang!*
The door was pushed open, and Danzo, wearing a wide-sleeved robe, entered. He spoke calmly, "My Root ninja discovered the Third Kazekage at the same time they discovered us. They sent out two squads to pursue us, and the message only just reached my Root."
"Hmph, let this matter go for now. Immediately transmit orders for Sakumo Hatake to rush to the Land of Rain battlefield to support Tsunade and the others." Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression improved slightly upon hearing this and he ordered the ANBU in front of him.
"Yes!" With a flash, the masked ninja disappeared with a body flicker.
"Sakumo Hatake? He can indeed withstand the pressure of the Third Kazekage. But are you so sure that Tsunade and the others can hold off Hanzo? Send me instead. I will deal with Salamander Hanzo," Danzo said calmly, hands clasped behind his back.
"I believe in Orochimaru and the others. Those three are my most talented disciples."
"Then aren't you worried about that old man, Onoki, ambushing from the side?"
"Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu will keep a close watch on Mu."
"Hmph! Hiruzen, you will one day fall because of your naivety!" Danzo snorted and stormed out.
"Danzo, I know you are unhappy that the teacher chose me as the Third Hokage, but your personality is truly unsuitable for being Hokage. I hope that in the future..." Hiruzen Sarutobi muttered as he watched Danzo's retreating back.
Border of the Land of Rain.
"Oh? Hanzo is actually injured. No wonder he dares not see me." A man with blue hair and yellow eyes, wearing a white Kage robe, looked down at the Rain ninja kneeling before him. The man was the Third Kazekage.
"Yes, Lord Kazekage. Lord Hanzo has prepared a resting place for you. We will discuss matters in detail once Lord Hanzo's injuries have healed." Beads of sweat covered the face of the kneeling Rain ninja. As expected of the strongest Kazekage of all generations, his aura was incredibly oppressive.
"As expected of Hanzo, who is famously cautious. But he was actually injured by three juniors. The 'God of Shinobi' title in the ninja world is nothing but an empty claim."
The Rain ninja dared not answer, trembling. He kept his head down, pretending not to hear.
"Hmph, lead the way." Seeing this, the Third Kazekage flicked his robe and strode forward.
...
Two days later, Konoha Camp.
In the main tent where a council was in session, a ninja hurried in, interrupting Orochimaru and the others who were discussing tactics. "Report! Lord Orochimaru, Lord Sakumo Hatake has arrived."
Orochimaru's expression, which had been ice-cold due to the interruption, slightly softened upon hearing of Sakumo Hatake's arrival. He waved his hand, "Understood. Please invite Senior Sakumo in to discuss the war."
Moments later, a stern man with short white hair and a short sword strapped to his back strode into the tent. Tsunade, Jiraiya, and a group of other ninjas rose to greet him.
At this time, the title of "Konoha's White Fang" had begun to spread throughout the ninja world. Sakumo Hatake's performance on the Sand Village battlefield was astonishing, having killed Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law, and suppressed the strongest Kazekage of all generations, proving to be an insurmountable obstacle!
Orochimaru also rose to invite Sakumo Hatake to the seat of honor, but Sakumo Hatake waved his hand in refusal. This was not his main battlefield, and the Third Hokage's orders only instructed him to support the fight against the Third Kazekage, with no other directives. He was not one to hoard military achievements. He casually found a seat, right next to Jiraiya.
Seeing this, Orochimaru did not insist. He still needed outstanding military achievements to compete for the Fourth Hokage position.
Orochimaru paused, then continued with the previous topic. "The Third Kazekage's sudden arrival in the Land of Rain, what is his objective? With Hanzo injured and not appearing, it is an excellent opportunity to counterattack, yet we are constrained due to the Third Kazekage's arrival. What do you all think?"
"What else is there to discuss? Lord Sakumo has arrived. I suggest we directly attack the Land of Rain and take Hanzo's head!"
"With Lord Sakumo tying down the Third Kazekage, Lord Orochimaru, Lord Tsunade, and Lord Jiraiya can safely storm the Land of Rain and confront Hanzo."
"I think that's a good idea. An injured Hanzo is like a sick tiger that has lost its teeth, nothing to fear."
"We have Konoha's 'Sannin', Hanzo himself said so!"
...
One after another, they all expressed that they should take the initiative to attack while Hanzo was injured. Two days ago, they were worried that the Third Kazekage and Hanzo would join forces against the Sannin. Now, Sakumo Hatake's arrival had given them a sense of security, and they wanted to vent the frustration of the past two days.
At this moment, Sakumo Hatake suddenly spoke, "What if it's not two of them, but three?"
"Three? Are you saying Ōnoki? It's not impossible." Orochimaru stroked his clean-shaven chin in thought.
"If it's just Ōnoki and an injured Hanzo, I think the three of us can hold them off, but we'll need one more person." Tsunade, who had regained some of her spirit, suddenly spoke.
"Are you referring to Uzumaki Linhu?"